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

Hinsdale Central senior Yanning Jiao earned a perfect score on the AP Drawing exam she took in May 2023. She is one of only 308 students from around the world to accomplish this feat.
The following Hinsdale Central students earned the AP Capstone Diploma award, which the College Board grants to individuals 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 their choosing:
- Leah Bradley
- Safa Fathima
- John Hines-Shah
- Jenna Jazayerli
- Abeeha Mirza
- Alexia Pappas
- Kavya Ravi
- Ramez Rifai

The following students from District 86 earned academic honors from the College Board's National Recognition Program. These honors included the National African American Recognition Award (NAARA), National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA) and National Indigenous Award (NIA).
- Avneesh Badiwale (NHRA)
- Emma-Sofia Gaytan (NHRA)
- Annabella Ramirez (NHRA)
- Emma LoDuca (NHRA)
- Elizabeth Lahmann (NIA)
- Kyra Harrison (NAARA)
- Elisa Gonzalez (NHRA)
- Taylor Gomez (NHRA)
Hinsdale Central senior and drum major Deona Julary was chosen to lead the Macy's Great American Marching Band in the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Each year, Macy's asks the Smith Walbridge Clinics to select a drum major for its feature band in the parade. Deona, who is a regular attendee of Smith Walbridge’s summer drum major camp, was picked for this opportunity based on her performance, work ethic, interaction, etc.
Hinsdale Central senior Aden Bandukwala earned his second straight individual state title in boys cross country. Bandukwala also came in first at the conference and sectional tournaments.
Hinsdale South’s Chloe Goins took third place in singles at the state tournament for girls tennis.
Several members of the varsity girls volleyball team from Hinsdale Central earned awards, including:
- Kendall Chen, Emma Quast, Grace Scott, Elizabeth Sessa and Siena Steines were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) Best and Brightest First Team. In order to be eligible for this award, student-athletes must 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.
- Chen, Quast, Scott and Sessa were named to the 2023 Academic Girls All-State Team by the Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association (IVCA).
- Sessa was named to the 2023 4A All-State Second Team by the IVCA.
- Quast and Ava Young earned Honorable Mention for the 2023 All-State Team from the IVCA.
- Young recorded her 1,000th career dig in a match against OPRF in the sectional semifinals.
Hinsdale Central senior Luca Davies broke the school record for most goals scored in a season by a member of the boys soccer team. He eclipsed the previous record of 24 set by Jack Smithson in 2003 when he scored his 25th of the year during the Red Devils’ 8-0 victory over Hubbard in the regional semifinals. Luca finished his senior season with 26 goals and his four years at Central with 45 goals. The 45 goals place him second on the school’s all-time goals list.
Grace Heaney, Kotryna Melstrad and Sophia Schiappa from the Hinsdale South girls volleyball team were named to the 2023 West Suburban Conference Gold All-Conference Team. Schiappa was also named to the West Suburban Conference All-Academic Team along with teammates Hailey Bishop, Claudia Budzak and Grace Heaney.
Several District 86 students earned top awards for the work they submitted for the annual Write-On writing competition that was hosted by the Indian Prairie Public Library. In the Short Stories category, Rayyan Qureshi from Hinsdale South took first place, Jocelyn Chou from Hinsdale Central took second place, and Rebecca Williams from Hinsdale South took third place. In the Poetry category, Kasra Mikaili from Hinsdale Central took first place and Elena Hernandez-Rahman from Hinsdale South took third place.

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.

Faculty & Staff

Hinsdale Central’s Ryan Maita was named the Assistant Principal of the Year for the DuPage Region by the Illinois Principals Association.
Hinsdale Central’s Bob Barber was selected the 2022-23 boys swimming and diving coach of the year by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
District 86 teachers Wendy Orloff-Bowman, Dan Scheldrup and Vince Doran 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.
Dawn Oler, who is a family and consumer sciences teacher at Hinsdale Central, was selected as a grant recipient for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program. Starting in January 2024, Ms. Oler spent five months in Finland pursuing her research (What the U.S. Can Learn From Finland About How Teaching Is Promoted as a Profession) at the University of Eastern Finland's Joensuu Campus.
Danny Yuska, who is an English teacher and the theater director at Hinsdale South, was named the all-state director for the 2025 Illinois High School Theatre Festival.
Hinsdale Central's Hannah Moulton won the Promising New Teacher of Mathematics Award from the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This award "honors one outstanding new teacher each year who has started his or her teaching career with tremendous success."
Chris Korfist, who is a former coach and current social studies teacher at Hinsdale Central, was selected for induction in the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (ITCCCA) Hall of Fame. This prestigious award is given to those who have made outstanding contributions to the sports of cross country and track.
The District 86 communications department won awards for its work during the 2022-23 school year. The department earned Awards of Merit from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for its creation of the strategic plan milestone report and redesign of the district’s website. It also earned an award from the Illinois Chapter of NSPRA for the “Inside the Classroom” video series.

Schools & District

Twenty-six seniors from District 86 were among the more than 16,000 individuals from across the country who were named finalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
More than 270 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 and Hinsdale South were named to the Advanced Placement Program (AP) School Honor Roll. Central earned a gold level of distinction and South earned a silver level of distinction for their commitment to “increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness.” South also earned the AP Access Award, which “honors schools that demonstrate a clear and effective commitment to equitable access to advanced coursework.”
The varsity girls and boys golf teams from Hinsdale Central won their respective conference, regional and sectional championships. Both teams finished their seasons by taking second place at state.
The varsity boys soccer team from Hinsdale Central captured its second straight regional championship.
The varsity girls volleyball team from Hinsdale Central won its regional championship.
The boys and girls soccer teams from Hinsdale Central earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2022-23 school year. This award is given to teams that maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.25 for the entire academic year. Central was one of 39 high schools from across the country whose boys and girls teams both received this honor. The girls team was also one of 37 teams from across the country that won the Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award from United Soccer Coaches. This award recognizes teams for “exhibiting fair play, sporting behavior, and adherence to the laws of the game.”
Vespa, which is Hinsdale South's yearbook, earned an All-American rating and five out of five Marks of Distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) for its 2022-23 edition titled “Redefining Boundaries.” This is the highest rating the publication could have received from NSPA, and one that places it among the best in the nation.
More than 50 students from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South earned All District selections for band, chorus, jazz band and orchestra from the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA).
The Hinsdale Central speech and debate program earned the 2022-2023 Leading Chapter Award in the Illini District from the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA). This award, which is based on student participation throughout the school year, is the highest recognition a program can receive from the NSDA. Of the more than 3,000 member schools that are in the association nationwide, Central was one of only 108 to receive this honor.