Evanston Band Day Shines Amid Tensions from Recent Game Incident

The Wildkits marching band made a strong appearance in Evanston Township High School’s auditorium, filling the space with vibrant orange and blue on Monday evening. This annual Band Day event showcased the school’s marching band playing their greatest hits. The wind symphony, jazz ensemble, and District 65’s eighth-grade band also performed. Many attendees marked this as a much-needed change from recent events at a football game at New Ryan Field, involving allegations of racist and homophobic commentary.

For some students, the $875 million stadium, meant to symbolize camaraderie, instead highlighted stark divisions. Paula Lieberman, whose child is the ETHS color guard captain, explained her daughter faced offensive chants from New Trier fans during the pregame show. Reported slurs like “go kill yourselves” and “go back to Africa” marred what should have been a celebration. “It’s consumed me since my daughter came home Friday night,” Lieberman shared, noting the impact on the team.

Isaac Rochon, a sophomore saxophonist, also confirmed hearing racial and homophobic slurs from the New Trier section. “Nobody from the band yelled back because we had to focus for the pregame,” Rochon stated, recalling his friend being spat on by a New Trier student. “We are continuing to fight and spread the word as to what happened because we know the band weren’t the only people affected. We also know this isn’t the first time this has happened,” he added.

Jenima Lyon reported similar experiences affecting her senior child, noting a lack of support for the band. Since performers did not have phones, recording the incident was impossible. “It was a big deal for them to be at the stadium,” she said, expressing her disappointment at the situation undermining the meant-to-be celebratory performance.

A joint statement by superintendents Marcus Campbell and Peter Tragos indicated both school districts take these reports very seriously and are collaborating on an investigation. “Our administrations are working closely together to investigate these reports and determine appropriate next steps,” the statement affirmed.

Niki Dizon, New Trier’s chief communications officer, acknowledged the seriousness of the investigation. The school plans to work with the student Belonging Council to improve school culture. This council, whose composition details are unclear, will help New Trier “put our values into action.”

Jamie Deutch Noll, an ETHS alumna, attended the Band Day to see her eighth-grader perform and remarked that the behavior echoes incidents from her own years at the school. “I played sports and did activities and encountered a lot of those kinds of comments 25 years ago,” Noll said.

Raechel Alexander, whose child plays in the marching band, found the hateful speech abominable. She noted, “It’s abhorrent, and in 2026, how do they think this is okay?” Emphasizing her duty, Alexander pointed out the importance of teaching resilience and standing against hate.