LIFE AT TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL
by Miriam Brown '08

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

If school is a job, I should be earning overtime, for I spend more than fifty hours at Trinity in the span of one week.

Needless to say, thirty-five of those are dedicated to Trinity’s government-mandated curriculum, but the rest—surprisingly—are all voluntary.

I, like many other girls at Trinity, spend these hours on extra-curricular activities such as sports, drama, and clubs. For instance, last Friday six of us stayed at Trinity until 8:00P.M. We ordered food and sat in the computer lab for five hours. We twirled around in the chairs, sang aloud to music, and danced around when our limbs grew too stiff from sitting. What were we doing? Newspaper layout.

Then, the next day--Saturday at 7:00A.M. --thirteen of us stretched in front of the gym before a cross-country meet. For the sixth day in a row, we were all dressed the same; but this time, instead of gray skirts and blouses, we wore blue jersey uniforms. Leaving at seven-thirty and returning at two, we were exhausted but satisfied with our race.

It is not just the sports teams, however, that spend extra time in the Trinity building. While waiting for my parents to pick me up after the meet, I spotted some of my friends who were just arriving. They wore blue and white clothing with ribbons in their hair prepared to help with a leadership workshop that Trinity was hosting for junior high girls. They came bearing doughnuts, coffee and bright spirits, ready to work.

This energy and activity is partly the reason I chose to attend Trinity. However, I still get surprised when I see the school buzzing with life after-hours; Trinity’s hallways are rarely dark or empty.

Sometimes I walk into the auditorium, expecting to find it empty, but instead I come across a steady beat permeating the air as a group of girls dance their hearts out, rehearsing a routine for the next school assembly.

In this way, I have gotten to know Trinity’s white-brick building well; it has become--as a side effect of all my activities--a second home. When I think about school, the last thing that pops into my mind is my classes; that is only a portion of what Trinity has to offer its students. Instead, I end up thinking about all of the extra energy and life that fills the halls, keeping the lights on until way past three o’clock .

It may be overtime, but it is a good time.