Awards and Accomplishments

Click through the tabs below to view some of the recent honors, awards and accomplishments that were earned by our students, staff, schools and district.

Individual Students

Seniors Ediz Canigur, Isabella Levinthal and Kevin Zhang from Hinsdale Central were named candidates for the 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
Mai-Jeanna Sakho from Hinsdale Central was among the 1,755 high school seniors from across the country who was awarded a full scholarship for college through the QuestBridge National College Match program. This program "connects high-achieving high school seniors from low-income backgrounds with full four-year scholarships to 48 of the nation’s best colleges."
District 86 students earned the top three scores on the examinations that were administered in conjunction with the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) for individuals in grades 10 and below and 12 and below. Ethan Charoenpitaks, Yash Gupta and Layla Xiao from Hinsdale Central took the top spots on the AMC 10 test, while Eli Carder, Adolph Galinski and Rishikesh Joshi from Hinsdale South took the top spots on the AMC 10 A test. Meanwhile, Wilbert Chu, Sebastian Attlan and Alex Yang from Central took the top spots on the AMC 12 test, while Anastasia Galinski, Henry Joyce and Eva Maria Louis from South took the top spots on the AMC 12 A test. The competitions, which are organized by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), provide an opportunity for high school students to "develop positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers."
Wilbert Chu and Sebastian Attlan from Hinsdale Central took first place in the Junior-Senior 2-Person Team event at the Division 4AA state championship for math.
Cayleigh O'Hare from Hinsdale Central presented her research (3D-Biofabrication of a Novel Peripheral Nerve Conduit Using PLG and Graphite) at the Biomedical Engineering Society's (BMES) annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas Oct. 12-15. She was named a 2022 Teen Changemaker by the DuPage County Prevention Leadership Team (PLT) for her "dedication to the health and wellness of her peers, her dedication to Reality Il and her work related to creating a virtual mental health platform for students who were quarantined." In addition, she, along with Priya Dhananjaya from Central, were among the 1,557 students from across the country who were named 2023 Coca-Cola Scholar Semifinalists based on their "academic excellence, leadership, and service demonstrated in school and community activities." She also participated in the 2023 Irish Dance World Championships with classmates Aoife Stover and Gracie Massery. O'Hare's team took first place in the age 16-19 competition, while Stover and Massery's team took first place in the age 13-16 competition.
Fatima Khan, who is a senior at Hinsdale Central, had her paper published in the August issue of the International Journal of High School Research (IJHSR). The paper, which was titled “The Cost of Healthy Drinking Water," explored not only the qualities that constitute the healthiest drinking water, but also whether the most expensive drinking water is the healthiest for a person to consume.
Hinsdale South senior Jokubas Slajus and his teammates from the Professional Cooking, Baking and Service program at the Technology Center of DuPage qualified for nationals after taking first place in the Culinary Competition at the 23rd Annual Illinois ProStart Invitational.
Hinsdale Central seniors Katie Brophy and Delaney O'Neal took the top two spots in a competition organized by Sports Career Consulting, LLC that tasked students with "the development of a point of purchase display representing a consumer goods brand tied to Super Bowl LVII." Brophy came in first place for her “Tostitos Kelce Bowl” concept, while O'Neal tied for second with her “Tostitos Scoreboard” display.
The following District 86 students won awards in their STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) or proficiency events at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America's (FCCLA) recent state competition.
- Zuzanna Sokolowski (Hinsdale Central) - Gold and Most Outstanding in the Fashion Construction STAR event
- Keira Leech (Hinsdale Central) - Silver and Most Outstanding in the Nutrition and Wellness STAR event
- Eva Bargher and Ashley Leban (Hinsdale South) - Gold and Most Outstanding in the Interior Design state proficiency event
- Toral Bhatt (Hinsdale Central) - Gold in the Apparel Construction (Casual Wear category) state proficiency event
- Maddy Ventimiligia (Hinsdale South) - Gold in the Pastry Arts: Frosted Cakes state proficiency event
- Chloe Chang (Hinsdale Central) - Silver in the Preschool Lesson state proficiency event
Quentin Giron from Hinsdale Central won Reserve Grand Champion and Class Champion at the DuPage County Fair's 4-H show for his small engines exhibit. He earned the chance to showcase his work at the Illinois State Fair, where his exhibit (one of 25 from across the state to qualify for this opportunity) was awarded one of three championships.
Bryce Giron from Hinsdale Central won Reserve Grand Champion at the DuPage County Fair's 4-H show for his project from Woods Class.
Hinsdale Central's Jakobi Lange was named a First-Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. He was also named to the First Team All-State by the Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association, and ranked eighth on the 2023 VolleyballMag.com Boys Fab 50 list of "senior-age youth players in the nation."
Hinsdale Central's Dan Watcke was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Illinois Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. This award "recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field."
The following players from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South earned accolades in conjunction with the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association's (IHSSCA) 36th Annual Girls Soccer Honors Program.
- All-State Field Player Selections - Ava Elliott (Central)
