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When Brittany Zust first became head coach of the varsity softball team at Hinsdale Central, she quickly recognized one goal she needed to achieve: grow youth softball. The Orland Park native said many Chicago suburbs - particularly in the southwest - have competitive softball programs for young girls that lead to experienced high school players. That was not the case in Hinsdale, and she discovered not everyone agreed it should be. "Stop trying to bring a blue collar sport...
I was really looking forward to having dinner with a friend last Friday night. My husband and daughter were both going to be out, and I was excited for the chance to relax and catch up with her. I was all ready to go when I decided I had time to throw a load a laundry into the wash before I left the house. That way I wouldn’t have to stay up late waiting for the clothes to come out of the dryer. I headed downstairs to the laundry room and was still sorting clothes when I h...
What is Zyn and why is it harmful? Parents might not be familiar with Zyn, an oral nicotine pouch, but college students certainly are. "It was huge on my campus and we have Illinois Wesleyan right next to us as well," said Grace Thompson, an intern at Candor Health Education who will graduate from Illinois State University with a degree in public health in May. "Between those two schools, it would just be everywhere. There would be younger people who would come down for...
With Earth Day coming up next week and spring cleaning on many to-do lists, residents might be wondering what to do with unwanted items — and whether they can be recycled. Many items can be recycled, even if they can’t be placed in a curbside recycling bin, according to DuPage County’s website. As a reminder, curbside recycling in Hinsdale is limited to the following items: aluminum cans and clean foil; plastics (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and #7); glass bottles and jars; tin cans and empty aerosol cans; cardboard (cereal boxes, beve...
Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 has taken several steps to keep staff and students safe while still welcoming community members who visit the schools. And the work is not done, said Jeffrey Alstadt, communications director. “We’re constantly looking for ways to continue to enhance the safety efforts at the district,” he said Tuesday. Alstadt highlighted past, current and future initiatives for board members at their meeting Monday night. Previous facilities projects created safety vestibules at the schoo...
Rachele Cameli Hinsdale When did you first start playing badminton? When my sister was in high school and she also played badminton. I started at a pretty young age, sometime in middle school. I played at Midwest Badminton Club. Is competitive badminton like backyard badminton? No. I would say it's a lot different. In backyard badminton, there are not as many boundaries and it's not as fast-paced. It's more light-hearted. Competitive badminton is obviously more competitive....
Hinsdale eateries are once again inviting diners to stop in and try one of their specials or an old favorite during Hinsdale Restaurant Week, which begins tomorrow, April 12, and continues through Saturday, April 20. "We think it's a great opportunity for the village and the EDC to remind our residents and people outside of Hinsdale that we've got great options for dining here for breakfast, lunch and dinner," said Jill Sunderson, chair of the Hinsdale Economic Development...
I really wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the eclipse Monday — until I realized my 1:30 p.m. interview at village hall about Restaurant Week (insert shameless plug here — see story on Page 17) would end at just about the right time for me to join the Hinsdale Public Library’s viewing party on the front lawn of the Memorial Building. So I headed outside, picked up an Eclipse Shade (all the actual glasses were gone already) and took a peek at the sun. It was pretty cool to...
Hinsdale Central got the chance to show off its career and technical education programs - and other areas of the high school - when state Superintendent Tony Sanders came for a visit Friday. School visits are a regular part of the job for Sanders, who works for the Illinois State Board of Education and splits his time between its Springfield and Chicago offices. "I try to spend one day a week in schools," he said. "Being in schools is the best part of my job." The first stop...
Cheryl Moore has resigned as assistant superintendent of human resources in Hinsdale High School District 86, effective Friday, April 12. Moore confirmed she had resigned after The Hinsdalean saw her position posted on the District 86 website. “I’m not really commenting any further than to confirm what I shared with you,” she replied when asked if she had obtained another position. Moore also declined to comment when asked if her decision had anything to do with the March 21 board meeting, at which board member and admin...
Hinsdale will have a new Ad Hoc Historic District Design Review team in the next two weeks. Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to amend sections of the Hinsdale Village Code to create the new entity and make other changes to the historic preservation process. “The process is designed to encourage owners of historic homes to preserve their homes,” Village President Tom Cauley told The Hinsdalean Wednesday. “But if a historic home is to be demolished, we want to encourage homeowners to build a new home that is consistent with...
Ending the season as the undefeated champs is pretty impressive for any basketball team. Ending a three-year middle school season that way - as did the boys basketball team at St. Isaac Jogues School in Hinsdale - is a remarkable accomplishment. Players and their head coach credit the run to one thing: team chemistry. Ryan Williams of Hinsdale said he's been playing with teammates Will Barclay and Justin Kurkowski in Hinsdale Inferno basketball since elementary school. "Since...
