TMI Episcopal's official podcast.
Episodes
Thursday Apr 25, 2019
Thursday Apr 25, 2019
In her #SeniorChapelTalk, Jia “Jenny” Qi spoke about her experience as an international boarding student, thrust into a new culture and feeling lonely, missing her family back home. Misunderstanding the lack of communication from her parents, she began to feel isolated. But when she returned home the next summer, she realized just how much her family missed her and loved her in return. “Now I realize no matter who you are and where you are, your family is your biggest support.” I am thankful for my family, she said, “because without their teachings, I would not have become the person who I am now.”
In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Ben Hirsch shared a story about kayaking down the Guadalupe River with his friend, when they spotted a calf stuck on a ledge. Buzzards were already circling, waiting. Not able to ignore it, they set out to save the calf. In order to help it, they had to push it into the water and then hold up its head as it swam to shore. Much like the calf, sometimes in life, we don’t realize when we need help. Let others help you in times of trouble and always keep fighting.
Thursday Apr 18, 2019
Thursday Apr 18, 2019
In this episode, TMI’s Head Lacrosse Coach and Summer Programs Coordinator, Blake Skinner, is back to talk about the Summer At TMI activities. Blake introduces a few of our new academic offerings for Upper School students that will give them a chance to get ahead and free up their schedules during the year for more electives and flexibility in their schedules. He also talks about the courses for incoming Middle School students that are available to help them transition and prepare for their first year at TMI.
In addition to the academic camps, Summer At TMI has a variety of athletic, activity, and adventure camps. There are a couple of new overnight robotics camps that we’ll be offering this summer, as well as a wide variety of STEM and robotics day camps. Athletic camps for soccer, basketball, and football are available along with a new sports performance camp.
Many of the activity, athletic, adventure, and marksmanship camps fill up quickly, so be sure to register early. There is also a discount available (use FAMILY4) for families that sign up for four or more camps this summer. Complete details and course descriptions are available on the website at www.SummerAtTMI.com.
Summer At TMI
www.SummerAtTMI.com
Registration open now
Camps run June-July
Ages 5-18
Open to the public
Thursday Apr 11, 2019
Thursday Apr 11, 2019
In her #SeniorChapelTalk, Kristina Samuel described a typical day as her 7-year-old self and her ability to see the beauty in everything. During adolescence, however, her competitive drive led to anxiety and doubt. But, a summer experience as a volunteer at Camp CAMP reshaped her view. It’s a place where anything is doable and dreamable. “I now find myself more often being inspired, not threatened, by others’ intelligence and passions…Success is having enough confidence, courage, and willpower to go after your passions without being tempted to measure yourself with things that don’t align with this.” Sometimes, life is about realizing who you were from the very beginning.
In her #SeniorChapelTalk, August Schmidt shared the recipe for Pad Thai–explaining how the ingredients, which seem so different, create something amazing when combined. It’s also how she views her life; appreciating the fact that every moment, good or bad, is part of what makes her who she is. There will always be ups and downs in life, she said, but it’s the balance between the good, bad, and mundane that keeps life interesting. Live your life to the fullest, “there is so much joy and light in the world to be found.”
In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Andres Thrailkill told the story of how a close friend encouraged him to join the cross country team and gave him both support and motivation when he was struggling early on. He grew to love the cross country team; it strengthened his leadership skills, gave him a chance to disconnect and de-stress, and was a community that supported one another. My friend didn’t know that he would show me something I loved, but spent the time and effort anyway,” he said. “I challenge everyone to try and be the friend who cares deeply enough that you push someone to strive for greatness.”
In her #SeniorChapelTalk, Mia Jamison spoke about her future self–that she is terrified of her. She shared her struggles in making decisions, always worried that the wrong one will veer her off course. “We all have self doubt,” she said, but the truth is, most of our daily choices don’t affect us in the long run. Have faith in yourself, she told the community, and trust that your future self can handle the situation when it is time. For now, “trust yourself to perform well…trust yourself to make it through the next day, week, and month. Give yourself some credit, it might all work out in the end.”
Thursday Apr 04, 2019
Thursday Apr 04, 2019
Today’s guest is TMI’s Personal & College Counselor and Psychology Teacher, Lisa Condrey. Lisa earned her Bachelor’s of Art in Psychology & Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Social Work from Florida State University.
