Updates from 86
Weekly news and information from District 86
Candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program
The following seven seniors from District 86 have been named candidates for the 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

  • Mitchell Hanson - Hinsdale South
  • Elijah John - Hinsdale South
  • Jui Khankari - Hinsdale Central
  • Maximilian Lai - Hinsdale Central
  • Andrew Metzger - Hinsdale South
  • Nadir Muzaffar - Hinsdale Central
  • Grant Zhang - Hinsdale Central

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 congratulate our students on this well-deserved honor.
"Inside the Classroom" Video Series
Our latest “Inside the Classroom” video features a visit to April McPhillips' Clothing Construction I class at Hinsdale Central. This hands-on, project-based course not only teaches students how to create their own garments, it also helps them develop their problem-solving skills and learn to be critical thinkers.

In the video, which you can check out by visiting https://youtu.be/1YsqMYjdReY, students from the class explore the basics of sewing, familiarize themselves with the equipment they will be using throughout the semester and collaborate with each other on their projects.

We want to thank Ms. McPhillips, junior Zuzanna Sokolowski and the rest of the class for sharing their time, talents and future creations with us.
Hinsdale South Civics Class
On Feb. 7, Hinsdale South students Hailey Bishop, Gustavo Botero and Camden Kiefer presented the Darien City Council with their idea for creating a local farmers market. You can check out their presentation by visiting https://youtu.be/w21ZgzvuHF8 (starts at the 10:52 mark and ends at the 27:40 mark).

The idea for the farmers market was something the students researched and worked on in conjunction with a semester-long service learning project in their civics class. They have been invited to partner with the Darien Citizens Action Group to explore the possibilities that exist for the concept.

We want to congratulate Hailey, Gustavo and Camden on a job well done. We also want to thank teachers Kelly Van Hout and Alex Bitto for providing the students with the opportunity to learn about and experience what it means to give back to the community.
Hinsdale Central Math Students
Two weeks ago, we highlighted the success that students from Hinsdale South had on the examinations that were administered in conjunction with the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) for individuals in grades 10 and below and 12 and below. This week, we are recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments of our math students from Hinsdale Central.

Central had 65 students participate in the AMC 10 and 12. Of those students, seven earned top scores and qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). On the AMC 10 test, Nathanial Maydanchik took first place, Kevin Xue took second place and Ashkay Naik took third place. Meanwhile, Grant Zhang and Wilbert Chu (tied for first place), Sebastian Attlan (second place) and Dmitriy Shvydkoy (third place) took the top three spots on the AMC 12 exam.

These competitions, which are organized by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), provide an opportunity for high school students to "develop positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers." You can learn more about them by visiting https://www.maa.org/math-competitions/amc-1012.

The students who qualified for the AIME took the exam last week. We will provide an additional update when we receive the results, and will let you know if anyone is selected to participate in the USA Mathematical Olympiad or Junior Mathematical Olympiad. In the meantime, we congratulate our students on their incredible achievements.
Latin Clubs
On Feb. 9, the Latin Clubs from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South participated in their third and final Certamen gathering of the year with their peers from Lyons Township and Benet Academy.

The students from Central (Raphael Aliaga, Hank Bolenbaugh, Ben Yan, Yusuf Ahmed, Jonathan DeToro, Jacob Zhang, M Bolenbaugh, Lucas DiGuido, Nadir Muzaffar, Sara Quiballo and Michael Sahs) took first place at the novice (Latin I), lower (Latin II) and upper (Latin III/IV) levels. The team finished the season in first at the novice and lower levels and second at the upper level. It also had the MVP at all three levels (Ben Yan - novice, Jonathan DeToro - lower and Nadir Muzaffar - upper). Next up for the group is a trip to regionals.

The students from South (Philemon Rassi, Rachele Cameli, Anna Meng, Emiliano Weiberg, Ibrahim Najjar, Mitchell Hanson, and Andrew Metzger) came in second place at the lower (Latin II) for the meet and the season.

We congratulate both clubs on their success at this year's Certamen competitions, and wish Central the best of luck at the regional tournament.
Transition Program
Young adults from the district's Transition Program recently toured the Double Good Gourmet Popcorn factory in Burr Ridge. During their visit, they learned about the importance of on-site safety in a food-based factory. They also learned about careers in sanitation, maintenance, production and shipping.

Going behind the scenes at local businesses is a vocational practice that the Transition Center uses to help young adults discover what job opportunities exist and determine which positions might best suit or interest them.
Kelly Watson
We shared a couple weeks ago that Hinsdale Central's Kelly Watson was named the assistant athletic director of the year by the Illinois Athletic Directors Association. Last week, The Hinsdalean published an article about Ms. Watson's recognition. The piece also touched on what she loves most about teaching and coaching, her efforts to maintain a strong work-life balance and her desire to see women get more opportunities to lead athletic departments.

You can check out the article by visiting https://bit.ly/3swNCe7. Photo credit to Jim Slonoff from The Hinsdalean.

We congratulate Ms. Watson again on this well-deserved honor.
Stanley Radziewicz
We want to congratulate Hinsdale South's Stanley Radziewicz on his retirement following 30 years of dedicated service as a member of the buildings and grounds staff.

