We sent an email to students, staff and parents/guardians yesterday (Feb. 27) that included information about the recent updates the state of Illinois and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made to their COVID-19 guidance. It also included details about the changes we made to our COVID-19 dashboard to help ensure that people have access to data they can use to make informed decisions about their specific health needs.

As we shared, the metrics we plan to update on a weekly basis include:

You can access the dashboard by visiting https://bit.ly/3d93aws.

During its meeting on Feb. 24, the District 86 Board of Education received a presentation about the Panorama surveys that were administered to students, teachers, staff and parents/guardians in the fall of 2021. This presentation included:

You can access the presentation and a summary report for each of the surveys that were administered by visiting https://bit.ly/3MahC8T. These reports have also been added to the strategic plan section of the district's website.

Our latest “Inside the Classroom” video features a visit to Chris Gumban's Madrigal Choir class at Hinsdale South.

In the video, which you can check out by visiting https://youtu.be/-xhXOeFPztA, we see the choir students developing their interpersonal skills, strengthening their friendships, and learning about the importance of collaboration and trust as they prepare for an upcoming concert.

We want to thank Mr. Gumban, senior Isabelle O'Neill and the rest of the class for not only sharing their time and talents with us, but also allowing us to experience the incredible sense of family that exists within the group.

The boys swimming and diving teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South finished their seasons strong at the state tournament. The Red Devils came in second place overall behind outstanding performances in several individual events, including:

The Hornets were represented at state by Will Gallagher and Parker Chan. Will took fourth place in the 50-yard freestyle and fifth place in the 100-yard backstroke, while Parker took 16th place in the 500-yard freestyle. In addition, South's Destiny Spann kicked off the tournament with a stirring rendition of the national anthem.

We congratulate both teams on their tremendous success this year.

Junior Victor Ferrell and sophomore Patrick Redding from Hinsdale Central took the top two spots in a competition organized by Sports Career Consulting, LLC that tasked students with "the development of a point of purchase display representing a consumer goods brand tied to Super Bowl LVI." Victor took first place for his "Lego Stadium" display, while Patrick tied for second with his "Gatorade Shower" concept.

Their success in the competition, which drew nearly 100 entries, was aided by the work they have done and lessons they have learned in Karen Russo’s Sports Marketing class. Students who take the class are introduced to the field of sports marketing and its role in society. They develop an understanding of the marketing concepts and theories that apply to sports and sporting events. They also plan, create, and assess sports marketing communication programs that include advertising, marketing, public relations and news media.

You can access additional information about the competition, including the feedback that Victor and Patrick received on their entries, by visiting http://bit.ly/2Z02SkJ.

We congratulate Victor and Patrick on their incredible accomplishments, and thank Ms. Russo for all she does to foster the growth and development of her students.

We want to congratulate the math teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South on their success at the recent West Suburban Math League conference tournament. The Red Devils bested 14 other teams en route to the championship, while the Hornets took fourth place, had the MVP for the event (Elijah John) and won the school's first title in the Oralists category (Elijah John and Anastasia Galinski).

You can access additional information about the accomplishments of our math students in the latest editions of the Red Devil Activities Update and Hornet Happenings.

The Hinsdale Central Latin Club commemorated the Roman festival of Lupercalia on Feb. 23.

After learning about the holiday, the students played Bucca Bucca (a Roman version of Rock, Paper, Scissors), made togas out of yarn, and created/raced their own model chariots.

In honor of the Olympic Games, the world language clubs from Hinsdale South competed in a few minute-to-win-it competitions, including:

We congratulate the members of South's French Club on their overall victory in the competitions.

Vincent Galassi from Hinsdale Central has been named to the Illinois High School Association's (IHSA) 2021-22 Honorable Mention Team for academics. He and classmate Tessa Howe were the school's nominees for the 2021-22 IHSA All-State Academic Team.

In order to be nominated, students must possess a minimum 3.50 grade point average on a 4.0 scale after their seventh semester, have participated in at least two IHSA-sponsored sports or activities during each of the last two years, and demonstrated outstanding citizenship.

We congratulate both students on their nominations, and Vincent on his selection to the Honorable Mention Team.

We want to congratulate Hinsdale South's Global Humanitarian Club on the success of its student-staff basketball game on Feb. 24. The event raised more than $1,000 to benefit Save the Children's efforts to provide food, shelter and medical supplies to children in Afghanistan.

Great job, Hornets.

Hinsdale Central's Ecology Club is teaming with Tree-Plenish on a tree sapling event. The goal of this event is to encourage people to plant more trees to help offset the school's paper usage.

The club is offering three different local species of tree (Pin Oak, Red Maple and Red Oak) for $5 each that can be ordered by March 24 and picked up on April 24.

You can learn more about this event or order a sapling by visiting http://tpevents.org/school/2255.

The district's fine arts department produces newsletters that celebrate the hard work, creativity, and accomplishments of the students and staff at Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central. Below are the latest editions of both publications.

We congratulate the members of the fine arts department on their amazing accomplishments, and thank them for sharing their good news with us.

Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South are teaming up with Young Hearts for Life (YH4L) to offer free heart screenings for all students. The screenings will take place at Central on March 24 and at South on April 7.

How important is it for young adults to get this done every two years? Thirteen students from Central had previously undiagnosed cardiac conditions identified during the last screening.

You can use the links below to learn more about YH4L's program, register your child for a screening and/or sign up to help out at the events.

Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central will be offering in-person preschool programs in April and May through their Child Care and Development classes. These programs, which are open and available to all families regardless of whether they live in the community, focus on developmental appropriateness, creativity, safety, independence and social skills. Discounts are available for any District 86 employee who is interested in enrolling their children.

If you have questions or need more information about the preschool program at South, please email Laura Hughes at lhughes@hinsdale86.org. If you have questions or need more information about the preschool program at Central, please email Lisa Sopiarz at lsopiarz@hinsdale86.org.

If you missed the edition of Board Briefs for the board of education meeting on Feb. 24, please visit https://conta.cc/3HlMWOd.