Before coming to TMI in 2005, she was a counselor at St. Thomas' Episcopal School in Houston and, prior to that, she worked at the International School of Aberdeen in Scotland and the International School of Duesseldorf in Germany.
In this episode, Lisa talks about her role as TMI’s Personal & College counselor and the support she is available to offer to both students and parents. She talks about how she began teaching, her teaching philosophy, and the key lessons she hopes her students will carry with them for life.
As we approach the end of the school year, she encourages students to look ahead and schedule small chunks of time to review for finals and finish assignments, planning out a few weeks at a time. In addition to that, she encourages scheduling in things that are enjoyable! Parents can help their students in this process, by helping them to find the right cycle for them to do their work well and also play and have fun.
You’ll also learn a few new things about Lisa, like how she starts her day and why she includes humor in her morning.
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
Thursday Mar 28, 2019
In her #SeniorChapelTalk, Annie Masterson shared her competitive drive with the TMI community. But, unlike others who could simply shake off not winning, she would spiral downward–viewing defeat as complete failure. Over time, she began to view this combination differently; her competitiveness was really a passion without fear. Though she still struggles to reign in her emotions at times, she’s learned that failures do not define her. “I will always have my friends, my family, and God to embrace me and my imperfections.”
In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Will Oliver spoke about the love he has for his family–not just blood relatives, but the friends and communities who have come into his life and become his extended family. From his coaches here at TMI and his teammates to his teachers and classmates (old and new), family is made up of the people who are always there; through good times and bad, play after play. “I’ve been able to find my family, make sure you find yours.”
During his #SeniorChapelTalk, Colby Guillory spoke about his guiding forces from deep within. He shared a few humorous stories of what was clearly destined to be–from winning a bet playing rock, paper, scissors to being chosen for the Punt, Pass, and Kick contest at a football game…and losing. In a moment of clarity, he realized that everything up to this point had happened for a reason…even if the purpose was still yet unknown, “and I can only pray that for whatever moment I was put on this earth to participate in, I have the eyes to recognize it.”
Viewing his entire life as a competition, Eric Lull shared in his #SeniorChapelTalk how this mindset, paired with a crippling fear of failure, created a war-like environment in his head. He tried to achieve balance by setting attainable goals, but still found he felt like a failure. But the summer before his junior year at Camp Capers, one message resonated with him–when we do things out of love, we find happiness, meaning, and success. He realized his previous struggles were because he had fallen out of love with the process of perfection. Discovering this, he created three rules to live his life by: love yourself, love others and the world around you, and live for love.
In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Sucheng "Sam" Shi spoke about option bias. From choosing to accept a ride from an unsafe driver because it is the only transportation available to telling ourselves we can get by with less work when we succeed on a test we didn’t prepare for, our subconscious uses overly-optimistic thoughts to guide many of our decisions. But, no matter what actions we take, we are responsible for the consequences and “by being responsible for our own actions, we’re also keeping possible dangers and unforeseen accidents from people around us–especially for those who we love and care.”
Wednesday Mar 20, 2019
Wednesday Mar 20, 2019
Back for our 10th Padrecast episode is TMI Head of School, Fr. Scott Brown! In today’s show, Fr. Scott recaps our “Walk & Talk” events we introduced last month in February to give parents a chance to walk around campus and visit with Fr. Scott, bringing any question or conversation topic they wanted to hear about directly from him. We are excited to be offering two more opportunities for parents to participate in the “Walk & Talk” events in April on:
Wednesday, April 17, at 5:30 pm
Thursday, April 18, at 8:00 am
Parents can visit the school’s website calendar to view the events and RSVP.
We also talk about a few upcoming events that will be happening in the next couple of weeks, starting tonight:
Wednesday, March 20, at 6:00 pm
Ransomed Life Parent Presentation
Susan Burkholder will be on campus to talk with parents (students will hear the same presentation/program on Monday, March 25) and share a youth program designed to equip students and parents to avoid the tricks, traps, and lures of trafficking.
Friday, March 22, at 3:30 pm
NHS Huntington’s Disease Awareness Walk
Students are invited to participate in a $5 dress-down day to wear blue on Friday in support of Huntington’s Disease awareness. Their dress-down donation also serves as their entry fee to the walk on Stars Lawn immediately after school. Parents, siblings, and grandparents are all invited to join the walk and participate as well for $5.
