Winter season has commenced and holiday cheer is spreading across the student body, we here at New Trier know to expect a knock on the door or a tap on the shoulder, followed by a sales pitch: would you like to purchase some oranges? Yes, the annual WNTH Citrus Sale has started.

New Trier’s radio station holds the Citrus Sale each holiday season to raise money for various operational expenses. Often, the proceeds are used for upgrades and new equipment.

WNTH board member Bob Hayes said, “We’ve been doing the Citrus Sale to raise money for as long as the station has existed. There’s a ton of equipment in our studio, and we need the money to maintain and improve it. Basically, it’s the only way we can get funding for those purposes.”

Although the station is school sponsored activity, the school does not provide significant financial support. WNTH’s sponsor Josh Rubin and Performing Arts Coordinator Anne James-Noonan could not be reached for comment on this. Still, the Citrus Sale appears to be an adequate fundraiser for covering WNTH expenses. But the question remains: shouldn’t the school provide these funds instead?

Many clubs receive initial activity funds of several hundred dollars, which they may use at their own discretion. While WNTH is often viewed as another school publication, much like the New Trier News, Calliope, Trevia, and Logos, Principal Tim Dohrer maintains that WNTH is considered a performing art. This means its funding is in the hands of the Performing Arts Coordinator, Ann James-Noonan.

School-provided funding for WNTH is broken down into three categories. First, the school pays the sponsors a stipend to work with WNTH, which is an expense included in New Trier’s extracurricular salary structure.

The second way the school helps WNTH is with space and equipment, though only to an extent. New Trier will finance any material or operational costs it feels necessary.

According to Dohrer, for anything that WNTH needs beyond these “bare basic essentials,” they must do so with their own fundraising.

WNTH is a major component of New Trier life. Hundreds of students participate as volunteers for the radio, whether they are board members, DJs, or staff.

“I think it very much represents the school well and always has. I think WNTH gives a certain sense of pride that we have an FM radio station that is run as well as it is, which is very well, and that students have an outlet for student voice, which is really important,” said Dohrer. It is clear from his high praise that the administration recognizes the importance of WNTH.

There is a misconception that New Trier provides zero financial support for WNTH. In fact, WNTH is treated much as any other student-based groups. Basic funding and supplies are provided, but from there, it is the responsibility of the radio staff and participants to find funds that will maintain the quality of the radio station.

So far, WNTH seems to have been successful in that respect, turning out consistently excellent work for over five decades.