This past Sunday, Trinity welcomed hundreds of prospective students during its annual Open House, a day filled with all the reasons young students should consider becoming a Shamrock. Every year, Trinity’s Open House is a well-oiled machine featuring tours led by upperclassmen students along with excellent representation of Trinity’s academic departments and various clubs from faculty. It’s hard to find someone on campus who isn’t involved with the hectic day, and at the center of the madness is Trinity’s Director of Admissions, James Torra.
For Torra, who has been working at Trinity for 20 years, the day is one of his favorite parts of the job: “Open House is a chance for our school community to put all the opportunities that we present students on display and open our doors to any of the future Rocks who” may be interested in attending the school. His passion for his job and for Trinity is very apparent and is evidenced in his ‘least favorite’ part of the day: the worry that every family won’t have the perfect experience he has designed. According to Torra, “[we] try to make that experience as close to perfect as possible,” but to him it’s “kind of like going out to dinner, right? There might be a part of that meal that just didn’t taste great, you know?” His job is to ensure that as many future Rocks have the amazing experience he plans out.
One of the most important cogs in the gears that make Open House run is the group of students that are selected to lead tours of the school. Although teachers at other schools might worry about interactions between students and future families, Torra says that Trinity doesn’t have that issue. There are plenty of training sessions, and “[he] really trust[s] the students.” His wish is that, instead of being spouts of information, tour guides should tell their stories “about… [their] experience at Trinity. All the classes, all the teachers, all the clubs, the activities, all the house system… that’s what families really want to know.”
As it is probably the most important recruitment event each year for Trinity, preparation for the next year begins immediately. According to Torra, the “planning for next year will start on Monday.” Torra and his team used Sunday as an opportunity to take notes and see what worked and what didn’t. The adjustments are made quickly with the goal to create an even better experience the next year, and “some of the things that happened this year are a result of what happened last year.”
Lastly, Torra gave insight on what he would be most excited to see if he was taking a tour for the first time. For him, “I would be most excited to get into all the classrooms… whether it’s the English department, the Theology department, Math, World Language, you know, walking through the hallways” and seeing Trinity in a way few people who don’t attend the school are able to. He says that “to see what our students can take advantage of every day… and then getting to interact with the teachers” is the ultimate opportunity for future Shamrocks.
As it is every year, Open House was a massive success this past Sunday despite rainy conditions, and Torra and the Admissions team are already planning on how to improve it next time around. Hundreds of future Trinity brothers got a taste of the next four years of their lives and are now looking forward to high school eagerly, and we’re excited to welcome them. Go Rocks!
Photography by Kyle Bibelhauser
