Reminder - we have partnered with Osco to secure 6,000 doses of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine for eligible students (must be 12 or older) in DuPage County. Students can receive their first shot on May 20 at Hinsdale Central or on May 26 at Downers Grove South. Their second shot will be administered three weeks later - i.e., June 10 at Hinsdale Central and June 16 at Downers Grove South. All inoculations will take place between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and be provided free of charge.

Families can learn more about this opportunity and/or register eligible students for an appointment by visiting https://conta.cc/3bmo4IZ.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an update that addresses how its revised guidance about wearing masks should be applied to schools for the remainder of the school year. In this update, the CDC stated that schools should "continue to use the COVID-19 prevention strategies outlined in the current version of CDC’s Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools for at least the remainder of the 2020-2021 academic school year." This includes prioritizing the "universal and correct use of masks and physical distancing."

The CDC plans update its guidance for schools in the coming weeks, which will help inform planning for the 2021-22 school year. We will share this updated guidance with our students, staff and families when it becomes available.

Reminder - the final three days of school for freshmen, sophomores and juniors (May 19-21) will follow an early release schedule. All students will have 38-minute classes with five-minute passing periods (no lunch). They will be free to leave at 1 p.m. on these days, but will be encouraged to meet with their teachers in the afternoon to discuss any missing assignments.

Below is the COVID-19 data for the district as of Friday, May 14.

You can access the dashboard where this information is being stored by visiting https://bit.ly/3d93aws.

In the first of the weekly video updates we will be providing about our Future Ready Facilities projects, Jeff Dvorak from Pepper Construction talks about the progress on the new natatorium at Hinsdale Central and the start of the student services addition in the school's courtyard.

You can check out the video by visiting https://youtu.be/7mbSVxsK8y8.

During its meeting on May 13, the District 86 Board of Education recognized the following staff members for their hard work and dedicated service.

During its meeting on May 13, the District 86 Board of Education approved the appointment of Dr. Patrice Payne as the director of instructional equity. She received a one-year contract that will begin on July 1, 2021.

You can access additional information about Dr. Payne's appointment by visiting https://conta.cc/3fwqndV.

On May 12, we joined school districts from across the country in celebrating National School Nurse Day.

We want to thank our wonderful nurses for all they do to keep our students and staff healthy and safe.

Senior Joyce Ebikhumi from Hinsdale South won best in state in the World of 7 Billion student video contest for her entry titled "Cleaning up Brownfields." The contest provides students with an opportunity to explore how human population growth impacts the following global issues:

It also challenges them to identify sustainable solutions for addressing those issues.

You can check out the list of state and international winners by visiting https://bit.ly/3fgIQe7. You can also learn more more about the contest by visiting https://bit.ly/3brIWP8.

We congratulate Joyce on this impressive accomplishment. We also thank science teacher Kristin Kaduk for supporting her in this endeavor.

Several students from Hinsdale Central won awards during the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America's (FCCLA) virtual state competition.

We congratulate the students on their achievements. We also thank faculty sponsor April McPhillips for all of her hard work.

The following students from District 86 finished in the top 10 in their individual events during the virtual competition held in conjunction with the Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Leadership Conference.

We congratulate all of the students on their success at the competition. We also thank faculty sponsors Ashley Yurchak and Janelle Hoeksema for everything they do on behalf of the BPA organizations at both schools.

On January 12, Adam Hallihan and Kristin Kaduk, who are the faculty sponsors for Hinsdale South’s Environmental Concerns Organization (ECO), were notified by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Division of Education and the Illinois Conservation Foundation that the school had been awarded one of 43 Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grants for 2021. The $972.25 South received via the grant helped purchase native plants, mulch and topsoil that were used to create a native pollinator garden.

The Stinger newsmagazine posted photos on its website of ECO club members working on the garden. You can check them out by visiting https://bit.ly/3w5oHhS.

We congratulate Mr. Hallihan, Ms. Kaduk and the members of ECO on the creation of the garden, and look forward to seeing its progress and growth in the days ahead.

In last week's update email, we highlighted the accolades that Hinsdale South students earned for their performance on the world language national examinations that were administered during the 2020-21 school year. This week, we spotlight the achievements of the students from Hinsdale Central.

Students from Hinsdale Central earned 26 gold medals, 44 silver medals, 39 bronze medals and 33 honorable mentions for the scores they received on the Spanish, French and Latin national exams. We want to commend Nadir Muzaffar and Joy Chen for getting perfect scores on the Latin Exam. We also want to recognize Yanning (Maria) Jiao, who received a platinum award for earning the highest score in the nation on the Level 1 French exam.

We congratulate the 142 students from Central who were recognized for their incredible success on the world language national examinations. You can access a complete list of the school's honorees by visiting https://bit.ly/3k5EGqn. We also want to thank teachers Sally Belter, Christy Brodell, Jennifer Cummings, Amanda Ketterhagen, Jennifer Klein-Chaney, Alisha McCloud, Julie Motluck, Courtney Mikulcik, Rebecca O’Connor, Kristine Pohlman, Deborah Trujillo, Renaud Verdier and Tanay Walery for all they do to nurture, guide and support our students in and out of the classroom.

The boys gymnastics team from Hinsdale South came in fourth place at the sectional tournament. Senior Henry Mihindou qualified for state at the event after taking second place on the still rings and third place on vault.

On April 30, sophomore Grant Balsys won an individual championship on floor, took second place on vault and finished in fifth place on the still rings at the conference tournament, which resulted in him earning third place in the all-around.

We congratulate the team and coach Jarrod Amolsch on their success.

Michael Lindsay, who was a member of the Bridge program's class of 2020, recently stopped by to share the news that he earned a participation award from Harvard University for serving as a delegate at a Model UN event it held in February.

We congratulate Michael on this incredible accomplishment. We also congratulate the 14 students who are exiting the program this year. We are incredibly proud of all of you.

Lastly, we want to thank the staff from Bridge for all they do to support the growth, development and success of our students.

If you missed the edition of Board Briefs for the District 86 Board of Education meeting that was held on May 13, please visit https://conta.cc/2QonTWo.

On May 23, The Community House will host the 14th Annual Walk the Walk for Mental Health. All of the money raised in conjunction with this event will be used to provide individuals and families with equitable access to critical mental health services.

You can access additional information about the event by visiting https://bit.ly/3gMt7Ga. You can also learn more about The Community House by visiting https://bit.ly/3aULtRD.