Many people say laughter is the best medicine. Humor is so important at Trinity that a club and a course are devoted to learning to make people laugh. Teacher and library media specialist Mr. Tim Jones moderates the Comedy Club and teaches a course called Comedy Writing and Performing.

The club came first, at the suggestion of Trinity’s principal, Mr. Dan Zoeller, according to Jones.

“When I began here (in 2013-14), he suggested that I start a Comedy Club, because my background is comedy,” Jones said.

The club meets every Monday, and they practice building their style and making others laugh.

“In each Comedy Club meeting, we are given an improvisation game to play, and (Mr. Jones) walks us through how to play it and shows us clips on comedians,” freshman Nate Caudill said.

Jones’s background in comedy began at a young age when, as he put it, “my mom would laugh at me.”

Jones  went on to write short humorous stories in high school, which he then turned into short films. This experimentation and experience led him to find his love for comedy.

“In college I was a part of a sketch improvisation comedy troop, and we’d perform around the state and also in New York City,” Jones said. While in New York City, he performed during a 48-hour marathon of comedy.

After college, Jones went to Chicago for the Second City Writing Program and the Annoyance Improvisation Program. 

He said, “Those are two of the three biggest training centers in Chicago, and some of the biggest in the world. I’ve done a little bit of stand-up, not enough to say I’m a stand-up comedian, but I’ve done some.”

Jones’s background in comedy has helped students develop their own wit and writing skills. He helps students by getting them involved and showing them examples of exemplary stand-up comedians.

“He shows us writing techniques and categories of jokes,” senior Alex Garbus said.

Jones enjoys making others laugh. “The alternative is crying,” he said. “I feel like there is a very good social value to comedy. Sometimes life can be such a despairing place that it’s nice to be able to step back from it and laugh at the absurdness of living — some of the dark facets of just life. To spin it in a way that is humorous and fun lets you just keep going on.”

Jones said humor helps cut the ice between people.

He said, “I think a certain sense of humility is important –being able to recognize your own flaws and laugh at them. You can respond to your flaws in one of a few ways. You could go into a corner and cry and say ‘I suck’; the other way is to laugh at yourself, have fun, realize that nobody is perfect — have fun with it because that’s life.”

Jones enjoys helping students find their comedic ability.

He said, “I like seeing the light bulbs go off the moment when they get it. Even if they haven’t mastered it, by the end you have seen their development, and in addition to that, everybody has a different sense of humor. Students make me laugh, so I enjoy that part of it.”

Club members have fun learning from each other. “The Comedy Club is fun because it brings a group of funny people together,” freshman Nate Caudill said.

Freshman Aden Yeager said, “Mr. Jones helps us with our communication skills and our social skills. It really helps to be quick-witted.”

Jones’s reaches out to students through hilarious strategies. He often runs TTV skits in order to invite students to join the club and class — intent on bringing smiles to students’ and teachers’ faces all around the school.