A ‘touch’ of history
Generations of Trinity High School history are now available at the fingertips, as more than 100 years of yearbooks – and other school district-related accomplishments – are on interactive video touchscreen displays.
Students and alumni can access key pieces of the school’s history and current athletic happenings, whether they see it in person on the two 65-inch touchscreens or access it from their phone or laptop.
“We’re excited about the legacy piece of this,” said Dr. Michael Lucas, superintendent of the Trinity Area School District. “Anyone who graduated from here is a part of this, and that makes it pretty cool. We’re happy to show all of the wonderful things that have gone on here.”
The touchscreens were donated to the school district by Robin Winston, a 1975 Trinity High School alumnus and Indianapolis resident who owns one of the largest minority-owned government affairs, community relations and public outreach firms in the nation. He received the district’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019.
Complete yearbooks span as far back as 1928, with a partial yearbook from 1925 – the year the school district was formed – available on the touch screens.
In addition to the digital yearbooks, the touchscreen displays showcase academic and athletic achievements. They feature the Trinity Sports Hall of Fame, the Distinguished Alumni Award winners, athletic signings dating back to 2016 (including photos and biographies), facilities information, and more.
Assistant Athletic Director Kaci Alderson said students and alumni are enthusiastic about the touchscreens.
“I think it’s an awesome tool for people to go and look back at any history they are interested in. Students who have come in and seen the screens have been amazed at seeing pictures of their parents and siblings,” said Alderson, who worked with Rocket Alumni Solutions to compile the content available on the displays. “And it’s awesome that it’s accessible anywhere, on their phones and computers, and they can share it with anybody. They don’t actually have to come here and use the touchscreen.”
Even before the installations went live on Thursday, the screens have been a hit.
On Wednesday, Lucas and Alderson brought a group of about a dozen students to the touchscreen display in the high school main office foyer for a test run, and they gathered around the screen, scrolling through old yearbook pages and finding familiar faces.
“That’s my brother,” said freshman Jude Nassar, who tracked down his older brother, Assaad Nassar, a 2024 graduate.
Other students took turns finding parents, siblings, and uncles.
Said one student, “Everything about this is cool.”
Lucas said the touchscreens are an engaging and efficient way to bring Trinity’s history to life.
“This is some of the latest technology being used in schools because you a run out of walls, and after a while you can only have so many awards, so many trophies and signs displayed. So we thought this was a neat way for our alumni, guests and students to interact,” said Lucas. “We thought for guests visiting for a musical or for a basketball game, it would be great for them to come here and use it. Sometimes you can’t get to all of the places where we have all these awards and distinctions, and our Athletic Hall of Fame is not a large area.”
The displays also will preserve the physical yearbooks – those leather-bound books whose pages are filled with photos of outdated hairstyles, musical productions, homecoming dances, and senior quotes – stored at the high school.
“It’s invaluable because there are so many people that come in and want to see a yearbook. We have to send them upstairs, find the yearbook, sit them down, then you have to protect the yearbook because sometimes we only have one copy of a year, so you worry about damage,” said Lucas.
Alderson said the district will continue to update and add content, so students and alumni should be sure to check back regularly as memories and milestones are added.
To access the Trinity Hillers History, visit https://site.rocketalumnisolutions.com/home/685904080aef72f5c62903e9.