In this edition, we will celebrate the Trinity Class of 2025, visit with members of the Class of 2021 as they transition to college, catch up with Wildcat alumni, and learn about an exciting opportunity for Trinity’s future.
The 2024-25 school year was not only a milestone as Trinity’s 25th year, but it also saw the number of Trinity alumni top the 1,000 mark (1,009, to be exact). Since our first class of 8th Grade students in 2003-04, we have watched with pride as Wildcats go on to high school and college, and then begin their professional careers. It’s even more special when alumni find their way back to Trinity, see their Science Buddy and teachers, and become even more involved with the school. In recent years, alumni have returned as staff members and have served on the Board of Trustees.
Not only do alumni invest their time in Trinity, they invest their treasure. One of the last acts of departing 8th Grade students is to
make their first gift to the Trinity Fund. Students collect their loose change in a tin can they present at their final K-8 Chapel.
The Class of 2025 contributed $700 to the 25-26 Trinity Fund, helping to make a difference for the families and staculty who are the heart of Trinity.
The spirit of giving has been shown throughout our school’s history, not just in the annual fund campaigns but also in capital campaigns that have led to major investments in Trinity. A new capital campaign is now underway, and we are excited to share more about it.
We hope you enjoy this snapshot of our alumni life and the vision for Trinity’s future!
And stay in touch with Trinity! Alumni can reach out anytime at alumni@tescharlotte.org.
FUTURE LEADERS
CLASS OF 2025 MAKES ITS VOICES
HEARD IN WASHINGTON
A unique experience for Trinity Middle School students is the annual 8th Grade trip to Washington, D.C.
Unlike most schools' class trips to the nation's capital, the Trinity 8th Grade visit is less of a sightseeing tour and more of an opportunity for students to advocate for their community, and lobby legislators on student-selected legislation ranging from affordable housing to gun violence.
"It's a really great experience," said Andrew Arriola TES '25, who, along with classmates, studied prescription drug use and identified lawmakers who have sponsored legislation dealing with the topic. "Not all schools get to do this."
The trip is the capstone to the 8th Grade's Seminar course and to their experience with service learning throughout their Trinity years. As the 8th Grade year begins, students reflect on the many service-learning partners they have worked with and the communities those organizations serve.
"This course came out of both our mission and our commitment to helping students participate in service that is authentic and deeply tied to community needs," said Stephanie Griffin, Trinity’s Assistant Head of School for Academics and a Seminar teacher.
The class is framed around Trinity's four formation questions: Who am I? Who are you? Who are we together? And what are we called to do? Students explore their identities, take a walk in the uptown area to notice community assets and which assets are lacking, and learn about advocacy from local and state elected leaders.
This particular Seminar class took place during a presidential election that was unlike any in recent memory. Students were tasked with watching the presidential debate and discussed how civil discourse was and wasn't on display.
To read more about the 8th Grade's Seminar experience, scan the QR code for an article published in July 2025 by QCityMetro.
COMMENCEMENT
One journey ended while another began at the Baccalaureate and Commencement ceremony for the Trinity Episcopal School Class of 2025.
Fifty-four 8th Grade students, including 28 “lifers” who have been at Trinity since Kindergarten, received certificates and a blessing from the school chaplains during the service.
“We celebrate a class that has truly left its mark on our community,” said Head of School Imana Sherrill.
This graduating class marked a milestone in Trinity’s 25th school year, bringing the number of alumni to more than 1,000.
A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of special awards, presented by the previous year’s recipients:
· Anna Glenn McCready, Luke Smith, India Thompson Spirituality Award:
· Charlotte Bloom, Hampton Bundy
Embrace the change. Try something new, even if it feels scary. And if you stumble, laugh, get back up, and try again.
- LUCY LINDVALL
In the commencement address, Lucy Lindvall TES '24 encouraged students to “step out of your comfort zone” as they enter high school.
It is a Trinity tradition for graduating 8th Grade students to write reflections on their time at Trinity, some of which Mrs. Sherrill shared in her remarks. (Read more of the 8th Grade’s reflections on page 8-9).
“What’s consistent in every story is that you’ve taken care of each other,” she said. “You’ve made each other laugh. You’ve cheered each other on. You’ve helped carry each other’s burdens. That is what community looks like.”
Another commencement tradition is the presentation of the 8th Grade banner, which hangs in the gym rafters as a reminder of the 8th Grade students who have walked the halls since the first class graduated in 2004.
The Class of 2025’s banner captured “the trends and memories that have shaped us,” said 8th Grade student and Koinonia representative Claire Niemann, pointing to nods to Lululemon, Stanley cups, Spotify, and hoodies.
