To the Parents of New Trier,

I hope this reaches you in the best way possible, and that you do not interpret my message in a poor light. I understand the necessity to revamp the Seminar Day program, however, I do disagree with some of the proposed methods and concerns addressed by this organization. I hope you find my message thoroughly thought provoking, and not overly harsh, as I understand the passion and ideas behind this group.

I will open with this: I am a recent New Trier graduate. I have lived in the same house in Winnetka since I was born and highly appreciate the hard work the Winnetka Public School System and New Trier High School provided my family for generations. Needless to say, I have a fairly decent amount of exposure regarding the North Shore, and I know and understand many of the benefits and controversies of the area. Here is where my problems with this movement begin.

On several occasions, I have taught Winnetka children how to use a rake, snow shovel and a push broom. I have also dealt with increasingly squeamish, uncooperative and impolite children at the years I worked for a Park District camp. All of these children were in middle school - the next generation of New Trier students - but I hold very few reservations against them since they are indeed children with developing minds. I believe their lack of basic skill and understanding is what I consider a textbook example of coddling.

Let's take a step back. Most recent census data puts the New Trier Township demography at about 85% white, 7% Asian and the last 8% a mix of other minority races. The median household income is approximately $150,000, which is almost three times higher than the rest of Cook County. About 38% of households in the district earn and income over $200,000, while only about 3% of residents live below the poverty line. Statistics only tell a part of the story, but this all inevitably creates a cultural bubble, heavily biased towards white upper middle to upper class.

As a very recent New Trier alumni, in order for the majority of New Trier students to understand the severity of the bubble they live in, we need to promote the expansion of perspective. Events such as Seminar Day are meant to show the world outside of the North Shore Bubble and promote discussion regarding difficult topics. Seminar Day is supposed to expose students to the reality outside of home – a place not as coddled and protected by mom, dad and their wallet. By calling forward social activists, despite their controversial beliefs (like the *two* speakers highlighted on your "Profanity" page), a broader perspective for discussion may be achieved. It must be understood that there is more than one story to everything.

I am heavily involved in the Global Citizenship Program at my university, where students with different majors and backgrounds strive to understand multiple stories to formulate more holistic opinions on controversial issues. We do this by studying abroad in developing nations and discuss their problems with a critical lens. I encourage you to listen to this TED Talk that we discussed in our last class:

The point of having controversial speakers come in for Seminar Day is to spur discussion. Yes, some of them may have posted ideas on social media that are, compared to the New Trier Township, comparatively controversial, but those opinions and ideas exist for a reason. It is human nature to quickly judge someone’s character based on limited information, but we must remember that everyone has a story behind who they are, what they do and why. Giving students a better idea of different perspectives will help them understand the difficulties of the world outside of the North Shore.

Last year, I took a required English course where everyone signed up for the course was randomized into different themes. My professor taught about diversity and the complicated life of mixed race Latinos. Did I agree with everything she spoke about in class? No. Could I relate with the material? Hardly. So why did my professor teach this course? She wanted us to achieve a deeper perspective that racism and gender violence is more than what we see on the surface and on the news. She also required everyone in the class to attend an event led by far left, very controversial and arguably radical social activist Cornel West. How much did I agree with him? Not much if at all, but he did provoke a great deal of thought, discussion and perspective. Just because I did not agree with him and did not connect with his ideas did not diminish the impact of his presentation. In fact, I appreciated its value.

In response to the question on your website "Is it wise to divert resources to this effort at all?", no amount of funding can stop issues like racism and gender violence, but proposing to completely cut Seminar Day because of its relative cost is foolish. It enhances the ignorant belief that racism and gender violence does not exist in America, including the North Shore. In light of the Trump Administration, we all know this not to be true. It also yields the idea that academic programming will be quickly revamped to fill the gap, which unless there is a large incentive, is highly unlikely to happen. New Trier has very few problems regarding the resources required to get students to graduate and prepare them for college or other post graduate plans. Rather than devoting less funding and resources to educational events like Seminar Day, we should be increasing them as they help prepare students for the world outside the North Shore. Many times we forget how fantastic our public high school is in both programming and funding compared to the state and national level. Too often, we take New Trier's elite capabilities for granted.

Yes, the world is not a safe place, but that does not mean it has to be a dangerous place either. These problems are heavy and carry the burden of generations of American tragedy. The more sensitive approach Parents of New Trier appears to want to take will simply not be enough. Cutting or severely scaling back programs like Seminar Day will only upcycle the racism, stereotypes and stigmas against less fortunate groups, further perpetuating these problems on the local and national levels. I understand the desire to protect children from the horrors of the world, but they will only be children for so long. Acknowledging the existence of racial, gender and violence issues through the use of more conservative speakers will only serve as a means to hide from these problems, potentially thickening the walls of the North Shore Bubble. We must remember that there are people who look down upon our community and there are concrete reasons why they do.

In the end, I am not a social activist. I do not revolt against society through social media. I did not write in Bernie Sanders on my election ballot. I don’t identify as a democrat. I am not majoring in a topic of culture, rather I plan to graduate with a degree in economics. All I wish is for New Trier students is a better understanding and appreciation of their privilege and freedoms. I hope my message came through with my true intentions understood, and I hope to have furthered your perspective regarding these issues.

Thank You,

Tom Ball