Trinity High School is a large, complex organization, and every school day requires immense effort to make successful. Students see some of this work every day in classrooms, but many people who dedicate their time to making Trinity possible do so behind the scenes.
Trinity’s business office works behind the scenes every day to make sure that Trinity’s gears keep turning, managing finances and connecting with parents to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
The office is led by Larry Castagno, whose steady leadership keeps the team organized and focused. He oversees the office’s operations and provides guidance on the school’s finances, ensuring that Trinity remains financially sound. But, what many may not know, is that the business office is comprised primarily of women who are mothers of current or former Trinity students. Along with Castagno, motivated by a shared family connection and dedication to Trinity’s mission, the incredible women of the business office help keep the school afloat with a smile.
Every morning at 7 a.m., Monica Saxton unlocks Trinity’s front door. As the receptionist, she is the first person that visitors see when they come to Trinity. Saxton is also the first to receive every call to the school. “Even calls that you guys probably think go straight to Ms. Hook and Ms. Harrell. Like all the attendance lists. If somebody’s going to be late, if somebody’s going to be out sick, if somebody’s leaving early.” A stream of calls keeps Saxton at her desk almost perpetually.
Another familiar face at the front desk is Lis Williams. She works part-time as a receptionist, taking calls and helping communication into the school run as effectively as possible. Together, the receptionists connect Trinity to the public at large.
Erica Morrison helps manage the money that goes to run the school. “I help our folks – our teachers and staff – get all of their benefits in line. I process payroll, I do bank account reconciliations, help with lunch accounts, credit card machines, just a few different things.” With Morrison’s help, Trinity’s staff is supported, and the accounts are managed effectively.
Kate Pilbean manages money coming in. She manages accounts for incoming tuition payments and deposits for the Trinity Foundation.
Pilbean also manages all incoming funds for the Trinity Foundation, which mostly go to scholarship funds. Saxton and Williams help sort any donations that come in through the mail, and Pilbean manages deposits. These donations could go to specific “named” scholarships; the Trinity Annual Fund, which all general need-based aid comes from; or to restricted gifts that serve specific departments, clubs, or anything else. Specific campaigns or drives like the Trinity Forever Campaign are separate from donations for financial aid.
Any funds donated to the Trinity Annual Fund or specific scholarships go toward covering the cost of attendance for Trinity students. Because of generous donations for scholarships, a Trinity education is available to many more students than would otherwise be possible. Each year, all Trinity families are encouraged to apply for financial aid. Trinity weighs each family’s level of need and applies scholarship money accordingly.
Megan Wine is kind of an opposite to Pilbean. “I do all the money going out. I pay all the bills. Pretty much any bill that comes in, it’s going to come to my desk.” Ms. Wine also does bank reconciliations for the Foundation accounts, handles all daily lunch deposits, and keeps those cafeteria vending machines stocked with snacks for the students, among other things.
All three work together to handle lunch account deposits and questions that come in through the day by phone as well as in person. There are many other duties all three work on daily, both together and separately, to keep the Business Office and all its parts and pieces running smoothly.
Together, these women make sure everything runs well behind the scenes. Though they have different life experiences and come from different places, they all came to work at Trinity because of family. All the women of the office staff are mothers of current or graduated Trinity students, and this gives them both an inside and outside perspective of the school.
Because of their knowledge of how Trinity runs, they are a great resource to any parents who are new to Trinity. According to Pilbean, “If somebody has a question about something between us, we’re going to be able to help. A lot of times parents will come in to pay for lunch and just happen to mention their kid is having a hard time in such and such a class. I say, ‘you know that they have student tutoring with the National Honor Society’ and have them look into that.”
The dynamic between these women is very positive as they joke and laugh with each other through their work. Wine reflects, “I would say also there’s a certain solidarity amongst the female administrative staff. You know, we feel like we’re kind of that either first or last line of defense.” That line of defense that they form supports the entire structure of Trinity.
These women are dedicated to making Trinity possible for all the boys, including their sons, who go to school here. They are driven by the mission of providing a great education to young men, and that keeps their spirits high through storms of phone calls and paperwork.
Morrison explains, “When I’m having a bad day from time to time, I may get up and walk the halls with the boys when they’re going from class to class. Their energy and camaraderie reminds me why I’m here: because of the students. I feed off their energy, and my day is immediately better. They are my rock!”
Pilbean stresses, “If any of the kids ever need anything, they should always feel free to come see us for anything at all.”
To any students, if you see any of these remarkable women in the halls, make sure to thank them for the hard work they put in to make this school possible. They’re happy to bring you the education you are enjoying.
