The Unique Language of New Trier High School

Upon completing freshman year, students have already become well acquainted with one of many New Trier phrases, like Kinetic Wellness. The difference between Kinetic Wellness and gym is one of the first things that students learn at New Trier, and it sets the tone for the rest of their experience. New Trier is filled with made up names that aren’t used in most common learning institutions.

“I think it’s just something that the faculty implements so teachers can feel more fancy or professional,” said junior Joey Evans. “It’s just a way that New Trier is trying to show off over other schools.”

Terms Part of Reputation

It’s no surprise that New Trier has a reputation for being stuck up. The names that we tack around our school helps fuel that reputation.

“I feel like we modified everything to sound more pretentious,” said junior Maddie Aybar.

One of the most puzzling names to New Trier students is the “Modern and Classical Languages Department,” which can be simplified to the “Language Department.” However, “by making the courses seem more specific with terms like ‘modern and classical’ instead of just ‘languages,’ New Trier is trying to portray itself as more of a college environment than a high school environment,” said junior Peter Gabrielides.

Name Not Always a Match

Another example of New Trier’s attempts at a more professional atmosphere can be seen on the third floor of Winnetka campus in the EPI Center. The center hasn’t been updated to the technological advancement that it boasts to have since the 1990s. The Audio Visual EPI Center is typically used as a multi-purpose room and could be called just that had it not been for the language of New Trier.

Unique or Elitist?

“If [the names] are meant to separate New Trier from other schools they were successful, but not in a positive way. It just furthered the elitist image many other kids hold towards New Trier,” said junior Sam Rivi.

Students from other schools often scoff at New Trier’s use of KW as opposed to gym and are baffled by the extensive course list, which includes “Yoga and Self Defense” as well as “Global Voices.” The different names at New Trier also rebrand New Trier as a unique school that offers more variety and more innovation than other schools.

“I think the abnormal naming of things in New Trier seems like an attempt to set us apart from other schools. Making things more complex than they have to be is something New Trier teachers seem to do on their own, so it makes sense to name things around the school in different ways that sound more academic or intelligent. Not falling into the norm of what things are called also reflects the 'hipster' population of New Trier, which seems to be more prominent than at other schools,” said sophomore Will Stogin.

The language of New Trier seems unnecessary and frivolous to most students and pretentious to those outside the New Trier community. The most infamous of the names is “Kinetic Wellness”; however they are all treated with the same attitude. Students, teachers, and parents alike see these names as being trivial and pretentious; however, New Trier still sticks to them to complete the image.

This article originally appeared in New Trier News, a publication produced by students at .

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