In April of 2010, New Trier held an all school seminar called TELL day. It was considered successful in certain ways, such as attendance, but it was not something that set a strong foundation for future seminar days.
Almost three years later, Student Alliance, coordinating with the NT administration, held another all school seminar, E.T.C. Day.
Expanding the Circle or E.T.C. Day was the first of a new system of hosting seminar days. It set a precedent so that every two years there will be an all school seminar for the students.
Not including guest speakers, there were almost 100 classes being taught: 68 classes were led by students, 24 by the teachers and 5 from the Hubbard Wood Street Dance Company. All of this was expressed as a different type of education presented to the students.
Principal Tim Dohrer, who worked closely with SA on behalf of the administration said, “The concern [about E.T.C.] was if it was worth giving up a day of traditional education.”
According to preliminary surveys of the staff and student body, it was worth it.
Junior Joel Meyer taught the class “Makin Smoothies” and felt like teaching was a good experience. “It was interesting because I am not usually in a teaching situation,” said Meyer.
Senior Maggie Noren taught her class about improvisation. Noren said, “It exposed people to something that they don’t normally come across. Not many people experience improv.”
Accoring to Dohrer and the participants, a reason there was so much acclaim for the day comes down to the hard work everyone involved put in. Dohrer said, “[Student Alliance and the administration] hit every mark on the guidelines. We met our budget. We met the calendar we set earlier on.”
Student Alliance member John Brady, who was head of the Classes Subcommittee, said, “The amount of work and participation that went into E.T.C. Day was staggering.” For Brady and many other members of SA, everyone who participated in the day, from students to the PPS staff, was essential to making the day a success.
Noor Qasim, another SA member, said, “Our goal was to broaden the thinking of the student body, and I think that goal was achieved.”
Student Alliance did run into some conflicts along the way, however. The most notable of which was scheduling
Moreover, when E.T.C. Day came, both the staff and the teachers were lenient on whether the students attending were actually signed up for the class. “If space was available, people had freedom to attend that class. In the future we need to handle class registration with more clarity for those signing up,” said Dohrer.
The biggest problem, though, was attendance. Student Alliance President Jeff Salvadore said, “I believe the reason there was lower attendance on the day is because students have never experienced anything like E.T.C. Day previously, and many students didn’t recognize the seriousness of the day.”
In the future, the belief is that as more students are aware of what the day is, attendance will rise.
The students who did show up for the day enjoyed it for its break from school and the usual content. Junior Carson Conlon said, “I thought it was a great change of pace from the regular school day. My personal favorite class was the Model UN.”
Conlon is not the only participant with favorites from the day. Dohrer’s favorite classes ranged from the “tremendous storytelling of the speakers to competitive Pokémon.”
One idea for the seminar day in 2015 is to have a specific theme. The reason that seminars are to be held every two years lies in the fact that these types of days are very expensive and require substantial planning.
The New Trier Foundation and the Parent Association provided generous donations to help fund the day. Despite what 2015’s seminar looks like, there is no doubt that Dohrer, SA, and the student instructors set a strong foundation for similar days in the future.