Service

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

At Trinity, children learn about and fulfill the formative call of God to love our neighbors and care for those in need. Throughout the year, students and staff demonstrate compassion and work to make the world a better, kinder place. Socks go the homeless who rely on walking as their main mode of transportation. Coats go those who are cold. Ice cream and brownies cheer those uncertain of what tomorrow will bring. Food Bank collections remain an ongoing effort, and the school continually comes up with innovative means of collecting food. Operation Fill the Bags to Fill Their Hearts culminated in care packages for Virginia Oncology and the CHKD Child Life Department.

Through serving others, TLS students develop a compassionate world view in which they see themselves as empowered and responsible for making a difference in the world.

Community Service Day

While service and giving occur throughout the school year, one day on the calendar stands out among the rest: Trinity’s annual Community Service Day. On this day, each class of Trinity students spends the day on their selected service project in our local community.

For the Fall 2018 Community Service Day, Pre-K and Kindergarten students sang at a retirement home. The 1^st and 2^nd grades collected donations and money for Thrive (a nonprofit dedicated to assisting individuals and families going through difficult times). These young students also personally thanked the Newport News Police Department (NNPD) K-9 unit with a visit and their collected donations. The 3^rd,4^th, and 5^th grades volunteered at the SPCA. They also picked up trash at Windsor Park in Smithfield as they hid kindness rocks around park. The Upper School students helped to clean the yards of elderly church members as well as helping with property projects around the school.

Required Service Hours

At Trinity, students are encouraged to recognize and act upon needs in their community, whether that need is in their neighborhood, their hometown, or somewhere beyond. Throughout the year, all Trinity students are encouraged to participate in a variety of service-minded activities. All Upper School students are required to complete a minimum number of volunteer hours:

6th grade – 10 hours
7th grade – 15 hours
8^th grade – 20 hours

Most students achieve well beyond these requirements. The school logs over 2000 volunteer hours each year.

Service

“To do more for the world than the world does for you – that is success.”

Henry Ford