For most teachers, a school is simply a workplace. For English teacher and Class of 2013 alumna Hannah Schuttler, Trinity has been something much more — home.
After seven years of teaching, Schuttler is leaving Trinity, marking the end of a relationship with the school that stretches back far beyond her time in the classroom. Before she became a teacher, she spent her college summers painting buildings as part of the maintenance team. Even before that, she was a student here.
“I’ve done something on this campus for most every year of my life since I started here as a student,” Schuttler said.
That lifelong connection has shaped not only her experience, but also the way she approached teaching. Returning to Trinity as a faculty member meant stepping into a new role alongside former teachers who became colleagues.
“I legitimately grew up on Trinity’s campus and then was a student here, (so) to come back and work with people that were my teachers and to experience a new form of relationship with them in so many ways has been so fun and cool,” Schuttler said.
Rather than being intimidated, working with her then-teachers was transformative for Schuttler.
“I think that I’ve grown as a professional and just as a person in a way more here than I would have if I had continued to teach elsewhere,” Schuttler said. “These people … knew what I was capable of so they held me to these high expectations and these standards, (pushing) me to be better … and for that, I’m so grateful.”
Over the years, Schuttler has taught English 7, English 9 and AP English Language, building relationships with students across multiple grade levels. While she does not have a single favorite class, each offered different highlights — from teaching Greek mythology and Shakespeare in English 9 to engaging in deeper, discussion-based learning in AP Lang.
Her classroom was not defined by having all the answers, but by being open to discovering them.
“Especially in AP Lang, there have been so many times where (students) have asked me a question (and) I’m like, ‘I hadn’t thought of it that way,’” Schuttler said. “Then I have to kind of reflect and think about it. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. That’s something that I want you guys to do. But it’s also a little intimidating to be able to do that in the middle of a class when people are expecting you to just have the answer.”
Schuttler has also witnessed major shifts in the student experience, particularly in the wake of COVID-19 and the rise of artificial intelligence. She points to a growing reliance on technology and changing expectations in the classroom.
“Not to say that it’s a bad thing, but it’s definitely a shift in the way that teachers have to approach class or approach how we set up assignments and things like that,” Schuttler said.
Beyond academics, Schuttler remained deeply involved in the Trinity community. A former student-athlete who played volleyball, softball and even bowling, Schuttler returned to coach softball, working alongside her former coach and mentoring students she first met as sixth graders.
“It’s been cool (to) watch these girls because the current seniors were my first class of sixth graders,” Schuttler said. “So you get to see them go all the way through.”
Her connection to the school also gives her a unique perspective on its evolution. While physical changes, new buildings and repurposed spaces stand out, the biggest shift has been in the people.
“Next year will be the first year that there’s not a Parker on Trinity Prep’s campus,” Schutter said. “I hadn’t thought about it that way, but it’s true. There are so many people that, what we would call … parts of the institution, staples to it, that now that they have left, it just feels very strange. And there’s nothing wrong with it because change needs to happen, but it is weird.”
Now recognizing change is inevitable, Schuttler is stepping away for a different kind of role: becoming a mother. She plans to focus on spending time with her baby, something she is looking forward to after years of dedicating herself to her students.
“I’m going to hang out with the baby,” Schuttler said. “I also spend so much time with other people’s kids that I want to spend time with my own, and I have the opportunity.”
As she leaves, Schuttler’s hopes for how she will be remembered are simple. Inspired by her own favorite teacher, she wants students to walk away believing in themselves.
“I hope that that’s something that I have instilled in my students, that they are capable of doing whatever they set their minds to,” Schuttler said. “It may be hard to do it, but there’s nothing stopping you other than you.”
