District 86 is currently working with a company called ParentSquare to implement a new platform for communications that is being utilized by an increasing number of school districts. This platform will:

We will provide families with additional information about ParentSquare prior to the first day of school. This will include instructions about items such as activating an account and setting up notification preferences. In the meantime, you can learn more about ParentSquare by visiting https://www.parentsquare.com/.

The District 86 communications department worked with the district’s English Language Learners (ELL) program to expand the translation feature that is currently available on our family of websites. This feature allows a user to have a site translated in their preferred language.

You can access the translation feature by clicking on the word English or the American flag in the lower right-hand corner of any webpage. When you click on the word or flag, it will open a list of available languages. You can select your preferred language by scrolling up or down the list and clicking on it. After you click on it, the entire site will automatically be translated into that language. You can check out a screencast video about how to locate and use the feature by visiting https://bit.ly/3oqDUw2.

Please note that a change will only be applied to the individual site where it is made (i.e., district, Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South or Transition Center). If you want to update the preferred language on more than one site (e.g., the district site and a school site), you will need to make the change on each of them. In addition, if you do not see your preferred language on the list, please email Alyssa Barry at abarry@hinsdale86.org.

The boys tennis team from Hinsdale Central earned its second straight state championship behind the stellar play of Alex Kotarski, who took second place in singles, and Nathan Hernandez and Bodie Teuscher, who took third place in doubles. The Red Devils also got huge contributions from Winston Stangle (reached the quarterfinals in the consolation bracket for singles) and James Theriault and Aidan Hernandez (reached the semifinals in the consolation bracket for doubles) en route to a combined record of 17-6 for the tournament and a seventh state title in the past 10 seasons.

Meanwhile, Zeke Bisharat and Ansh Desai from Hinsdale South had a strong showing at the 1A state tournament. The duo went 5-2 in doubles, made it to the semifinals in the consolation bracket and helped the Hornets to a 14th place finish.

The Red Devils took fourth place overall and won state titles in the following events:

Bandukwala also took third and set a personal record in the 3200-meter run.

Hinsdale Central junior Matt Ruth was named to the Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association's 2023 Honorable Mention All-State Team.

Hinsdale Central senior Analise Budziak took first place in the Randall Albers Young Writers Award contest that was organized by the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame (CLHOF). CLHOF established the award to not only honor Albers' work with young writers, but also "encourage and support writers in an early developmental stage." You can access additional information about the award and contest by visiting https://bit.ly/3MWcBDc.

We want to congratulate Analise on this amazing accomplishment, and wish her continued success in her pursuit of becoming a published novelist.

We want to congratulate Hinsdale South's Jokubas Slajus and his teammates from the Professional Cooking, Baking and Service program at the Technology Center of DuPage on taking 12th place at the National ProStart Invitational.

Well done, Jokubas.

Hinsdale Central junior Samiksha Gupta has developed a fitness and community service app called "WeLevitate." The app, which was officially launched during an event at The Community House on May 20, helps users set and achieve their fitness goals while making a positive impact on society. Please click here to learn more about the app and what led Samiksha to create it.

Congratulations, Samiksha. We are very proud of you and what you have achieved.

Hinsdale South recently welcomed new members into its World Language Honor Societies. Selection for these societies is based on scholarship (in general and in the language of study), active participation in world language activities, and personal interest in all things related to French, German, Latin and/or Spanish.

Below are the names of this year's inductees. We want to congratulate them on this tremendous achievement.

Claire Camden

Elisa Gonzalez

Duyen Millon

Asmitha Pallath

Marley Tarver

Kaj Grzybicki

Henry Joyce

David Ernst

Oliver Stehlik

Audrey Atkinson

Gabriella Brukasz

Eli Carder

Andrea Crisp

Ella DeGuzman

Ansh Desai

Jeremy Fung

Adolph Galinski

Nathaly García Fernández

Syed Hasan

Ayah Jaber

Isabella Jarosz

Elizabeth Martin

Annika Nicol

Anya Patel

Elena Rahman

Alexander Siarny

Mason White

Karen Zaki

Omar Aristizabal (Spanish, Latin)

The Hinsdale Central Latin program held its annual awards night on May 24. More than 100 students were honored for their performance on the world language national exam, and recognized for the amazing work they did in their classes throughout the year.

Hinsdale South named counselor Jim Dickerson and paraprofessional Bert Kleyweg the teacher and support staff members of the quarter. We congratulate the two of them on this honor, and thank them for all they do on behalf of the school and our students.

The District 86 Transition Program hosted its annual Community Appreciation Breakfast on May 23. This event honors the incredible community partners who provide students from the program with opportunities to develop critical life skills that help them pursue their long-term goals.

We want to thank all of our partners for their continued support of our program and the amazing young adults we have the privilege to serve.

There was a story in the Doings Hinsdale about the student-led service learning project that resulted in the beautification of Hinsdale South's courtyard area. You can access the online version of the story by visiting https://bit.ly/43tAeIr (subscription required) and the print version by clicking here.

There was an article in The Hinsdalean about the results of the intervention model that was introduced at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South.

There was a piece in The Hinsdalean about the top 10 performance that the Hinsdale Central girls track and field team turned in at the state tournament.

There was also a Q&A in The Hinsdalean with Hinsdale Central senior Grant Davis, who is a member of the school's baseball team.

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:

District 86 is partnering with the ACIS tour company to offer a trip to Greece and Italy during spring break of the 2023-24 school year. This opportunity will be open to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors from Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central (capped at 30 participants) who are "in good academic and behavioral standing." Highlights of the trip will include visits to the Acropolis of Athens, Delphi, Pompeii and Rome. You can access the website for the trip by visiting https://bit.ly/3OO6FgC.

Anyone who has questions or needs more information about the trip is encouraged to contact Dr. Peter DeRousse at pderouss@hinsdale86.org.

If you missed the edition of Board Briefs for the board of education meeting on May 25, please visit https://conta.cc/3MB4ieu.