Craig Fairbairn, the varsity boys soccer coach and a driver education teacher, began his New Trier teaching career in 1976 and will conclude it this spring.

With 36 years of New Trier under his belt, Fairbairn has seen it all: the ups, the downs, the quirks, the norms, the traditions, and most of all—the changes. As he steps down from his head coaching position this year, we’d like to honor him by attempting to envision New Trier through his eyes for a brief moment.

“My favorite memory was getting the head coaching position,” started Fairbairn. He had the daunting task of following in the footsteps of longtime coach Tony Schinto (at the time considered the best ever New Trier soccer coach).

Although Fairbairn’s original intent in coming to New Trier was to teach, he’s also spent 21 years as a head coach. This year, he finished with an overall record of 332-95-62, two state championships, eight CSL conference titles, 16 regional titles, eight sectional titles and an induction into the High School Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately, with the good come the bad. One year, a student in his advisery passed away from Leukemia. “His condition deteriorated immensely and within a week I was shocked to learn he had died,” Fairbairn stated. “It was hard because I had to tell the other kids in the advisery and they had to cope with that.” Still, Fairbairn does appreciate the advisery system in general as the most unique aspect of New Trier. “It gives students a chance to see teachers in a different light. It’s a different atmosphere than the classroom with teachers managing personalities more,” he responded.

But what stands as most remarkable in Fairbairn’s mind is the multitude of changes at New Trier over the years. While relics of New Trier such as the smoking lounge were phased out years ago, he thinks it helps bring a better environment to the students.

That environment is still compromised by what he considers harder academics. “It’s not that classes are demanding more out of students, but that every student is involved with outside activities, so time management becomes a stress,” he commented.

Outside the classroom, Fairbairn has noticed change has also occurred on the field and in the gym. “I believe girls participation in athletics has increased significantly,” he added.

Fairbairn believes a third change has taken form in how students interact with one another, with technology playing a big role. Fairbairn marveled, “With iPads being integrated into the classroom and Facebook, mobile devices and computers readily available students, they require immediate gratification.” He continued, “We have the world’s information all at a fingertip’s reach. It allows us to pick out what information we want and who we want to interact with.”

As someone who has played under coach Fairbairn for three years on the boys soccer team, I can confidently assert that his presence in the halls and on the field will be sorely missed by future New Trier generations. We cherish the time he spent here and wish him a happy retirement.