The next Community Conversation will be held on Feb. 15 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Hinsdale South. This session will feature a presentation and discussion about the district's final exam process and the role it plays in preparing students for the future. 

If you plan to come to this event, we ask that you please use the form found at https://forms.gle/QgA24EpEEqGKGQXJ6 to RSVP. This will help ensure that we are able to accommodate those who wish to attend. We will also be recording the session for people who are unable to join us. This recording will be posted on the district’s website and YouTube channel, and shared via email, social media, etc.

If you have questions or need more information about our Community Conversations, please contact Dr. Chris Covino at ccovino@hinsdale86.org.

The next early release Wednesday for Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South (Transition Center does not follow the early release schedule) will be on Feb. 1. You can access the bell schedule for the day by visiting https://bit.ly/3RBrPNK.

As we have shared in previous emails, there are a variety of opportunities/resources that students can access on these days if they stay on campus following dismissal. They include:

Please contact your child's school for additional information about the opportunities/resources mentioned above or early release Wednesdays in general.

Julie May, who is the chair of the science department at Hinsdale Central, has been nominated for the Northwestern University Morton Schapiro Distinguished Secondary School Teacher Award. Her nomination was submitted by Eleanor Pope, a Central alum and senior at Northwestern who identified Ms. May as someone who has had "a transforming impact on the lives of students."

A committee made up of Northwestern faculty, staff and students will review all of the nominations and select the five individuals who will be presented to the university president for recognition. Those five individuals will be honored during the university's commencement festivities in June. In addition, they and their schools will each receive a $5,000 award.

We congratulate Ms. May on this well-deserved honor, and wish her the best of luck with the selection process.

We want to congratulate Hinsdale South senior Ella Hardman on having her artwork featured on the 2023 vehicle sticker for the city of Darien. Her design recognizes and honors the important work that the Cancer Smashers and The H Foundation are doing to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

Great job, Ella.

Hinsdale Central recently recognized 12 individuals who were named Student of the Quarter by the school's various departments based on their leadership, kindness and skills as role models. Those who received the recognition included:

We congratulate the team and coaches Kraig Conyer and Sean Beesley on this tremendous accomplishment, and wish them continued success at the state finals.

The Special Olympics basketball team from Hinsdale Central saved the best for last. The squad capped off its season with a 48-30 victory over District 99. Huge shoutout to Red Devil Nation, including the cheerleaders, boys basketball program and girls basketball program, for coming out to support the team on Pack the Place night.

The competitive danceline team from Hinsdale South qualified for state after taking third place at the sectional tournament in Geneva. It will be the Hornets 10th straight trip to the state finals.

We congratulate the team and coaches Courtney Gillette and Alexandra Miuccio on their outstanding performance at sectionals, and wish them the best of luck at state.

Last week, The Hinsdalean published a pair of stories about student-athletes from Hinsdale Central.

The first story was a student-athlete profile that featured a Q&A with senior Brian Williams (pictured right), who is a member of the boys bowling team. In the piece, which can be accessed by visiting https://bit.ly/3krfsYT, Brian talks about how he got into bowling, the ways in which he and his game have developed over the last four years, and his main highlight from the season. He also shares information about his family and what he hopes to be doing in 10 years. (Photo credit to Jim Slonoff from The Hinsdalean).

The second story, which can be accessed by visiting https://bit.ly/3XpS0tN, was about the success that former Red Devil student-athletes Rachel Fuechtman, Luke Skokna and Trystan Lundgren have experienced/enjoyed following high school. In the piece, Fuechtman, Skokna and Lundgren, who are all seniors in college, reflect on their athletic accomplishments from the past four years and talk about their plans for the future.

The next event in the 2022-23 Community Speaker Series will be a virtual presentation by Dr. Lisa Damour titled "The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Adolescents Who are Connected, Capable, and Compassionate."

During this webinar, which will take place on Feb. 7 from 6:30-8 p.m., Dr. Damour will:

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

You can register for the event by visiting https://bit.ly/3W7tVpW. You can also access additional information about the Community Speaker Series by visiting http://www.d181foundation.org/.

The next District 86 Board of Education meeting will be held on Jan. 26. The agenda and packet of materials for the meeting will be posted on BoardDocs (https://bit.ly/394u9as) and shared via email tomorrow (Jan. 24).

Please visit https://bit.ly/3B4pHHk to access the latest COVID-19 data for our district, community and county. Below are the metrics we plan to update on a weekly basis.