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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
New Trier seniors graduate in traditional black and white attire
In keeping with tradition, New Trier High School seniors eschewed graduation gowns and mortarboards in favor of white dresses for the girls and white jackets and black trousers for the boys at their June 1, 2025 graduation at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates. There were 869 Trevians launching into the world beyond high school at the 125th annual commencement. Handheld long-stemmed red roses stood out against the girls' white dresses, on a mild, sunny spring day. 'They've done an amazing job, an incredibly resilient class and they've accomplished so much over their four years and it's been great to see,' Paul Sally, superintendent of New Trier Township High School District 203, said to Pioneer Press. Graduating senior Olivia Kim of Wilmette said, 'The pandemic was mostly in middle school for us but freshman year, we were still wearing masks and second semester is when we got rid of the masks. 'And that was weird at first, but then I got used to it. 'It was like the new normal, I guess,' said Kim, who added that the pandemic taught, 'definitely flexibility, learning to adapt and change, going with the flow.' The program included the presentation of diploma cases after speeches, including by alumni speaker Cody Fry, raised in Northfield and of the New Trier Class of 2008. Fry is a singer-songwriter and received global attention by being on the hit show, 'American Idol.' 'Be yourself,' Fry told the graduating students. The student speaker was Neil Sanderson from Winnetka. 'As the Class of 2025, collectively, we accomplished a lot,' Sanderson said. 'I can confidently say, we made the most of it.'
Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana recruit Trey Meyers is a tall order for opponents. But the 6-6 New Trier star ‘has all the makings.'
Less than an hour after New Trier's Trey Meyers heard his knee pop, he made up his mind. Meyers had played his last football game. 'I was in the car, going to the hospital,' he said. 'That's when I knew I was quitting. I was like, 'Yeah, I'm all in on baseball.'' It was August 2023, the beginning of Meyers' junior year. Still a multisport athlete at the time, he was a wide receiver on the football team and a first baseman on the baseball team. But on the opening night of football season, after an opponent's helmet hit Meyers' left knee and caused a sprained MCL, he knew it was time to give up football. 'Honestly, I missed it a little bit,' he said. 'I was watching all my buddies play, going to the games. But I also got to lift a lot more, so I felt way stronger and better going into the baseball season. Baseball takes a lot of strength, so those extra lifts helped me tremendously.' Meyers proceeded to deliver a sensational baseball season as the Trevians went 33-4. The Indiana recruit entered the summer as a top-15 prospect in the state, lauded for his 6-foot-6, 223-pound frame, elite power-speed combo and sharp baseball mind. 'His baseball IQ is really good, and I think people just take it for granted,' New Trier coach Dusty Napoleon said. 'He's definitely stronger and faster than everybody, but he understands baseball. He understands what pitchers are trying to do to him.' There aren't many players of Meyers' size who bat first in the lineup, but Napoleon craves as many at-bats as possible for his best hitter. So the leadoff spot it is. 'We need to maximize his plate appearances,' Napoleon said. 'He's also our fastest guy and our best base runner.' Meyers has backed that up with gaudy numbers for Central Suburban South champion New Trier (23-7-1, 10-5) this season. He reaches base more often than he records outs, posting a .538 on-base percentage through May 19. Meyers was batting .418 with nine doubles, five home runs, 29 RBIs and 40 runs scored. He had more extra-base hits (16) than strikeouts (9) and was 14-for-15 in base-stealing attempts. A fan of both the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds, Meyers models his game after Reds star Elly De La Cruz. At 23, De La Cruz is MLB's first player since 1900 to post 115 extra-base hits and 115 stolen bases through his first 300 games, and he's on the cover of 'MLB The Show 25.' 'He's another big, really fast guy that I kind of relate to,' Meyers said. 'He's one of the more similar guys to me.' Professional baseball could begin sooner than later for Meyers, who has been ranked among the top 400 prospects for the 2025 draft. 'Well, if the opportunity is right, I'll do it, for sure,' he said. 'It's definitely something I'm interested in. But we're just going to see how everything shakes out and make a decision from there. I don't really want to think too far ahead. I guess we'll just see where we are in a couple months.' Meyers wants to focus on the Trevians and their quest for a state title, not the draft. 