At Trinity School we believe that we have a unique opportunity to provide an education which is at once disciplined and creative, intellectual and moral, an education whose roots are firmly planted in the soil of the Christian tradition. At Trinity School, our concern is to lay a firm foundation consisting of the knowledge of reality and possession of skills and qualities of mind which make both for a flourishing personal life and for capable men and women, moved by the Spirit of God, who will give their lives to the building of his kingdom. Put simply, our opinion is that the fundamental educational need facing students is to learn the truth about reality and how to think straight as Christians. There are, for sure, other things to be learned, but no Christian education can be complete without this foundation. The elements of this foundation include:

• To pass on, with depth and understanding, the basic Christian worldview and the story of God's intentions for mankind.

• To introduce our students to the glory of God found in the richness and wonder of the entire created order.

• To pass on to them knowledge of reality as discovered and grasped by the human mind.

• To inculcate a moral and spiritual seriousness in our students.

• To equip them to think with precision, depth and understanding.

We accomplish this by establishing a culture marked by the discovery of truth, the practice of goodness, the creation of beauty, and the development of intellectual and aesthetic habits of mind. Trinity School is a community of learners characterized by the rigorous exploration of reality, the free and disciplined exchange of ideas, and active participation in the fine arts.

Primarily, these goals find expression in the design of the curriculum and our educational method. We believe that education ought to be liberal in the truest sense of the word, i.e., freeing and relieving us of much of the slavery of the human condition. Although this truth is not always easily obtained, it can be sought and partially obtained and understood, given the proper setting and pedagogy. It is the cultivation of the intellect, specifically by developing true knowledge, basic skills or tools of learning, and the habitual vision of greatness. The foundation of Trinity School is characterized by these three essential parts of all education.

Ordered basic knowledge is the knowledge most worth having. It is the knowledge of God and his revelation as discovered in the study of Scripture and theology; of what he has made and holds in material creation as discovered in natural science and mathematics; and of God's special creation, humanity, in its thinking and achievements as expressed in philosophy and literature, history and culture.

Basic skills of learning are necessary to enable students to learn effectively while in school, but, perhaps more importantly, to continue to educate themselves throughout life. These include the ability to listen attentively, to stick to the point, to speak clearly, to write effectively, and to read perceptively and critically. In addition, they include competency in straight thinking, in mathematical computation and a reading knowledge in at least one language other than English. These basic skills will include some proficiency in the making of beautiful things—drawing, painting, sculpting, music and drama—and in the reflective habits of mind necessary for considered judgments and charitable behavior in community.

The habitual vision of greatness, the third essential of learning, entails the development of the moral imagination, of worthy hopes, of ideals and character. It is the development of personal norms derived from familiarity with the very best in what is true, good, and beautiful.