We will be administering several assessments to our students in April. As we shared with families earlier this month, our freshmen will take the PSAT 9 on April 14, our sophomores will take the PSAT 10 on April 13, and our juniors will take the SAT on April 13 and Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) on April 14. You can learn more about these assessments, and access the testing schedule for April 13 and 14, by visiting https://conta.cc/3IXxZmX.

In addition to the PSAT, SAT and ISA, we will be administering the NWEA-MAP test to freshmen and sophomores in their math and English classes. The results from this test will help us assess student growth in these two core academic areas. They will also be used to inform instruction, provide additional support, and, in some cases, recommend enrichment opportunities.

Teachers will determine the date that their classes will take the MAP test. This will enable us to administer this important assessment, while also limiting disruptions to lesson planning and instructional time.

If you have questions or need more information about any of these assessments, please contact the assistant principal for curriculum and instruction (API) at your child's school. The API for Hinsdale Central is Jessica Hurt (jhurt@hinsdale86.org), and the API for Hinsdale South is Eric Martolf (emartzolf@hinsdale86.org).

Registration is now open for the district's summer school program. The first semester will take place June 13-30, while the second semester will be held July 5-21.

Please visit https://d86.hinsdale86.org/domain/641 to register for courses or learn more about our program.

Below are reminders about two surveys that stakeholders can use to provide us with feedback.

In December, we announced that the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) had named the 2020-21 edition of Solstice, which is the art and literary magazine produced by students and staff from Hinsdale Central, a finalist for a Crown Award. This is the highest recognition CSPA gives to a student print or digital medium for overall excellence. We also mentioned that we would find out in March if the publication won a Gold or Silver Crown.

We are pleased and proud to announce that, for the second straight year, Solstice has been awarded a Gold Crown by the CSPA. It is one of 20 print literary magazines in the country, and the only one from Illinois, to earn this honor.

In addition to the Gold Crown, Solstice received Gold Circle awards from the CSPA in the following categories:

You can learn more about the Golden Crown by visiting https://bit.ly/3q5gvNg and the Gold Circle Awards by visiting https://bit.ly/3JIWu7Z.

We congratulate all of the students who worked on the publication, including the following individuals who served as the editorial staff:

We also congratulate teachers Angelique Burrell and Michael Cousineau, who served as the faculty sponsors for the magazine.

The varsity Science Olympiad teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South are headed to the state tournament following outstanding performances at regionals. The Red Devils finished third overall, and took second place in three events, third place in six events, fourth place in four events and fifth place in four events. Meanwhile, the Hornets came in fifth overall, and took first place in two events, second place in two events and third place in three events.

Central also took part in a smaller but highly competitive regional tournament for junior varsity teams. The Red Devils finished second overall at the JV level, and took first place in eight events, second place in eight events, third place in three events and fourth place in one event.

We congratulate both schools on their success at regionals, and wish them the best of luck at state.

Last week, Hinsdale Central students Sebastian Attlan and Nate Maydanchik took part in the Mathematical Association of America's (MAA) United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) and United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO). These are competitions that last a total of nine hours over a two-day period.

Sebastian qualified for the USAMO by being one of the top-scoring AMC 12 participants, while Nate qualified for the USAJMO by being one of the top-scoring AMC 10 participants (AMC stands for American Mathematics Competitions). They should receive their results in the next two to three weeks.

We congratulate Sebastian and Nate on earning the opportunity to participate in these prestigious competitions.

Sebastian Attlan

Nate Maydanchik

Hinsdale South's theatre program is headed to state after winning the championship in Contest Play at the sectional tournament. In addition to the group taking home the title, students Cameron Chamberlain, Izzy O'Neill, Mitchell Hanson and Darrell Mondaine were named All-Sectional Actors. 

We congratulate the Hornets on this incredible accomplishment.

The following Hinsdale Central students finished in the top three in their individual events at the recent regional competition for the Illinois Design Educators Association.

We congratulate the Red Devils on their accomplishments at regionals, and thank teachers Matt Gawlik and Jon Schmidt for all they do to support the success of their students.

The mock trial team from Hinsdale South finished off a strong season by having the following members recognized during the recent state tournament.

We congratulate the team and faculty sponsor

Kathy Lencioni on their success this year.

Hinsdale Central made it back-to-back winners in the MileSplit Illinois Boys Performer of the Week. After taking home the honor with the other members of the school's 4x800 relay team, Dan Watcke earned the recognition last week for his performance in the 600-meter race at the conference championship. His time of 1:19.96 set a new school record, is the second fastest in state history and is top five in the country.

We congratulate Dan on this recognition, and thank the more than 600 people whose votes helped him earn it.

Students who receive educational and support services from the district's deaf and hard of hearing department will be part of the cast and crew for the Deaf Drama production of "The Hallmarks of Horror."

The performance will take place in the auditorium at Hinsdale South on April 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $6, and voice interpretation will be provided. You can access a flyer for the show by visiting https://bit.ly/3tggdpB.

Jessica Lahey, an educator and New York Times bestselling author, will be the featured presenter for the final virtual event being held in conjunction with the 2021-22 Community Speaker Series.

During this event, Lahey, who wrote "The Gift of Failure: How Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed," will help parents/guardians and educators understand the roots of substance abuse and identify who is most at risk for addiction. She will also provide evidence-based strategies and practical tools that can be used to support and educate resilient, addiction-resistant children.

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

You can register for the event by visiting https://bit.ly/35ESuGA. You can also access additional information about the Community Speaker Series by visiting http://www.d181foundation.org/.

The College of DuPage (COD) will be hosting its annual STEMCON event on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. During this event, COD staff and industry experts will provide attendees with information about some of the most in-demand and cutting-edge career opportunities.

You can learn more about STEMCON by visiting https://cod.edu/stemcon.

If you missed the edition of Board Briefs for the board of education meeting on March 24, please visit https://conta.cc/3LcYPID.

Please visit https://bit.ly/3d93aws to access the latest COVID-19 data for our district, community and county. As a reminder, below are the metrics we plan to update on a weekly basis.