Archives: News Stories

At Trinity Christian College, we prepare our students for a world that needs them. That is why we are proud to announce that our special education program has been ranked among the top 20 nationwide by College Factual. The program has also been recognized third in the state of Illinois.

“Trinity’s Special Education program engages preservice teachers in multiple hands on experiences over several semesters,” said Dr. Joy Meyer, Ed.D., Department Chair and Director of Teacher Education at Trinity. “Trinity students put learning into practice by providing inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities on our college campus and collaborating with local teachers to support the diverse needs of students in both general and special education classrooms. Preservice teachers also engage professionally presenting research to educators, creating teacher materials, and providing disability awareness instruction to partner institutions.”

College Factual uses a number of different criteria when creating its rankings, including graduate earnings, resources dedicated to specific majors, accreditation, and overall school quality.

Trinity offers a major and minor in special education. At the graduate level, Trinity offers M.A. degrees in special education programs that lead to a Learning Behavior Specialist I endorsement and Behavior Intervention Specialist endorsement.

Trinity 2017 alums Andrea Sanchez and Elizabeth Vande Griend recently showcased their artwork (and incredible talent) at the Yu:o Gallery in Chicago .

In honor of Women’s Month & International Women’s Day, the show was themed “Lady Vibes.” ​ According to the gallery, the show featured “a mischievous playground of Chicago based female-identified artists whose interdisciplinary skill sets create impact and dynamism within the industry. Each selected exhibitor is a paragon in their own right, creating a visual dialogue that connects the soul to the senses.”

At Trinity Christian College, athletics are a vital part of our campus and student life. And our athletics are flourishing! Since 2010, Trinity has built two major athletic facilities, added several sports program, and grown the student-athlete population to one-third of the overall traditional undergraduate student population

With all these exciting changes, Troll Nation is now seeking its first full-time Director of Athletics. For the last seven years, Bill Schepel has been dividing his time between serving as AD and coaching the women’s volleyball program. With the introduction of a full-time AD, Schepel will be able to focus on his first love, coaching.

“Creating a full-time Athletics Director position is an exciting step for Trinity,” said Becky Starkenburg, Vice President for Student Life. “It will be the first full-time AD the College has had, as up until now the leadership position has been split with a coaching role. Having someone full-time will allow the athletics department to continue to flourish and also provide the opportunity to develop the vision and strategic plan for Trolls athletics.”

Trinity participates in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Mens’ sports include baseball, cross country, basketball, golf, soccer, volleyball, and track and field. Womens’ sports include cross country, softball, track and field, basketball, golf, soccer, and volleyball.

Those interested in learning more about the AD position and the application process can click here.

Trinity has named Raeann Fopma of Sully, Iowa, a recipient of the 2018 Founders’ Scholarship. Fopma attends Pella Christian High School in Pella, Iowa, where she serves on the student council, plays volleyball, and is part of the track team. She plans to major in special education at Trinity.

“From the moment her interview began, we sensed a maturity and approachability that embodies the essence of the Trinity community,” said members of the Founders’ Scholarship Selection Committee.

The Founders’ Scholarship is a renewable, full-tuition award available annually to two incoming freshmen. Miranda Kortenhoeven of Denver, Colo., is also a recipient of this year’s award.

The Founders’ Scholarship

The Founders’ Scholarship is a renewable, full-tuition award available to incoming first time freshmen. Applicants must:

— Meet the criteria for Trinity’s President’s Honors Scholarship

–Exhibit leadership in their church, school, or community

–Display evidence of personal faith in Jesus Christ

Trinity called, and Troll Nation answered! Thanks to the generosity of alumni, students, parents, grandparents, friends, faculty, and staff, the College met and surpassed giving goals for the annual Trinity Tuesday event.

During the 24-hour fundraising campaign on March 13, 519 donors responded with $63,997 in giving. That exceeded last year’s very successful campaign, when 448 donors participated in raising $55,740.

“Once again, the Trinity community has expressed its love and support of the College in a tangible way,” said Rick VanDyken ’83, vice president for advancement. “The quality of education that Trinity students receive can be attributed in many ways to those who generously support the College’s mission, and we are grateful for all of our partners.”

Among the highlights of Trinity Tuesday 2018:

–Generous donors provided 14 match opportunities throughout the day to encourage others to participate

–Student giving was up significantly this year

–The class of 2014 was, once again, the class with the highest number of donors

–The class of 2003 was the class with the highest dollar amount given

–Donors from 23 states and Canada responded

Thanks again to everyone who participated. To learn more about Trinity Tuesday, click here.

At the conclusion of the women’s basketball season, several team members received post-season honors.

Junior Ally Giampapa (Bartlett, Ill.) led the team and was named to the CCAC All-Conference Second Team as well as to the NCCAA North Central All-Region Team as the Region Play of the Year. Senior Lauren Stokes (DeMotte, Ind.) was Honorable Mention All-Conference and also NCCAA All-Region. Senior Celina Wanta (West Bend, Wis.) was NCCAA All-Region Honorable Mention.

Giampapa was the team’s top scorer and rebounder for the season with 15.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.  She scored 300 of her 518 points of the year from the three-point line where she was .365 percent accurate. In the conference she ranked 11th in scoring and during the season she achieved her 1,000 career point. In addition Giampapa had 92 steals for a 2.7 average, ranking third in the CCAC, and 2.5 assists per game.

Stokes was the second highest scorer on the team with an 11.4 point average. She scored a total of 389 points for the season and joined the 1,000 career point club. For the year Stokes shot .380 percent from the arc and .855 percent from the line. She led the team with 2.6 assists per game.

Wanta averaged double digits in scoring with 10.9 points per game. Along with Giampapa and Stokes, she also reached the 1,000 career point milestone. She was key to the team’s defense as she averaged 4.1 rebounds per game and led the Trolls with 3.0 steals per game. She ranked second in the conference in steal average. In addition Wanta had 2.1 assists per game.

Viewing incomparable artwork from masters across the centuries, including the designs of Trinity’s own faculty—that’s what Trinity Art & Design students recently did on an all-day field trip to some of Chicago’s world-famous museums.

Led by Prof. John Bakker, students visited the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. They also toured Co-Prosperity Sphere for the opening of Type Force, an annual showcase of emerging typographic artists, where Instructor Kaleb Dean’s work is currently being showcased.

Check out more images from the field trip here.

In a fun but intense competition with other local college students, Anne James and Alec Visser, also known as the Trollgamers, ranked among the Top 5 teams for the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA) Computer Programming Competition.

Not only did Anna and James come in the top 5, but their 2 person team went up against teams consisting of 4 members each.  Congratulations to our novice team!

The Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA) is a consortium of 15 private liberal arts colleges that was formed in 1966. ACCA’s primary objective is to promote collegiate education in biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, psychology, sociology/anthropology, and business/economics by stimulating and regularizing cooperative arrangements between the member colleges and universities and other educational and research institutions in the use of staff and facilities.

As part of ACCA,  Trinity and the member colleges and universities come together each spring to sponsor a computer programming competition.

Along with Trinity, other ACCA members include:

— Aurora University

— Benedictine University

— Concordia University Chicago

— Dominican University

— Elmhurst College

— Judson University

— Lewis University

— North Central College

— North Park University

— Olivet Nazarene University

— Saint Xavier University

— Trinity International University

— University of St. Francis

— Wheaton College