- All-Sectional Selections - Audrey Atkinson (South) and Carter Knotts (Central)
- Honorable Mention All-Sectional Selections - Makena Camden (South) and Avery Edgewater (Central)
- All-Sectional All-Academic Selections - Makena Camden (South) and Madelyn Panveno (Central)
- IHSSCA Sportsmanship Cup for Section 2 - Hinsdale Central
- All-Sectional Sportsmanship Selections - Olivia Fulton (South) and Julia Marinaccio (Central)
Hinsdale Central's Ben Oosterbaan was named to the 2023 Chicago Sun-Times All-Area Basketball Team, which recognizes the "20 best players in the Chicago area for the 2022-23 high school basketball season," and to the Illinois Associated Press' all-state second team for Class 4A. He and teammate Chase Collignon were also named to the Daily Herald's 2022-2023 DuPage County All-Area Boys Basketball Team.
Hinsdale South's Amelia Lavorato was named to the Daily Herald's 2022-2023 DuPage County All-Area Girls Basketball Team.
Hinsdale Central's Shannon Stover was among the 26 seniors from across Illinois who were named to the Illinois High School Association's (IHSA) 2023 All-State Academic Team.
Erika Kalman and Kaitlyn Thick from Hinsdale Central were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) Best and Brightest First Team. In order to be eligible for this award, which honors student-athletes who excel on and off the court, Kalman and Thick had to earn at least a 3.8 unweighted or 4.3 weighted GPA during their junior year and play in 50% of the varsity team’s sets during their senior season.
Hinsdale Central's Tommy Webster broke the school's all-time points record and single-season scoring record for boys lacrosse.
Several students from Hinsdale Central qualified for the 2023 National Speech & Debate Tournament, including:
- Paul William Schmeltz and Sebastian Attlan (Public Forum Debate)
- Kiran Gitzlaff (Informative Speaking)
- Anjali Jejurikar (Original Oratory)
- Kevin Zhang (United States Extemporaneous Speaking)
- Jackie Vogel (Humorous Interpretation)
- Adam DiPasquale and Shrihan Atluri (Public Forum Debate)
Hinsdale South's Alexandra Cima and Hinsdale Central's Tiffany Tu earned national honors from the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in conjunction with its Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Alexandra won a Gold Medal in the digital art category for her piece titled "Hearding Dogs," while Tiffany won a Silver Medal and American Visions Medal in the painting category for her piece titled "Conversation." Both of them qualified for nationals after winning Gold Keys in the regional competition.
Hinsdale Central's 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."
Jackie Vogel and Tess McArdle from Hinsdale Central's speech team took first place in the Humorous Duet Acting event at the state tournament.
Several students from Hinsdale South won titles in individual events at the sectional tournament for journalism, including:
- Noelle Waterman - tournament champion in Advertising
- Salam Bouso - tournament champion in Editorial Cartooning
- Ellen Mulgrew - tournament champion in Infographics
- Ayah Jaber - tournament champion in Yearbook Copy Writing
Hinsdale South students Olivia Fulton, Kaitlyn Wong and Rebecca Williams earned top awards for the work they submitted for the annual Write-On writing competition that was hosted by the Indian Prairie Public Library. Fulton took first place in the poetry category, while Wong and Williams took first and second place respectively in the short stories category. Write-On is a series of writing events and activities for kids and teens that is sponsored by the Gift of Carl Foundation. The foundation was formed in memory of Carl Vuillaume, a student from Hinsdale South who drowned in 2005 at the age of 16.
Arjun Shah from Hinsdale Central was selected for the cast of the All-State Production of "Shrek the Musical," which will be performed during the 2023 Illinois High School Theatre Festival.
Three members of Hinsdale South's Environmental Concern Organization won awards in conjunction with the 17th annual Sustainable Design Challenge that was hosted by SCARCE (School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education) and the DuPage County Stormwater Management. Claire Petrosius and Grace Koziol won Best Overall LEED Design, while Owen Atkinson won Best Stormwater Design.
Hinsdale South's Oliwia Mikos took third place and won a prize of $3,000 in The BIG IDEA Pitch Contest for her Aqua Safe business concept, which features a system of devices that will send an alert to a parent/guardian if their child has fallen into a body of water and is at risk for drowning. The contest, which was organized by Innovation DuPage and the College of DuPage, gave students the chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of expert judges who were looking for "innovative products and services that solve real problems to satisfy the needs of growing markets."
Hinsdale Central's Samiksha Gupta, Nicole Hu and Meghna Mitra were recognized by the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and InnerView Technologies in conjunction with their sixth Annual Community Service Awards. All three of them earned an Ambassador Award for completing at least 100 hours of community service and 12 service activities.
The Rotary Club of Hinsdale presented its Youth Merit Award to Hinsdale Central seniors Sam Chung, Alexander Hadesman and Jenna Jazayerli. This award "recognizes extraordinary high school and middle school students for services to their community and classmates, leadership qualities and academic achievements."
Hinsdale South senior Ella Hardman had her artwork featured on the 2023 vehicle sticker for the city of Darien.
Teagan Dunn from Hinsdale Central was one of 10 students chosen to help select the nominees for next year's Lincoln Award (Illinois Teen Readers’ Choice Award). The Lincoln Award, which is sponsored by the Association of Illinois School Library Educators, is designed to encourage teens to read for personal satisfaction and become familiar with authors of young adult and adult books.

