Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill: A Rich Curriculum

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Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill

A Rich Curriculum

Trinity is a school with a rich curriculum.
We think that children, like all of us, have
a natural appetite for knowledge and understanding.
So our job is to set before them a rich feast of learning:
Living books, myths and stories, nature studies,
masterpieces of music and art.
Nothing gives us more satisfaction
than waking the imagination.

Rich Classroom Experiences, Illustrated

"It's one thing to read about the glorious 'golden' days of Ancient Greece; it's another to live for a week under a simulated system of that civilization. Each fall, Trinity's fifth grade students participate in Polis Projects. They are divided into competing polis groups (the polis was the ancient Greek city-state). For one week they must follow our "Rules of Athenian Democracy," meaning that, for these few days, the boys will be responsible for making all decisions and doing special work assignments (naming each polis, writing and keeping laws, writing paragraphs detailing the jobs they've chosen—potter, actor, politician, etc.), while the girls will be charged with keeping each polis clean (and writing diary accounts of their daily lives). One rule forbids a girl from leaving 'home' without an escort—so the boys have to walk the girls to Art, PE, recess, etc. What a way to explore the roles of men and women in ancient Greece!

"We also have a mock trial in the manner of that early Greek government (using a makeshift water-clock). Most students actually come to enjoy the responsibility (privilege) of taking care of each other; they also learn to work as a team to earn points each day.

"I'm glad that Trinity School celebrates this type of applied learning experience. It is rewarding to see the children connect with information as it springs off the written page, promoting good discussion and thoughtful questions. Speaking of questions...you should see them interact with Socrates when he comes to visit the classroom! But that's another topic."

– Trinity's fifth grade teachers

Articles of Interest

"Owning an Education," Chip Denton
"Charlotte Mason with a British Accent," Chip Denton
"On Textbooks and Living Books," Chip Denton
"Playing Around at Trinity," Chip Denton
A Summary of Charlotte Mason's Pedagogy

"We read to our Lower School students at lunchtime most every day. We don't read to get a jumpstart on homework, or to cover one more thing for the test. No, we read because it's fun to read, because there are so many books and so little time. And sometimes, in the middle of Charlotte's Web or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe something magical happens and the one who is reading says, 'This is the best thing I've done all day.' And the students don't even think about being late for recess."
– a Trinity teacher

Discovering Myself at Trinity School

"All my Trinity teachers, from my first day in the third grade until now, have seen something special in me and in my artistic perspective. Miss Clanton [Middle School History and Bible teacher], for example, has always encouraged my creativity and allowed me to explore her assignments in a visual way that made sense to me. They've given me room to explore, experiment, fail, and laugh."
– from a Trinity eighth grader's essay

Field Trips

"The trip from beginning to end was such a thrill, not only for [my son], but for me as well. From the moment we arrived at the Amtrak station until the moment we arrived in Burlington was such fun. The excitement of the first train trip, the police escort in Burlington, the history lesson and the return trip was more than one group could stand. It was also a great time to get to know other parents and grandparents. It probably has been one of my most memorable field trips at Trinity!"
– a Trinity parent, on the TK's Train Ride field trip to Burlington, North Carolina

C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts."

Charlotte Mason

"The mind feeds on ideas, and therefore children should have a generous curriculum."

"We foresee happy days for children when all teachers know that no other exciting motive whatever is necessary to produce good work in each individual of however big a class than that love of knowledge which is natural to every child."