From staff reports
Holy Trinity Classical Christian School (HTCCS) announced the undertaking of a new security upgrade initiative made possible by a generous donor.
George Trask, a Beaufort native, whose career has included banking and law, is the current developer of Distant Island. He became familiar with Holy Trinity because several Distant Island residents enroll their children in the school.
According to the school, Trask was connected to families affected by the recent school shooting in Nashville. Shortly after the incident, Trask reached out to Holy Trinity to express his concern for the school families and faculty and to inquire about current campus safety measures.
Many schools, such as Holy Trinity, occupy buildings constructed long before administrators would have imagined the kinds of threats our students face today. With the rise in the number of school shootings, administrators are compelled to redefine school safety to include an increased focus on school security.
Trask committed to assist with physical campus security upgrades. On Friday, June 2, Trask presented interim headmaster, Rev. Joe Lawrence, with a generous check to offset the expense of this initiative.
“We view our charge to protect our families from both internal and external threats as a sacred responsibility,” HTCCS Director of Operations Minnie Bullock said in a news release. “We are committed to proactive prevention and diligent response training.”
In April HTCCS launched a renewed security improvement initiative. The first step was to enlist the service of Mark Cobb of Last Stand Defense. Cobb performed a thorough security evaluation, identified opportunities to improve campus safety and submitted detailed recommendations.
Last Stand Defense conducted their first training for Holy Trinity’s faculty and staff on Friday May 26 as a supplement to the Incident Response Training provided by the City of Beaufort Police Department in August 2022. Topics covered in the May training included active shooter response, identification and prevention of internal/external threats and additional training to supplement the “Stop the Bleed” training which the Beaufort Fire Department provided for Holy Trinity on March 17. As a result of the gift from Trask, infrastructure upgrades such as additional security cameras, improved barriers and other deterrents will be implemented over the summer.
“The ongoing national conversation regarding school safety is extremely important, but small private schools are sometimes overlooked,” Lawrence said. “George’s generous gift has not only greatly blessed us and enabled us to better safeguard our students and faculty, it also brings private schools more into this important conversation.”
