Trinity Weekly
Volume 5, Issue 2
August 13, 2021
Trinity News & Information
Join the Special Purpose Entity (SPE) Program to Benefit Trinity's Students!
An SPE is a pass-through partnership that exists solely for the purpose of earning Educational Improvement Tax Credits (EITC) or Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credits (OSTC). SPE donations benefit tuition assistance for needy students.

Who qualifies?
Any individual or any corporation who pays PA income taxes of $3,500 or more is eligible. There are also options available to individuals who work for non-profits and retirees. 

How does it work?
Donors will complete a Joinder Agreement (simple one-page document) that acts as a reservation for your donation level. You will need to estimate your tax liability for your planned donation. The reservations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Donors receive a tax credit in exchange for their donations.

For more information, please contact: Mrs. Monique Abbas at (717) 761-1116 ext. 131

Trinity Community Alliance
The Trinity Community Alliance Program is a one-stop shop for marketing opportunities throughout the school year, while providing vital financial resources to help underwrite all of our school's athletic programs. This advertising initiative is designed to provide your business with true marketing value through a wide variety of multi-platform advertisements.

The three tiers of the Trinity Community Alliance Program include various opportunities for reaching your potential customers. Community Alliance relationships run for an entire year (July 1 through June 30). Learn more about the program here.

Sports Pass
Trinity sports passes are on sale now and available in the Main Office. The cost is $150 for a Family Pass or $85 for an Individual Pass. Payment by cash or check only, please. These passes may be used for admission to all regular-season home contests; tournaments and playoff games are not included due to PIAA restrictions. Passes may be preordered by emailing Mrs. Kenski, or by simply stopping by the Main Office. Summer office hours are currently Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Regular office hours of Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. will resume on August 23. Let's Go Rocks!

Freshman Orientation and Picnic
We hope you can join us on Sunday, August 29, for our Freshman Orientation and Picnic. The schedule of events will be:

2:00 to 5:00 p.m. - Freshman Orientation - arrival at the auditorium 
4:15 to 5:00 p.m. - New Parent Orientation - auditorium
5:00 to 7:00 p.m. - Freshman Family Picnic - cafeteria

Among the activities for students on Sunday will be:
  • finding out their Mentor Groups and meeting their leaders as well as the other 9th graders in their House and Mentor Group,
  • receiving their Chromebooks, house T-shirt, gym T-shirt, and lockers,
  • touring the building with their schedule in hand, and
  • competing for their House's first "House points." 
Parents will:
  • find out a bit about Trinity and our mission and meet the Administration Team,
  • understand the basics of our academic program and your child's schedule,
  • hear about some of the basic school expectations and rules, and
  • get important questions answered - like "What time does school start?" and "How does my child pay for lunch?"

In order to have an accurate count for the picnic, we ask that you RSVP by Wednesday, August 25, with whether or not your child will attend orientation and if your family can stay for the picnic.

SAVE THE DATE: Trinity Class of 2025- Freshman Movie Night
Join us on Friday, August 20, at 8:30 p.m. at Trinity for an outdoor movie! Bring blankets and chairs! Event hosted by the THS House leaders.

Grab-n-Go Crabs and BBQ!
Join us on Saturday, September 18, 2021, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. for grab-n-go crabs and BBQ! Pick up your Harbour House Crabs and/or Redd’s BBQ at Trinity and enjoy them with friends and family at your home.

The health of our community is important. With that in mind, and given the concerns relating to the spread of the coronavirus Delta variant, the 5th Annual Central PA Crab, Beer & Wine Festival will be a Grab-n-Go Crabs & BBQ again this year. Last year was a terrific success, and we hope you will continue to support our efforts. We hope to return to an in-person celebration next year!

All orders must be placed by Thursday, September 16, at 6:00 p.m. Order here!

Trinity Athletic Association
All are welcome to join us at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 17, for the first meeting this year of the Trinity Athletic Association. The major topic on the agenda is our annual Beef & Beer event. The meeting will be at Trinity High School in the Faculty Dining Room, or you can join over Zoom. We hope to see you there!

