On Jul. 21, Dr. Peter Tragos posted his first Instagram reel, marking the start of his new position as superintendent. A longtime social studies teacher and Assistant Superintendent at New Trier High School, Tragos is already carving a new path in this top job by creating his own superintendent Instagram account: nt203supt_tragos.

When Tragos was announced as Dr. Paul Sally’s successor in Nov. 2024, he had a clear vision for his role in the township.

“I just wanted to find new ways to connect with students and parents in the community,” Tragos says. “So it was kind of an idea to meet people where they’re at.”

The school itself already has a strong social media presence with its official New Trier Instagram account having a following of over 13,000. This account highlights unique classroom experiences like field trips and projects, alongside partnering with the New Trier activities account to showcase all of the school’s extracurriculars. 

“We have a great communications department that really does tell the New Trier story,” Tragos said. “You see it, you follow NT 203. That’s part of what we do, is really trying to tell our story about all the great things our students and staff are doing.” 

His new superintendent account will align with these administrative goals, further telling the story of the New Trier community. To get more viewers to his page, Chief Communications Officer Niki Dizon has been posting collaborations between the superintendent account and other official New Trier accounts.

“Collaborating with us can maybe expose him to more followers,” Dizon says. “Sometimes when we have content, like a week or two ago when we had a safety training with Dr. Tragos and a whole bunch of administrators and department leaders, that would be a good collaboration that maybe generates viewers.”

Tragos was inspired to create the account after seeing several other superintendents doing the same online.

“It’s pretty common for superintendents to be on Instagram. Some are on Tiktok, and some are very active on it,” Tragos says. “And I know some of these people, others I just know through social media. I know one superintendent who, while he walks to school every day, does a video for 90 seconds.”

While he enjoys this consistent content, Tragos wanted to create an account that represents who he is and what he does in his administrative position. In one of his recent reels, he discusses the story behind a handmade quilt in his office.

“It’s just one of my most prized possessions, of all the teaching memorabilia I have, and I probably have hundreds and hundreds of pieces of mementos from students and from staff,” Tragos says. “It’s in my office and it just reminds me of my teaching at New Trier, it grounds me.”

The account has also highlighted unique events around the school, with Tragos coming along for the ride. In Catherine Cristofani’s AP Government & Politics class, Tragos hosted a New Trier alumn who is currently serving as the US ambassador to Malaysia. Later that day, she filmed a comedic reel for his account.

“I saw him walking down the hall pushing a cart that said Social Studies cart, which I just thought was hilarious, because I knew him, 18 years ago, as a social studies teacher,” Cristofani says. “I just stepped out in the hall and took a video of it. I sent it to him and my department chair and just said ‘once a social studies teacher, always a social studies teacher.’”

Cristofani isn’t the only member of the community who has enjoyed watching this more personal content. The communications department has received a plethora of positive feedback and suggestions for future content.

“People appreciate that he wants to put himself out there and be available in a different format that sometimes leaders aren’t as comfortable in,” Dizon says. “He is making himself, in the goals of the district, very visible in ways that alumni can connect with. Maybe you don’t live in the area, maybe you’re a parent, but you’re not in the school every day, so they can all kind of have an interaction [with him].”

Looking ahead, Tragos is eager to continue posting and expanding his reach.

“I’m always looking for content and themes, and I’m open, so if students have some ideas of things they want me to do, I would be totally open to it,” Tragos says. “I have three daughters in their early and mid 20s, all New Trier graduates, who I’ve asked, ‘can you give me some content ideas?’”

The Instagram account will continue to grow as he posts more content, maintaining his collaborations with other official school accounts.

“We collaborate regularly with athletics or student activities, so it makes sense to collaborate with his account as well,” Dizon says. “But I think he is also interested in creating more of his own content and not necessarily relying on us or my department to create that content.”

This superintendent account shows parents, students, staff, and alumni, the behind-the-scenes of the New Trier administration, helping them understand what the superintendent role looks like.

“[Dr. Tragos] is meeting with all sorts of community members, professional groups, peers like sender school superintendents and the high school superintendents in this area,” Dizon says. “Social media is a way to reach a whole lot of other people who may not see the day-to-day, or can’t see him in person, but they can understand who he is and what he’s about.”