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U P P E R S C H O O L Trevor Translates: How the East Campus Supports Trevor's Mission by Daniel Feigin, Head of School One of the major factors that attracted Scott Reisinger to Trevor was the design and function of our Common Spaces. Community, communication, and respect have always been paramount to Scott's approach to education, and the Common Spaces were created deliberately to foster those actions. I wrote the following article, "Trevor's Common Spaces: The Singularly Uncommon Spaces That Make Trevor Unique" for the Winter 2015-16 issue of Trevor Magazine. It was one of several pieces that celebrated the official opening of the East 95th Street campus. In that same issue, Scott wrote an article that followed mine. Not surprisingly, it also addressed the power and purpose of our Common Spaces. In part, it read, "At Trevor, students are known, cared for, and loved. The Common Rooms and The Center mean that no one falls through the cracks, and that students can work with their teachers and advisors in a holistic manner. This is not simply education 'by the book,' but rather education that finds strength in collaboration, access to teachers, and creative and communal problem-solving. When all is said and done, it is all about relationships." Of course, I couldn't have said this better. CIRCA 1981 As a 6th-grade student I was so excited about Trevor's Common Room. I had never had free time in an open space during the school day and the prospect was intoxicating. "I can hang out with my friends and just chill," I thought. "Finally, I can relax for a bit." I see the same expectation in every 6th-grade class at Trevor in their first days as a Middle School student. Yet it took just three short weeks in the fall of 1981 for me to realize that it was not free time that I had been granted; it was discretionary time—and the difference between the two was monumental. Although it was called 32 / TREVOR MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022–2023

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