Following the summer, the Class of 2025 continued to 17 different high schools, including public, independent, and boarding schools. Wherever they go in life, Mrs. Sherrill encouraged the class to “keep being curious, keep creating, and keep caring.”
REFLECTIONS
LOOKING BACK AND CELEBRATING TES’ 2025 GRADUATES
Whether they were Trinity lifers or became a Wildcat in their Middle School years, the students in the Class of 2025 each have a story to tell about their Trinity experience. It is a tradition for 8th Grade students to share what Trinity has meant to them as they move on to high school. Students expressed thanks for the environment Trinity offered to shape them with compassion, grace, and life lessons. They will cherish the friendships, inclusion, and love that comes with being a Wildcat. Here are some of their reflections.
Trinity has taught me how to go into my next years with compassion and grace. Trinity has prepared me for high school and the world itself so well. I can't wait to put all that I have learned to use.
- LYDIA ADDISON
The amount of memories made, the amount of laughter I had, the amount of friends I made, nothing can compare with it.
- CALEB NEVAREZ
The floors I walked on are forever imprinted with the joy I felt. The walls that watched me grow up. The turf I ran on in 3rd Grade that I now run on playing tag with my Science Buddy. This place is imprinted on me and I on it.
The best part of this school is that I grew and I learned, not only in classroom subjects but in respect for myself and others.
I could never have imagined how sad I would be to leave. I guess I underestimated how much I would love this place. Each classroom holds a lesson that shaped who I am today.
- REID FULCHER
The lessons you taught me will always be remembered, whether it’s to remember to push in my chair, or to treat others how they want to be treated and not just how I would want to be treated myself.
- CLAIRE NIEMANN
- BODHI NATARAJAN
- REBECCA YINGLING
CLASS OF 2025
HIGH SCHOOL CHOICES
Rhea Adams †
Lydia Addison †
Turner Allen
Andrew Arriola
Juni Bigham †
Charlotte Bloom
Elle Bonner
Joi Bowling
Oliver Brown †
Banks Buckner †
Hampton Bundy
Parker Burnette †
Helen Coyne †
Emmett Davis
Luca Diminich
Ansley Edwards-Alexander
Reid Fulcher
Bradley Fuller
Natalie Granados
Christopher Hall †
Ansley Hankins †
Declan Keels †
Stryker Kelligrew †
Will Kirk
Virginia Knox
Madeline Kravath †
Ethan Lavoie †
Ford Loeffler
Charlotte Latin School
Charlotte Latin School
Myers Park High School
Jackson-Reed High School (DC)
Charlotte Country Day School
Myers Park High School
Charlotte Country Day School
Cannon School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Charlotte Country Day School
The Fletcher School
Myers Park High School
Christ School (NC)
Myers Park High School
East Mecklenburg High School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Cox Mill High School
Providence Day School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Charlotte Catholic High School
East Mecklenburg High School
Myers Park High School
Salem Academy (NC)
Cannon School
Northwest School of the Arts
Anna Glenn McCready †
Christian McGhee
John David Melton
MacRae Miller †
Jack Mills †
Johan Moreno †
Bodhi Natarajan †
Violet Natarajan †
Caleb Nevarez †
Claire Niemann
Nailea Nunez-Rivera †
Kamiron Petteway
Alex Rainey
Miller Redmond †
William Rojas †
Kate Rook
Gemma Scipioni †
Jack Simons †
Luke Smith †
Caleb Stallings
Hart Swaney
India Thompson
Harper Williams
Wren Williams †
Rebecca Yingling
Phelps Young †
St. Andrew’s School (DE)
Northwest School of the Arts
The Collegiate School (VA)
Myers Park High School
East Mecklenburg High School
Mountain Island Charter School
Charlotte Country Day School
Charlotte Country Day School
South Mecklenburg High School
Myers Park High School
Providence Day School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Charlotte Latin School
East Mecklenburg High School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Charlotte Latin School
Cannon School
East Mecklenburg High School
Myers Park High School
Myers Park High School
Charlotte Latin School
Myers Park High School
East Mecklenburg High School
(† = Lifer Student; HS Choices as of August 2024)
From Spotify to Stanley bottles, the Class of 2025 banner reflects the trends from their 8th Grade year.
WILDCATS HEAD TO COLLEGE
How the world has changed since the Trinity Class of 2021 set off for high school. The photo below for their class banner included a defining element of the world in 2021: face masks. Their 8th Grade year at Trinity was spent in socially-distanced cohorts and plexiglassed classrooms, some of which were makeshift learning spaces.
