Candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program

The following six seniors from District 86 have been named candidates for the 2020 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

The program, which you can learn more about by visiting http://bit.ly/31emBy6, was established in 1964 to "recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors." It was extended in 1979 to "recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts." It was extended again in 2015 to "recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields." Each year, up to 161 students are named Presidential Scholars, which is considered one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.

We anticipate that this year's class of scholars will be named in May. In the meantime, we congratulate our students on this well-deserved honor.

Hinsdale South Danceline Team

On Jan. 25, the competitive danceline team from Hinsdale South qualified for the state finals by winning its Sectional tournament in Geneva. It was the team's first Sectional championship in school history. The team went on to finish in 17th place in the preliminary round at state.

We congratulate our student-athletes and coaches Courtney Gillette, Alexandra Miuccio and Ashley Yurchak on an incredible season.

Mental Health Education and Awareness

On Jan. 28, Jim Maley, who is an educator, coach and mental health advocate, shared his story with heath classes from Hinsdale Central. He gave the students an intimate look into his upbringing and his battles with mental health, denial and stigma. He also talked about the treatment that led him to where he is today.

Through the presentation, Maley and the health teachers from Central conveyed to the students that depression is something that can affect anyone. They helped educate them about the signs and symptoms of depression. They also emphasized how important it is to get help or be an advocate for others, and talked about the critical role that intervention and support can play in preserving one's mental health.

Social-Emotional Learning

As part of the district's commitment to social-emotional learning (Goal 2, Strategy 6 of the strategic plan), students from Hinsdale South have been participating in #SouthPride lessons during the first 15 minutes of a designated class period each month. These lessons target a different social-emotional skill or theme that is aligned to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning's (CASEL) core competencies. 

The themes from first semester included goal setting (self-management), speaking with good purpose (relationship skills), making connections (social awareness), being kind and forgiving (social awareness), and using your resources (self-management). The themes for second semester include being your best self (self-awareness), demonstrating empathy (social awareness/relationship skills), being present (responsible decision-making/self-management), demonstrating self-discipline (responsible decision-making/self-management) and taking ownership (responsible decision-making).  

In the accompanying photo, students explored what they had in common with their classmates via a “Find Someone Who…” discussion. This discussion was followed by a whole-class activity where the students connected with a classmate based on a prompt given by the teacher. In this case, the prompt was throwing a ball of yarn - i.e., throw the yarn to someone who likes the same music you do.

The #SouthPride Student Voice Committee has played a critical role in planning the lessons each month. The members of this committee include students Areli Alvarez, Gustavo Botero, Hannah Joseph, Jillian Marquardt, Ciniya McCray, Andrew Metzger, Jenny Pantoni, Vaneezeh Rashid and Cyrus Safavi, as well as D86 SEL coaches Ayesha Truman and Sarah Lombard.  

Hinsdale Central Activities Update

The latest update from Hinsdale Central's activities department featured news about several of the school's clubs and organizations, and details about the recent Mr. Hinsdale pageant. Below are some highlights.

You can access the update from the activities department by visiting http://bit.ly/2GJIOKQ.

Hinsdale South Speech Team

The speech team from Hinsdale South continued its winning ways with a first place finish in the Bolingbrook High School Tournament of Dreams.

In addition to taking the top spot as a team, South earned several individual championships, including: Cameron Chamberlain and Spencer Staak (Dramatic Duet Acting), Matthew Leonardson (Extemporaneous Speaking), Grace Cvengros and Sofia Guerrero (Humorous Duet Acting), Sofia Guerrero (Oratorical Declamation), Darrell Mondaine (Original Comedy) and Sofia Guerrero (Original Oratory).

You can access the results from the Bolingbrook tournament by visiting http://bit.ly/36Gv4Ly. We congratulate the team on another outstanding performance.

Hinsdale Central Cheerleading and Pom Squads

Last week's edition of The Hinsdalean featured an article about the tremendous amount of time, effort and energy that Hinsdale Central's cheerleading and pom squads put into perfecting their routines, and the positive impact they have on school spirit.

You can access the article by visiting http://bit.ly/2uR6VVk. Photo credit to Jim Slonoff from The Hinsdalean.

World Language Students of the Month

Each month, the world language teachers from Hinsdale South nominate individuals for recognition as the World Language Students of the Month. These students have a strong interest in a world or classical language, demonstrate the traits of being accountable, respectful and engaged, and perform actions and exhibit an attitude that exemplify what it means to have South Pride.

Below are the students from South who earned this honor forJanuary.

Hinsdale Central Investment Club

On Jan. 28, the members of the Hinsdale Central Investment Club got the chance to visit the trading floor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the CME Group. During their visit, the students learned about monetary policy, open outcry trading, futures and options trading.

Teacher and Support Staff Member of the Quarter

Hinsdale South named science teacher David Bonner and Terry Bruns, the administrative assistant for art, math, music, science and world languages, the teacher and support staff member of the second quarter.

We congratulate David and Terry on this honor, and thank them for all they do on behalf of the school and our students.

Community Speaker Series

Reminder - the next event in the Community Speaker Series that is being co-presented by districts 181 and 86 will feature a free screening of the documentary “Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience” followed by a discussion with filmmaker and physician Dr. Delaney Ruston.

The event, which will take place at the Community House (415 W. Eighth Street in Hinsdale) on Feb. 5, will feature a pair of screenings and discussions - one from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and another from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. While both sessions are free and open to the public, registration is required. You can register for the session at 9:30 a.m. by visiting https://conta.cc/2T1L3kb and the session at 7 p.m. by visiting https://conta.cc/2ZX6bJU.

You can access additional information about this event by visiting http://bit.ly/2GE3ZOC.