The newest installment of “Inside the Classroom" featured a visit to Chris Kostro’s Acting 1 class at Hinsdale Central. During the class, the students learned about the importance of observation by taking part in a lesson that emphasized how critical detail and accuracy are when observing a partner for a performance. The lesson also gave them the chance to work on critical skills such as public speaking, and helped them connect with each other in a more meaningful way.

You can check out the latest video in the series by visiting https://youtu.be/Bnh0avC8cbI.

We want to thank Mr. Kostro, freshmen Stefani Andrews and the rest of the class for sharing their time and incredible talents with us.

Students from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South have earned All District selections for band, chorus, jazz band and orchestra from the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA). You can access the names of the students from Central who received this honor by visiting https://bit.ly/3BeBYXT and the names of the students from South who received this honor by visiting https://bit.ly/2XyOWBL.

We congratulate all of our students on this tremendous accomplishment. We also want to recognize and thank teachers Chris Gumban and Kirk Hickman from South, teachers Jennifer Burkemper, Matthew Kurinsky, Matthew Goeke and Serge Penksik from Central, and fine arts department chair Patrick Maag for the time, effort and energy they dedicate on a daily basis to helping our music students learn, grow and achieve.

The world language teachers from Hinsdale Central select a Star Student two times per semester. These are students who:

Below is the list of individuals who have recently been named Star Students. We congratulate them on this accomplishment.

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 for October.

Students from the district's Bridge 2 program recently participated in an experiential learning class that helped them earn credit toward graduation through the College of DuPage (COD). The group traveled to the Middle Fork River Forest Preserve in Champaign County, Illinois, where they camped for two nights and spent time exploring the outdoors. Staff from the district's Transition Center partnered with representatives from COD's Field Studies program to create a course that gave the students the opportunity to engage in instruction that was focused on outdoor recreation, orienteering and leadership skills.

The students and staff from Hinsdale South's fine arts department will be presenting "RENT: School Edition" Nov. 11-14. The show, which focuses on the lives of several young artists and musicians from New York City who are struggling to survive and create, tells a powerful story about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today.

Below are the days and times of the performances.

Tickets, which are $15 for adults and $10 for students, will be available for purchase one hour before showtime.

The girls tennis teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South finished their seasons with several outstanding accomplishments at sectionals and state.

You can access the full results from sectionals and state by visiting https://bit.ly/2Z6uPv0.

We congratulate both teams on their tremendous success this year.

The boys and girls cross country teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South turned in incredible performances at their regional tournaments.

The varsity girls team from Hinsdale Central won its regional championship thanks to top 10 finishes by Catie McCabe (second place), Erin Milligan (fifth place) and Louisa Brorson (eighth place).

After winning its first conference championship since 2014, the varsity boys team from Hinsdale Central finished in second at the regional tournament. The squad was led by junior Dan Watcke, who added another first place finish to his growing list of accomplishments. Joining Watcke in the top 10 was senior Colby Revord, who took fourth place.

The varsity girls team from Hinsdale South qualified for sectionals following a third place finish at the regional tournament. The Hornets were led by sophomore Charlotte Old, who took fourth, and junior Abby Petersen, who took 10th.

Junior Adam Fournier and senior Quartus Rassi from Hinsdale South are headed to sectionals after finishing in 33rd and 39th place respectively at the regional tournament.

We congratulate the cross country runners and coaches from both schools on their success at regionals, and wish everyone the best of luck at sectionals.

The varsity and junior varsity girls swimming and diving teams from Hinsdale Central won their conference championships. The teams also had several outstanding individual accomplishments at these events that included:

Meanwhile, Central's varsity football team won its regular season conference championship after defeating Glenbard West 6-0 in a hard fought defensive battle.

We congratulate these teams on their conference titles, and wish them the best of luck throughout the postseason.

The Special Olympics bowling team from Hinsdale South had a great showing at its sectional tournament. Austin Savickas came in third place, Colin Nolan came in second place, and Jakub Kwak came in first place and qualified for the state meet in December.

We want to congratulate these incredible student-athletes on their success at sectionals, and wish Jakub the best of luck at state. We also want to thank Kathy Craig for all that she does in her role as the Special Olympics coordinator for the district.

Jakub Kwak

Colin Nolan

Austin Savickas

More than 400 people registered for the Raise the Roof 5K run/walk fundraiser that was organized by Hinsdale Central's Habitat for Humanity club. The event, which was held on Oct. 17, raised more than $11,000 that will help support Habitat for Humanity's efforts to expand access to safe, decent and affordable housing in DuPage County.

We want to congratulate the members of the Habitat for Humanity club on the success of the fundraiser, and thank everyone who supported this important endeavor.

As Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central join schools from across the country in celebrating Red Ribbon Week, we want to remind you that we are partnering with ReferralGPS to help those who may be struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues.

You can learn more about the services that are available through ReferralGPS by visiting https://d86.hinsdale86.org/Page/2279.

You can access a more detailed breakdown of this data by building at https://bit.ly/3d93aws.

Employees who work in the administration building or are not assigned to a specific school - 98%

The next District 86 Board of Education meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 28. The agenda and packet of materials for the meeting will be posted on BoardDocs (https://bit.ly/394u9as) and shared via email tomorrow (Oct. 26).