50th
Ever Onward

Titan to Titan

“One Small Step” StoryCorps project facilitates reflections across time
Inspired by the success of “One Small Step,” Trinity’s two-year partnership with StoryCorps, a long-running oral history project often heard on public radio, Stefanie Jochman, English teacher, thought the model would be a natural way to bring students and alumni together to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary.
 
A few dozen students have signed up to participate and several have been paired with alumni volunteers invited to “compare notes and share memories and experiences from life at Trinity then and now.” Conversations recorded using the StoryCorps app may even end up in the archives at Trinity and the Library of Congress. Jochman and Laura Hamlin Weiler ’00 developed a conversation guide and taught participants how to record their interviews. 
 
Jochman recalls that one student participant was a bit nervous before the conversation, but by the end was inspired to do it all over again. “It's great for students, because you have this adult who doesn’t know you and is really taking interest in your story, your experience, and wants to see you succeed, because this is a place they care a lot about.”
 
“The hope is that students recognize what Trinity’s legacy is, how it has grown and maintained some special traditions,” said Joahman “It’s also useful for alums to see how we’ve grown and how we’ve stayed the same. It can be really powerful for both sides of that conversion to recognize how much they share in common, and also how time has changed anyone's experience in high school.”
 
John Mills ’90 and his daughter Ruby enjoyed a conversation together on topics like key figures from TES past, how being a freshman has evolved, favorite traditions and how social media has influenced school culture. 
 
"It was really fun to sit down with Ruby and hear the excitement in her voice as she talked about her freshman year so far,” said Mills. “She spent a lot of time on campus as a child and her brother is a current senior, so Trinity wasn't entirely new to her. Now that she's creating her own experience here, it's so rewarding to listen to how she's immersed herself in the school culture. During our conversation, I was struck by her comment about how the community is ‘like a family.’ From Morning Meeting to sporting events, she loves that students, teachers and administrators come together every day. Ruby genuinely feels grateful to be a Titan, and I love that we can share in the school's history and future together."

To learn more about Trinity's 50th Anniversary, visit the Ever Onward page.
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