The Best Is Yet To Come!

Congratulations to the Class of 2025!

By Samantha DePriest

Congratulations to the 16th graduating class of Trinity Christian School! Since the inception of the school in 1991, we continue our commitment of maintaining a Christ-like culture of excellence that honors God, developing meaningful partnerships with parents and community, and building diversity that mirrors heaven. That’s the Trinity Way!

The class of 2025 is 136 students strong with a lifetime of memories from their years at TCS. This year’s senior class was led by Valedictorian RJ Coker who will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy and Salutatorian and Student Council President Anderson Embry who will attend Georgia Tech this Fall. We also honor our 23 long-term students known as Golden Lions - a special title for those who attend TCS for 12+ years and graduate. These students embody the heart of our community, having grown both academically and spiritually within the TCS family. This distinction reflects not only their commitment but also the mission of Trinity Christian School to “prepare today’s student to impact tomorrow’s world.”

As Dr. Anthony shared in his welcome at Graduation, this class of students is full of potential. “With an average GPA of 3.83, they are prepared for the future. They have outperformed the national average on AP exams with a 65% pass rate for the last three years. These graduates have been pursued by colleges across the state including Georgia Tech, UGA, Georgia State, Mercer, Berry, Morehouse, and the Universities of North and West Georgia. They have also received offers from institutions across the nation including Cornell, Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Embry-Riddle, UNLV, and Tennessee. Christian colleges and universities have taken notice as well including Point, Truett-McConnell, Samford, Lee, Anderson, Lipscomb, Cedarville, Belmont, and Liberty. They see in you what we already know: a passion for excellence and a heart that beats for Christ.”

This year, two of our graduates have received appointments to United States Service Academies. RJ Coker will attend the United States Air Force Academy and Ryan Melton will attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Dr. Anthony shared “This is no small thing. It is a mark of distinction, discipline, and honor and we celebrate it as a school family.“

TCS High School Teachers and Faculty
Image by Brittany Nichole Photography

School Board President Dave Fader, Incoming School Board President Dr. Colette Morgan, and Assistant Head of School Blake Bass congratulating graduate Kaden Hanson.. (pictured left to right)
Image by Brittany Nichole Photography

With a stadium full of family and friends, Dr. Anthony went on to encourage our school community by sharing a portrait of a TCS graduate. With over 1,200 TCS alumni serving in communities all around the world, he shared stories of them fulfilling the calling God has placed on their lives. Whether missionaries, fighter pilots, nurses, medical students, engineers, or elite endurance athletes, our students are making an impact in the world. We pray it serves as inspiration for our underclassmen as they pray about what God has in store for their own futures.

High School Principal Mr. James Wheeler
Image by Oscar Camejo

Though he has recently joined the leadership team, our new High School Principal Mr. James Wheeler leaned on scripture to encourage our senior class. He referred to the book of Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” He went on to share, “Your journey doesn’t end here - it moves always forward. This season has closed, but the race continues. This world needs your light, your voice, your faith, and your leadership. Don’t let this moment be the peak. Let it be the launch.”

Once our students graduate from TCS, our goal is to remain as a source of encouragement, prayer, and support. We look forward to staying connected with both our alumni and their families that reaches beyond our campus walls for years to come. Lions, please keep us informed of your accomplishments so we can continue cheering you on. Simply click the link for more information and share all the good news with us in these exciting years to come: Lion For Life.

Valedictorian RJ Coker
Image by Brittany Nichole Photography

Salutatorian Anderson Embry
Image by Brittany Nichole Photography

HS Graduation Photos

HS Graduation Video

Senior Honors Night Photos

Class of 2025 Standouts Commit

To Attend Service Academics

By Samantha DePriest

It’s not everyday when Trinity Christian School has not one, but two graduates who go on to attend a military academy after graduating high school. It is the ultimate calling on ones life to defend our freedom that generations have fought for years before. Senior Robert Coker will be attending the Air Force Academy and Senior Ryan Melton will be attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy this coming Fall. The admissions process to any of the five U.S. service academies is both an extensive and competitive process. They require nominations to the academies by Congressional Representatives and Senators. “Each of the five service academies are ranked annually by U.S. News & World Report and Forbes as some of the most selective colleges and universities in the country. The acceptance rate is between 8-17% for each of the schools.”

The five U.S. service academies are:

United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, NY, founded in 1802.
United States Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland, founded in 1845.
United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in New London, Connecticut, founded in 1876.
United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, NY, founded in 1943.
United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, founded in 1954.

