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Apr 12, 2011

Holy Trinity Students Evacuated During Tsunami

Holy Trinity Upper School students from Houston were on a 10-day trip to the South Pacific when the tsunami hit Japan a month ago. As the tsunami traveled through the Pacific, the group evacuated in the middle of the night from their hotel in Fiji to a high point on the neighboring largest island on top of a three story building "in the middle of nowhere," school officials said.

 

According to head of school, Shirley Ellisor, "Everyone was amazingly calm, and the Fijians sang to the students throughout the night under the beautiful starry skies."

 

That 2:00 a.m. warning and the events that followed caused much reflection on the part of the students.  

 

"I was on my knees praying and when I uttered 'Amen,' I looked up to the stunning, star-spangled sky," said twelfth-grader, Natalie Russell. "It was completely breathtaking to see that in the midst of chaos, confusion and worry, God was there looking down on us through His marvelous creation," she added.

 

Tenth-grader Monika Winkler had a somewhat more succinct response to the "rooftop" experience: "Terrifying!" while Savanna Leonard, another tenth grader said, "It make me more thankful and appreciative for my family and friends and made me realize how much I love and care about them." 

 

The enriched and accelerated curriculum is a travel component for upper school students, focused at producing successful young adults who will be able to compete globally.