Student Resources

  • New Trier High School believes that work valuing equity and diversity must be embedded in all parts of the student experience, including in its curriculum, extracurricular programs, and student support services. As part of the first-year goals of the New Trier 2030 Strategic Plan, each department and area was asked to develop and implement specific student-oriented equity goals to address the gaps our students have identified. In addition to these goals, New Trier offers resources such as Affinity Groups for specific groups of students, cultural clubs, and school-wide programs such as the Identity Project on the freshman campus and a 2019-2020 school year four-day adviser room lesson on the Power of Language. Some of these resources are listed below.

    Power of Language Lesson:
    As the first installment in a larger focus on the power of language, students participated in lesson on the history and use of the n-word during Adviser Periods in November 2019.  The lesson was designed to address the use of racial slurs and other slurs related to identity and their impact on our school community as a component of our strategic plan:  New Trier 2030.  The lesson focused on the history and use of the N-word as example of this hurtful language, and the examination of this word's impact as a model for considering how other slurs cause similar harm.  During the lesson, advisers led facilitated discussions examining the violent history of this word, its impact, and its use in popular culture.  Materials for the lesson included news reports, historical information, and video clips.  The goal for the lesson was to reinforce that this language is unacceptable and to help students better understand the impact on themselves, their classmates, and the school.  The lesson ended with a clear statement of the school's belief:  "We do not want our student body to use the n-word, racial slurs, or any slurs targeting people's identity.  These words hurt others, they destroy our school community, and they reflect poorly on those who say them."  Power of Language Lesson

    Identity Project
    The Identity Project on the Northfield Campus serves to engage students in quarterly thematic discussion on the following social-emotional topics:

    a. Q1: Identity (Who am I?  How do I feel about myself?)
    b. Q2: Dignity/Empathy (How do I make my peers feel about themselves?)
    c. Q3: Stereotype/Bias (How do I relate to people who are different than me?
    d. Q4: Community (How are we a community?)

    The Identity Project shows New Trier's commitment to educating the whole child and fulfills the motto of: Committing minds to inquiry, hearts to compassion, and lives to the service of humanity.  Although most instruction occurs during and within advisery, language from this interdisciplinary project explicitly appears in KW, English and MCL curricula. 

    Affinity Groups

    Affinity groups “allow students who share an identity—usually a marginalized identity—to gather, talk in a safe space about issues related to that identity, and transfer that discussion into action that makes for a more equitable experience at school.”  

    - Monica K. Bell in “Making Space” from Teaching Tolerance 

    These groups meet weekly or bi-weekly and rotate periods. Students joining these groups are responsible for making up work from the class they missed. All students attending an affinity group will be administratively excused for that period. Dates and times for meetings will be determined each school year. For more information about these groups, please reach out to your adviser. 

    Asian American Pacific Islander (Northfield)

    Asian American Pacific Islander is an affinity group for students who identify as Asian and/or Pacific Islander. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    Black and Brown Club (Northfield)

    Black and Brown Club is an affinity group for students who identify as African-American, Black, Hispanic, or LatinX. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    Black Student Alliance (BSA)

    Black Student Alliance is an affinity group for students who identify as African-American or Black. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    Jewish Affinity Group

    The Jewish affinity group is for students who identify as Jewish. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience.  

    LatinX

    LatinX is an affinity group for students who identify as Hispanic or Latino. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    Mixed Race

    Mixed Race is an affinity group for students who identify as having 2 or more races. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    Muslim Student Association

    Muslim Student Association is an affinity group for students who identify as Muslim. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    Skittles

    Skittles is an affinity group for students who identify themselves on the LGBTQ continuum. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to receive support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students that have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    Transgender/Gender Expansive/Non-Binary

    The Transgender/Gender Expansive/Non-Binary student affinity group is for students who identify as part of this community or are questioning their gender identity/expression. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    Young Asians with Power (YAWP)

    Young Asians with Power is an affinity group for students who identify as Asian and/or Pacific Islander. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support, in a safe environment, with others that share a similar experience. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    White Anti-Racist

    White Anti-Racist is an affinity group for students who identify as white and anti-racist. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to gather and provide each other support while deepening their own understanding of their role as a white student at New Trier. Research indicates that students who have an opportunity to engage in a supportive environment at school show an increased ability to function and connect to the academic experience. 

    Student Voices in Equity
    This group is open to all students interested in actively working toward its mission: "To foster a Trevian community that emboldens students to understand privilege and its effects and commits itself to cultivating compassion and equity."

    Student Multicultural and Social Justice Clubs
    New Trier High School offers more than 150 clubs, intramural sports, and performing arts opportunities through its extracurricular program. Among the clubs include many devoted to learning about and celebrating different cultures and working toward social justice. Those clubs can be found here. 

    TrevTips
    New Trier High School is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment and addressing incidents that impact our campus climate. TrevTips is designed for individuals to remain anonymous while reporting safety concerns including but not limited to:

    • Personal safety or safety of another student
    • Hazing, harassment, or bullying
    • Bias incidents

    Students who wish to use this resource can find the reporting form here.