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Celebrating Retiring Faculty: Hillary Grotos ’77 

Assistant Director of Admission and Events Coordinator
After five decades of connection to Trinity, three of them on the staff, Hillary Grotos ’77 retired in the spring of 2026.

A Trinity alum from the school’s third graduating class, Grotos’ institutional knowledge and contributions over the past five decades are unmatched. She returned to join the staff in 1995 as director of development and alumni and moved full-time into alumni relations three years later, supporting the fundraising campaign to build Morgan Hall. In those first years, she instituted the now-beloved annual tradition of Grandparents Day in 2004 and revived the annual Oyster Roast a few years earlier, bringing more family and fall festivities to Homecoming Weekend. 
 
Former Head of School Tom Aycock and his wife, Kae, estimate that they would annually host over a thousand visitors in their home for events of every kind, from faculty parties to alumni socials and information sessions for prospective students and their families. Hillary’s support for those events, from the food to the decoration to the cleanup, was tireless. Through New Family Picnics, Jazz Festivals, auction galas, parent coffees and more — every Trinity event over the past 30 years has been a success thanks to Hillary’s hospitality.
 
After moving to the admission office in 2000, Hillary has been a facilitator of first impressions — welcoming each prospective student and family with a smile, putting them at ease and treating them like one of her own children. “She's just super friendly, super kind and a very good listener,” says Head of School Rob Short. “As we have built our community here, she has been invaluable.”
 
The mother of five Trinity alumni (Lya Zeno Sinclair ’02, Kristen Grotos Spain ’03, Clair Zeno Carpenter ’05, Thomas Zeno ’08 and Tappe Grotos Delaney ’15), she has seen each of them discover their paths in unique ways as the school has grown and evolved over the years. 
 
“I like bringing people together. I like connecting the dots,” Hillary says, “particularly as I’ve seen different generations come back to the school.”
 
In the spring of 2026, the staff of The Shield yearbook dedicated the 2026 edition to Grotos for her contributions to Trinity over five decades. 
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