School News

Carpools are a great way to save time and gas. They also help deepen friendships as students spend that extra time with each other. Please note that parents must notify the office if they make carpool arrangements for the year. Students will not be released to anyone other than a parent (at any time during the day) unless we have been given authorization to do so.

Alternate pick-up instructions (i.e., not a regular carpool) must be communicated to the office by phone or email before the end of the day. Please provide first and last name, vehicle description, and contact phone number, if possible. If that person is new to us (not a relative or babysitter we see occasionally), please instruct him/her to park and walk to the door as we will ask to see a photo ID. If the office is not informed by dismissal time, we will call parents to confirm the alternate arrangements before releasing the student.

Trinitas teachers offer aftercare Tuesday through Friday, 3:15–4:15 p.m. Wednesdays are designated as homework/quiet aftercare, with a teacher available to help students stay on task with their work and to offer additional homework help. Students not doing homework should be engaged in quiet activities. The cost is $10 for the hour for Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesday, it is $15 for homework help or $10 for just aftercare. Please contact the office to schedule aftercare.

Our staff retreat in June centered around beauty—the beauty of worship, the beauty of learning, the beauty of relationships, and of course, the beauty of God’s good creation. When we find ourselves in a beautiful place, it fills us with awe and wonder: The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork (Psalm 19:1). Each staff member shared a favorite beautiful place, and we wanted to share them with you too! Thanks to all who participated in our guessing game. The winner and runner-up will be announced at parent orientation on September 7, but we can reveal the answers now!

The June retreat was a kick-off of sorts for our 2022–2023 Vital Worship Grant. We are eager to share more about our project at orientation. Please watch for regular updates in our weekly newsletters too!

We are excited about this year, and we hope you are too! Our teachers met on Monday and Tuesday this week to talk about the upcoming year. It was a blessing to be together again. (And we thank the parent volunteers who provided a wonderful lunch for us!) We continue to plan and prepare for our worship grant events and activities this year, and we are eager to share more details in the weeks and months ahead. Please watch for ways that you can participate in this community-building endeavor.

It is with excitement and gratitude to God that we announce Trinitas Classical School’s new Executive Leadership Team: Mark Wagner will serve as Head of School, David Ritter as Director of Classical Christian Education, and Peter Marth as Teacher and Dean of Academics and Admissions.

Mr. Wagner earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and his MBA in Leadership Studies at Baker College. He began his career at DuPont as a research chemist and has held various senior leadership positions with the company throughout the United States and Japan. Most recently, he has served as President of Coastal Training Technologies and Regional President of Sustainable Solutions. In addition to his experience in business and development, Mr. Wagner served for ten years as School Board Chairman and President at Wilmington Christian School in Hockessin, Delaware, working closely with their head of school; he also served as interim head of school for one year. Mr. Wagner has a deep passion for the ministry of classical Christian education, and we’re eager to welcome him as our new head of school. Fun fact: Mr. Wagner is a certified Six Sigma/Lean Blackbelt and Six Sigma Champion.

Dr. Ritter has a BS in Social Sciences and Teaching from Northern Illinois University, a BS in Management and Business Administration from Elmhurst College, an MA in Education from Wheaton College, and a PhD in Educational Leadership from American University of Biblical Studies. He is the Senior and Lead Consultant with Imago Dei Group and works with Christian Schools International (CSI) as an Accreditation Regional Coordinator specializing in classical Christian schools. Dr. Ritter has served on the Virginia and Florida councils for Christian education. He has experience as a teacher and as both a transitional and permanent head of school in Christian and classical Christian schools in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Mississippi. Dr. Ritter lives in Guyton, Georgia, and will be serving Trinitas remotely and in-person, coordinating and advising in the areas of marketing and growth, curriculum and professional development, and student support. We’re grateful to be able to work with him in all of these areas. Bonus facts: Dr. Ritter enjoys apologetics, Biblical worldview development, travel, sports, and gardening/landscaping.

We are grateful to partner with Mr. Wagner and Dr. Ritter in the continued ministry of classical Christian education at Trinitas. We thank God for graciously providing leaders who will help equip and grow the school for fruitful impact in the community. Thank you for your faithful prayers throughout this process! We ask for your continued prayers for the leadership transition and for the future.

In the summer of 2006, after a pizza dinner with the candidate, a group of twenty parents interviewed a very young teacher/pastor from Wisconsin. We were unanimous in our decision to hire Peter Marth as Trinitas Classical School’s first headmaster. While we were confident in our choice, we could not have anticipated how richly we would be blessed by Mr. Marth’s leadership and friendship in our midst. It was clearly an example of our Lord providing “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” From our founding, we have desired an educational environment that is both rigorous and joyful, and Mr. Marth always set that tone. He has the kind of unique character that appreciates both Athanasius’s On the Incarnation and sixth grade humor. He reads both The Lord of the Rings and books on organizational health for fun. He loves to lead 7th and 8th graders in diagramming Scripture passages in Greek and on backpacking trips in the woods along Lake Michigan.

Mr. Marth has led Trinitas for sixteen years with wisdom, humility, patience, and a joy that is contagious. He has been an example for students, an encouragement to parents, and not only a leader but also a mentor and friend to staff. It is no small testament to the faithful use of the gifts God has given him that most of our staff have been with us for a dozen or more years, and alumni and former families regularly return to Trinitas events.

Even as he steps away from responsibilities as headmaster, Mr. Marth has displayed uncommon grace, humble dedication to our school, and profound trust in God’s provision. We are deeply grateful that he will remain with us as a teacher and dean of academics and admissions, where he will continue to have a profound impact on the culture of the school in line with his gifts and passions. To this day, we still remember the answer Mr. Marth gave to one of our interview questions: “Three words. I love teaching.” That continues to be evident sixteen years later. Thank you, Mr. Marth, for all your years as our headmaster and for continuing to teach and serve the Trinitas community in the years ahead!

Trinitas Classical School Board of Trustees

Our online store offers more than just PE shirts. Click here to shop for shirts, polos, sweatshirts, pullovers, and jackets for the whole family. The store will close on August 11. Orders will ship to the school and will be available for pick up at the open house and picnic on August 30.

School Supplies by Grade

Uniform Dress Code (including dress uniform, “everyday” uniform, and PE uniform)

If you have questions about the supplies or uniform items your child(ren) will need for the school year, please contact the office.

Summer offers an opportunity to recover (or introduce) some healthy habits ahead of the coming school year. Here are a few we recommend:

• Dedicate time for frequent family meals and devotions.
• Read daily! Check out the summer reading lists our teachers have compiled.
• Practice curiosity and joy indoors and outdoors. Limit screen time (no more than one hour per day on average), allow for plenty of creative playtime, and expand your family’s “sky time”—the time spent outside.
• Establish daily/weekly chores and family routines.
• Read our summer newsletters. These will keep you informed of coming events and noteworthy news.

We were pleased to start our grant year with two special events in June. On June 20 the staff gathered for an all-day retreat that began with a time of prayer and singing. Sessions throughout the day were led by Margarita Mooney Suarez and David Clayton who also presented at our Beauty and Worship event the following evening.

Approximately 50 people gathered on the 21st to hear Dr. Suarez talk about her newest book, The Wounds of Beauty: Seven Dialogues on Art and Education. Mr. Clayton then led the audience in a beautiful chanting of Psalms and prayers, one example of how we can bring the joy and beauty of Scripture into our schools and homes.