CENTRAL TEENS ARE SEMIFINALISTS
Twenty-two students from Hinsdale Central are among 16,000 high school students nationwide named Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
They are Yusuf Ahmed, Amal Arora, Atman Balakrishnan, Shivum Banerjee, Natasha Bhatia, Analise Burns, Godlyn D’Souza, Patrick Dugan, William Gaffney, Kiran Gitzlaff, Adele Groom, Levi Lillioja, Anya Raman, Alexander Rasmussen, Elizabeth Sessa, Joy Shen, Nathan Smith, Audrey Song, Nikolas Theotikos, Katherine Tschosik, Gabriela Veliz-Hernandez and Anna Wentling.
These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth almost $28 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
NSPRA AWARDS DISTRICT 86
The District 86 communications department received several awards for its work during the 2022-23 school year.
The department earned Awards of Merit from the National School Public Relations Association 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.
Foundation gets HOSPICE Grant
Midwest Health Foundation has been awarded a $100,000 grant from Elea Institute for their project entitled: “Removing Barriers: Uncompensated Hospice Care,” for a charity hospice care program through UChicago Medicine AdventHealth St. Thomas Hospice in Hinsdale.
Through this new project, grant funds will be used to provide hospice-appropriate services to individuals who, in the past, have been unable to afford hospice care. The project and related funds seek to remove financial barriers and increase equity in access to end-of-life care by providing uncompensated hospice services to qualified applicants throughout the communities it serves.
“We value the opportunity to support the foundation’s initiative to provide hospice care regardless of financial status. By eliminating the barrier of cost, families can focus on ensuring a quality end-of-life care experience for their loved one,” said Kent Mathy, Elea Institute’s board chair.
“We are pleased to receive these grant funds, which will surely help us fulfill our calling to extend the healing ministry of Christ,” said Thor Thordarson, president and CEO of UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Great Lakes Region. “These funds will further our mission as we seek to provide compassion through every stage of life and increase equity in access to St. Thomas Hospice services for those in our communities needing it most.”
TEACHER INVITED TO PRESENT
Kelly Owens, a social studies teacher at Hinsdale Central, will be presenting at the 103rd National Council for the Social Studies annual conference Dec. 1-3 in Nashville, Tenn.
The title of her presentation is “E Pluribus Unum: Amplifying Immigrant Voices in United States History.”
STUDENT EARNS BACHELOR’S
Matthew Ritz of Hinsdale received a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration from The University of Alabama during spring commencement ceremonies.
