Let’s address the elephant in the room: New Trier High School is wealthy. We’re all aware of the fact that we live in a high-income district—one of the most high-income districts in the state, actually. The median income of the New Trier Township High School District 203 is $156,033 compared to the Cook County median income of $56,902. However, we are still a community with a sizable low income-population: 4.5% of students, or 162 students of the 3,610 total. This may seem like an insignificant number when compared with New Trier’s size, but that’s 162 students who miss out on opportunities and New Trier social events due to financial limitations. 

And it’s not just the wealth that’s the issue—it’s our attitudes. We are only affirming the stereotype that New Trier students are snobby rich kids when we act like every student at our school has disposable income. Instead, we must be cognizant of our financial differences while planning events like school dances, field trips, and school supplies in order to ensure that no students miss out on quintessential high school experiences.

Every year, juniors and seniors attend New Trier’s prom at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. Once you purchase the $130 ticket, you then have to find a ride to the dance. And, with most groups pitching in for a party bus or van since the venue is an hour away, this cost is significant. Then, taking dresses, tuxedos, hair, makeup, and more into consideration, the price of prom adds up quickly— including transportation that could cost up to $400 per hour.

Yet at New Trier, students assume that everyone can afford this expensive event. And this spending culture, whether you notice it or not, remains embedded in school traditions. 

Now, the stigma extends beyond prom and other school dances. With spring approaching, New Trier classes are offering more field trip opportunities to their students. However, the large number of field trips each come with their own price tags. Field trips can cost up to $50 or sometimes more. While this seems like a reasonable cost, as most expenses do, field trips often add up to a greater total once the price of lunch and additional fees are factored in. If a student chooses not to attend a field trip, the assumption is that they must not enjoy the class, even if they wanted to go but couldn’t afford it.

Even though New Trier is a public school, seniors have an unofficial school “uniform”: the green team hoodie. The price for two hoodies, since most seniors who purchase the school spirit clothing acquire one of each color, is $74 total. Most seniors, in order to participate in this decades-long tradition, oblige to this cost—a huge price to pay in order to play a part in school spirit.

When you picture a stereotypical New Trier student, specifically a senior girl, she might look like this: someone carrying a Longchamp handbag ($155), wearing a Parke hoodie ($130) with Lululemon leggings ($98) and a pair of Golden Goose sneakers ($595). She’s also likely carrying a Stanley cup ($45) and a new iPhone ($800), while wearing a David Yurman bracelet ($350). While this type of appearance may be normalized at New Trier, these outfits and accessories together cost upwards of $2,100, a number that can be hard to comprehend and isn’t realistic for all students. And that’s not to mention the steep price of makeup products from popular brands like Charlotte Tilbury ($28 lip liner, $37 lipstick) and Summer Fridays ($24 lip balm).

Clothing trends and fashion at our school are unspoken rules; one day you notice a student wearing a Parke hoodie, and before you know it, everyone is wearing them. Following these trends isn’t a requirement to be a New Trier student, but we’ve definitely all felt the pressure to fit in or be seen as “cool” by wearing these expensive items of clothing that not all, in fact most people, cannot afford.

At the end of the year, when families look at their receipts and find a hole in their bank accounts, it is due to the assumption that every student has the funds to pay for the pricey school norms. In order to promote equal opportunities, we must acknowledge the culmination of these costs, and find a way to separate between school spirit and its outrageous costs.  

Thankfully, New Trier is heading in the right direction. This year, Green Team sweatshirts are free for low-income families—indicating an acknowledgement of the stark price tags that consume the school year. However, we must continue to remind our peers that these assumptions about affordability at New Trier are harmful. So, when you graduate from New Trier and find new communities to call home, you must acknowledge that the price tags we deem affordable may not be for others, even here in the North Shore.