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TRINITY HONORED FOR EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES. THE TRINITY SEE PAGE 21. LEADER WINTER 2006 NEWS FOR THE TRINITY FAMILY The 2006 Edward M. Shaughnessy III “Serving All God’s Children” Inclusion Award. PHOTO BY NICK BONURA ’87. TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY WWW.TRINITYROCKS.COM 1 PRESIDENT’S NOTEBOOK By Dr. Robert (Rob) J. Mullen ’77 or several issues of the Trinity and his grasp of key concepts in certain subject matter areas. Leader, we have been bringing As part of our work to improve standardized test scores, we you exciting news about signifi- aligned much of our curriculum with aims suggested by ACT. cant gains in our students’ scores Keep in mind that ACT attempts to show colleges which appli- on national standardized tests. We cants have the skills necessary to compete and succeed in college. Fare rightly proud of the successes of our stu- By aligning our curriculum with the ACT, we are exposing our dents. Their academic successes are squarely students from the day they enter with the skills and material aligned with our mission. deemed necessary for success in college by colleges themselves. While Trinity students have long taken standardized tests, our We are not just preparing students to do well on a one-day test. 2001 School Improvement Plan (SIP) identified improvement in We are preparing them for success in college. these test scores as a primary goal. Creating the SIP is a product The results have been outstanding. Mr. Marty Minogue ’69, of our regularly scheduled accreditation one of our two academic deans, shared program. Our voluntary membership in the results in a recent Parent Newsletter the Southern Association of Colleges WE ARE NOT JUST PREPAR- column: and Schools (SACS) requires that we ING STUDENTS TO DO “All 368 seniors in the Class of 2006 undergo a thorough examination of our took the ACT, the first time the college program of studies every five years. WELL ON A ONE-DAY TEST. admissions test has been required for This dovetails nicely with our school’s graduation from Trinity. The average overall strategic planning efforts, which WE ARE PREPARING THEM composite score of 22.7 is a five-year have been in place since 1992. FOR SUCCESS IN COLLEGE. high and exceeds both the state average Flowing out of the 2001 SIP was the of 20.6 and the national average of 21.1. mandate to improve our test scores. The The scores represent four straight years school decided to focus its efforts on the of significant increases in student ACT college admissions test. The ACT scores. Teachers continue to put empha- is the most commonly-required college entrance test taken by stu- sis on higher-order thinking skills in their lesson planning and dents in the Midwest. In fact, nearly all colleges and universities class assessments.” in the country now accept an ACT score as part of the application process. SCHOOL TRINITY STATE NATIONAL In a change from what most readers will remember from their ENGLISH 22.6 20.2 20.6 high school days, an important new feature of this test is the MATH 22.6 19.9 20.8 multi-grade level tests offered by ACT, which build toward the READING 22.7 21.1 21.4 senior-level examination. Trinity students actually take a series of SCIENCE REASONING 22.5 20.5 20.9 tests beginning freshman year, all created by ACT, that culmi- COMPOSITE 22.7 20.6 21.1 nates in the test most readers are familiar with as a pre-requisite NUMBER 368 29,786 1,206,455 for college admission. It is important to interject that teaching to the test was not the aim of this initiative. The reader must understand what the ACT Readers should note that the makeup of the Class of 2006 was attempts to do. The ACT’s “customers” are the colleges and uni- the same as every class which came before it. We enroll the broad- versities that require the test as part of the application process. est possible range of students with a wide range of academic They expect the ACT to provide a piece of evidence as to strengths and weaknesses. We have never artificially limited our the applicant’s chance for success at the particular school. enrollment as some other Catholic high schools do based upon a test Consequently, the ACT has evolved into a test that assesses the score. For the entire senior class to have set a new standard speaks student’s higher-order thinking skills, ability to make connections continued on next page MISSION STATEMENT Trinity High School’s mission is to provide students with a superior high school education in a supportive atmosphere based upon Christian values in the Catholic tradition. 2 PRESIDENT’S NOTEBOOK continued from page 1 volumes for our school’s commitment to serving all students. ‘I don’t know how to read them.’ When we looked at the score Bringing about these improvements required a huge commit- sheet and saw that he had scored a 29 in reading, Linda, Lucia ment by our teaching staff. Since the SIP recommendation to (Simpson) and I began to shout with joy. This scared Chris to improve standardized test scores came from the faculty itself, the death! He had no idea how well he had actually done! It was so impetus for change was already present. I am very proud of how funny at the time that we had scared the wits out of him!” they have rolled up their sleeves and made these hoped-for Mr. Chad Waggoner, one of our social studies teachers, improvements a reality. explained, “What we have learned from this program is that, I solicited feedback from our teachers. Their comments tell much like the results of championship sports teams, practice will the story. make you wiser, stronger, comfortable, Ms. Kate Nitzken teaches a composi- “STUDENTS ENJOY THINK- confident and prepared.” tion course in partnership with Mr. Chemistry teacher Mr. Ted Bickel Bernie Schum. She reported that they ING OUTSIDE THE BOX. reported, “In my classes I mention Dr. believe giving students real opportuni- Phil’s Web site where he has a listing ties to apply the skills that they have I’VE FOUND THAT THEY’RE of food that promotes brain develop- learned in a timed situation will help MUCH MORE WILLING ment and thinking. When I proctor the them reduce the anxiety factor as they ACT here at Trinity, I’m amused when approach the “dreaded” essay question. TO TAKE CHANCES AND guys come up to me and tell me that “I am very proud of the successes of they had blueberries and scrambled our composition students in both their THINK MORE DEEPLY eggs for breakfast!” scores and confidence as they prepare ABOUT THE SUBJECT.” Our principal Mr. Dan Zoeller for the ACT and SAT tests,” Ms. reported the following: “I am much Nitzken said. “They have told me that more conscious of asking higher-order they felt much more confident regard- thinking questions. I ask a lot more ing what they could write about even ‘how’s and why’s.’ As principal, that before the clock was ticking! One student had the confidence to is always part of my observation process. I look for and encourage apply for the Governor’s Scholars Program due to his increased those kinds of questions during lessons. success in writing.” “Students enjoy thinking outside the box. Once they understand Dr. Debbie Heaverin, who teaches in our Traditional Program, that the teacher demands it, I’ve found that they’re much more noted when asked what she does differently today compared to willing to take chances and think more deeply about the subject. five years ago, “I say the word ‘ACT’ at least five times a day in “The most rewarding for me are the individuals who are sur- each class. They hate me! Ha!” prised and grateful when they get their scores back. Bryan Henn, She went on to report, “Students have become more familiar a senior, recently told the Academic Environment Committee that with the structure of the test. It’s not such a mystery. The guys the ACT preparation is really helpful. He said students at first felt have demonstrated more confidence in being able to tackle a it was a drag until they saw the good results. He also said that three-and-a-half-hour stressful testing situation.” most teachers have done a great job adapting their curricula by She added that one student, Chris, who struggled greatly with creatively connecting the Cambridge material with the day-to-day organizational skills and reading and writing, “… came to the business of the class. third floor of Sheehan Hall one day after getting his ACT test “The test has taught us all that when we cooperate and coordinate results. Linda (Whitworth) asked about his scores. He replied continued on back page NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY Trinity High School admits students of any race, color, nationality, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally available to students. Trinity does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationality or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship or loan program, athletic or other school-administered programs. Office for School Advancement The Trinity Leader is published four times a year for Trinity High School The Joey Porter ’78, Vice President for School Advancement alumni, students, parents and friends by Trinity High School, Office for Steven Tompkins ’81, Senior Development Officer School Advancement, 4011 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, KY 40207.