School Uniform Updates and Reminders
Here are some reminders and updates regarding the school uniform:
  • We are returning to the policy of students using the school locker rooms to change into their Physical Education uniform when they have PE. That means students will no longer wear their PE uniforms all day on PE days. 
  • The PE uniform is still the Trinity PE uniform T-shirt and shorts.
  • New students will receive a PE shirt on the first day of school. Returning students already have the shirt.
  • PE uniform shorts are to be purchased from FlynnO’Hara. These are micromesh PE shorts, not the spandex short that FlynnO’Hara sells as an option for under the uniform skirt.  
  • The hemline of girls' skirts is to be no higher than three inches from the center of the knee cap. This should be measured both front and back.  Please check your skirt lengths now. Even if you received a skirt from the uniform exchange, it does not mean it is the correct length. 
  • For the start of the school year, students may wear the green or white golf shirt with the Trinity logo. However, as we move into October, the weather may get colder. Students have four options. It is not an option to wear a non-Trinity sweatshirt. The acceptable options are:
  • The green long-sleeved golf shirt with the Trinity logo;
  • The uniform quarter-zip sweatshirt;
  • The uniform green cardigan;
  • Transition to the winter uniform of Oxford cloth shirt and sweater.

Cellphones during School Hours
Trinity will continue to enforce the policy that cellphones may not be used by students from 8:00 a.m. to 2:40 p.m., unless the classroom teacher expressly announces that cellphones may be used for a classroom activity.

Studies have shown that students experience greater anxiety with greater cellphone and social media use. An article published in by the NEA in 2018 cites that students who spend five or more hours online a day were 71% more likely than those who spent only one hour a day to have at least one suicidal risk factor. We wish for students to stay focused on academics during the course of the school day and not to be distracted by text messages, Instagram posts, or other social media.

We ask parents please--if you need to contact your child during the course of the school day, please do not text or call them on their cellphones. The staff members in the Main Office are happy to take messages and pass them along to students. Additionally, students who feel the need to contact parents during the course of the school day should go to the Main Office, the Attendance Office, their guidance counselor, or the Nurse's Office to contact them. Either the school official will call the parent, or the student will be permitted to call or text their parent using their own cellphone.

Join the Shamroig Ringers!
Interested in playing for Trinity's Handbell Choir? We meet Wednesdays after school from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Our first practice will be on September 8! If you are interested, please email the director, Mrs. Denise Auriemma, to sign up. Hope to see you soon!

Opening Plan for 2021-2022
Find our opening plan for the 2021-2022 school year here. Please note that this is a fluid document which is subject to change based on recommendations by the State and/or the Diocese of Harrisburg.

Applications Exemption Test
The test will be administered during three separate sessions. These sessions are to be held on September 1, 2, and 3, from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. Students will be given 45 minutes to complete each section. The items covered are chosen to test for the bare minimum of competency with three Microsoft Office 2013® applications – Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The first test will be in Excel, then Word, and finally PowerPoint. The scores for the sections are not cumulative. This means that a failure in one section constitutes a failure for the exemption exam and students will not continue. Students may sign up in their Applications Class. If a student does not currently have Applications, they may still sign up to take the Exemption Test by e-mail to Miss Kiker. Another Exemption Test will be scheduled and announced at the beginning of the second semester.

Saint Francis University "College in the High School" Program
Trinity will once again partner with Saint Francis University to offer a limited number of college courses online through their College in the High School Program. Those interested should contact Ms. Poplaski and complete this online form for Saint Francis by August 9 for the fall semester (by January 10 for the spring semester).

Course Change Requests
Students wishing to make a change to their class schedules for the 2021-22 school year must have a parent write directly to Ms. Poplaski with their requests and pay the course change fee ($100) before any changes will be made. Not all requests to make changes may be honored, due to classroom space limitations.

Operation Backpack
Two Trinity students are collecting items for Operation Backpack, a program run through Volunteers of America, for local children in poverty or homelessness who cannot afford school supplies. Trinity will collect backpacks and school supplies from August 2 through 20 in drop boxes located outside the gym. A full list of needed items can be found here. Please address questions to Desiree at dcarr@voapa.org. Thank you for your generosity!

Golf Tournament
Join us for the annual Harry DeFrank Golf Tournament, hosted by Trinity Girls Basketball, on September 26 beginning at 8:00 a.m. See more information here.