I'll never forget the day I went in to meet with Ainsley's fifth-grade teacher at the start of the school year. The teacher asked if I had anything I wished to share, and I provided what I believed to be an honest assessment of my then 10-year-old daughter. "Wow. That was really grounded," she replied. I was surprised. I wondered if she meant that I was an exceptionally observant parent who had offered a particularly accurate portrait of her child. But I think what she really...
Even with the added expense of remodeling a new district office and adding full-day kindergarten in 2025, Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 finances are expected to remain sound over the next five years. District year-end fund balances for 2024 are projected to total $39.5 million, or 54 percent of operating expenses. That figure is expected to contract to about 47.6 percent of operating expenses by fiscal year 2029, according to Mindy Bradford, assistant superintendent of business and operations. She presented...
Staffing and course offerings continued to be a topic of discussion last week in Hinsdale High School District 86. At one point at the March 21 school board meeting, it looked like the board might postpone approving the 2024-25 staffing until its April 11 meeting. Board President Cat Greenspon made a motion to do so and was discouraged by administrators. “The logistical piece of finishing the scheduling process prior to the end of the year so we can get to that discussion about course confirmations and communicating that i...
Last week on this page we offered suggestions for folks who were spending their spring break weeks in Hinsdale and wanted to take a trip or two into the city. Today we're taking a different tack and looking at three possibilities for weekend getaways - either to finish off this week or for another weekend this spring or summer. All three are nearby and come endorsed by trusted sources who live or work here. Milwaukee, Wis. Distance: 93 miles Drive time: 90 minutes Even though...
My senior year in college, as part of a January "short term" group trip to France and England, we traveled by bus to Wales to read William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" at Tintern Abbey. I'm not a huge fan of poetry in general or Wordsworth in particular, but the memory of that day has stayed with me. Last week I had a similar experience - this time, set to catchy tunes. Dan and I took Ainsley to Liverpool and London to see the stomping grounds of her favorite band, The...
If the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago agrees, Grace Episcopal Church will sell the National Register home at 142 E. First St. that has served as its rectory since 1994. Church members voted 161-8 this month to sell the property. "We felt it was the right time to right-size our campus footprint," said Sarah Tims, junior warden at Grace, noting the needs of the congregation have changed over the past three decades. The customs of churches having multiple full-time clergy and...
By Pamela Lannom [email protected] The Red Devils boys and girls lacrosse teams and girls soccer team faced their first opponents last week, with two of the three coming away with a win. This is the third in four-part series of previews on spring sports team at Hinsdale Central. Next week: baseball, softball and boys tennis. Boys lacrosse First game: March 14 @ Stevenson (V wins 9-8) Last year: 10-12, lost in IHSA sectional semifinal Head coach: Joe Battaglia Seasons...
I first met Cristina Henriquez in 2007. I wanted to do a story on a new mom for the issue before Mother’s Day, and she fit the criteria. As often happens when interviewing Hinsdale residents, I discovered there was so much more to the story. In addition to giving birth to her daughter, Sofia, Cristina had published her first book of short stories and a novella the previous year. Since that time, she has published three more novels. And her latest — “The Great Divide” — recen...
Erica De La O, artistic director of Salt Creek Ballet, wants to do more than create learning experiences for her students. She wants to create wonderful performances for the community. So, for the third year in a row, the troupe's spring performance will be of a full-length ballet, "Don Quixote." "I immediately recognized - although the triple bills of three individual dances or excerpts were entertaining - they didn't really serve the community because there is a story...
Marc Cihlar Clarendon Hills How did get started in gymnastics? I started when I was really young, maybe 4 years old, because my older brother was doing it and I thought it was cool. What do you enjoy most about the sport? I think it’s everything a sport should have. There’s a team aspect. There’s an individual aspect. What is your favorite event? Horizontal bar. I think it’s the most fun event where you can just do as many flips as possible. It might be the highest risk event, but I think it’s just the most fun because it’s t...
Many Women's History Month pieces focus on women whose names we all know - pioneers like Marie Curie or Rosa Parks. Or they might highlight less prominent figures like Rosalind Franklin, the British scientist whose work led to the Noble Prize-winning discovery of the double helix, the credit for which went to a group of men. I'm taking a different approach and saluting women who, during the time they lived or worked here, left their mark on Hinsdale. And on me. • Ly Hotchkin I...
Hinsdale High School District 86 could offer a class for only three students next year at Hinsdale South High School. The school board reiterated its commitment last week to offering a biology-chemistry-physics sequence at Hinsdale South, which prior to three years ago offered only a physics first sequence. Only three incoming South freshmen chose to enroll in a biology class, biology honors, administrators reported during the preliminary staffing discussion at the March 7 meeting. Board President Cat Greenspon suggested...
District 181 will have a large contingent traveling to Illinois State University in May for the Those Who Excel banquet. Twelve staff members - or more than a quarter of all recipients in DuPage County - were recognized (see sidebar). "We know we're filled with these outstanding educators, and to have a large number of them represented in this award obviously made us smile," said Hector Garcia, superintendent of Community Consolidated Elementary District 181. "We're very...
