For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Theresa Kiernan, director of advancement
theresakiernan@trinityhallnj.
Trinity Hall: Nothing great comes easy.
Leonardo, NJ – Trinity Hall is an independent all-girls college preparatory high school, educating and empowering young women in the Catholic tradition. The school, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3), opened in Fall 2013 to a 9th grade class and will welcome an even larger freshmen class in the next school year. It is the only all-girls high school in Monmouth and Ocean counties and is currently operating in a temporary location of 900 Leonardville Road in Leonardo.
On Wednesday, June 11, 2014, the Middletown Planning Board met to vote on the Trinity Hall application to build its permanent campus. In this final meeting, board members voted to deny the building of Trinity Hall on Chapel Hill Road, a decision with which the school does not agree.
The board of trustees of Trinity Hall plans to appeal this decision. They are confident in the merits of their case and anticipate this decision will be reversed. The Middletown Planning Board had directed the application be submitted without variance from the ordinance and that Trinity Hall accept reasonable additional conditions or amendments, which the application did follow.
“As a Middletown resident and Trinity Hall board of trustees member I am disappointed in the decision of the Middletown Planning Board, which seems arbitrary and contrary to Township ordinance,” said Donna Winchell. “The school is committed to being a good neighbor and has given back to the community through almost 500 hours of community service in just nine months.”
“Trinity Hall is far more than just a building or a plot of land,” said Lisa C., a Middletown resident and current Trinity Hall parent. “The moral foundation of the students and faculty is stronger than any building’s foundation; the bonds that the students share are greater than cement; the dedication of the founders and teachers is more powerful than bricks; and the overall quality of education cannot be measured through physical parameters. No matter what obstacles Trinity Hall has faced or will face, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The bond that we share as students, faculty, friends, family and neighbors shall never be broken, and neither will Trinity Hall.”
“The denial of the Chapel Hill Road application will in no way impact the day-to-day operations of Trinity Hall,” said Mary Sciarrillo, head of school at Trinity Hall. “We all remain committed to the education and empowerment of our students. We look forward to the next school year and we thank the Trinity Hall community for their support.”
Trinity Hall is an independent all-girls college preparatory high school in the Catholic tradition. Trinity Hall’s core values of leadership, respect, perseverance and faith are foundational to their mission and work as educators. For more information, visit www.trinityhallnj.org.