Saturday, March 30, at 6:00 pm
Annual Intercultural Dinner
The Annual Intercultural Dinner will be held in the Alkek Refectory. The event is free, thanks to the proceeds raised during the $5 Intercultural Dress-Down Day that will be held the day before on Friday, March 29! There will be food and entertainment from all around the globe; families are also invited to bring a dish to share and represent their country or culture. Please RSVP to c.hamilton@tmi-sa.org to help us get a head count.
Saturday, April 6, at 5:30 pm
Stars Over TMI
Celebrating the school’s 125th anniversary!
Invitations have been mailed and the entire TMI community is invited to join us for an evening of dancing, live auction, entertainment, and celebrating our school. The Spazmatics will provide after-party entertainment. To purchase tickets or table sponsorships, visit www.tmi-sa.org/stars
Want to send us feedback or ask Fr. Scott a fun question for the next Padrecast episode, email us at padrecast@tmi-sa.org
Thursday Mar 14, 2019
Thursday Mar 14, 2019
In her #SeniorChapelTalk, Trinity Walker shared her struggles during her six years here at TMI and how they shaped her view of failure and the value of people around her. She recalled one experience of running hill repeats with the cross country team. Realizing she was far behind her team members, the pride and accomplishment she’d felt moments ago, vanished…until her team captain congratulated her and gave her a few encouraging words. “Failure is an inevitable part of life,” she said. But, we have to learn how to deal with failure in a way that doesn’t make us give up and instead gives us a new level of energy to push us to our goals. Everyone is struggling and it’s the responsibility of each of us to be an encouragement and remind each other that, “you’ve got this.”
In her #SeniorChapelTalk, Eun Bi “Kelly” Jung spoke about love–it’s complexity and what it is to live a life of love. From simple gestures of showing someone you care to loving yourself and being vulnerable, love spurs growth, hope, happiness, passion, and beauty. As she described love through her experiences here at school, she said simply, “love is TMI,” and reminded the community that it surrounds us here.
In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Alec Neiman shared his grandmother’s struggles with bipolar disorder. He described in detail her breaking point, the moment that she fired shots at her husband then fled to their home. His grandmother, like many others who suffer with mental illness, felt embarrassed and tried to hide her illness from the world. But, mental illness needs to be addressed. “I want people to hear my pain and feel the suffering my family has gone through and know that mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of,” he said. “Never hesitate to ask for help…treasure your loved ones…be the support that others seek; you may just save a life.”
Thursday Mar 07, 2019
Thursday Mar 07, 2019
In this episode, Bridget Lynch '19 and Sebastian Martinez-Sotomayor '20 talk all about the TMI chapter of the National Honor Society and share their experiences as members of the organization.
Bridget and Sebastian talk about membership, what NHS has taught them, community service, and the various projects the chapter has led this year. They also announce their upcoming Huntington's Disease Awareness Walk scheduled for later this month on March 22.
TMI NHS Huntington's Disease Awareness Walk
March 22, 2019
$5 dress down day (wear blue) for students (includes entry to the walk)
9:40 Guest Speaker from Huntington's Disease Society of America during Daily Chapel
3:30 Awareness Walk on Stars Lawn (in front of Frost Athletic Center)
Food trucks will be on site
More about NHS:
The National Honor Society is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to recognize those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since its beginning in 1921.
Four main purposes have guided chapters of NHS from the beginning: to create enthusiasm for scholarship; to stimulate a desire to render service; to promote leadership; and to develop character in the students of secondary schools. These purposes also translate into the criteria used for membership selection in each local chapter.
Huntington's Disease Society of America
https://hdsa.org/
National Honor Society
https://www.nhs.us/about/
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Jake Flinn shared the story of his younger brother being born with a rare, life-threatening condition. After many months, surgeries, and medications, Jake's little brother Matt was able to come home from the hospital. There were many challenges and Matt's medical journey wasn't finished, but every time Jake looked at his little brother, he was smiling and happy. Fast forward 16 years later and Matt is 6' tall and in perfect health. "There is no one else in this world I'd rather call my brother," Jake said. "I hope all of you value and are thankful for your siblings and relatives...Matt, you're an amazing friend and brother...you were, and are, a huge blessing to the Flinn family."
In her #SeniorChapelTalk, Shufan "Victoria" Yin shared the struggles of her grandfather who, at the age of 16 and the oldest child, took on the responsibility of supporting his family. He lived the history that she only read about in textbooks, Victoria said. In learning to understand his perspective and experiences in life, she began to also understand the differences in opinions between them. "Don't rush to a conclusion and confine others to a category," she told the community, "there are always stories behind their actions."
