Supporting Students During Significant World Events

  • The mission of New Trier High School is to commit minds to inquiry, hearts to compassion and lives to the service of humanity. In pursuit of this aim, we seek to develop in every graduate the skills and dispositions to lead meaningful, compassionate, and impactful lives. We do this by engaging students in open inquiry, civil discourse, and critical thinking - in our classrooms, adviser rooms, and extracurricular spaces. Our success demands that we prioritize the cultivation of an inclusive and welcoming environment in which everyone feels acknowledged and welcome. 

    Amid complex local, national, and global events, New Trier has a responsibility to safeguard our students’ ability to fully engage in school. As such, our response to public matters outside of New Trier will be guided by our core mission to educate students. We will pursue actions that invite inquiry, promote discourse, seek understanding, and foster belonging for students and staff. Our focus will be on supporting members of our community affected by distressing events through the continuation and expansion of resources and information to our staff so they can ensure that all students are able to learn. Examples of our actions include:

    Partnering with families and community groups to provide resources and supports

    • Working with our Graduating Class Teams, Advisers, and the Social Work Department to refer individual students who may be struggling to appropriate resources
    • Making discussion spaces available for groups of students and staff who may be affected
    • Collaborating with teachers and leaders to provide context and approaches for difficult discussions
    • Preparing advisers and other staff with information about the event so it can be thoughtfully discussed in adviser rooms or classes as appropriate

    Except in rare instances when public matters directly impact our core mission of educating students, the superintendent will not issue public statements. Our strength lies in our diversity of perspectives, and while taking an institutional stance on external events may feel supportive to some, it risks alienating others – prompting some members of our community to disengage, discouraging the very discourse and inquiry we seek to promote as educators.

    As a community united in common purpose, New Trier cares about the well-being of all its members, and we feel empathy for those affected by events of great consequence. By prioritizing care for all of our students and staff, we maintain our focus on our core mission. In difficult times, we are grateful for our supportive families, staff, and community and our shared commitment to making New Trier a place where everyone can belong, learn, and thrive.

    Statement published 8/19/24; affirmed 7/1/25