Faculty & Staff

Arpan Chokshi, who is a social studies teacher at Hinsdale Central, and Stephen Moore, who is an English teacher at Hinsdale South, earned the Outstanding Educator Award from the University of Chicago. They were among the educators who were recognized this year for the significant role they play in their students' education, and the positive impact they have on the lives of those they teach.
Julie May, who is the chair of the science department at Hinsdale Central, was nominated for the Northwestern University Morton Schapiro Distinguished Secondary School Teacher Award.
Jessica Hurt, who is the assistant principal for curriculum and instruction at Hinsdale Central, was named the Assistant Principal of the Year for the DuPage Region by the Illinois Principals Association.
Hinsdale South's Sean Beesley was named a CTE (career and technical education) instructor of the year for the DuPage region. This award, which is sponsored by the DuPage Area Occupational Education System and College of DuPage, recognizes individuals who "demonstrate innovation, passion, and advocacy for СТЕ."
Jared Friebel, who is an English teacher at Hinsdale Central, was selected for the Chicago Area Writing Project’s Civic Engagement Fellowship for 2022-23. The Chicago Area Writing Project is among the sites that are connected to the National Writing Project and support its efforts to improve the teaching of writing and learning in schools and communities.
Dan Jones, who is the athletic director for Hinsdale Central, earned a Distinguished Service Recognition Award from the Illinois Directors of Student Activities (IDSA). This award honors people who have "made lifetime contributions impacting student activity programs." He was also named the Illinois Boys Lacrosse Coaches Association Man of the Year.
Several staff members from District 86 were named Outstanding Activity Advisors by the Illinois Directors of Student Activities (IDSA), including:
- Monique Alexander (Hinsdale South)
- Maria Cotter (Hinsdale Central)
- Lisa Hikes (Hinsdale Central)
- Janelle Hoeksema (Hinsdale Central)
- Cindy Kasten (Hinsdale Central)
- Alan McLoud (Hinsdale Central)
- Ashley Yurchak (Hinsdale South)
Kim Estoque from Hinsdale Central was named the state coach of the year in girls gymnastics by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Bob Barber from Hinsdale Central was named the sectional swimming coach of the year.
Mike Wiggins, who is the head coach of the boys soccer team at Hinsdale Central, earned his 400th career victory.
John Naisbitt, who is a social studies teacher and coach at Hinsdale Central, was inducted into the University of Chicago Laboratory High School Athletics Hall of Fame in October. Naisbitt, who graduated from the Lab School in 1980, played four different sports and earned nine varsity letters during his high school career.

