by Erin Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers

When Trinity School opened the doors of its new $19 million building in Eagan last week, students were greeted with lots of natural light, larger classrooms, state-of-the-art science labs, and a full-size gymnasium.

The two-story, 95,000 square-foot building is a far cry from the single, windowless hallway that spanned the old Trinity School in Bloomington.

"(The students) are excited and thrilled, and there's a number of things that are just really nice that we didn't have before," Trinity Headmaster Bill Wacker said. "Parents have said, ‘You know, this feels like Trinity.' "

The Christian school had been at its Bloomington location since 1987 and was looking to expand, but school officials decided instead to use noise-abatement funds from the Metropolitan Airports Commission to help build a new school.

The new building, filled with windows, natural stone and tile, has six additional classrooms for a total of 31, as well as a second music room, a larger art room, an upgraded auditorium, and a gymnasium.

The gym is a big deal to those at Trinity -- the old school didn't have one, so athletes spent years playing in leased spaces.

"This will be the first basketball game I have ever hosted as headmaster, and I've been here for 17 years," Wacker said.

Founded in 1981, Trinity School also has campuses in South Bend, Ind., and Falls Church, Va.

The school teaches students in grades seven through 12. The Eagan campus currently has 365 students, but school officials hope to attract more than 400. Boys and girls are taught separately at Trinity, and class sizes are kept small, with 18 students per room.

Trinity prides itself on the comprehensive, liberal arts education it provides its students, who are taught to think critically and express themselves while immersed in a challenging core curriculum.

Fine arts are particularly emphasized at Trinity. Every student must take four years of music, four years of drawing and painting, and two years of drama.

"The fine arts are an integral part of the program. A lot of schools will have fine arts as either electives or an extracurricular program," Wacker said. "We incorporate the fine arts into the curriculum. We think that's an important element of being an educated adult."

Another thing that separates Trinity from other schools, Wacker said, is that it emphasizes excellence and asks students to do "really difficult and meaty things."

According to the school, Trinity's seniors regularly score in the upper 10 percent of seniors nationwide who take standardized tests, and 96 percent of its graduates go to college.

"We want them to see themselves as agents of change in the world. It's remarkable what students can do when you ask them," Wacker said. "I think honestly we should ask more of our children as a country."

Although it is a Christian school, Trinity welcomes students of all faiths, he said.

"We are clearly a Christian school, but we think that the purpose for education is to educate, so students do not have to be Christian," he said. "My fervent hope is that on the other side of this they will love God more. But they don't have to in order to get a good grade."

Trinity School is located at 601 River Ridge Parkway in Eagan. For more information on Trinity Schools, visit www.trinityschools.org.

Erin Johnson is at eagan.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.