Tell Your Story

Here’s a really cool and new literary event created just for Hinsdale Central students.

Have you ever heard “The Moth” on NPR?  It’s like a crowd-sourced “The American Life.”  Three English teachers have created an event, scheduled for  the evening of February 19th, that will allow students to "tell their story" in a coffee-house-like setting.  Live musical entertainment and refreshments will be provided.

Student writing submissions are due on January 29th.

The theme of this year's event is "Waves."  Students must draw inspiration from the theme and be true and be about YOU, not a best friend.

Please see a flier here.  

Do you want more information?  You can contact me, or Mrs. Robyn Corelitz (rcorelitz@hinsdale86.org), Mr. Hasham Bhatti (hbhatti@hinsdale86.org), or Ms. Kate Saunders (ksaunders@hinsdale86.org).

The deadline for submissions is on Jan. 29^th and the event will be on Feb. 19^th.

Two English Teachers Present at National Teacher Leadership Conference

Jared Friebel
photo credit: 

David Lange
photo credit: 

Two veteran English teachers, Jared Friebel and David Lange (me!), presented at the national Conference on English Leadership in Washington, DC today. Sarah Johnson, who taught in the English Department at Central for a decade, and who now is the Department Chair at Riverside-Brookfield High School, presented with them.

More information to come!

All I really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

I really enjoyed the Thursday night premiere of The Freshman Play, All I really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, directed by English teacher Erin Lundin. Cast members (listed below) were really remarkable!  The play was, by turns, touching, sweet, and hilarious.

The play is a series of montages.  Cast members perform thoughout the show in a series of ensemble pieces as well as taking the lead in extended monologues.  

Congratulations to the entire cast!  I know to expect great things from these students from the theater in the next four years!

Cast List (all class of 2018):

Chloe Bassett

Jackie Greager

Diva Harsoor

Amaris Hernandez

Virginia Jablonski

Meghan Johnson

Raunak Malhotra

Alex Martin

Claire Mueller

Kaitlyn Phillips

Sam Rasmussen

Alex Roca

Michelle Skibicki

Nick Speziale

Megan Thiesfeld

Newspaper Story Highlights HC Investment Club

Photo Credit: Chuck Fieldman, Sun-Times Media

There's a great story out today in The Doings featuring HC's Investment Club, which is led by Co-Presidents Suraj Khatau (HC '16) and Matthew Yeh (HC '16).  In this club students learn about investing, invite expert guest speakers, studying the market in groups, and learn investing by investing themselves and tracking their efforts.   

Michael Palmquist, English teacher and faculty sponsor of the club, notes the twin goals of the club in the article:

“Kids who want to pursue a career in this can get practical experience, and everyone needs to know how to invest,” he said. “A benefit for kids who are involved in the club is that their involvement definitely can help when they fill out college applications for business schools.”

Here are a couple paragraphs from the article, ("Hinsdale Central Students Get Real Experience With Investment Club") written by Chuck Fieldman:

“I like the idea of getting hands-on experience,” Yeh said. “This allows us to get a look at what goes on in the real world.”

Junior Madeline Argires was not involved in the club during her first two years at Central, but is excited about being active this year.

“I really want to get into business, and I couldn’t fit any business classes into my schedule this year,” she said. “This club gives me the opportunity to really learn something, even though I won’t be in any of the business classes now.”

Yeh and Khatau said there is no financial investment required for participation in the club. However, most who are involved invest $25 to $250. And that money is invested by the club in the stock market.

Another published Hinsdale Alum!

I just received a wonderful note from Annie Cappetta (HC '14) at the University of Miami.  She is a freshman at college and already a paid columnist at her school newspaper, The Miami Hurricane.

Her first column, about how sharing "faulty facts" undermines the cause of feminists, can be found here:  http://www.themiamihurricane.com/2014/09/28/faulty-facts-undermine-womens-equality/

She is a regular columnist.  Her next column will be about, as she recently told me via email: "Next week’s column is on the decision of the Miami Beach City Council to install body cameras on every police officer, code inspector, and parking official in the city."  See all of her writing for the Miami Hurricane here.  