'There's definitely a lot going on, but I try not to think about that kind of stuff too much right now to keep myself more levelheaded and just focus on playing the game,' he said. Meyers is looking forward to Indiana too. 'I'm excited to compete at such a high level with some of the best players,' he said. 'I love competing, and there's a lot of really good power in the Big Ten.' Meyers committed to Indiana in December 2023 after visiting campus a few times. First, the well-connected Napoleon, who coached in the Big Ten for eight years at Northwestern, briefed Indiana's staff on what makes Meyers remarkable. 'They really just wanted to know things like, 'Hey, what kind of worker is he? What type of kid is he? How's his family?'' Napoleon said. 'The behind-the-scenes stuff is the hardest part when it comes to evaluating kids. Trey checked all those boxes easily. So it made it an easy decision for Indiana to move forward. 'He's respectful, he helps out in the community, he comes from a good family and then there's the way he works. He always wants to hit. He gets up three times a week to lift. He has all the makings of a Division I scholarship athlete.' Those qualities have endeared Meyers to his New Trier teammates too. Senior outfielder Ben Toft has played with Meyers since they were 13 years old. Toft will play for Iowa, so he'll be a Big Ten rival. He's grateful to be on Meyers' side for now. 'Trey is a really good teammate,' Toft said. 'He does a really good job at setting the tone for how people should be acting in the dugout, getting us locked in, being positive and being a good influence. People enjoy his company. 'He's definitely matured mentally, as well. He knows how to deal with failure a lot better.' Meyers was challenged after suffering the knee injury. He said doctors told him that he could be ready in four months, in time for baseball season, but he would have to grind through physical therapy to get there. 'It was so difficult, especially at the beginning, when my knee really hurt,' Meyers said. 'It was something I was dreading. I didn't even want to get up and move around, drag myself to PT and do these exercises that sucked so bad.' Meyers remembers one exercise in particular involving blood-flow restriction. 'You have to do the leg press with no circulation,' he said. 'It's probably the hardest thing I've ever done. It was so bad.' Meyers did 15 reps at a time, alternating between circulation and no circulation. It tested his resolve. But over time, the painful, tedious work paid off. By October 2023, he felt fresh and was itching to hit again. 'He was like, 'OK, coach, I'm all-in on baseball,'' Napoleon said. 'I was like, 'OK, let's get healthy first.' The last thing I wanted was him pushing himself to hit too early.' Once Meyers' knee was drained, he did begin to hit again. By December 2023, four months after the injury, Meyers was fully back. 'It was tough for him, but he never stopped working,' Napoleon said. 'He's always been a hard worker.'
CBS News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
New Trier girls' soccer team is chasing a repeat state championship
New Trier Township High School girls' soccer teamThe New Trier Township High School girls' soccer team in Chicago's North Shore suburbs is one of the best in the state of Illinois — defending champs led by the winningest coach in IHSA girls' soccer history. It is a challenge just to score a single goal against Trevians — let alone find a way to actually beat them. Nevertheless, the New Trier girls' soccer team knows chasing a repeat is no easy task. "It's always a challenge to come back from a state championship, because you really do have that target on your back, and what ends up happening is everybody brings their best game," said New Trier girls' soccer coach Jim Burnside. "Every team basically has our game circled on our calendar, and everyone wants to come out and beat big bad New Trier," said New Trier senior defender Honor Dold, "but we carry that with a lot of pride, and there's no other way you would want it." The Trevians won their seventh state title under Jim Burnside last year. It was their first since 2014, and it was his first with a freshman in net. Goalkeeper Annie Fowler came up big in the biggest moments to help them capture the 2024 championship. "It was pressure, but it was like the best pressure to have. I mean, we had such a strong senior class last year," said Annie, now a sophomore, "and every game was nerve-wracking, but it was exciting, and we got the result we wanted last year, and it was like the best feeling I could have ever asked for." "Annie is special in terms of the type of athlete, type of person — and she just has that competitive edge," said Coach Burnside, "and you know it's also, she just has this level of anticipation that most athletes don't have. So she is already a foot, a yard, and a thought ahead of other people — and that really is what kind of sets her apart as a goalkeeper." With