Upper School

In a world that is intricate, often divisive, and faced with challenges both broad and complex, adolescence is a time of life that has become increasingly complicated and often perplexing to navigate. In the Upper School, we believe that students’ needs should be met in a manner that is reflective of the realities of this age instead of the generalizations of the past. As our world and society are dynamic and changing, our aspiration is to build and nurture a school culture and educational practice that are responsive and forward looking while supporting the four main objectives of the TVS mission statement.

Upper School students as individuals have unique and diverse academic strengths and interests. At the same time, there are certain academic skills and content area knowledge that are important for all to develop and master. Our curriculum supports these dual realities within the pursuit of fine scholarship through the combination of carefully chosen and developed commonly required courses as well as a broad range of elective classes in each subject area that students can choose from to meet and exceed the necessary number of classes in each discipline. Furthermore, faculty work closely with each individual student to meet specific needs, encourage growth, and inspire passion and facilitate opportunities to go beyond. 

As they develop wide constructive interests, Upper School students follow existing passions and develop new ones through their choice from among amazing opportunities in diverse programs. These are not limited to just athletics, the visual and performing arts, and community service, but also include global education, outdoor experiential learning and leadership, fabrication/”making” and applied technology, and entrepreneurship. Teams, ensembles, clubs and student organizations, competitive academic and academic-adjacent teams, travel and hosting opportunities and much more provide authentic experiences for learning, skill development, service, mentorship, and leadership.

The Upper School community structures and values reflect and support the mission objectives of intelligent citizenship and spiritual and moral development. Weekly advisory and Assembly, along with special programs and other opportunities, are designed to support the development of skills, character attributes, and communication. This is in keeping with our broadest goals of building a school community that fosters belonging for all and acknowledges and celebrates how the unique talents, perspectives, and contributions of each individual contribute to the strength and richness of the whole. Our TROJAN values (Trustworthy, Resilient, Open, Joyful, Accountable, and Noble) provide common aspirational language through which we encourage and celebrate those attitudes and attributes most frequently evident during our most triumphant moments.

Thank you for your time and interest in the Upper School at Trinity Valley. We cannot wait to meet you and show you first hand what we are all about!