I am so proud that Annie, who was in my class during her junior year, is so quickly getting noticed with her writing!  I'm looking forward to following this smart young author!

I recently wrote about another recent Central grad who is writing for a national publication here.

The first Devils' Advocate for the Year Has Arrived!

Check out the September issue of the Devils' Advocate for the year!  This is the first issue from the Advocate staff sponsored by English Department teacher Cherise Lopez.  If you want a copy of this issue or a subscription, contact Cherise at clopez@hinsdale86.org

You can read this issue (and issues from last year) online here:  http://www.hcdevilsadvocate.com/ category/print/

Hinsdale Central students also produce Devils' Advocate Online with breaking news, video, interviews, and special features.  Check it out here: http://hcdevilsadvocate.com/

Award-Winning HC English Students!

I just received this very nice note from Elmhurst College English professor Dr. John Gills.  Dr. Gills carbon-copied me on an email he sent to the Board of Education in praise of four Hinsdale Central English teachers.  Congratulations to Mr. Bhatti, Mrs. Burrell, Mrs. Fehrman, and Mr. Friebel for your dedication to helping students achieve recognized excellence in writing!  I am aware that your names come up continually to me about your impactful mentoring and your high expectations.  I can’t wait to get my copy of Illinois English Bulletin!

(Dr. Gills retired from the Central English Department about a decade ago.)

Dear Members of the Board,

I’m sure you’re aware of these excellent Hinsdale Central English students who were identified as outstanding writers in the current edition of the Illinois English Bulletin from the Illinois Association of Teachers of English, but as a former HT English teacher, I just wanted to join in praising them.

Satyajit Krishnan and Samrita Sawhney – guided by Hasham Bhatti.

Sylvana Caruso, Morgan Fitzgerald, Madison Wagner and Caroline Sudduth – guided by Angelique Burrell.

Kathryn Cua, Paxton Gammie and Alexandra Solovyev – guided by Heather Fehrman.

Steven Chun, Jack McGowan, Srinivas Kaza and Brandon Weller – guided by Jared Friebel.

Congratulations to these fine writers and their superb teachers!

Dr. John Gills

Elmhurst College English Department

Four Hinsdale Central Students Are Norman Mailer Writing Award Semi-Finalists!

There were only 19 students across the nation who were selected as 2014 Normal Mailer Writing Award for Creative Nonfiction semi-finalists.  What's the probability that a student from Hinsdale Central would be among them?

Would you believe that FOUR of the nineteen national semi-finalists were from Hinsdale Central?

Imagine my excitement and surprise when I found out that Julian Kanagy (Class of '14), Emily Morse ('14), Dania Noghnogh ('14), and Caitlin Wong ('14) were all selected.

I don't want to brag too much, but many of other semi-finalists come from schools that have names like "South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities" or "School for Advanced Studies."  And while the "Governor's School" had two semifinalists, no other school matched Hinsdale Central's four.  Pretty impressive for a "normal public school."

This is a remarkable achievement, demonstrating the strength and skill of our students and the caring, expert guidance of English teachers.  All four of these students were enrolled in the Honors Seminar in Writing Course.  Emily's teacher was Angelique Burrell.  Julian, Dania, and Caitlin were all students of Jared Friebel.  Of course Angelique and Jared would say that these students were coached and supported and inspired by all of their English teachers in their four years at Central.

This isn't the first time Hinsdale Central students have been recognized for this prestigious award.  Read about past students' success here and here.

According to the Award's website, the nonfiction essays were "read by national panels of teachers and writers.  They will be judged by how well they achieve several qualities, including the artful treatment of subject matter; originality; quality of insight, image, voice, and style; artful arrangement of elements and materials; and overall aesthetic, emotional or intellectual effect."  That's a pretty high standard!

If you haven't already seen the news, one Central English teacher, Andy Jones, just won first prize (which includes a trip to New York, a chance to rub shoulders with authors Billy Collins and Don DeLillo, and $5000) in a national writing contest for high school English teachers.  Read about that here.

