This is a reminder that the deadline for completing the back-to-school survey for families is Sept. 24 at 4 p.m.

Through this brief survey (33 questions that will take approximately 11 minutes to finish), parents/guardians will have the opportunity and ability to share their thoughts on several topics, including student needs, family-school communication and school public health measures.  Participation in this process is completely confidential - i.e., Panorama will not share people's individual responses with their child's school or the district.

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.

Last week's Wednesday Walk-Throughs took place on the district's first Flexible Learning Day of the 2021-22 school year. On this day, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss, Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp from Hinsdale South and Principal Bill Walsh from Hinsdale Central visited the spaces in our buildings where teachers were discussing and reflecting upon the importance of using an equity lens when grading.

We are pleased and proud to announce that 21 seniors from Hinsdale Central have been named semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among the 16,000 students from across the country who were selected as semifinalists from the more than 1.5 million individuals who took the qualifying exam last fall. They will now have the opportunity to compete for the 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered in the spring.

The students from Central who earned this honor include:

You can access additional information about the National Merit Scholarship Program by visiting https://bit.ly/2Zup73M.

We congratulate these students on this tremendous accomplishment, and wish them the best of luck in the next phase of the competition.

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 September.

Laura Milas from Hinsdale Central was selected by the Illinois Art Education Association (IAEA) as its Distinguished Service to the IAEA award winner for 2021.

Every year, the IAEA recognizes the top art, design, and media educators for their excellence and service to the field. The organization recognized Laura for her performance, service and leadership, which it described as "exemplary in every regard."

You can access an announcement about the award by visiting https://bit.ly/3AcYuk1.

We congratulate Laura on this well-deserved honor.

Members of the Hinsdale South school community, including several students, Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp and social studies department chair Kathy Lencioni, were invited to participate in the "Darien Honors Darien, Connecticut Residents Lost in 9/11" commemorative ceremony held on Sept. 11.

We thank Mayor Joe Marchese and the City of Darien for including us in this important event.

Anna Gruvberger, who graduated from Hinsdale Central in 2020, has been named a 2021 National Scholar by the James Beard Foundation. She is one of the 12 food-focused individuals from across the country who received a $20,000 scholarship to pursue an education in culinary arts, food studies, agriculture, hospitality management or other related fields.

The Doings Hinsdale published an article last week that featured a Q&A with Anna. In the piece, she talks about winning the scholarship, her experience at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration (she is currently in her sophomore year), her experience interning at the Kimpton Gray Hotel Group in Chicago and what she sees herself doing in the future. If you have an online subscription to the Chicago Tribune, you can access the article on its website by visiting https://bit.ly/3nHqMjc. Otherwise, we have scanned the print version of the piece that you can access by clicking here.

We congratulate Anna on this tremendous accomplishment.

In the latest weekly video update we created about our Future Ready Facilities projects, Pete Jezyk from Pepper Construction talked about the work that was completed over the summer at Hinsdale South, and the status of the school's new pool and fine arts addition.

You can check out the video by visiting https://youtu.be/GPDuf2m4EbM.

Below are a few of the recent honors and accomplishments that were earned by student-athletes and teams from Hinsdale Central.

You can access additional information and updates from Central's athletics department by visiting https://bit.ly/3nHPRKK.

Senior Peyton Wiley from the girls volleyball team and senior Logan Bryant from the football team were named the Hinsdale South Athletes of the Week for the week of Sept. 6.

Peyton, who is a captain and setter for the volleyball team, played in all 16 sets and seven matches during the week. She tallied two service aces, three kills, 66 assists (team leader) and 40 digs.

Logan played an instrumental role in the football team's 21-0 victory over Leyden. He returned a blocked punt for a touchdown to start the scoring. He also intercepted the Leyden quarterback to give the Hornets great field position. He was named captain of the week and received the coveted hitter stick award. 

We congratulate Peyton and Logan on this recognition.

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.

If you missed the edition of Board Briefs for the board of education meeting on Sept. 16, please visit https://conta.cc/3Akinpb.