Assisting Bishop Dabney Smith, Bishop Holcomb and the Rev. Tom Phillips assist Head of School and President Elizabeth Miller (C) and others at the groundbreaking ceremony. | Photo courtesy Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, Melbourne

With help from the Rt. Revs. Justin Holcomb and Dabney Smith; contractors; board members; parents; the Rev. Tom Phillips and even Mr. Tiger, the school mascot, Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy broke ground on its IDEAS Institute on April 26.

The IDEAS Institute, a visionary two-story, 30,000-square-foot, multi-use academic building on the Upper School campus, is set to revolutionize education. It will offer the spaces and resources to foster modern, hands-on, collaborative approaches that transcend the traditional classroom. The building will mirror higher education’s style, feel and dynamics and will be the first of its kind in Brevard County to educate students in grades 7-12. It will feature an innovation gym and robotics lab, design center, broadcast/podcast studio, college/academic advising suite, presentation/conference space, student commons and active learning math classrooms.

“Holy Trinity is living at the intersection of tradition and innovation,” said HTEA Head of School and President Elizabeth Miller. “For 67 years, this school has proudly prepared generations to meet the demands of an ever-changing society by challenging education’s status quo and asserting that how students learn is just as important as what they learn.

“Holy Trinity is the premier private school in Brevard County and one of the leading independent college preparatory schools in the state of Florida,” she continued. “The IDEAS Institute continues to build upon that legacy. It will be a place where students will grow to be creators and curators, with teachers as their mentors. We are truly blessed and grateful to be in this position and to bring this first-of-its-kind, college-inspired building to our community.”

HTEA has no plans to take on debt for the project, which would exponentially increase its cost. “Our community has been incredibly supportive,” Miller explained. “It is important to note that this project requires an investment of approximately $10 million and will be funded exclusively through private donations. More than $7 million was committed by Holy Trinity families in the first six months of our capital campaign. Their early support was foundational in getting us to an earlier-than-anticipated groundbreaking – a testament to their faith and confidence in this project and Holy Trinity.”

During the groundbreaking, Miller’s thoughts turned to promises. “This entire project is about promise,” she said later. “It is about the academic promise to our 970 Holy Trinity students and the promise of 85 families who generously came together and made a promise to make this project happen. Because of them, we were able to break ground on the amazing project sooner than anticipated.”

Miller believes the IDEAS Institute will cement Holy Trinity’s reputation as the standard-bearer for education. “I am honored to work alongside an exceptional team of educators and leaders at such an exciting and transformative time in our school’s history.”

In addition to increasing the academic excellence of the school, the institute aligns with the diocesan purpose of advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Holy Trinity was founded and sustained in the Episcopal tradition and, we have maintained the premise that educating the whole child – academically, physically, social-emotionally and spiritually (or as we like to say, ‘mind, body and spirit’) – offers the greatest opportunity for success in college, career and life,” Miller said.

“Our school environments reflect the joy and peace of Christian values,” she added. “The realization of the Tiger Athletic Complex in 2020 and the Scott Center for Worship and Performing Arts 15 years prior fulfilled the ‘body’ and ‘spirit’ goals of our threefold approach to learning. The IDEAS Institute fulfills the ‘mind’ portion of this philosophy and will foster student growth and real-world preparation with an emphasis on character and contribution as we aim to shape the next generation of strong and faith-filled leaders in our society.”

The goal is to open the IDEAS Institute at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. If God leads you to help, please visit https://www.htlightingtheway.org/support.