Lucas Puig is Trinity High School’s class of 2022 valedictorian! At Trinity he served as one of two school captains for the 2022-23 school year. He also participated in football, cross country, wrestling, and track, which he credits helping him to “to improve my time management skills and learn the essence of hard work.” He formed friendships during these sports that will last long past my high school years, and I learned that school is so much more than just what goes on inside of the classroom.

On formative Trinity experiences: “Mr. Klepeiss’s AP Physics class and Mr. Carr’s AP Calculus class have been the courses that have shaped my academic interests the most during my time at Trinity. These classes have allowed me to develop my skills in math and problem solving, and I have found passions in these fields due to these teachers. Mr. Klepeiss has taught our class the benefits that come from working hard in life and giving everything you do your all. The Kairos retreat helped me to grow closer with my friends and form new bonds with classmates. Lastly, Mr. Cominsky has been an amazing mentor throughout my years at Trinity. He has always been at my side in times of need, and he does whatever it takes to help those around him.

“Trinity has most definitely prepared me for my college career and choice of major. I plan to enter a STEM field next year, and I feel as if my math and science skills have vastly improved during my time at Trinity. Making the decision to attend THS as a shy eighth grader was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
Lucas will study computer science and business at MIT, while also participating in the Army ROTC Program.

Following his graduation, he will commission into the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant.

Tuan Vu is Trinity High School’s class of 2022 salutatorian! During his time at Trinity he was part of DECA, the biomedical club, and the track and field team. DECA taught me leadership skills and how to work in a business setting. These activities helped him develop as a student in various ways. He gained insight into the medical field through the speakers of healthcare workers who spoke with the Biomedical Club, and he learned the importance of teamwork in an athletic setting and how to push himself physically through Track and Field.

On an impactful Trinity experience: “At Trinity, an experience that definitely has impacted me significantly is the senior Kairos retreat. This retreat was very important to me because it allowed me to take a break from the real world full of distractions for three days. At first, I really thought this retreat wouldn’t be impactful, but it really taught me to always make time for myself and to take a break sometimes from daily stressful events. This retreat has brought me closer to God and has also helped me to better my relationships with others around me.”

On Trinity’s preparation: “Trinity has prepared me for college really well through its rigorous academics. Having the option to take many advanced classes really gave me a challenge and pushed me to keep striving for the best. My many classes would have overlapping workloads and so dealing with the many assignments has really helped me to learn to manage my time between various classes. Being exposed to this type of environment will certainly help me as I enter college in the upcoming year.

Tuan will attend Washington and Lee University in Virginia, and study neuroscience on a pre-medical track with the aim of attending medical school and becoming a physician after graduation.

by Chrissy Snerr ’24 (De La Salle House)

This past month, the Trinity faculty and students voted in their school captains for the 2022-2023 school year, and selected Lauren Shook and Ben Frantz! Lauren and Ben made a great campaign and are excited to take up the challenges of being school captains.

You might know Lauren Shook as a member of the tennis and lacrosse teams at Trinity, which she has been part of since her freshman year. She enjoys surfing and attending Trinity football and basketball games. Lauren was inspired to run for school captain by the examples of the current and past captains. Seeing the work previous captains have done for the school pushed Lauren to ensure that their work continues on and expands. One of Lauren’s priorities is to get all students involved in school happenings. Lauren will be high energy, hard-working, and driven as a leader to make Trinity an environment for everyone. She will make changes by first listening to the feedback of her peers, and then working alongside the administration to facilitate her plans. Lauren is in the middle of her college search, and is looking for a school that resembles Trinity in its outstanding academics and great student body.

Ben Frantz has been an active member of the Trinity soccer team since his freshman year. He is a member of many school clubs, as well as the National, Math, and Foreign Language honor societies. Additionally, Ben plays CYO basketball and enjoys watching sports, playing video games, and hanging out with his friends. Ben was encouraged to pursue leadership positions by his parents and teachers. He aims to restore Trinity’s environment back to its pre-pandemic state, with more events and activities, as well as more house-vs-house competitions. Another plan of Ben’s is to create more leadership opportunities within the house system for students who are interested. Ben values the input of his fellow students, and will use their feedback to make changes that ensure everyone can have the positive high school experience that he has had so far. Ben plans to study business in college, and maybe run for president someday.

Lauren and Ben both hail from the same mentor group at Trinity and have known each other since freshman year. They have gotten to know each other very well and are able to work together efficiently and effectively. A high priority of both Lauren and Ben is the involvement of all students and creating an enjoyable environment for every student. They are able to identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and assist each other in making sensible decisions. Most importantly, they are both enthusiastic about the betterment of Trinity and are excited to get to work together for the whole of the Trinity community.

We wish them the best of luck as the 2022-2023 Trinity school captains!

Robbie Root ’22 is a Trinity student taking a different path for his future with the help of Faulkner Subaru of Mechanicsburg. Three days a week, Robbie leaves Trinity early to participate in a program with Faulkner to learn the skills required to become a Master Automotive Technician.

A couple of years ago, Robbie planned to follow in his family’s footsteps and work in education, specifically music education. He has a deep love of music, and at Trinity he plays in nearly every musical group: concert band, concert choir, jazz band, indoor percussion, marching band, and pit for the musical. However, when he was home at the start of the pandemic, Robbie’s mom noticed that he didn’t reach for his instruments as much, and instead spent a lot of time watching automotive tutorials on YouTube.

This realization—that perhaps he had a different calling—led Robbie to investigate a career in the automotive industry, and he found a lot to like. For one, taking a non-traditional path would save him from building up debt, and working with Faulkner Subaru meant that he would be paid as he learned. Plus, Robbie found, that in a way, working on cars is helping people, through maybe not in a way that comes immediately to mind. The work has the added benefit of being able to see immediate results: his work improved things and made them able to run better than before.

These confirmations—that Robbie liked the work and found purpose in it—was made possible through the hands on experience he gained at Faulkner, all while maintaining his full course-load at Trinity. The experience was made possible for Robbie, in part, by the partnership between Faulkner Subaru of Mechanicsburg and Trinity. “Faulkner Subaru of Mechanicsburg has been instrumental in providing our student-athletes with opportunities through financial support, and has also stepped forward to help our students break into vocational work,” said Trinity principal, John Cominsky.

His work at Trinity, especially the practice of following steps logically and methodically learned in his science courses, has helped him in the automotive trade. “I feel that I’ve been coached in how to think, not just told what to do, and that has helped tremendously as I’ve worked at Faulkner,” Robbie said.

As for his experience at Faulkner Subaru, Robbie describes the experience as “great, with lots to learn from every single guy there and with a fun atmosphere. Without fun,” Robbie says, “ it’s hard to do a job well.” The positive atmosphere has made it “easy to ask for help when needed.” In just a few months, Robbie’s already been able to take responsibility for jobs and is looking forward to acquiring more skills.

Thanks to Faulkner Subaru of Mechanicsburg for their work in enriching our community and providing opportunities for our young people.