The writing of Julian, Dania, Caitlin, and Emily (along with many other excellent Hinsdale Central student writers) can be found in the book that the English Department publishes each year: "The Best Nonfiction Writing Hinsdale Central 2014."  Read about the most recent volume here.  Let me know if you'd like to purchase a copy.

Congratulations to Julian Kanagy (Class of '14), Emily Morse ('14), Dania Noghnogh ('14), and Caitlin Wong ('14)!  I look forward to hearing about their next awards.

Get Caught Reading a Banned Book This Week!

It's Banned Books Week in the Hinsdale Central Library.  Want to read a Banned Book?  Here's a visual catalog search of Banned Books created by Central librarians.

Here are a couple English teachers, who are part of the promotion for the week, caught reading.  All photos by HC librarian Leah Giarritano.

Rob Aurich

MIchael Smith

Erin Landry

Jill Tylk and Lauren Otahal

Hinsdale Central English Teacher Wins Huge National Writing Prize

Photo Credit: Wyckoff-Tweedy

Andy Jones, pictured to the left his distinctive yearbook photo from last year, just won the Norman Mailer Writing Award for High School Teachers.

Andy won this prestigious award with an essay entitled "The Inca Champions League."  It recounts an eventful hiking trip to Machu Picchu and a soccer game he played at 20,000 feet with local kids.  It's funny, serious, historically interesting, and gripping (in the soccer parts!)  At the same time it's a fascinating reflection about the value of traveling far afield.  Don't just take my word for it.  Read Andy's fabulous essay here.

Andy's award is more than a pat on the back.  The prize includes a paid trip to New York, a chance to rub shoulders with famous American writers like Billy Collins and Don DeLillo, and $5000. Read more about the award here at the award website.

Andy was a member of the Hinsdale Central English Department for six years.  This year he is continuing  his world-wide teaching odyssey with his wife and daughter.  He is currently an English teacher and basketball coach in Istambul, Turkey at Robert College.

Andy wrote a book titled Two Seasons In the Bubble: Living and Coaching Basketball in Bulgaria about a previous part of his teaching odyssey.  Read about the book here.  Read his interview with Kimberly Fornek in The Doings here.

According to the award website, "essays were judged by how well they achieve several qualities including the artful treatment of subject matter; originality; quality of insight, image, voice and style; artful arrangement of elements and materials; and overall aesthetic, emotional or intellectual effect."

This isn't Central's first recognition from this award.  Read about Hinsdale Central student success here,  here and here.

Congratulations to Andy!  I can't wait to see the next essay.

Erin Palmer honored by Walsworth Publishing

Last April I wrote about how two English teachers, Erin Palmer and Sue Grady, were asked to speak at the National Conference.  Last May I announced the beautiful new El Diablo yearbook created by Hinsdale Central yearbook students coached by Erin..

Now,  I just found out that Erin has recently been invited to teach a class at Walsworth Publishing "Idea Workshop" on September 23.  What an honor!

This invitation is another recognition that Erin is recognized as one of the most innovative and creative and professional yearbook advisers.

Congratulation to Erin!

From the Garden to the Plate at Hinsdale Central!

Quest Food Service's Betty Kujawa harvesting herbs
and vegetables from the new courtyard garden

A gorgeous harvest!

Check out the summer bounty harvested this week! These herbs and tomatoes were used today in the pesto sauce served today in the student cafeteria.

This garden is the brainchild of Hinsdale Central's Ecology Club, sponsored by English Teacher Cherise Lopez.   The Ecology Club and the garden have been great additions to the Hinsdale Central community.

Cherise received these pictures from Quest Food Service dietitian Krystle Ramos.

Read about The Ecology Club winning a recent  video contest award here.

Recent Hinsdale Alum Published in USA Today!

Medha Imam ('13) holding up today's USA Today

It's so great to hear about Hinsdale alums who go on to make an impact in the humanities.  It's even better when it happens when a student has just graduated recently.

