MANCHESTER, NH – When the time finally came, the buzz of excitement and camaraderie circulating with canapés and cocktails in the unseasonably warm evening air settled into a hush as more than 200 Trinity High School alumni and supporters turned and looked toward the sky.
The silhouette of a solo bagpiper could be seen among the construction beams as a quartet of construction workers – two on each blue crane – were hoisted toward the top of what will in less than a year’s time be the expanded campus of Trinity High School, to include St. Joseph Regional Junior High students.
This is how a topping-off ceremony goes.
The first two workers elevated an American flag and a 9-foot evergreen tree on the top beam. Then the tandem crane dance continued as those two workers were lowered to the ground while two others rose carrying beams that had previously been signed by alumni over the course of several weeks in a ceremony to commemorate the completion of the project that unites the two schools into one.
Above: Some video footage of the “topping off” ceremony at Trinity High School.
The ceremony was something staff discovered after doing research on how they might properly celebrate progress with the new building, said Nathan Stanton, President of Trinity High School and St. Joseph Regional Junior High School.
They came upon the ancient “topping off” ritual in which a tree is placed on top of a newly constructed building to please the tree-dwelling spirits who may have been displaced by the construction, and to ensure the safety of the construction crew.
“Something about no building being higher than the trees. I’m not completely sure about it – but isn’t it terrific?” Stanton said.
Mostly, he added, it was a way to bring the Trinity community together to celebrate the milestone and consider the future.
Among the guests were the Most Reverend Peter A. Libasci, D.D., Bishop of Manchester, Frank Edelblut, New Hampshire Education Commissioner, and alumni of the two schools and their foundational schools – including Bishop Bradley, Immaculata, and St. Anthony, St. George, and Ste. Marie high schools, along with St. Joseph High School for Girls, St. Joseph High School for Boys, and St. Joseph Grammar School.
“This expansion and renovation project allows greater access and opportunity to grow and enhance our educational offerings, while placing our faith at the center of everything that we do,” said Stanton during his remarks. “Providing formation and growth, preparing our students for the future, and partnering with our families every step of the way, is the true definition of our student success model.”
Stanton also highlighted Trinity High School’s college preparatory curriculum which includes its new Dual Enrollment program that allows students to earn college credits while still in high school, and its partnership with Manchester Community College which is expanding the school’s career readiness program.
Following the ceremony Rear Admiral Arthur J. Lawrence was taking a closer look at the rendering of the building. Specifically, where the flagpole was to be placed.
A 1965 graduate of Bishop Bradley prior to its merger with Trinity in 1970, Lawrence is sponsoring the flagpole – his way of thanking those who guided him along his way, from not-so-extraordinary student to a dedicated public servant who, throughout his career, would eventually serve as a U.S. Assistant Surgeon General.
Among his notable accomplishments, Lawrence was the first chief of policy and programs for HIV and AIDS, worked alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci at the White House and was acting Assistant Secretary for Health on Sept. 11, 2001, during which he ran the civilian response in New York, reporting to the Department of Defense and the President himself.
There is much more to his story, the tale of a Manchester kid without much of a clue who eventually found his way thanks to education.
It all boils down to the importance of mentors in his life.
“I credit a lot if not most of my successes to other people,” Lawrence said. “I have been fortunate throughout my entire life to somehow or another bump into great people who are mentors. I had great mentors here – Stan Gorski being one. He was known to everybody who has gone here until he passed away. One of his one-liners was ‘Lawrence, if you don’t understand Shakespeare you will never understand the meaning of life. Mentors do that.”
And while the list of mentors from his high school days and beyond is too long to detail, Lawrence said they all have one thing in common.
“It’s about leadership. As a mentor you open doors for people. You don’t tell them what to do; you just open the door. That’s what I’ve learned and that’s what I try to do for others” Lawrence said. “So you can say that my foundation here was not just religious but it was moral and it was ethical and even though I didn’t know what was going on at the time, it’s subtle. The lessons are being learned when you’re a kid who has no idea about life and then, one day, it all clicks together.”
When complete the expansion and renovation project will include a 45,000-square-foot addition, enhanced technology in classrooms, new science and robotics labs, and the addition of a media center, renovated gym with locker rooms, fitness center, and a separate junior high school wing.
St. Joseph Regional Junior High School will welcome its first class of students on the campus in Fall 2024. The entire project will be completed during Fall 2025.
For more information about the project, visit www.trinity-hs.org/advancement/expansion.cfm.
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