At the heart of the Trillium community is the idea of respect. Staff and students are always available to support each other, as resources, mentors, helpers, and, above all, peers and friends. Not everyone gets along all the time, but the community maintains a clear expectation that people treat each other with respect.

Although the school includes people of many ages, abilities, interests, and levels of experience, it is understood that these differences do not entitle anyone to act as an authority figure or dictate the actions of another. Only the School Meeting and its sub-committee, the Judicial Committee (on which all students and staff serve in turn) have the capacity to direct the actions of school members, and these bodies go to great lengths to make sure that their decisions are made with respect and compassion foremost in mind.

Age mixing is another key aspect of the Trillium community. Students and staff of all ages participate in a variety of activities together, with each person learning from the others. Students gain the vital skill of socializing with people of all ages with confidence and mutual respect.

At Trillium, the lines between student and teacher, work and play, are often blurred, if not erased entirely. People of all ages participate and share in different activities, exploring interests together and separately. Every person at Trillium contributes to the sense of vital, vibrant community that makes Trillium feel as much like a thriving village as like a school.