It was a joy to welcome them back to campus for our annual Alumni Senior Dinner (photos on next page) in May 2025 to celebrate their high school graduations and wish them well as they prepared for college. They were able to reconnect with fellow Wildcats as well as their teachers, and they shared how Trinity shaped them into the scholars they are today.
CLASS OF 2021 COLLEGE CHOICES
Appalachian State University
Auburn University
Duke University
Hampden-Sydney College
Illinois State University
Michigan State University
North Carolina State University
Northeastern University
Pace University
Queens University of Charlotte
Sewanee, The University of the South Swarthmore College
University of Alabama
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Georgia
University of Kentucky
University of Miami
University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
University of Richmond
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Virginia Tech
Washington & Lee University
Trinity gave me the confidence to go to a big high school, not just with the lessons taught in the classroom, but in being able to communicate with others.
Trinity prepared me better than any other school could. It gave me the discipline to study hard and I was ready for the workload in high school.
I realized once I got to high school that I already knew so much thanks to Trinity, such as how to advocate for myself and I knew what I wanted to learn.
The fact that Trinity’s academics were so rigorous made it feel like I had already completed freshman-level work when I got to high school.
- WELLS PEERY
- ALEX JURCH
- KG SMITH
- GABE LEWIS
ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
Congratulations to Lelia Hoover Venema and husband Zack on the birth of their daughter, Nellie, who joins big brother Adam. Lelia and Zack were also on hand in Paris to watch the United States women’s soccer team win gold at the 2024 Olympics.
Gracie Beard Epler (left) and husband Jordan welcomed a son, Rory, in July 2024.
Emily Biggins and husband Dylan welcomed a daughter, Leilani, in April 2024.
Maria Fazzi spent her 33rd birthday volunteering for Hurricane Helene relief. She worked with Second Harvest and Operation Airdrop to pack and deliver food and other emergency supplies.
Caroline Gill Waters and husband Tim welcomed a son, John, in May 2025, joining big sister Ruthie.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Dalrymple Eblen (left) and husband Alex on the birth of their son, Pierce, in August 2024. Elizabeth is also in her third year of service on Trinity’s Board of Trustees.
Matthias Farley joined the board of Congregations for Kids, which works with churches, families, and the business community to support children in foster care in Mecklenburg County.
Carolyn Dalrymple Malanchuk (left) and husband Boomer welcomed a daughter, Imogen, in June 2025.
Claire Pace Dorsch (right) and husband David were married in December 2024.
Sofia Plaza ('20) qualified for the 2024 Olympic trials for the United States swim team
Jessie Duncan was named NASA’s Deputy US Project Scientist on the Hinode mission, an international partnership between the United States, the United Kington, and Japan studying the Sun’s magnetic fields.
Congratulations to Parker Levy (right) on his marriage to Aleksa Heeley in October 2024. The ceremony was officiated by founding Head of School, the Rev. Louis “Smokey” Oats.
Hannah Weiss (left) and husband Brock Plantinga were married in March 2025 in St. Augustine, Florida.
Molly Mercer Simpson and husband Wes welcomed a son, Clay, in July 2024.
Dennis Rankowitz, Thomas Jackson, Ann Eubank, and Meredith Nelson Rhyne joined the Friends of Trinity board in 2024. This board of alumni, alumni parents, and Trinity supporters helps Trinity to build connections in the greater community.
In addition to her work through Friends of Trinity, Meredith Nelson Rhyne joined the Trinity Board of Trustees in July 2024.
Lillie Wright Hunnicutt (left) and husband Nathan were married in August 2024. Lillie and Nathan met in 2019 while they were on the staff at Green River Preserve. In July 2025, Lillie began a senior communications role at the Environmental Defense Fund, which she said has been a longtime dream that was inspired by her time at GRP and at Trinity.
Sylvia Johnston (pictured above with brother, Thomas '12) graduated from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago with a Master's in Ministry, and Loyola University in Chicago with a Master of Social Work.
Congratulations to Mills Whiting (right) on his marriage to Abbie Kent in May 2025.
Thomas Johnston graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University with a Master of Divinity (2024). He was ordained into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in November 2024. He currently serves a congregation in Rowan County, NC.
Beatrice Keyzer-Pollard graduated from an improvisational comedy training program in Boston in February 2025. She also began a new role in product management at John Hancock.
Henry McDonald ran the New York City Marathon in November 2024, finishing with a time of 3:23:12.
