Defining Success at TRS
At TRS, we are deeply committed to offering an exceptional educational experience to our students. Our approach is marked by academic rigor, personalized student achievements and instruction shaped by insightful data. However, we firmly believe that the true success of our school can’t be defined by mere test scores. Likewise, we recognize that a child's value extends far beyond their performance.
Several years ago, a handful of our school leaders came together to codify how we would define success. As an urban, Christian school, we firmly believe that the Bible provides us with the ultimate guidance for personal purpose and satisfaction in this life. Because of that, we went to God's Word to help us.
In Mark 12, we witness a profound exchange between Jesus and a teacher of the law. The teacher asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus responded with these transformative words: “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
— Mark 12:30-31
This scripture forms the framework of our educational philosophy at TRS, which we have come to call our Thriving Index. This index informs and refines how we measure success holistically as a school. It’s broken down into five pillars that tie back to the lesson in Mark 12:
HEART | Emotional Health - Focusing on the emotional well-being of our students
SOUL | Spiritual Formation - Shepherding the hearts of our students and nurturing their spiritual growth and understanding of faith
MIND | Academic Rigor - Committed to providing and refining an academically rigorous education
STRENGTH | Physical Development - Encouraging physical fitness, nutrition, and participation in athletics.
SERVICE | Community Engagement - Cultivating a spirit of service and community engagement.
Because of our genuine desire to see students thrive, we work diligently each day to support, develop, and evaluate our programs around these strategic categories. In the next several blog posts, we will unpack how TRS is making a concerted effort to enhance the educational journey of our students in each of these important pillars.