So, I was so excited when Medha Imam ('13) stopped by my office today to deliver a copy of the current issue of the USA Today.  On page 4B was a story with her byline under the article titled,  "Theiel Fellowships get young entrepreneurs going."  See article here.

Medha is currently a student at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. At HC she was the editor of the Devils' Advocate.  I was lucky enough to be her teacher during her junior year and got to witness her emerging love for writing.  I've been a fan of her blog writing since.

I'm now regretting that I didn't ask Medha to sign the article for me when she stopped by.  There's no doubt that Medha has a very bright future in writing ahead of her.  Congratulations, Medha!

Just Published! The Best Nonfiction Writing 2014

   

The Best Nonfiction Writing Hinsdale Central 2014 has arrived!  Congratulations to the Honors Seminar in Writing team (Heather Fehrman, Jared Friebel, Angelique Burrell) for this FIFTH volume that showcases the excellent writing teaching that goes on across the department.

      This book collects a wide range of creative and thoughtful student writing. It's the product of countless hours of selection, editing, and proofreading by the students in last year's Honors Seminar in Writing and the three current English teachers assigned to teach Honors Seminar in Writing. 

      I'm proud to be part of this growing legacy in the English Department.  Years ago, the teachers who began this project envisioned a library shelf filled with volumes of excellent student writing.  We are well on our way!

The book serves as an inspiration for students, a source of model writing for teachers, and, as Angelique suggested in last year's book introduction, a "time capsule" for anyone who wants to know what Central students were thinking about in 2013 and 2014.

If you'd like to learn more or to purchase your own copy of the book contact me (dlange@hinsdale86.org) or Angelique (aburrell@hinsdale86.org)

Meet the 2014 Solstice Literary Magazine!

Solstice, 2014, with English Teacher and
Literary Advisor Jim  DiDomenico

Congratulations to Solstice Chief Editors Gabrielle Lail ('14), Syndney Schwartz ('14), and Emily Ding ('14) along with the entire Solstice staff for the beautiful, remarkable 2014 edition.  The overall design, in addition to the poetry, short story, and artwork, are all striking and memorable.

The picture here shows the cool S-shaped cut-out on the front cover.  The theme is "ombre," which I had to ask students to define for me.

Congratulations, too, to the Faculty Advisors, English Teacher Jim DiDomenico and Art Teacher Pat Potokar.

Thanks to Sue Grady for Six Years as Adviser of the Devil's Advocate!

English Teacher Sue Grady,
Photo Credit: Wycoff-Tweedy

English teacher Sue Grady is transitioning from being the Advocate adviser this year.  Today, Devils Advocate Online published a wonderful appreciation of her leadership in an article by editors Kate Lee and Jeff Lauer.  

The bell announcing the start of seventh period rings as Mrs. Susan Grady enters room 504. Taking a seat at her desk, she takes out her tablet and logs onto www.hcdevilsadvocate.com.  As she reads and edits her way through the online newspaper’s articles, the Devils’ Advocate buzzes with activity. With Grady at the helm, the class runs smoothly as the staff churns out story after story. 

Grady has dedicated 12 years to working with student-run publications. Currently teaching Journalism 1, Journalism 2 Online, and Journalism 2 Print, she has spent six years advising the Devils’ Advocate, contributing to the print magazine’s Newspaper Pacemaker Award. This year, however, Grady will step down from her position as sponsor of Central’s student-run publication. 

As a pillar of Central’s journalism program, Grady has left her mark on several of her students. “Mrs. Grady taught me everything I know about journalism, and she made my favorite classes, Journalism 1 and Journalism 2 Online,” said Sanjana Srinivasan, writer for the Devils’ Advocate Online. 

“Advocate has been so awesome these past few years, and [Mrs. Grady] has made journalism so much fun. I’ll miss Advocate next year,” said Katherine Kiang, writer for the Devils’ Advocate Online. 

Grady accomplished making journalism an enjoyable topic of study for students, stirring their passion for journalism by enhancing their skills. “Mrs. Grady was always so helpful and willing to go the extra mile to help me learn the art of journalism,” said Daniel Holland, writer for the Devils’ Advocate Online. 

