The Canceling of Carols at Crow Island School

At Crow Island School, parents recently learned from students that no holiday songs were going to be allowed at the annual “Winter Sing” this year. Songs like “Jingle Bell Rock” were out and only music about “gathering” was in. 

One parent who contacted the school said “Honestly, I am fine with having songs that celebrate Hanukkah and other holidays, but that we are pretending Christmas and other holidays don’t happen and can’t be celebrated in a classroom sing is ridiculous.”
 
The holiday songs were canceled by Crow Island music teacher Carey Crows, who in 2020 wrote “Resources for an Anti-Racist Music Classroom,” featuring social justice language such as “decolonizing the classroom” and “allyship,” as well as pointing to resources such as “Black Lives Matter, Music Ed and Current Discourse,” “Finding Music Resources: Anti-Racist Pedagogy” and episodes of the 1619 Project podcast about music.

But – we bring you good news this holiday season! After parents and Crow Island principal Luke Livingston stepped in – he spent two days observing music classes to ensure balance – holiday music including “Jingle Bell Rock” was reinstated.  

We are glad the program again will be a pluralistic holiday celebration, rather than the chance for a teacher to push her political agenda on grade schoolers.

And way to go, Crow Island parents. We hope more will stand up in 2024.
Citizens Weigh in on Green Bay Road Development Plan 

Did you know that the Village of Wilmette has produced comprehensive plans since 1922 to guide the development of the Village Center and surrounding commercial areas? One of the stated goals of these various plans is to honor the historic charm and character of Wilmette.  

You could argue that the implementation has been inconsistent. But recently, in response to a submitted application for development for the area on Green Bay Road known as the Imperial Motors property, local residents have formed a group called "Preserve Wilmette Character" to challenge the Village to adhere to its stated goal of preserving the character of the downtown area.

New Trier Neighbors strongly believes in citizens being involved at the local level. To learn more about the proposal for development, click here. To learn more about “Preserve Wilmette Character” click here.

To share your thoughts with the Village Trustees and find information on Village Board meeting dates and times, as well as links to each Village board member, click here.

The plan will be first be reviewed by the Village of Wilmette's "Appearance Review Commission" on January 8th.

Glencoe Teacher featured on "Libs of TikTok"

Libs of TikTok has built an X (f.k.a. Twitter) following of 2.7 million by featuring snippets of politicized content in classrooms all over the country, posted by teachers themselves. Click here to see a recent post about 4th grade Glencoe teacher Mr. Nathan Lyon. 
The Latest from the "Take Back Our Schools" podcast


The Ricochet Network’s "Take Back Our Schools" podcast covers education and other issues affecting parents and youth (and is co-hosted by New Trier Neighbors’s Beth Feeley).  

Check out these and other episodes from 2023 including: