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 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.
Students from Hinsdale South 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. Eli Carder, Adolph Galinski and Rishikesh Joshi took the top spots on the AMC 10 A test, while Anastasia Galinski, Henry Joyce and Eva Maria Louis 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." You can learn more about them by visiting https://www.maa.org/math-competitions/amc-1012.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.

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.
Kim Estoque from Hinsdale Central has been named the state coach of the year in girls gymnastics by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Jared Friebel, who is an English teacher at Hinsdale Central, has been 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.
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

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.
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 South's fine arts department was invited to perform its production of "Carrie: The Musical" at the Illinois Theatre Festival.
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.
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.
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 boys soccer team from Hinsdale Central won its regional and sectional championships.
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.
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.
The varsity girls tennis team from Hinsdale Central won its conference, sectional and state 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.
Thirty-one seniors from District 86 were named semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. They were among the more than 16,000 students from across the country who were selected as semifinalists from the 1.5 million individuals who took the qualifying exam last year.
Twenty-one students from District 86 were among the 62,000 individuals from across the country who earned academic honors from the College Board's National Recognition Program. These honors include the National African American Recognition Award (NAARA) and National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA), which require that students have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Students must also score in the top 10% by state on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10, or earn a 3 or higher on two or more distinct AP exams.
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.
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.