Coming full circle at Trinity Prep

By MARSHA DORGAN, Register Staff Writer

Trinity Grammar and Prep School has gone full circle.

The private Napa Catholic school in Napa has now seen its first group of students go all the way from first through 12th grade at the small north Napa campus. On Saturday, Trinity held its 12th graduation ceremony, honoring the 12 seniors of the class of 2007 on Saturday morning.

For the Kerstings, Trinity Grammar and Prep is a family tradition. School headmaster Jack Kersting has been at the helm since the get-go. His four children have had the privilege of attending the close-knit school.

2007 graduate Luke Kersting is the first of them to complete his entire pre-college education at Trinity Prep.

"I have two older brothers who have graduated from Trinity, and a younger brother who is graduating from the eighth grade today. My whole education has been at Trinity. It's been a great experience. There is no other school like Trinity," said Luke, who will attend the University of Dallas this fall. "I want to play baseball like my older brother."

Although the skies were cloudy Saturday morning, high spirits and enthusiasm filled the air under the towering redwood trees where the seniors and 10 eighth-graders received their diplomas.

The majority of seniors are college bound, four of them going to the University of Dallas, a Catholic school in Irving, Tex.

"My years as headmaster here have been very rewarding. Each year things change, but there is also a beautiful consistency," Jack Kersting said. "Every year at graduation we have some of our former graduates return to attend the ceremony. It always makes me so proud to see have they have gone on to reach their goals and to hear about their accomplishments."

Rachel Healey is one of the seniors who will be making her next home at the University of Dallas.

"I want to major in English and go into journalism. I have been at Trinity since my sophomore year. And since then I have gotten straight A's for the first time," Healey said. "I have made a lot of good friends here. We are like a family. I will miss them and my family, but I am very excited to out into the world."

Valedictorian Kelsie Hoke was fine-tuning her speech just moments before the grads were to take their seats on the main stage.

"It took me about two-and-a-half hours to write it. I was still working on my speech at 10 p.m., last night."

Come this fall, Hoke will be a freshman at Providence College in Rhode Island.

"I've been at Trinity since the fourth grade. I have made many great friends and gotten the best education possible," Hoke said. "It a small school, and we are like family with one another."

Cameras were plentiful, as were balloons, flowers and tissues for those who knew they would need to dab those tears from their eyes.

Napa attorney Lisa O'Brien and her husband J.J. were on hand to see their son Sean receive his diploma.

"Sean is going to University of Dallas. He is going to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a lawyer," J.J. O'Brien said.

'We are so thrilled today. This is just one more milestone in his life. I truly believe Trinity has prepared him to go out into the world and realize his dreams," Lisa O'Brien said. "We are going to miss him, but that is all part of being a parent -- letting your children go."

Cymantha and Eric Erickson's daughter, Tea Marie, will be joining the Air Force.

"We don't know where she will be stationed. We are very proud of our daughter," her mother said.

Other senior graduates include Anthony Ayala, Grace Cortright, Robert Haeuser, Timothy Brumley, Malaika Kamau, Christina Milano, Edward Thoits and Mario Previtali.

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