“Mrs. Grady has been a fantastic teacher and mentor. Whenever I thought my [articles] were finished, she always had an idea to improve them,” said Christi Carras, writer for the Devils’ Advocate Online. 

While maintaining a lively, enjoyable classroom setting, Grady also strove for excellence.
According to past Advocate editor Kristy Hamilton, “Mrs. Grady had a great vision for Devils’ Advocate and, more importantly, had the competitive drive to achieve what she set out to do.” 

It is because of Grady that many chose to join the student newspaper.  “Mrs. Grady changed my high school experience. I would have never tried out for Devils’ Advocate without her mentioning it in class. I can honestly say she was my favorite teacher, [after] having her [for] all four years,” said Anna Konstant, writer for the Devils’ Advocate Online. “She’s helped me become a better person and journalist. She made every class exciting and relatable.” 

Besides her contributions to the Devils’ Advocate, Grady is a devoted instructor beloved by her students. “I’ve had Frau Grady for German and Advocate. It was awesome,” said Nina Demirjian, one of Grady’s students and writer/videographer for the Devils’ Advocate Online. 

Grady has left an indelible impression on her students’ high school experiences, and her amazing presence will be greatly missed on the Devils’ Advocate.

Congratulations (and thank you!) to Sue for completing 6 years of award-winning service with the Advocate!  

Find the whole article here: http://www.hcdevilsadvocate.com/features/2014/05/27/grady-leaves-her-legacy-on-devils-advocate/

El Diablo has arrived!

This year's El Diablo has arrived.  And.... wow!   It's 380 pages and beautiful.  This year's theme:  "Hiatus."  The 2013/2014 Diablo staff has outdone itself this year with design that's always attractive and inventive and editorial that's astounding by itself.

Here, for instance, is a selection from the opening pages:

Hinsdale Central is the 4th-best high school in Illinois, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.  The athletes are State  competitors, champions in Cross Country, Tennis, Swimming and Diving, Wrestling, and Golf.  The scores are amongst the highest in the nation.

OK, yeah.  But, come on -- give me a break.  We're teenagers.

We like Netflix binges and going to concerts: we love to hang out with friends and have a good time.  We study when we have to, we practice and perform when the time comes, but we really just want to have some fun...

So, indeed, on paper Hinsdale Central is very accomplished.  But get to know us, and people will see why we get to say it's a great day to be a Red Devil.  We are surrounded by people, wonderfully real people.  You just can't put that on paper.

And yet, we've tried to encompass what our school is really about in this book.

So, sit back, relax, and take a little hiatus.  You deserve it.

Congratulations to the editors and staff of El Diablo, including Editors in Chief Sophia Glomb ('14) and Victoria Gomez ('14) and Head Editors Mayank Mehta ('14), Jaya Sharma ('14), Iman Ajaz ('14), Francesca Chiapetta ('14).  Congratulations, too to the advisers of El Diablo, English teachers Erin Timmons and Sham Bhatti.  If you're interested in purchasing a book, please let me know!

Ben Hall is English Department Student of the Quarter!

Ben Hall ('16) and Ms. Erin Timmons
Photo Credit: Sigita Mitchell

I'm proud to announce that sophomore Ben Hall is the English Department's Student of the Quarter.  He was selected by his English 2 Honors teacher, Erin Timmons.


When Ms. Timmons introduced Ben the Student of the Quarter Breakfast this morning, she spoke about Ben's ability to make connections between the curriculum and everyday life.
In recognizing Ben, Ms. Timmons said:

When a student can make connections on his/her own, draw parallels, see how interdisciplinary seemingly unrelated topics are, to me this is the mark of a critical intellect and the hallmark of intellectual curiosity.  

Ben has this amazing ability to hear music in people’s words – he’ll tell them they just quoted this song or that – and he can make analogies which result in the rest of the class asking him “How did you think of that?”

Contratulations to Ben.  Hinsdale Central is a special place because of students like Ben.