We thank Stanley for everything he did on behalf of our schools, district and community, and wish him the very best in this exciting next phase of his life.
Chess
The chess teams from Hinsdale Central (11th place) and Hinsdale South (34th place) played masterfully during the state tournament in Peoria Feb. 11-12. They finished a combined 9-5, with their only losses coming at the hands of opponents ranked in the top 25.

We congratulate both teams and coaches Dylan Canavan and Michael Jazak from Central and Tony Malone from South on their successful seasons.
Speech Teams
The speech teams from Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central finished in second and third place respectively at their sectional tournament. They also had top three finishes in several individual events (listed below).

We congratulate both teams and coaches Danny Yuska from South and Paul Woods and Chris Wilbur from Central on their continued success, and look forward to their performances at state.

Hinsdale South

  • Cameron Chamberlain and Cate Cianci - first place in the Dramatic Duet Acting event
  • Darrell Mondaine and Grace Cvengros - first place in the Humorous Duet Acting event
  • Darrell Mondaine - first place in the Original Comedy event
  • Matthew Leonardson - second place in the Extemporaneous Speaking and Impromptu Speaking events
  • Grace Cvengros - second place in the Original Oratory event
  • Cameron Chamberlain - second place in the Prose Reading event
  • Izzy O'Neill - second place in the Special Occasion Speaking event
  • Destiny Prater - third place in the Poetry Reading event

Hinsdale Central

  • Ajay Gupta - first place in the Extemporaneous Speaking and Impromptu Speaking events
  • Tess McArdle - first place in the Humorous Interpretation event and third place in the Original Comedy event
  • Team - first place in the Performance in the Round event
  • Killian Hughes - first place in the Special Occasion Speaking event
  • Vanessa Ivanov and Vinny Galassi - second place in the Dramatic Duet Acting event
  • Jack Huber - second place in the Dramatic Interpretation event
  • Jack Huber and Nico Kiperman - second place in the Humorous Duet Acting event
  • Christine Leung - third place in the Radio Speaking event
Wrestling
Below are the names of the five wrestlers from District 86 who are headed to state after finishing in the top four in their weight class at the sectional tournament.

  • Cody Tavoso from Hinsdale Central - first place (132 lbs.)
  • Griffin Carr from Hinsdale South - first place (220 lbs.)
  • Manny Wallace from Hinsdale South - second place (160 lbs.)
  • Marko Ivanisevic from Hinsdale Central - second place (220 lbs.)
  • Alec Miller from Hinsdale South - fourth place (152 lbs.)

We congratulate all of our state qualifiers and their coaches, and wish them the best of luck in Champaign.
Gymnastics
Two members of the girls gymnastics team from Hinsdale Central are headed to the state tournament following a strong showing at sectionals on Feb. 7.

Kelly Klobach qualified for state in the all-around after taking first on the vault, second on the uneven parallel bars and third on the balance beam at the sectional tournament. Teammate Charlotte French will be joining her at the state meet after tying for fourth place on the uneven parallel bars.

We congratulate Kelly, Charlotte and Coach Kim Estoque on their success at sectionals, and wish them the best of luck at state.
Bowling
We want to congratulate Kelsey Pettry from Hinsdale South on advancing to the state finals for girls bowling in the wheelchair division.

We also want to congratulate Dana Euske from Hinsdale South and Avery Andersen from Hinsdale Central on the strong finish to their seasons. Dana came in 28th and Avery came in 47th out of the 100 bowlers who competed at sectionals.

We commend the Hornets and Red Devils on a great year, and wish Kelsey the best of luck at state.
Information Night Hosted by the Transition Family Group
The District 86 and District 88 Transition Family Group will be hosting a virtual presentation by the College of DuPage and Aurora University on Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

During the event, a representative from the College of DuPage will provide information about the services that are available to their students through the Center for Access and Accommodations and COACH, which is the school's college experience program. As for Aurora University, their portion of the presentation will be focused on their Pathways Program for students with disabilities.

You can access the Zoom link for this event, as well as information about previous or upcoming sessions, by visiting https://bit.ly/3kyqglb.
Hinsdale South Student-Staff Basketball Game
The Global Humanitarian Club from Hinsdale South is hosting a student-staff basketball game on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. to benefit Save the Children's efforts to provide food, shelter and medical supplies to children in Afghanistan. This event is being organized in conjunction with the club's annual efforts to raise money and awareness for a humanitarian crisis.

Admission for the game, which will take place in South's gymnasium, is $3. Please click the image on the right to access a flyer for the event.
Board Briefs
If you missed the edition of Board Briefs for the board of education meeting on Feb. 10, please visit https://conta.cc/33cBNRG.
COVID-19 Data
Below is the COVID-19 data (number of positive cases, number of people in isolation or quarantine, and vaccination rates) for the district as of Feb. 9.

Positive Cases, Isolation and Quarantine

  • Current number of positive cases among students and staff - 6
  • Current number of students and staff in isolation - 12
  • Current number of students and staff in quarantine - 5
  • Total number of positive cases among students and staff since the start of the 2021-22 school year - 643

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

Vaccination Rates
Hinsdale Central
  • Students - 81.93%
  • Staff - 95%

Hinsdale South
  • Students - 58.95%
  • Staff - 97%
Transition Center
  • Students - 68.14%
  • Staff - 90%

Districtwide Employees
Employees who work in the administration building or are not assigned to a specific school - 100%