Lower School News

List of 2 news stories.

  • Apollo 13

    Brian Peters, Head of Lower School
    “I don’t care what anything was designed to do, I care about what it can do.” - Gene Kranz

    On April 17, 1970 the aborted Apollo 13 mission came to a conclusion as the astronauts returned safely to Earth.  It was a harrowing experience that was depicted in the movie starring Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell, the commander of the mission.  

    Recently, I find myself looking at the Moon with a different focus.  With the Artemis mission my thoughts about this ever present neighbor of ours have been multiplied and indeed, magnified.

    It was at the acknowledgement of the true level of the crisis being faced by the astronauts of Apollo 13 that Gene Kranz, the overall director at Mission Control in Houston, gave the above remark.  The realization was that they were not going to land on the Moon and there was a great possibility that the astronauts would not make it back home.  They were truly in problem solving crisis mode.

    I think about this from watching my father tinker with or work to fix things.  Objects would be used for something they were not designed for either out of necessity or just out of convenience.  I recall that the end of screwdrivers or other tools sometimes became hammers.  Knives became screwdrivers.  Just about anything could become a measuring tool.  I still do some of that today.  When out backpacking you never know what might occur and a multitool is certainly handy, but you make do with what is available sometimes because you just don’t want to carry one more thing.  A great example is that a good solid rock becomes a hammer for tent stakes because nobody wants to add the weight of carrying a hammer.

    Apollo 13 is a great example of thinking outside the box.  I too often observe students with a mindset of wanting to just get the answer.  They just want the formula.  Sometimes success isn’t measured just by the concluding result, but in the work of the journey to get there.  It isn’t always possible to follow the recipe.  Circumstances sometimes preclude doing things the prescribed way. 
     
    It may not always be advised, but the engineers at NASA had a new mission, get these men home alive.  With that goal they were successful, no matter the manner in which it was done.

  • Kindness

    Brian Peters, Head of Lower School
    Beaver Avenue is one of the main thoroughfares leading into the town that I once lived in. A good deal of traffic would make its way into town on this road every morning. For many, many years there was a gentleman who lived along this road close to town. Every morning he was out front of his home greeting every driver as they made their way to start their day. It was a simple gesture. For him it consisted of a smile and wave. If your windows were down you might hear a greeting.

    I never met this man. I don’t know his name. I do know how his daily acts of kindness touched many people in the community. In fact, this man’s acts of kindness extended beyond the community to a point of others knowing of him. He left his mark on people’s lives each and every day. No matter how someone might be feeling, a smile would have to come across your face seeing this morning greeter.

    I once read of a man in India who lived on an island with thousands of others. Like many areas, over time the forests and trees of this area were being eliminated and destroyed. Deforestation was taking place. This man observed what was happening and on his own began to take action. He began to plant trees. He planted tree after tree for more than twenty years. A forested area slowly began to take shape and at the end of two decades an area about the size of Central Park had a thriving forest.

    These two examples represent gestures of kindness. The benefit is seen as going to others, but do we realize the strong satisfied feelings these gentlemen might also have as a result of their actions. Kindness is reciprocal. Those who receive it feel better. Those who give it feel better.

    Every time someone makes a small gesture of kindness toward another, a small connection is made. This could be pausing for a moment and holding a door for someone approaching. It could be just a smile, wave, or greeting that lifts somebody’s spirit. It could be something like planting trees that won’t really show an outcome for many years.

    At our school and in our community we have the opportunity to generate kindness that is similar to these examples. There are chances each and every day for the small gestures that make connections. We can hold a door. We can greet someone kindly.

    We can also take the “long view.” What we do each day with students and others that we come in contact with can be looked upon like the planting of a tree. We may not see the fruit, or we may not get the shade for many years to come, but what we do each day is important in the growth and development of students and in the lives of others.

    Simple acts of kindness can make a difference for those around you. Practicing kindness can make a difference for YOU.
View All News

    • Penguin Art Projects

Lower School Calendar

List of 7 events.

View Calendar

All School Calendar

List of 12 events.

  • Apr
    23

    TCA Charger Corner Open

  • Apr
    25

    All School Tennis Tournament

    Trinity families, Faculty/Staff, Students, and Alumni may participate. Students may play with a faculty/staff member, a family member, or an alum.
    Participants must be present by 8:15 for an 8:30 am start, and there is no entry fee. Coffee Jon will be there with his coffee, smoothies, and breakfast items truck.
    An entry form will be posted in the Trinity Charger a few weeks prior to the event.
    Playing Fields - Trinity Tennis Center - 1
    Janneke Garos
  • Apr
    25

    West Texas Food Bank Car Wash

    This car wash will happen in the Upper School Parking Lot behind the chalets.
    Mei Rong
  • Apr
    29

    Seek & Find Project Reveal

    Members of the Class of 2026 will share their Seek and Find Projects and findings with the Trinity Community in the Commons, US Flex Rooms, and the Williams Gallery
    Tim Jones
  • Apr
    30

    Chalet Sneak Peek

    During Field Day families will have the opportunity to get a first look at the Lower School chalets for the upcoming school year. The chalets will be open for a special sneak peek, offering a chance to step inside, explore the spaces, and get a feel for where students will be learning next year.
  • May
    1

    No School - Bad Weather Day

  • May
    1

    Hillander Field Day

    Playing Fields - Coombes Field - 1
  • May
    5

    Groundbreaking Ceremony

    Gym - Beal
    Kobi Lincoln
  • May
    11

    Coffee + Chat with Counselors Parent Event

    Chapel - 100
    Jessi Morgan
  • May
    18

    Piano Recital

    Piano Recital for Mrs. Hoke's student
    Commons - Commons - 1
    Melissia Hoke
  • May
    19

    Uniform Pop-Up with Risse Brothers

    Risse Brothers Uniforms will be on campus to assist families with sizing and coordinating orders for next school year's school uniform ensembles. Families will be able to try on items and then leave with order form and discount code.
    5 - Williams Gallery - Gallery
    Adrianne Clifton
  • May
    21

    End of Trimester 3

View Calendar

Trinity School of Midland

3500 West Wadley Avenue, Midland Texas 79707 - Email: info@trinitymidland.org - Phone: (432) 697-3281 - Fax: (432) 697-7403 -
© 2019 Trinity School. All Rights Reserved.
© 2019 Trinity School. All Rights Reserved.