Conrad Pollock coached Trinity’s 6th Grade boys’ basketball team to a league championship in March 2025.
Jailyn Feliz was in the cast of “The Pyramid: A Dance Moms Parody Musical” in New York in February 2025.
2015
Noah Carroll began a new job at Capstone in Washington, D.C., as a healthcare policy associate. In his previous role in the office of U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, Noah helped arrange meetings with the senator’s staff for the 8th Grade Seminar trip to Washington.
2016
Kate Wolcott began studies in the Master's in Social Work program at the University of South Carolina, where she was inducted into Phi Alpha, the National Social Work Honor Society, and named its treasurer.
2017
Emily Horn accepted a role at Brown Advisory investment management in Charlottesville, Va., following her graduation from the University of Virginia.
Sadie Weiss was hired as producer and editor of the “Certified Oversharer” podcast hosted by Samantha Busch. Sadie graduated from Appalachian State University and served as captain of its debate team, winning two national championships for National Parliamentary Debate Association and Lincoln-Douglas debate.
2018
Kennedy Jones signed with FC Slovacko Zeny, a professional women’s soccer team in the Czech Republic, following her graduation from Elon University, where she was captain of the women’s soccer team.
2019
Virginia Ogburn earned a national championship title at the USA Paratriathlon National Championships in June 2024. She was named female PTS5 champion. In 2025, Virginia competed in the World Triathlon Para Series in Japan and Canada.
2020
Kate Addison (pictured on left) spent two months in Kenya as an undergraduate research assistant with The School for Field Studies. She studied grey crowned cranes to better understand their endangered status and their importance to the ecosystem.
Meg Frantz was named editor-in-chief of The Appalachian for the 2025-26 term at Appalachian State University.
Ellis Stevens won a national title at the USA Climbing Collegiate National Championships in May 2025. Ellis won the gold medal in Women’s Intermediate Bouldering representing Bryn Mawr College, and was ranked in the top 15 nationally. Ellis has transferred to Colorado College to continue her studies in molecular biology and premed.
Sofia Plaza (pictured on pg. 14) qualified for the 2024 Olympic trials for the United States swim team, competing in the 200- and 400-meter individual medley. Sofia was named to the SEC AllFreshman team in April 2025.
2021
Claire Addison was awarded the Class of 1975 Award and the Excellence in Technical Theatre Award from Charlotte Latin School in May 2025. The Class of 1975 Award was in recognition of solving problems with kindness, curiosity, and an eagerness to serve. The Theatre Award noted Claire’s demonstrated superior professionalism, knowledge, leadership, and dedication. Claire was also nominated as Best Stage Manager at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Blumey Awards for a Latin production of “The Drowsy Chaperone.”
H.T. Stinson, also a Charlotte Latin Class of 2025 graduate, was named a National Merit Finalist and received a National Merit Scholarship.
Lillian Jarmosevich signed with Swarthmore College to play soccer.
Alex Jurch signed with Hampden-Sydney College to play football.
2021
Nathan Hohnbaum (pictured 3rd from left) and three teammates on the Myers Park High School swim and dive team were North Carolina High School Athletic Association state champions in the 200-meter free relay in February 2025.
2022
Andrew Ahdieh was nominated to the North Carolina Governor’s School in the summer of 2025. Andrew attended the school’s West Campus at Greensboro College. He studied in the school’s theater discipline, in which he helped write, produce, and perform a one-hour play.
Olive Bigham has committed to Washington & Lee University to play basketball. Olive scored her 1,000th career point in January 2025 as Charlotte Country Day School played Charlotte Christian School. That same month, Olive was voted the Charlotte Observer’s girls high school athlete of the week.
Brielle Newberry won an outstanding attorney award in September 2024 as the Upper School Mock Trial team from Charlotte Country Day School competed in a national competition at Yale University.
Henry Holland was named the Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association Golfer of the Year in July 2025. He was also named a North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association All-State honoree and placed on the Charlotte Observer’s AllObserver 1st Team. Henry has committed to James Madison University.
2023
For a second year in a row, Tessa Fulcher was named state champion in the Dramatic Interpretation event at the Tarheel Forensic League state championship of speech and debate teams from across the state. Following her April 2025 championship, she was a semifinalist at the prestigious JW Patterson Tournament of Champions, placing tenth nationally.
Union ambassador to the United States at an event hosted by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte.
Alaina Zabel won the SoMeck 4A conference title for cross country in October 2024.
