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This article appeared in the spring 2026 issue of The Voice

Two letters of the alphabet carry a heavy load of curiosity, worry, optimism, and caution: A and I.

Artificial intelligence remains a dominant topic in education and broader society, and the range of perspectives is reflected in the makeup of Trinity’s AI task force.

Comprising academic leadership, digital learning catalysts, classroom teachers and others who are curious about artificial intelligence, the task force is collaboratively shaping AI use at Trinity.

On one end is Nikki Dunn, Middle School Digital Learning Catalyst and a self-described “very fond user of AI.”

“I find it very beneficial to teachers,” she says, “because we’re able to create tools that make our jobs more efficient.”

On the more skeptical side is Middle School and Musical Chaplain Matt Moorman.

“I’m less willing to place my trust in something that can think for itself (but) you can’t see where it keeps its brains,” Moorman says, quoting George Weasley in the “Harry Potter” series.

Mer Leeson, Dunn’s digital learning catalyst colleague in Lower School, sits somewhere between the two.

“You don’t have to be one or the other,” Leeson says. “I think they’re all healthy.”

Launched in January 2025, the group of 13 staculty members set out to build a framework for students’ AI use, train and build up teachers’ AI fluency, and choose the platform where students will utilize AI.

The task force gathered input this school year at staculty workshops, led professional development for staculty on a variety of AI-related subjects, and fielded parents’ AI questions.

As the AI policy discussions continue, the task force checked off one task in the summer of 2025 by selecting MagicSchool as Trinity’s AI platform and running a pilot program allowing teachers in all grades to use it as they see fit.

Stephanie Griffin, Assistant Head of School for Academics and leader of the task force, says the group is moving at a different pace than other schools, some that swiftly took a hard stance against AI and some that implemented AI before figuring out a policy.

“Our work is on par – or even ahead of – some of our peers,” Griffin said. “Our pace allows us to make sure AI is aligned with our mission, and allows us to be nimble and follow the emerging research.”

A Hunger for Learning

The speed of AI's evolution — and how quickly it is becoming a required skill — presents a unique challenge for Trinity as it balances integrating technology in students' lives with preserving their childhood in its K-8 environment.

In a parent coffee discussion on AI, Griffin pointed to a World Economic Forum forecast of 92 million jobs being displaced by AI, and 170 million new jobs being created due to AI. The agency also said teacher preparedness was the most crucial element in students’ AI literacy.

“All signs are pointing to students needing to understand how AI works and understanding how it might be incorporated, setting them up to succeed in high school, in college, and beyond,” Griffin said. “This is work that we are really hungry about.”

Feeding that need for teacher knowledge has been the task force’s focus this school year as it led group sessions and one-on-one coaching on using tools in MagicSchool and Google’s Gemini. Students in select grades have utilized MagicSchool on a limited basis this school year as part of a pilot program, with the intention of implementing an AI framework in the 2026-27 school year.

Magic in the Classroom

Developed in 2023 by a former school principal, MagicSchool is used by more than 10,000 schools across the country and offers educators a range of classroom tools, from designing lessons that can be adjusted to meet an individual students’ learning needs.

Task force member and 5th Grade teacher Matt Piscitelli said it’s a misconception of AI that it’s a way for students to bypass critical thinking and learning.

“It isn’t about doing less,” he said, “it’s about enriching the experience of being a student and a teacher.

One MagicSchool tool that Piscitelli finds to be invaluable is the ability to create a chatbot that can answer students’ questions, allowing him to digitally assist multiple students at once with information and responses he built into the program.

While the interaction is digital, Piscitelli said because he is the creator and curator of the bot’s content, the chatbot experience for students mirrors how he would engage with students in person.

“It doesn’t just give answers,” he said, “it asks the right questions, pushing students to think harder.”

After their chatbot interaction, students in Piscitelli’s class get up from their desks and connect with a partner to share what they learned. Rather than turning students into reciters of facts, Piscitelli said the chatbot experience sets them up to better articulate ideas because of the back-and-forth engagement.

“Swimming Against the Current”

Being a skeptic of AI doesn’t mean you can’t find a use for it.

Matt Moorman has used MagicSchool to, for instance, adjust a reading for a particular grade level.

“It actually doesn’t save time because I do have to look over the changes it makes to be sure the theology and religious meanings are accurate, so it creates more work for me – but it is a helpful tool,” he said.

But for Moorman, AI’s efficiencies don’t outweigh his concerns of it disrupting human-to-human connections God created.

As a chaplain, Moorman feels a responsibility to bring that theological grounding to the task force discussions, even if he concedes that he “may be swimming against the current.”

Whatever form the AI policy takes, Moorman said it should center the human over the computer.

““Being human is not easy, and AI will never understand how to live in a world of complexity,” he said. “We are humans, so how can we use these tools in a way that can help us remember that?”

Griffin said bringing all perspectives into the discussions sharpens Trinity’s readiness for AI by forcing the task force to think through the many ethical and philosophical considerations about its use in schools. The group, she said, has leaned into the mantra that wisdom comes from collective navigation.

The Work Ahead

While the approach remains a work in progress, the initial pilot programs will help reveal areas for improvement as MagicSchool continues to be used next school year. A 6th Grade technology class will be added to Middle School as digital learning catalysts teach students how to use AI to create code and build, not just how to input questions and prompts.

The task force, meanwhile, has drawn up non-negotiables for the school’s AI policy, including student safety – protecting identity and data while using approved AI platforms – and aligning AI use with Trinity’s educational philosophy of critical and creative thinking, its approach to teaching, and the Honor Code.

“If we continue to invest our energy into helping students take what they know and connect it to the world around them,” Griffin said, “that will help our students, and it will help our institution thrive in this quickly changing landscape.”