IATE Poetry and Prose Contest Winners

Great news!  Again, students at Hinsdale Central have been recognized as excellent writers by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English.   Students were nominated by their current English teachers (I listed the English teacher in parentheses below.)  First place winners will be published in the Fall Illinois Teachers Bulletin. Congratulations to all winners!

Srinivas Kaza, Prose First Place, “Suyfitas” (Mr. Friebel)

Brandon Weller, Prose First Place, “The Top Ten Reasons Why I would be the First to Die in a Zombie Apocolypse” (Mr. Friebel)

Jack McGowen, Prose Runner Up, “Twindependence” (Mr. Friebel)

Steven Chun, Prose Honorable Mention, “Gifted” (Mr. Friebel)

Satyajit Krishnan, Prose Runner Up, “Ignoramus” (Mr. Bhatti)

Samrita Sawhney, Prose Runner Up, “January 3” (Mr. Bhatti)

Morgan Fitzgerald, Prose First Place, “Skinny: A Family Tradition” (Mrs. Burrell)

Caroline Sudduth, Prose First Place, “(Re)reading Myself”(Mrs. Burrell)

Madison Wagner, Prose First Place, “Lost and Confused”(Mrs. Burrell)

Sylvana Caruso, Prose Runner Up, “I’m Not That Innocent: Why Good People Say Bad Things About Pop Music”(Mrs. Burrell)

Kathryn Cua, First Place Prose, “Lost in Translation” (Mrs. Fehrman)

Kathryn Cua, First Place Prose, “Slut-Shaming and the Purity Myth” (Mrs. Fehrman)

Alexandra Solovyev, First Place Prose, “Purgatory” (Mrs. Fehrman)

Paxton Gammie, Honorable Mention Prose, “When I Refused to Wear Shoes” (Mrs. Fehrman)

English Teacher and Librarian Selected to Present at IATE Conference in the fall

Congratulations to English teacher Jared Friebel and Librarian Kerrin Riley on being accepted as speakers at the Illinois Association of Teachers of English annual conference to be held in Crystal Lake, Illinois on October 17^th and 18^th, 2014.    Their session “Reaching Beyond the Classroom to Teach Information Literacy” focuses on the inter-departmental work going on between Central's English Department and Library and Media Center, specifically about the two-year informational literacy curriculum and assessment developed collaboratively with the two departments and led by Jared and Kerrin.  These assessments are an objective measure of how students are learning to be smart consumers of digital information.  This is a great example of how teachers take on important curriculum projects that turn theory into practice at Hinsdale Central.  

New Article in Hinsdale Magazine about "Beauty and the Beast" Production

A great article by Mike Ellis appeared in the April 2014 edition of the Hinsdale Magazine celebrating Hinsdale Central's "Beauty and the Beast" musical production in March.  Find the article in this link.  The article, which you can read online, is on pages 20-21.  Great photos!

Several great quotes from English department teacher, and "Beast" director Chris Hicks, including my favorite, about the fact that she's been involved in directing plays for over three decades at Central.  "You just don't think about it and you don't realize that you become a part of the fabric of the place, and the place becomes part of the fabric of you.  It's just who you are and what you do."

Chris, you probably know, is in her final year before retirement.

The PTO's Make a Difference Committee Announces Third Quarter Winners!

The PTO's Make A Difference Committee announced today the Third Quarter Winners of the Make a Difference Award! 

I'm pleased to see Hasham Bhatti, a first year English teacher at Hinsdale Central, among the honored.  Congratulations to all the winners!  

Here's the list of all the winners:

Claudia Kelly - Social Work

Jan Hall - Greeter

Christian Korfist - Social Studies

Kari Hein - Guidance

Hasham Bhatti - English

Deborah Powell - Special Education 

Here's the PTO's Make a Difference website.

