New Trier-Sears collab created double the impact

How far is it between New Trier High School and The Joseph Sears School?

Locals know that, literally, the distance is a couple of blocks — a 10-minute walk if you’re taking your time.

But thinking beyond distance, the space between Sears and New Trier is more significant, and two teachers aimed to put weight to that thought with a recent inter-school collaboration.

The result was “The Space Between,” a photo exhibition created by student teams each featuring a student from New Trier High School and an eighth-grader from Sears.

New Trier art teacher Jenn Jackson explained that the project “explores both the physical distance between the two schools and the important mentorship relationships that develop as junior high students transition to high school.”

The students made double-exposure images on 120-millimeter black-and-white film, in which one student would take an exposure and then pass the camera to the second student for another take. This created overlapping images that “reflected both students’ visions,” Jackson said.

The students also worked together in post-production, editing and developing the film to be ready for display. An exhibition with the photos was held in May at Kenilworth Assembly Hall.

Jackson said the students barely dwelled on introductions when they met and just got to work — the high schoolers providing thoughtful mentorship while allowing the Sears students to figure things out.

“The experience was incredible for students!,” said Annie Wood, a Sears’ art teacher in an email to The Record. “Sears students were able to experience visiting their future high school, interact with the space and be mentored by New Trier students in a meaningful and creative way.”

Both teachers praised the impacts of the program and said they’d like to partner again in the future.

“With the wonderful success we had with this project, we hope to continue to deepen our partnership with New Trier in future collaborative photography projects, exploring a wide range of digital and film photography techniques and themes,” Wood wrote.

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