There will be no Updates from 86 email sent the week of April 5. The next one will go out on April 12. With that said, we will continue to use email, social media and our website during this time period to share important news, information or updates.

Have a safe and restful spring break.

During the past several weeks, members of the District 86 Culture and Equity Leadership Team have been working on the creation of a video about the district's equity statement. The video, which was shared with the community for the first time during the board meeting on March 25, features District 86 students, staff members and parents/guardians reading the statement and sharing insights about who they are, how they want to be seen and what they hope to accomplish. You can view the video by visiting https://youtu.be/D_7GX4UBd8E.

We want to thank everyone who contributed to this project. We also want to thank videographer Miguel Cisneros and Peggy Austin and Twyler Jenkins from GoldStar Communications for partnering with us on this important endeavor.

On Friday, March 26, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss shared a return to school update that reiterated the district's plan to move to five days of in-person instruction following spring break that will follow our normal bell schedule (i.e., periods 1-10 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Early Bird taking place from 7 a.m. to 7:50 a.m.). The update also featured information about topics that included, but were not limited to:

You can access the update by visiting https://conta.cc/3tX2Rw5.

On April 1, we will be mailing the spring 2021 edition of our D86 Forward newsletter to nearly 38,000 residences and businesses in our community. The publication features information about the work we are doing to align the curriculum across our high schools, and addresses some of the common myths and misperceptions regarding this work. It also includes:

You can access an electronic version of the newsletter by visiting https://bit.ly/3vZiwge.

Below is the COVID-19 data for the district as of Friday, March 26.

You can access the dashboard where this information is being stored by visiting https://bit.ly/3d93aws.

In December, we announced that the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) had named the 2019-20 edition of Solstice, which is the art and literary magazine produced by students and staff from Hinsdale Central, a finalist for a Crown Award. This is the highest recognition CSPA gives to a student print or digital medium for overall excellence. We also mentioned that we would find out in March if the publication won a Gold or Silver Crown.

We are pleased and proud to announce that Solstice is one of eight high school print literary magazines in the country to be awarded a Gold Crown by the CSPA. You can learn more about this achievement by visiting http://bit.ly/3cbyXxW. You can also access the 2019-20 edition of Solstice by visiting http://bit.ly/3or2Q0N.

We congratulate all of the students who worked on the publication, including the following individuals who served as the editorial staff:

We also congratulate teachers Angelique Burrell and Michael Cousineau, who serve as the faculty sponsors for the magazine.

Hinsdale South junior Zaynab Rehman earned third place in the BRAIN Initiative Challenge for her essay titled "Brain Organoids isn’t a 'No-Brainer,'" which addresses the ethical questions associated with using stem cells to engineer brain-like structures to study disease.

The event, which was hosted by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is a "federal challenge opportunity (prize competition) for high school students who are curious about science, the brain, and the ethical implications of novel technologies being developed and applied to understand the brain and treat brain disorders."

You can access additional information about the BRAIN Initiative Challenge, including the list of winners in each category, by visiting http://bit.ly/2PmbuBq.

We congratulate Zaynab on this tremendous accomplishment.

The Forensics team from Hinsdale Central has accumulated more than 15,000 points for its speech and debate presentations, competition and service. As a result, the school has earned a 1st Diamond degree of membership (coaching award) in the National Speech & Debate Association’s Honor Society, and will be recognized at the 2021 National Speech & Debate Tournament. You can learn more about the Honor Society by visiting https://bit.ly/3f8elbK.

We congratulate the team on this incredible achievement.

Hinsdale South's drama department earned a pair of top five finishes during the recent IHSA Sectional Drama and Group Interpretation Tournament. South took first place in the Drama category for its production of "Over the River and Through the Woods," and fourth place in the Group Interpretation category for its production of "The Staggering Heartbreak of Jasmine Merriwether." In addition to these tremendous team accomplishments, the following students earned All-Sectional Actor awards for their performances:

We congratulate the students and South theatre director Danny Yuska on their success at the tournament.

Papers written by Amy Dong, Joseph Luo, Rohan Shah and Grant Zhang from Hinsdale Central's Data Science Club were among the 35 that received an honorable mention award in conjunction with the MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge. Only 9% of the

papers submitted for the competition received an award.

We congratulate the students on this outstanding achievement.

The varsity girls badminton teams from Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central have been dominant in postseason play. The two teams won their respective conference titles, with South claiming championships at all 15 positions for the first time school history. Both teams also took first place in their sectional tournaments, and had several student-athletes earn individual accolades.

We congratulate both teams on their accomplishments.

The girls gymnastics team from Hinsdale Central took second place in the recent West Suburban Conference championships, and had several student-athletes finish in the top five in their individual events. In addition, Kim Estoque and Myles Laffey were named conference coaches of the year.

We congratulate the team on its success.

The American Psychological Association (APA) has published an interactive lesson created by Hinsdale South social studies teacher Emily Polacek in APA Style, which is a highly respected and peer-reviewed online journal that helps writers "present their ideas in a clear, precise, and inclusive manner."

Through her lesson, Ms. Polacek seeks to facilitate the understanding and mastery of APA's citation style. By doing so, she is able to help students hone their research and writing skills, and gives them the tools they need to avoid the trappings of plagiarism.

We congratulate Ms. Polacek on this well-deserved honor.

The following faculty and staff members were selected as the winners of Hinsdale Central's Make A Difference Award for third quarter.

The school community recognized these individuals for "going above and beyond the call of duty for students, especially during these trying times."

We congratulate all of the winners, and thank them for everything they do on behalf of our students.

The student council from Hinsdale South held a spring food drive March 16-20. Through its hard work, and the generous support of the community, the group was able to collect a significant amount of food and $1,600 in donations that will benefit those who are served by the People's Resource Center.

We congratulate the student council and faculty sponsors Shannon Hettinger and Steve Moore on the success of their event, and commend them on their efforts to help those in need.

Great job, Hornets.

The members of the Latin Club at Hinsdale Central recently explored how Romans kept track of time in the ancient world, which included the use of pocket sundials.

As part of this activity, the students learned about and made their own versions of water clocks.

Some of the young adults from the Transition Center's Bridge program have been able to engage in in-person learning at the College of DuPage (COD) for the first time this semester. 

Students enrolled in lab-based courses such as auto, nursing and welding have begun attending classes on the COD campus. 

If you missed the edition of Board Briefs for the District 86 Board of Education meeting that was held on March 25, please visit https://conta.cc/39iwIqS.

University of Chicago award-winning psychologist Nicholas Epley will be the next featured presenter for the 2020-21 Community Speaker Series. During a webinar being held on April 20 from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., Epley will take the audience on an exploration of one of the great mysteries of the human mind: How good are we at knowing the minds of others?

The webinar is free and open to the public. However, registration is required if you want to take part in the livestream of the event, or watch the recording of it afterward.

Please visit http://conta.cc/2NUlIsc to register for or learn more about the webinar.