The student choir stands harmonizing beneath a glowing wooden cross suspended above the stage, their voices blending together as the lyrics glow across the projector at the front of the auditorium. Around me, most of the audience joins in. 

After six years at Trinity Preparatory School, the Episcopal high school in Winter Park, Florida I attend, I know the words to nearly every song by heart, but I never sing along. I’m Jewish.

I chose Trinity for its strong academics, not its religious identity, and I knew I would have to navigate being Jewish within its walls. The results have been mixed: On one hand, I am an outsider in a Christian institution whose religious practices are woven into everyday school life. On the other, the experience has pushed me to develop a stronger sense of my own Jewish identity and to seek out the Jewish community that Trinity doesn’t offer.

When my family and I were considering Trinity, we did not take religion into account heavily. According to Private School Review, Trinity Preparatory School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in Florida for SAT/ACT scores, AP courses and sports offered, all while boasting a 100% matriculation rate. I don’t know of any Jewish high schools or public schools in Central Florida that offer the same academic preparation. Before enrolling, I knew a few other Jewish families at the school, which made the decision feel more comfortable. 

But once I arrived, I quickly realized that choosing Trinity also meant learning how........

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