Annie Fowler in net, New Trier had a pretty lofty goal when it comes to the number of goals they wanted to allow this season. "We have kind of our records on our wall in our locker room, and they know that one of the records is giving up three goals in a season," said Coach Burnside. "I'm not going to a game like putting that pressure on myself I can't let in a goal," added Annie. "But I don't get many shots during the game. Like I show up for saves when I need to." But New Trier sophomore midfielder Adelaide Randall said Annie succeeds in keeping opposing teams from scoring to the point where her teammates don't really even have to worry about it. "Obviously with Annie in goal, they get a shot, it's going to have to be a pretty good shot for it to go in. I think it just like gives all the midfielders and forwards the confidence to try things, and after we get one in, we can kind of relax a little bit, because we have that trust in them that you know, we score one goal — and that usually has been enough for us to win." The Trevians fell just short of their record mark, allowing a fourth score in their 22nd game of the season. Of course, that didn't set well with Annie, because she really doesn't like giving up goals. What's it like giving up a goal? "I get a little pissed off. It's kind of like what motivates me," Annie said. "I try to have the memory of a goldfish. If you mess up, on to the next one." But Annie does remember what winning a championship felt like, and the entire team wants that feeling again.
Chicago Tribune
26-02-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
New Trier promotes two administrators, adds a third
Two New Trier High School administrators will be taking on new roles in the 2025-26 school year with the school hiring an education veteran to fill another position. On Feb. 18th, the New Trier School board approved the promotions of Chimille Tillery to Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and Dan Paustian to Associate Principal for the Northfield Campus. The board also approved the hiring of Nashwa Mekky as the new Chief Human Relations Officer. 'These three administrators are experts in their field and will help us further the goals of our strategic plan, New Trier 2030,' Assistant Superintendent Peter Tragos said in a statement. 'The hiring committees were impressed with not only their expertise, but their collaborative and student-centered approach to their leadership. All three stood out in a very strong field of applicants, and I cannot wait to start our work together.' Tillery will be moving into the position currently held by Tragos, who will take over as superintendent on July 1, upon the retirement of Paul Sally. Since 2018, Tillery has been New Trier's Director of Curriculum and Instruction where she supervises professional development, new teacher induction and subsequent mentorship, student teaching and testing. In addition, she is co-chairperson the Instructional Leadership Team and oversees curricular initiatives such as new course proposals and AP test auditing, among other responsibilities. 'A key priority in my new role is fostering strong, collaborative relationships with all stakeholders—students, parents, staff and the community. I see the biggest tasks ahead as ensuring that we continue to meet the diverse needs of our students while carrying out the district's strategic plan,' Tillery wrote in an e-mail. Before coming to New Trier, Tillery was a science teacher at schools in Chicago and Homewood-Flossmoor High School and later an assistant principal at Wilmette's Highcrest Middle School. Paustian is the school's Assistant Principal for the 2027 Graduating Class Team ever since the formation of the Graduating Class Teams in 2023. His responsibilities include presiding over student services, the adviser program, attendance, discipline and restorative practices and is a resource for students, families and staff. 'To be successful in this pursuit is truly a group process, but an essential one, to honor the rich history of excellence at New Trier, while also navigating the landscape to meet the needs of current and future Trevians,' he wrote in an e-mail. Before being named to this role, Paustian was the high school's social work coordinator at the Northfield Campus. Paustian will succeed Gail Gamrath, who is retiring on June 30 after 31 years at New Trier. Finally, Mekky has been named the new Chief Human Relations Officer, taking on a role now known as director of human resources. Mekky is currently the Chief People, Equity, Culture and Ethics Officer at the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora. She worked previously in different educational roles starting in Arlington Heights and Chicago as an elementary school teacher, an associate principal at a Deerfield middle school and then principal of Howe Elementary School in Beach Park. Mekky will succeed Renee Zoladz, who is retiring after working at New Trier since 2019.