Accepting Applications--Coaching Positions
Trinity is accepting applications for assistant coaching positions in Softball, Boys Basketball, Swimming and Diving, and Baseball. See more information on our website.
In Case You Missed It
Summer Assignments
All English classes have summer reading assignments. Several other classes also have summer assignments. See the summer assignments webpage to make sure you complete all assignments by the first day of school.

Diocesan Strategic Plan for Schools
The Diocese of Harrisburg is creating a strategic vision for our Catholic schools in a process called "Christ Before Me: A Strategic Vision for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Harrisburg." Over the course of this year, the Diocese will study a rich array of data and conduct surveys and interviews among many stakeholders in our Catholic schools. In the end, we will establish the concepts and direction needed to set a strategic vision to secure the future of our schools. See more in this letter.

2021-2022 Service Update
Trinity will have a modified service hour requirement for all students for this school year: 10 hours, rather than the usual 20, will be required. Find details at the top of the Service Hours Reporting Form and also on the Rocks in Motion service website under Upcoming Events. Please direct all questions to Mrs. Fejfar.

FlynnO'Hara Uniforms
All Trinity uniform items should be purchased through FlynnO'Hara either online or in-person at their store in Harrisburg. Trinity uniform guidelines can be found on pages 34-36 of last year's Student-Parent Handbook. Families should also note that the green or black school physical education shorts will be required again this year.

Uniform Closet
Families interested in obtaining gently-used uniform items should email requested items and sizes to uniforms@thsrocks.us.

For Incoming 9th Graders--Health and Physical Information
Trinity High School follows the West Shore School District's modified health program, which requires a 9th grade physical examination, including a record of immunizations. This exam must be dated after September 1 of the previous school year (2020-2021). Students who saw their health-care provider after September 1, 2020, may send a copy of that physical exam, including immunizations, to Trinity. Otherwise, return this form to Trinity ASAP.
Welcome!
We are excited to welcome the following faculty members to our staff!

Mr. Jordan Hill--Director of Advancement
Trinity High School is pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. Jordan Hill as Director of Advancement. Mr. Hill has experience in the financial world, working at Northwestern Mutual. This after his experience playing in the NFL, where he won Superbowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks in February of 2014.

He also has a heart for the needs of people in the community, having founded two non-profits locally, The Family Sports Association, which aims to provide structured team sports to Central PA youth, and The Jordan Hill Foundation, which develops programs to keep students active physically, socially, and intellectually, as well as raising awareness of diabetes and kidney disease. Mr. Hill also serves the community as the Chief Communications Officer of The Bridge: An Eco Community, in Harrisburg.

Mr. Hill is the head football coach of the Shamrocks, a position he took in the spring of this year. In his time with us, Mr. Hill has shown passion for the mission of Trinity High School and for the success of our students in mind, body, and spirit.

We are excited for the expertise Mr. Jordan Hill brings to Trinity.

Mr. Eric Kindler '10--Athletic Director
Trinity High School is pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. Eric Kindler as Athletic Director. As a Trinity alumnus from the class of 2010 and a former outstanding Trinity athlete, Mr. Kindler knows the sports world of Trinity well. At Trinity, Mr. Kindler was one of the top area scorers, with 1627 career points, a Patriot News Big 15 selection, and on the PIAA All State second team. After graduating from Trinity, Mr. Kindler went on to play Division 1 basketball for St. Joseph University, where he studied theology and secondary education. He also received his Masters in theology from Villanova.

Mr. Kindler has experience working closely with high schoolers both in the classroom, where he taught civics at Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter High School, and on the court, where he served as head basketball coach at Conwell-Egan Catholic High School.

Mr. Kindler is dedicated to the mission of our school and faith, with extensive volunteer experience with a variety of populations. He has experience working athletically with children, at Mission 5&2, and also with inmates housed in the maximum security prison, SCI Phoenix, outside of Philadelphia.

We are excited for the enthusiasm Mr. Kindler brings to Trinity!