Schools & District

Thirty seniors from District 86 were among the 15,000 individuals from across the country who were named finalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Seventeen students from Hinsdale Central earned the AP Capstone Diploma award from The College Board, which is granted to students who earn a score of three or higher on the AP Seminar and AP Research exams, as well as on four additional AP exams of the student's choosing.
Students from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South earned several awards from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and the College Board that included: National Merit Semifinalist, National Merit Commended Student, the National African American Recognition Award and the National Hispanic Recognition Award. You can access the list of Central students who were honored by visiting https://bit.ly/3EjUTFv and the list of South students who were honored by visiting https://bit.ly/3zK36Qq.
Nearly 300 students from District 86 were named Illinois State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. They were selected for this honor based on their SAT and/or ACT test scores and sixth semester class rank.
Hinsdale Central's varsity, junior varsity and junior varsity 2 boys swimming and diving teams all took first place at their respective conference championships and won a combined 64 medals (33 gold, 23 silver and eight bronze). The varsity team won the sectional title for the second straight year, took first place in every individual event had 20 top three finishes. The Red Devils finished the season by winning the state title for the first time since the 2014-15 school year. They scored 253 points, which was the highest total recorded by a state champion in almost 50 years, won championships in five individual events, set three state records and had 18 top 10 finishes. They also earned the top spot in the national high school rankings compiled by Swimcloud.
The varsity girls tennis team from Hinsdale Central won its conference, sectional and state championships.
The boys tennis teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South won their respective sectional championships.
The varsity girls and boys golf teams from Hinsdale Central won their respective conference, regional and sectional championships. At state, the girls team won their first title since the 2015-16 school year, while the boys finished in second place.
The girls swimming and diving team at Hinsdale Central won the conference championship, captured its fourth straight sectional championship and took second place at state for the second consecutive year. The team also had two individual state champions - Kit Schneider in the 50-yard freestyle and Caroline Kramer in the 100-yard breaststroke.
The girls lacrosse team from Hinsdale Central won its sectional and supersectional championships.
The boys soccer team from Hinsdale Central won its regional and sectional championships.
The girls soccer teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South won their respective regional championships. The Red Devils also won the sectional title.
The badminton teams from Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central won their respective sectional championships. It was the third straight title for the Hornets and ninth straight title for the Red Devils.
The boys cross country program from Hinsdale Central captured the conference title at all levels for the first time in school history. The varsity team went on to win its regional championship and finish in second at sectionals. The Red Devils concluded their season by taking second at state for the second straight year. They were led at the state tournament by Aden Bandukwala, who won the first individual title in school history.
The boys track and field team from Hinsdale Central took fourth place at state and won individual titles in the following events:
- Daniel Watcke - 800-meter run
- Aden Bandukwala - 1600-meter run (set a personal record in the event)
- Michael Skora, Grant Miller, Kyle Doorhy and Dan Watcke - 4x800 relay
The boys basketball team from Hinsdale Central won its conference and regional championships.
The boys bowling team from Hinsdale South qualified for state for the first time in 15 years after taking fifth place at the sectional tournament.
The Hinsdale Central girls volleyball team was among the 35 teams from across the country (22 college teams and 13 high school teams) that earned the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Community Voting Award for having 100% of their eligible student-athletes and staff vote in the November election.
More than 90 students from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South qualified for the Business Professionals of America's (BPA) state competition after earning a combined 101 top five finishes (35 first place, 27 second place, 17 third place, 14 fourth place and eight fifth place) in their events at regionals. At the state competition, the two schools had 30 students qualify for nationals and earned a combined 23 top five finishes (four first place, seven second place, seven third place, two fourth place and three fifth place).
Solstice, which is the art and literary magazine produced by students and staff from Hinsdale Central, was awarded a Silver Crown by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). This was the third year in a row the publication won a Crown Award, which is the highest recognition CSPA gives to a student print or digital medium for overall excellence.
Vespa, which is Hinsdale South's yearbook, earned a rating of All-American from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) for its 2021-22 edition titled "Made You Look." This is the highest rating the publication could have received from NSPA, and one that places it among the best in the nation. The 2021-22 edition of Vespa also received five blue ribbons, a Gold Certificate and a Golden Eagle Award from the Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association. This combination of honors earned the publication the distinction of being one of the best yearbooks in the Northern Illinois region.
The Scholastic Bowl team from Hinsdale Central went undefeated in the regular season (12-0) and conference tournament (3-0) to retain its title as conference champions. The team also took first place at sectionals and qualified for the state tournament.
Thirty-seven students from District 86 earned a total of 71 awards (14 Gold Keys, 26 Silver Keys and 31 Honorable Mentions) from the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in conjunction with its Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
The speech team from Hinsdale Central won the regional championship and had 15 top four finishes in its individual events. The team also tied for first at sectionals and had top three finishes in nine individual events.
The math teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South took first and second place at their respective regional tournaments. They also earned a combined 19 first or second place finishes in their individual events.
More than 60 students from District 86 earned All District selections for band, chorus, jazz band and orchestra from the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA). Of those students, 12 earned All State selections from ILMEA.
Hinsdale Central's marching band has been invited to take part in the London New Year's Day Parade in 2024. The annual parade attracts more than 10,000 participants from the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.
Hinsdale South's fine arts department was invited to perform its production of "Carrie: The Musical" at the Illinois Theatre Festival.
Students from District 86 earned 29 gold medals, 33 silver medals, and 45 bronze medals for the scores they received on the national Spanish, French, Latin and German exams.
More than 140 students from District 86 have earned the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy this year. They received the award for scoring a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement exam last spring, or performing well on a qualifying language proficiency test this year. There were also several students who earned this honor in two languages, including:
- Sami Alkhudari (South) - Arabic and Spanish
- Shreya Bhalerao (Central) - Hindi and Punjabi
- Elyssa Chandler (Central) - French and Spanish
- Rebecca Guan (Central) - Chinese and Spanish
- Aleksandra Korza (Central) - Polish and Spanish