This will be the final "Updates from 86" email for 2022. The next one will go out on Monday, Jan. 9. We hope everyone has a safe, restful and relaxing winter break.

The latest installment of “Inside the Classroom” features the Transition Center's Bridge program.

In this video, which can be viewed by visiting https://youtu.be/Gy0nBlkS10M, Bridge teacher Ray Baker explains how the program helps students successfully navigate the transition from high school to taking classes at the College of DuPage. He also talks about how the program helps students strengthen their social and emotional skills by working on time management, self advocacy and navigating relationships with their professors, peers and families.

In addition to Mr. Baker, we hear from Bridge student Khamani Williams, who says the people he works with through the Bridge program feel like a second family to him.

We want to thank Mr. Baker, Khamani and the rest of the class for allowing us to see how the Transition Center's Bridge program continues to support students as they learn, grow and lead after high school.

For the third straight year, Solstice, which is the art and literary magazine produced by students and staff from Hinsdale Central, has been named a finalist for a Crown Award by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). It is the only high school literary magazine from Illinois to earn this honor.

The Crown Award is the highest recognition CSPA gives to a student print or digital medium for overall excellence. The announcement about whether Solstice won a Gold or Silver Crown is expected to occur in March (the last two editions won a Gold Crown).

You can access additional information about the Crown Awards, including the list of this year's finalists, by visiting https://cspa.columbia.edu/2023-crown-awards-finalists.

We want to congratulate the students and staff from Solstice on this amazing accomplishment.

Prior to Thanksgiving break, Hinsdale South's Deaf Academic Bowl team (seniors Julia Andrzejczak and MacKenzie Waite, sophomore Vanessa Vogrig and freshman Alan Martinez) took part in the screening test for the Regional Academic Bowl competition that was hosted by Gallaudet University.

The screening test, which was held via Zoom, featured two rounds. During the first round, students worked together to answer questions about a variety of academic subjects. During the second round, students answered questions on their own.

Next up for the team is the Regional Championship, which is being hosted by the Texas School for the Deaf Feb. 16-19.

We want to congratulate Julia, MacKenzie, Vanessa and Alan on their success, and wish them the best of luck at the Regional Championship. We also want to thank faculty sponsors Kathy Craig and Danika Duvall for all they do to help, support and lead the team.

The Hinsdale Central girls gymnastics program had a strong showing at the Red Devil Invitational on Dec. 10.

The varsity team finished in second place at its level and recorded a season-high score of 137.625. The squad was led by Audrey Austin, who took first on the floor exercise and fifth in the all-around, and Hazel Hamelka, who took fourth on the balance beam and eighth on the vault.

The junior varsity team also finished in second place at its level, and received outstanding performances from CC Huber (first on the floor exercise and in the all-around) and Daria Kuznetsova (second on the uneven bars and third in the all-around).

We want to congratulate the team on its success at the competition. We also want to congratulate longtime coach Kim Estoque on the announcement that the event will be renamed after her.

The Hinsdalean's latest student-athlete profile features a Q&A with Hinsdale Central senior Noah Priest, who is a captain of the boys swimming and diving team. In the piece, Noah talks about how long he has been swimming, which events he considers to be his strongest and his goals for the season. He also shares information about his family and his plans for next year.

You can check out the profile on Noah by visiting https://bit.ly/3FzUEFt. Photo credit to Jim Slonoff from The Hinsdalean.

We want to congratulate the following Hinsdale South students on being named the school's Breakfast Club winners for second quarter. Their teachers nominated them for this award based on their academic or extracurricular accomplishments, contributions to the community or school spirit/pride.

The Hinsdale Central speech team turned in outstanding performances at several recent tournaments.

During competitions hosted by Neuqua Valley, Elk Grove, Palatine, and Naperville Central, the Red Devils earned two first place finishes and two second place finishes. They also had 31 top three finishes in their individual events, including 12 tournament championships.

We want to congratulate the members of the team on their accomplishments, and wish them continued success with their season.

Below are recent examples of District 86 students and staff giving back to the community and helping those in need.

Hinsdale Central's Varsity Club organized a pair of successful fundraising events. The first resulted in the donation of 51 gift cards to HCS Family Services in Hinsdale that were each worth $50. The second resulted in the donation of 150 buckets of basics (e.g., supplies, toiletries, etc.) to Sharing Connections in Downers Grove.

Hinsdale South held its second annual junior versus senior charity volleyball game. The proceeds from the evening were donated to Joey's Afterglow, which was launched in 2019 with the intent of inspiring random acts of kindness in memory of Joey Ventimiglia. As we shared in previous emails, Joey was a brave seven-year-old boy from Darien who passed away in 2018 from a rare form of cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).

Great job, Red Devils and Hornets.

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 December.

As we shared in October, the district's fine arts department produces newsletters that celebrate the hard work, creativity, and accomplishments of the students and staff from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South. Below are the December editions of both publications.

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

Representatives from Arkansas' Greenbrier High School visited Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South last week to learn about our district's implementation of social and emotional learning (SEL). The group stopped by a few classrooms and met with SEL coaches. They also observed SEL lessons, an SEL committee meeting and a Student Voice Committee meeting.

Greenbrier's decision to visit our schools was based on recommendations from the DuPage Regional Office of Education and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). 

The Technology Center of DuPage (TCD) is holding its annual winter open house on Jan. 19 from 6:30-8 p.m. This event will provide prospective students and their parents/guardians with a chance to learn about the career and technical education opportunities that TCD will be offering during the 2023-24 school year.

You can access additional information about the open house and TCD by visiting

https://www.tcdupage.org/openhouse.

If you missed the edition of Board Briefs for the board of education meeting on Dec. 15, please visit https://conta.cc/3uWUXVW.

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.