2024
Austin Redmond served as a Senate Page in the North Carolina Senate in the summer of 2025. Austin was sponsored by state Sen. Caleb Theodros of Charlotte. In January 2025, Austin was invited to meet the European
Jack Totten, (pictured on right) a member of Charlotte Latin’s cross country team, was voted Charlotte Observer High School Athlete of the Week in September 2025, the same month in which he ran his personal-best time.
CHARTING A COURSE TRINITY'S FUTURE
Faces from Trinity’s past and present were on hand in September for the launch of the school’s new capital campaign — True North: Scholarship, Spirituality, Diversity, and Trinity Episcopal’s Next 25 Years.
The launch of True North, Trinity’s fourth capital campaign, coincided with the 25th anniversary of Trinity’s ribbon-cutting on Sept. 19, 2000.
“It’s our turn to ensure that the values that shaped the first 25 years continue to guide the next 25 years,” said John Laughlin, co-chair of the campaign along with Sommers Errington.
Rather than frame the campaign around the construction of a new building, such as the campaigns that resulted in Trinity’s main building and the Center for Community and the Arts, Laughlin said True North “is about what happens in our buildings.”
The priorities of the True North campaign are:
Increased compensation for faculty and staff, and strengthening Trinity’s financial support program, both of which will be accomplished through an enhanced endowment
Capital projects that will bring new technologies and capabilities to classrooms and other learning spaces around the campus
To achieve True North’s goals, the campaign will seek to raise $5 million.
Head of School Imana Sherrill announced at the launch celebration that $4.1 million had already been pledged toward True North.
A Sustainable Future
The most important step in building this vision for Trinity’s future is growing the school’s existing endowment.
Endowment gifts remain intact as part of the endowment’s principal and generate returns that create steady, dependable funding that supports Trinity’s annual budget each year. The result is that gifts to the endowment through True North continue to benefit Trinity long after the campaign’s conclusion.
Chief Advancement Officer Katie Keels said growing the endowment over time would reduce the school’s reliance on significant tuition increases and on the annual Trinity Fund campaign.
· Faculty and Staff Compensation
Laughlin, whose three daughters - Julia TES ‘09, Remy TES ‘11, and Tracy TES ‘14 - were Trinity lifers, said Trinity has always sought to be a competitive employer with its compensation for faculty and staff, but trailed what area private schools and CharlotteMecklenburg Schools could offer employees. “We want to fix that,” Laughlin said, “and we want to fix it sustainably.”
Eugene Brown, a steering committee member, current Trinity parent, and chair of Trinity’s Board of Trustees, said it was important to provide faculty and staff with “a culture where they feel supported.”
“We ask so much of them, and I think this campaign is an excellent opportunity for us to give back and show our support,” Brown said.
· Financial Support Funding
In addition to increasing staculty compensation, the True North campaign will also help to fund Trinity’s robust financial support program – an essential part of the socioeconomic diversity of the Trinity community.
Over the course of more than a decade, Trinity has grown the amount offered in financial support to more than $2 million each year. An important source of financial support funding has been the annual Trinity Fund campaign, as well as the existing endowment.
“What True North is designed to do is fund that more sustainably,” Laughlin said.
·
Classroom Projects
While the first two priorities are funded by increasing the endowment, the campaign’s third priority - classroom projects - would be funded directly through gifts to True North.
Errington, True North’s co-chair as well as a Trinity parent and vice chair of the Board of Trustees, said those capital projects would give faculty and staff “an environment where they have access to the technology and tools they need to bring cutting-edge curriculum to life.”
The classroom enhancements, Sherrill added, would be an additional tool for recruiting and retaining faculty. “Teachers want to teach in a space that allows them to do their craft at an exceptional level and provide top-level instruction for our students,” she said.
“The Path Forward”
Among the guests who helped with the public launch of True North in September was the
founding Head of School, the Rev. Louis “Smokey” Oats, who led Trinity until his retirement in June 2011.
“Father Smokey” reflected on the pivotal moments that shaped Trinity’s early years, including the down-to-the-wire opening of the school as it scrambled to secure occupancy permits from Mecklenburg County – “That was a God moment,” he said – and the many founding families and employees who set Trinity’s vision into motion.
My hope and prayer is that we - each of you who are now players in the life of this school today - will continue to honor the founders through our commitment to excellence and service and the Trinity Way.
- SMOKEY OATS
At the campaign’s public launch, Keels applauded the campaign's “remarkable start.”
“Together, we can close this final gap and carry Trinity into its next 25 years,” Keels said. “The path forward for Trinity points in one direction: True North.”
A special thank you to the members of the True North steering committee for their incredible work over the past 2 years, laying the foundation for the next phase of the campaign.
