News

Earlier this month, Trinity hosted an Alumni Lunch and Panel. The lunch, which was a great opportunity for our faculty and staff to reconnect with Trinity graduates, was attended by about 25 alumni.

Later that afternoon, class of 2025 alumni shared their college application journey and freshman year experiences with the Upper School. Panelists included Alex Anguiano, Colorado School of Mines; Richard Black, Colorado College; Lauren Blaylock, University of Tennessee; Gavin Dorfner, Texas Tech University; Lily McHale, Texas Christian University; Gigi Molina, Texas A&M University; and Tiara Sanni, Rice University. 

In a post-event survey, 87 percent of our students found the event helpful as they think about the college application process, and 92.6 percent of students felt they learned more about what college would be like. 

The survey also asked students to share the best advice they had received. Across all responses, 25 percent of students were happy to hear how our alumni were able to build relationships. Here is a sample of additional responses to “What are some of the best things you learned from your former classmates?”: 

We're excited to share that Trinity's Science and Technology Department is leaning into the school’s new subscription to Flint, an AI-powered teaching assistant. This initiative follows weeks of behind-the-scenes testing and a January faculty in-service training session. Unlike general chatbots such as ChatGPT, which primarily provide direct answers to questions, Flint is specifically designed as an educational partner. At its core is Sparky, an AI teaching assistant that guides students through concepts and problems step by step, asking clarifying questions and providing feedback rather than simply giving away solutions. This approach mirrors the Socratic method we use in our classrooms, and we believe it will help students develop deeper understanding and stronger critical thinking skills. Teachers can create customized activities aligned with our curriculum, monitor student progress in real time, and access analytics to inform instruction. We believe these capabilities set Flint apart as a true educational tool.

Our teachers have embraced Flint in creative ways across disciplines. In my life science classes, I use Flint for daily Bell Ringer quizzes, where Sparky asks review questions in a conversational format and provides immediate feedback on strengths and areas for improvement. Students report that Sparky's guidance closely mimics our classroom discussions, and the real-time analytics allow me to identify learning gaps and adjust instruction much faster than before. In Physics, Mr. Lafarelle is designing activities that break complex problems into manageable pieces, requiring students to master each step before advancing. Flint's equation editor and whiteboard features allow students to submit numerical, algebraic, and graphical responses for evaluation, which greatly supports this process. Mrs. Dueñas is leveraging Flint's natural fit with Computer Science by creating coding tutorials in which Sparky guides students through programming challenges rather than simply providing the executable code. Finally, Mrs. Merryman's Chemistry students are looking forward to using Flint as a brainstorming partner for their spring project exploring the chemistry behind the magic in Shrek, our upcoming school musical!

Beyond structured classroom activities, students can use Flint independently as a personal tutor. Many of our Biology students are already uploading their completed notes and study guides to generate practice quizzes or request clearer explanations of challenging concepts. We are encouraging Upper School students to explore Flint as a tool for test preparation and for deepening their understanding of course material. We invite you to ask your student about their experiences with Flint—what activities they've completed, how Sparky's guidance compares to other AI tools they may have tried, and how they might use it to support their learning at home. As we continue integrating this technology thoughtfully into our curriculum, we welcome your questions and feedback.

As with any technology, Flint has limitations that are important to understand. We've found, for example, that uploaded documents sometimes require a second look. Sparky may not initially recognize images or diagrams embedded in notes, though explicitly asking it to examine them again typically resolves this. Additionally, while Flint is proving very helpful, it isn't correct 100% of the time. Just this week, it incorrectly told a Biology student that a mouse is an herbivore. Fortunately, the student recognized the error (it’s an omnivore) based on our previous class lesson on food webs and corrected Sparky's mistake. These moments actually become valuable learning opportunities, reinforcing critical thinking and the importance of verifying information. The key takeaway: Flint is a powerful tool to supplement science teaching and learning, but it will never replace the classroom experience or the teacher-student relationship that remains at the heart of science education at Trinity.