Chicago storyteller and musician visits Hinsdale Central English classes

Photo credit: wttw.com

Chicago storyteller, musician, and writer Shanta Nurrullah visited Hinsdale Central today to perform for and speak with juniors in Michael Smith's US Literature and Composition course and Yulia Kapelnikova's English 3 course.  As an extension of the curriculum for Lorraine Hansberry's Chicago-set play, "A Raisin in the Sun," Shanta told stories about her family's experiences in 1960s Chicago that paralleled those of the Younger family in the play.  Shanta also performed and explained the origin of several Civil Rights songs.  The performance was educational, entertaining, and inspiring.  Read more about Shanta here and here.

Two English Teachers speaking today at National Conference

More good news for Hinsdale Central publications!  This weekend two English teachers, Erin Timmons and Sue Grady, are giving presentations at the national Columbia Scholastic Press Association Spring Conference in New York.  Erin is our award-winning El Diablo (yearbook) advisor.  Sue is our Pacemaker award-winning Devils' Advocate advisor.  Together they are speaking about how they brought helped publications grow over the past five years.  During that time the Advocate added an online newspaper (see it here) and both doubled the number of sections of the course through the day, requiring some critical logistical changes.  El Diablo is a CSPA Crown Finalist.

at the CSPA conference.
Photo Credit: Erin Tmmons

El Diablo among nation's best publications
Photo credit: Erin Timmons

Sophomore Nick Bruni is the English Department Student of the Quarter!

Jordan Stob and Nick Bruni, English Department Student of the Quarter.
Photo Credit: Sigita Mitchell

I'm proud to announce that sophomore Nick Bruni is the English Department's Student of the Quarter.  He was selected by his English 2 teacher, Jordan Stob.

When Ms. Stob introduced Nickat the Student of the Quarter Breakfast this morning, she spoke about Nick's commitment to improving his writing demonstrated by his meeting with her outside of class during every single writing assignment so far this year.

Congratulations to Nick!  It's students like Nick that truly make Hinsdale Central a special place.

Award-winning filmmakers at Hinsdale Central!

Congratulations to the Hinsdale Central Ecology Club and club sponsor (and English teacher) Cherise Lopez.   They have won first place in the high school division of the One Earth...Our Earth Film Festival Contest!  Their film, titled "What Will You Do?", a film about transportation, was made by students Stephanie Jamilla, Josh Feldman, Rachel Chang, and Wendy Li.

Here's a link to the award-winning video

What Will You Do? A look into how transportation choices affect our environment from Devils' Advocate Online on Vimeo.

Congratulations to Forensics!

Last weekend the Forensics (Speech) team won third place for individual events and fifth place for PIR at the IHSA State Tournament in Peoria. The team proudly advanced all seven of its individual events and the PIR (Performance in the Round, a 15-minute adapted play performed with a 360 degree audience) into the final rounds, or top six, out of hundreds of performances in each category.  Congratulations to the whole team and to forensics coach and English teacher Susie Jaffe

Related Advocate story and video and PIR:  http://www.hcdevilsadvocate.com/features/2014/02/11/performance-in-the-round-wins-second-place-with-dogfight/

English Teacher Jared Friebel wins PTO's Make a Difference Award!

The PTO's Make A Difference Committee announced today the Second Quarter winners of the Make a Difference Award! 

I'm pleased to see Jared Friebel, veteran English teacher at Hinsdale Central, among the honored.  Congratulations to all the winners!  

Here's the list of all the winners:

Jenn Jaczak - Business

Keri Klotz - Math

Marty McGuire - Special Education

Jared Friebel - English

Bill Duffy - Support, Coach

Brian Drelicharz - Social Worker, Coach  

Here's the PTO's Make a Difference website.

Tian Qin is the English Department's Student of the Quarter!

Tian Qin and Mr. Bhatti at the Student of the
Quarter Celebration this morning.
Photo Credit: Sigita Mitchell

I'm proud to announce that freshman Tian Qin is the English Department's Student of the Quarter.  She was selected by his ESL English 1 teacher, Hasham Bhatti.

When Mr. Bhatti introduced Tian the Student of the Quarter Breakfast this morning, he spoke about Tian's inspiring and tireless work ethic and commitment to writing thoughtfully and precisely while at the same time that she was learning English. 

Contratulations to Tian.  Hinsdale Central is a special place because of students like Tian.