STAMFORD—On the Monday after Thanksgiving, Trinity Catholic High School students will get an extra day at home. Not to be confused with a vacation, the high schoolers will work on their assignments remotely during what’s being called a “digital day.” Meanwhile, at school, classrooms will be moved and shifted. When students and staff return on Tuesday, it’ll be to a newly rearranged building, the most recently completed phase of a new vision for Stamford’s Catholic schools.
The $5 million remodeling of Trinity, on Newfield Avenue, includes the renovation of nearly two levels, plus a new wing where middle school students from the Catholic Academy of Stamford will move in the fall of 2019.
The project was funded by the Diocese of Bridgeport and private donors.
Last year, the Catholic Academy of Stamford combined the city’s Catholic elementary and middle schools.
“It’s about unity,” said Trinity Principal Scott Smith. “It provides that connection. … This brings us all together.”
The high school students will be moving to take up the majority of the second and third floors of the Trinity building, alongside new administrative offices. Almost every classroom will be moved to form “clusters” by subject, which will help improve collaborative relationships between teachers, school officials said.
The centerpiece of the new high school is the renovated media center on the third floor, which will feature computers and a lounge area where students can take about 40 online courses for credit.
“This is big for us because up until a year ago, this media center and the office next to it was a library in a traditional sense,” Macari said. “This renovation helped it become a media center in a 21st-century sense.”
From December to February, renovation will also be done to change the appearance of the front of the building.
“When you drive here at night, this whole second floor will be lit up,” Macari said. “It’s like a beacon.”
This week, with the big move approaching, the smell of fresh paint still lingered in the halls alongside construction signs as the last of the renovation wrapped up. Trinity principal Smith said he’s excited and ready for the change.
“We’re working around the clock. We’ll be good to go,” he said. “I’m super excited about the whole projection. What we’re seeing is the vision the bishop had coming to fruition.”
By Erin Kayata | Stamford Advocate