Ms. Rachel Arnold--College and Career Counselor
Ms. Arnold comes to Trinity from Bishop McDevitt, where she worked for many years in their Guidance Department. She has experience helping students explore their strengths and corresponding college and career options, administering college related assessments, and helping students gain admittance into desired schools. She has her Masters in Counseling from Messiah University and we look forward to her work with our students.

Coach Katie Long--Assistant Girls Tennis Coach
Trinity High School is pleased to announce that Katie Long will join the Girls Tennis Team this year as an assistant coach. Coach Long grew up in Florida and played tennis nationally on the Junior Tennis Circuit. She continued her love of the game by playing Varsity Singles at Villanova University. Coach Long and her husband, Todd '87, have three children who have attended Trinity: Katherine '17, Matt '19, and John Robert '22. Katherine played number one singles for her four years at Trinity High School and competed on the Club Team at Villanova University. Coach Long's family has had a wonderful experience at Trinity High School, and she looks forward to working with the team on their tennis skills and enjoyment of the game. Go Rocks!


We are thrilled to welcome these bright minds to Trinity and are eager to see the impact they make on our school community. We are especially impressed with the dedication of each to the mission of the school. It's an exciting time to be a Shamrock!
For the Class of 2022
College and Career Counseling
Twelfth graders have a variety of tools at their disposal this summer to begin preparing for life after Trinity. Students and parents can explore resources located on the Class of 2022 College and Career Google Classroom and Naviance. All rising seniors have also set up CommonApp accounts.

Parents can access the Rediker Plus Portals "College & Career" Group by going to Plus Portals and clicking on the "College & Career Group" icon. Then, click on "Group Page." Resources from the Google Classroom are available as well as other important information.

Scheduling Senior Photos
Twelfth graders should schedule their senior portraits with Camera Box over the summer during June, July, or August. Appointments can be made by calling Camera Box at (717) 761-2017. See more information here.

Medical Information
Pennsylvania State Law requires all students to have a second dose of the Meningococcal vaccine prior to entry into 12th Grade (one dose was required for 7th grade, and the 2nd dose is required for 12th grade). Please review your student's immunization records and have your primary care provider take appropriate action. Please send a copy of your student's updated immunization record to the Main Office, Attn: "School Nurse."
Shamrocks Who Shine
Congratulations to Trinity Softball players who made the The Sentinel's 2021 Softball All-Star selections, including First Team picks: Ryan Smith '22 (Seton House), Molly Whitmyer '23 (Loyola House), Lindsey Haser '22 (Immaculata House), and Maddie Smith '23 (Immaculata House), and honorable mentions: Liv Varner '24 (Loyola House), Allie Aschenbrenner '24 (Loyola House) and Molly Maney '24 (Immaculata House)
Congratulations to the many members of our Baseball team who were honored by The Sentinel! Coach of the Year: Chris Cap; First Team: Maika Niu '22 (Loyola House), and Honorable Mention: Ethan Pfeffer '22 (De La Salle House), Payton Warner '21 (Immaculata House), Josh McCombs '22 (Loyola House), and J.T. Cap '22 (De La Salle House)
From the Community
From Good Shepherd Parish
Sister Mary Ann Lawrence, MSC, has received a new assignment and will be leaving Good Shepherd after spending 23 years in Camp Hill. Everyone is invited to a special Mass at Good Shepherd for Sister Mary Ann on Saturday, August 21, at 5:00 p.m. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall to celebrate and honor Sister.
Lauren and Spencer Day Golf Tournament
The 13th Annual Lauren and Spencer Day Golf Tournament will be held on September 11, 2021, at Rich Valley Golf Course in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, to raise money for the Lauren and Spencer Day Foundation. This brochure describes the event. We hope you will consider joining us and/or making a donation. Participants who can register and pay early will help us simplify the process on the day of the tournament.

The Lauren and Spencer Day Foundation was established to assist families in our community who need financial assistance during a major medical crisis. This Foundation was started by friends of the Day family to assist us while Lauren was battling leukemia. Lauren lost her battle in 2000, but the Foundation continued. When Lauren's brother Spencer died in an automobile accident, his name was added to the Foundation.
Items for consideration in Trinity Weekly should be sent to communications@thsrocks.us by noon each Wednesday. Please write a blurb and include any relevant information, including links or images.