By Henry Bush

Tung Trinh, the new Head of Collegiate’s Middle School, has been at Collegiate for almost five months. Since beginning his duties on July 1, Trinh has adjusted to life at Collegiate and embraced being a Cougar. Learning teachers’ names, students’ names, and transitioning from a smaller school has proven to be complicated.

Trinh has enjoyed his time in Richmond since moving here. Living in Richmond has given him time to explore parts of the city he had not been able to visit before. Trinh is familiar with the city because his wife, Lower School assistant teacher Ashley Clevenger Trinh (‘99), grew up in Richmond and attended Collegiate. His favorite places include Maymont, Carytown, and the James River. Richmond is a city that has been expanding for years now, and Trinh has been able to see that firsthand, since before this year he had only visited. “The city is growing, the make-up of the city is different, the restaurant scene is different, Richmond is a fantastic city,” says Trinh. 

Since coming to Collegiate, Trinh has enjoyed seeing performances by the Middle and Upper Schools. This fall, he was able to go to the Upper School’s production of Chicago and was impressed by the talent that was displayed and the production value of the show. “I was completely blown away by the commitment of the faculty and the students to put on a production like that,” says Trinh. He is also excited to see the production of Aristocats, the musical chosen to be the 8th grade play in February 2020. Trinh believes the 8th grade play is a distinctive part of Collegiate’s Middle School experience, since almost every student plays a role. “Everyone plays a part. With the musical or plays after school, kids have to make choices sometimes. This removes that barrier. Kids who know that theater is their passion can make this their outlet, or they want to be a part of this just because they know it’s special,” says Trinh. 

Photo credit: Elizabeth Jacobs.

Another thing Trinh is very excited about this winter is the basketball season. He is excited to be in the packed gym watching one of his favorite sports. At every school Trinh has been a part of, he has organized a pick-up basketball league for the faculty and administration. “My basketball career probably peaked in 8th grade. I made the 8th grade team at a large public school, but I only took one shot the entire season,” says Trinh. Although he wasn’t the best basketball player, he still loves to play and is excited to continue this tradition at Collegiate. He believes that the basketball league will be fun for the teachers and administration. “It’s fun, it’s competitive, but nobody gets hurt, it’s also a community builder,” says Trinh. 

Trinh’s favorite part of this year so far has been seeing different parts of Collegiate’s community having the ability to connect. He has experienced Collegiate traditions such as Convocation, senior and Kindergarten buddies, and 8th grade and 5th grade buddies, where each 5th grader is paired up with an 8th grader. They spend the year having occasional meetings and learning from an elder peer. He admires Collegiate’s ability to come together as a community. “For a school this size, it can feel so small,” says Trinh. The connections between students and teachers have been distinguished in the few months he has spent here thus far. He gives credit to all of the meaningful programs that have been put in place to benefit the students and administration. He firmly believes that as students leave to go to college, they will remember the friends and the memories that they made at Collegiate. 

An ongoing topic of conversation within the Middle School is the debate about single-sex education. The topic of single-gender classes in the Middle School has many viewpoints. As the leader of the Middle School, Trinh has decided to listen to all opinions. He wants to hear all of the positive things that are happening in the Middle School, and he also wants to hear other feedback. “Truthfully, the best thing for me to do is to be an explorer and be curious about the arguments from the people who support single-gender classes, and the people who want co-ed,” says Trinh. He believes that there are many arguments for both sides, but will continue to listen and approach the situation with the best interest for Collegiate.

Featured image credit: Collegiate School.