RJ Coker

What inspired you to pursue a military service academy education and how did you first learn about the opportunity? As my dad went to West Point and still serves in the Army, I have always been around the military. Even as a little kid, I have always wanted to attend a service academy. Ultimately, I am choosing to attend an academy because it provides a rigorous education and competitive environment that I truly can’t get anywhere else.

What school are you going to this fall and what is your major? Air Force Academy, undecided major (If I had to choose, either Management or Engineering).

What are your long-term career goals and how does attending this particular military service academy align with those goals? I have three main goals in life: To honor God, honor my family, and impact others by being the very best at what I do. I honestly couldn’t care much less about what I end up doing as long as I achieve these three goals. I know that God will honor the goals and dreams that I do end up making later in life given that I align my will with His. The Air Force Academy has a large Christian presence, which will allow me to grow in my faith, and also a very competitive environment, which will challenge me to create new and higher standards in which to hold myself. Ultimately, attending USAFA aligns very well with these three goals, so I am very grateful and excited for this opportunity.

The academy environment emphasizes teamwork and collaboration. Can you please tell us about a time at TCS when you worked on a team to achieve a goal? What was your role and how did you contribute to your team's success? One of the biggest/favorite opportunities here at Trinity was the honor of serving as a captain on the football team. Serving in this capacity allowed me to further develop my leadership skills and high view of camaraderie. Our ultimate goal as a team this year was to win the state championship, but we fell short. However, as bad as our season may have appeared from the outside, I wouldn’t have wanted to have a different outcome. The lessons and grit that I learned personally and learned as a team are far more valuable than holding up a championship trophy. I know the energy that our team leaders brought and the determination our team had to remain competitive will allow me to succeed in even greater capacities later in my life.

Service academies are academically rigorous. How has TCS prepared you academically for this? Simply put, Trinity’s offering of a wide variety of AP classes has provided me with preparation for such a rigorous academic road ahead. Some of the AP classes I have taken are classes or similar to classes that I will take at an academy, even in my sophomore and junior years. Additionally, the spirit of learning that my teachers have has also inspired me to push myself academically and also prepare me for any level of education that I may have wanted to pursue.

Additional comments you would like to share with our readers. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” God has blessed each of us with talents and opportunities, and it is our duty to make much of Him with these things. Use the talents and abilities He has given you to make more and better Christ followers who love God and love people.

Ryan Melton

What inspired you to pursue a military service academy education and how did you first learn about the opportunity? The thing that inspired me to seek a military service education is because of my grandfather's service in the Navy. Ever since I was little I’ve wanted to be in the Navy just like him. As I got older, my mom always told me that a service academy was a great way to become an officer in the military.

What school are you going to this fall and what is your major? I am going to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and plan on majoring in marine transportation.

Congressional Nomination ceremony with Congressman David Scott

What are your long-term career goals and how does attending this particular military service academy align with those goals? My long term goals are to become a surface warfare officer in the Navy. By attending the USMMA I can not only get a major that will benefit my career, but also learn hands-on with the tasks I will be doing as a surface warfare officer. The USMMA is different from other service academies in the sense that they offer a sea year. In that sea year I will have the opportunity to sail on many different ships and learn how to run them from the bridge or if I go engineering, the engine room. This is extremely beneficial to my career path because once I get into the fleet of the Navy, I will already know and understand how to sail a ship.

The academy environment emphasizes teamwork and collaboration. Can you please tell us about a time at TCS when you worked on a team to achieve a goal? What was your role and how did you contribute to your team's success? A time at Trinity where I have learned teamwork and collaboration was in Beta Club. Being the president of Beta Club I have learned many leadership skills such as teamwork. During the induction this year, my team and I had to work to get everything in place and make sure there was a smooth ceremony. We split jobs across our board such as making the script, certificates, etc. Beta Club has greatly helped me learn teamwork and collaboration on an executive team.

Service academies are academically rigorous. How has TCS prepared you academically for this? TCS has helped to prepare me to meet the academic challenges of a service academy through the rigorous AP courses that are offered. The variety of AP classes that TCS offers allowed me to begin demonstrating my ability to handle college-level classes as early as my freshman year in high school. The teaching and coaching staff at TCS has always been supportive of my goals beyond high school by encouraging me to continuously challenge myself. I am grateful for the foundation TCS provided for me in high school, it will prepare me for the challenges that lie ahead at the USMMA.

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The Best Is Yet To Come! Congratulations to the Class of 2025