In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Zi Wen "Owen" Guo shared how his pursuit of perfection over the years often prevented him from starting or finishing a project. It was only when he joined the robotics team, that he learned the importance of sometimes implementing an imperfect solution in order to reach the goal. Duck tape and zip ties may not make for a perfect and elegant robot, but they are suitable tools that can serve a purpose to keep a robot functioning during competition or meet a deadline. "Whenever your hard work doesn't translate into your dreamed results," Owen said, "take a step backward, let go of what you have imagined and adapt. That way, you might actually get closer to your goal."
In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Jiyang "John" Chen introduced systems thinking to the community to guide us in looking at the entire world through this lens. From small actions to major events, all things are part of the system. He spoke of the human nature to search for meaning, explaining that meaning itself relies on information. So when you have inefficient systems, they lose information–lose meaning. Circling back to the community, he encouraged everyone to keep an open mind, be courageous in expressing oneself, and be open to information.
Thursday Feb 21, 2019
Thursday Feb 21, 2019
Today’s guest is Sergio Martinez, TMI Class of 2000 and owner of Freight Gallery & Studios. If you’ve been to Southtown for a Second Saturday Artwalk or enjoyed a meal at Kimura @ Freight, then you’ve noticed what an impact Freight Gallery & Studios is making in the local community.
Sergio’s love for art grew after college when moved to Prague to teach English. After coming back to San Antonio in 2012, he found himself wanting to get involved in the local art scene. Shortly after, he found the property that met his vision for a hub of art and community in Southtown and started creating Freight Gallery & Studios.
Sergio talks about his time at TMI; involvement with the Corps, athletics, and the arts; and shares some of his best memories. He also gives a sneak peek at a new young alumni initiative the Advancement Office is starting to help our alumni mentor students.
Freight Gallery & Studios
1913 S. Flores St.
Art gallery and home to 8 artist-run studios, Kimura @ Freight, and Gold Coffee in the Southtown area.
The latest exhibit opens on the second Saturday in March.
https://freightsatx.com/
https://www.facebook.com/FreightSATX/
https://www.instagram.com/freightsatx/
Southtown The Arts District
https://southtownsatx.com/
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
In her #SeniorChapelTalk, Yiling "Elaine" Qiu spoke about her experience volunteering to teach English in a remote village to students who only spoke Tibetan and couldn't understand her Mandarin. She quickly had to adjust her well-prepared plans and began teaching by cultivating their interest in the language. What she learned in the end, is that it's important to understand where other people are coming from–their situations and experiences in life–and to put yourself in their shoes. Having this understanding gives us empathy; and though it may be hard, it matters.
In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Ruiming "Clinton" Ma showed his mind palace to the TMI community–a star-filled night sky. In it, every person and memory in his life is represented by a shining star. These stars remind him that he is loved, that he should give love, and that everyone of us should look upon our own stars and recall the lucky, joyful, and precious moments of our lives.
Thursday Feb 14, 2019
Thursday Feb 14, 2019
In Padrecast #9, Head of School Fr. Scott talks about the Forum Friday in chapel with students, updates in the strategic planning process, and introduces the new "Walk & Talk with Fr. Scott" events.
Find out more about the wide variety of questions that students submitted for the Forum Friday chapel on Feb. 1–from deep and thoughtful questions to lighthearted and fun ones. At the end of Forum Friday, Fr. Scott extended the invitation to students to continue the conversation and visit with him every Wednesday at noon in the amphitheater to just talk or ask questions about what's happening on campus.
Watch the Forum Friday on TMI's YouTube channel at:
https://youtu.be/kBC5PcEeDZU
Bonus: watch Fr. Nate's follow up on Monday to some spiritual and ethical questions we ran out of time for:
https://youtu.be/LvyyQ2lQaKs
In this episode, Fr. Scott also highlights and talks about the new "Walk & Talk" events for parents that were inspired by the Forum Friday with students. Parents are invited to join Fr. Scott and walk and talk with him around campus.
Evening Walk & Talk
Tuesday, Feb. 19, 5:30pm-6:30pm
RSVP Online
Morning Walk & Talk
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 8:00am-9:00am
RSVP Online
Finally, Fr. Scott wraps up this podcast episode with a preview of the Head of School Spring Social, updates on the strategic planning, and some fun thoughts on Valentine's.