Last week, we launched the District 86 "Inside the Classroom" video series, which was created to help highlight the interesting work and important learning that our students and staff are engaged in on a daily basis.

Our first installment took us inside Evan Haase's Metals, Glass and Jewelry class at Hinsdale Central where the students used different tools and techniques in conjunction with a lesson about making rings. You can access the video from the class by visiting https://youtu.be/cbOcaEsWNas.

We want to thank Mr. Haase, senior Annette Ciupek and all of the other students in the class for letting us be part of this incredible experience.

Employees who work in the administration building or are not assigned to a specific school - 98%

You can access the dashboard where this information is being stored and updated on a weekly basis by visiting https://bit.ly/3d93aws.

Hinsdale Central senior Alexandra Collins has been selected as one of the winners of the 2021 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. This annual award, which was established by author T. A. Barron in 2001, honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have had a positive impact on people, their communities and the environment.

Alexandra earned the award for the work she has done in her role as the co-founder of Students Against Ethylene Oxide (SAEtO). SAEtO is a

nonprofit that engages youth in fighting to ban the carcinogenic gas EtO near schools and residential areas.

When asked what she has learned from her work on this important issue, Alexandra said, "I’ve learned that youth shouldn’t be embarrassed or silenced by their lack of experience or expertise when combating issues in their community. Our voices should carry no shame, no quietness.”

You can access additional information about the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes and see the full list of winners for this year by visiting https://barronprize.org/meet-the-winners/2021-winners/. Photo credit to Jim Slonoff from The Hinsdalean.

We congratulate Alexandra on this well-deserved honor.

The following students from Hinsdale South were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program for their performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT):

*Those who were selected as semifinalists will have the chance to compete for the 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered in the spring.

We congratulate these students on their accomplishments, and wish the semifinalists the best of luck in the next phase of the competition.

The following individuals from Hinsdale Central were recognized as Commended Students by the National Merit Scholarship Program for their performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

We congratulate these students on this achievement.

Senior Mia Yen from Hinsdale South has been selected for the College Board's National Hispanic Recognition Program.

Students who earn this honor must meet one of the following assessment criteria:

They must also have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. You can access additional information about this program by visiting http://bit.ly/2nlTutk.

We congratulate Mia on this tremendous achievement.

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the Hinsdale Central Hispanic Student Association (HSA) held a virtual guest speaker panel on Sept. 23.

HSA invited four panelists from different heritages and backgrounds to talk about their professions and the influence their Hispanic culture has had on their lives. They included: Valerie Insignares, who is a corporate executive in the restaurant industry; Cristina Henríquez, an author who is best known for her novel "The Book of Unknown Americans;" and Natalia Krismancich and Catherine Arrieta, who are both federal interpreters.

Senior Bella Insignares and sophomore Gaby Veliz-Hernandez served as the moderators for the event, which was attended by students, staff and community members.

We want to compliment and commend the HSA and faculty sponsor Bianca Holland for all they have done to highlight and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month this year.

Students and staff from Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central are taking part in monthly social and emotional learning (SEL) lessons this year.

Hinsdale South's first #SouthPride lesson took place on Sept. 1 and focused on helping students identify the activities or athletic programs that might interest them. Meanwhile, Hinsdale Central's first Red Devil Reflection lesson will take place on Sept. 29 and provide students with an opportunity to reflect on how the past year has changed their perspective.

You can learn more about the district's focus on SEL by visiting https://d86.hinsdale86.org/Page/318.

Two members of Hinsdale Central's English department have been invited to speak at upcoming conferences.

Teacher Jared Friebel will give a presentation titled "Honoring Our Students' Work: IATE's Young Writers Poetry & Prose Contest" at the Illinois Association of Teachers of English Conference in October. Meanwhile, department chair David Lange will be part of a group that will give a presentation titled "Creating Balance of Professional Development Between Your Staff and Yourself" at the Council on English Leadership National Conference in November.

We congratulate Jared and David on being selected for these opportunities.

The boys and girls golf teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South turned in outstanding performances at their recent conference tournaments.

We congratulate all of the teams on their success, and wish them the best of luck heading into regionals.

In the latest video update we created about our Future Ready Facilities projects, Jeff Dvorak from Pepper Construction talked about the work that was completed over the summer at Hinsdale Central, and the status of the school's student services and fine arts additions.

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

The next District 86 Board of Education meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 30. The agenda and packet of materials for the meeting will be posted on BoardDocs (https://bit.ly/394u9as) and shared via email tomorrow (Sept. 28).

The annual Options Fair will be held virtually on Wednesday, Oct. 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This event helps students with special needs and their families plan and prepare for the transition from school services to adult life. You can learn more about and/or register for the fair by visiting https://bit.ly/3hFsSfs.

The Rotary Club of Hinsdale will hold its annual Hinsdale Rotary Run Charity Classic on Oct. 3. The event will feature several 3K, 5K and 10K run/walk races, and will help raise money for the following local nonprofit organizations:

You can access additional information about this event by visiting https://bit.ly/3AiXxGZ.

Jamil Zaki, who is a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, will be the first featured presenter for the 2021-22 Community Speaker Series. During a webinar being held on Oct. 5 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Zaki will talk about how empathy works and can be developed as a skill. He will discuss why kindness is not a sign of weakness, but rather a source of strength. He will also show those who are participating in the session how to change their professional, student, creative and personal relationships for the better.

The webinar is free and open to the public. However, registration is required if you want to take part in the livestream of the event, or watch the recording of it afterward.

Please visit https://conta.cc/3hGV0yW to register for or learn more about the webinar.