New Trier is widely regarded as one of the best high schools in the state of Illinois, but most of this praise is directed at students, because of test scores and GPA.

However, one core part of the education here often goes unnoticed: the teachers themselves.

Whether they are the bane of a student’s existence or role models who inspire everyone to do their best in schools, they are an essential part of a student’s success at New Trier.

The educational backgrounds of New Trier teachers may surprise a lot of students, as many New Trier teachers have graduated from schools like Columbia, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Yale, Vanderbilt, and other elite colleges.

Most teachers have gone beyond just a bachelors degree and have received a Masters degree. Several teachers have gone all the way, and have received PhD’s and continue to teach at New Trier.

One teacher that has gone through the process of earning her doctorate is Aileen Heidkamp, who has a Ed.D in Curriculum and Education from Loyola University and teaches in the English department.

Before she earned her doctorate in 2008, Heidkamp received her Bachelors Degree from Stanford and in 1999 she went back to school to earn her Masters in Teaching from the University of San Francisco.

“I was out one or two nights per week to go to class, and I worked on my reading and writing for school on the weekends. At that time, I had small children, so I was teaching only part-time,” Heidkamp said in regards to what she had to go through to get her Doctorate in Education.

Another teacher who had to go through a lot to achieve his Ph.D is Kevin Hendren, who teaches in the Science department.

Hendren received his Ph.D in Science and Education from Georgia State University and also has a Bachelors Degree from Denison and a Masters in Education from Emory University.

“It took me about 7 years, and one year I had to go to school full time and take 2 classes a quarter for four quarters, so I couldn’t teach for a full year,” said Hendren when talking about how long it took to receive his Ph.D.

In total, New Trier has about 9 teachers who have earned a Doctorate, and most other teachers who have earned a Masters degree, either in education or a related field of study.

Regardless of what kind of degree a teacher has, New Trier has a large and well educated staff who represent a vast variety of colleges and universities.

Clearly, there is a reason that many people across the country come to the New Trier district to raise their children: it’s because they know the staff at New Trier is top notch and they know their kids will receive a quality education.