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What does it take to be a social worker? Simply put, Maggie Buoy is "the true definition of a social worker." Those are the words of a Hinsdale Central parent, but that sentiment was echoed by her colleagues during remarks last week at the District 86 board meeting. They spoke in recognition of Buoy being named 2020 School Social Worker of the Year by the Illinois Association of School Social Workers. "I'm very shocked, honored, grateful, humbled and very appreciative," she...
The rank of Eagle Scout is well-known both inside and beyond the Boy Scouting World. But few are aware of Scouting's Hornaday Badge Award. Members of Hinsdale Boy Scout Troop 8 are certainly familiar with Hornaday after two members, Hinsdale residents Aldas Kriauciunas and Sacheen Upadhye, achieved the rare honor this summer by dedicating significant time and effort into what they hope are lasting contributions in the area of conservation. Fewer than a 100 Scouts nationwide...
A low-income background should not dissuade a young person from aiming for a high-level college education, Sally Guglielmo asserts. That belief inspired the Hinsdale resident two years ago to co-found Green Halo Scholars, an organization that comes alongside promising but under-served high school seniors to help them navigate the college application and admissions process. "There's no way things are going to change unless we change the education," Guglielmo said. As a...
Jack DiTrani clutched his 52-degree gap wedge on the tee of the 97-yard hole, took aim and launched his TaylorMade ball. The trajectory was a little thinner than planned, but the line was good. Very good. "I didn't hit it exactly how I like it," DiTrani said. "It was going really fast and it hit the pin and dropped in. I jumped up and down and threw my arms in the air, and everyone was excited and happy." By everyone he meant his playing partners, fellow Team Illinois members...
More than 30 student-athletes who graduated from Hinsdale Central High School in May will pursue their sports at the next level. In this second installment of a two-part series, The Hinsdalean asked each incoming collegian what he or she will remember about competing as a Red Devil and what generates the most anticipation in joining a new program. Sarah Cernugel Holy Cross College, soccer I'll remember: the growth we made each year. Starting my freshman year, we only won two...
Hinsdale High School District 86 students expecting to have their first in-person classes today since the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools in March will instead be learning from home, the district announced last week. Frustration levels were high at the district's board meeting Aug. 13 as Superintendent Tammy Prentiss informed the board of education that, due to more stringent return-to-school guidance issued Aug. 12 by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the...
Under a white tent on a Hinsdale driveway, August blooms were emerging. The flowers were of the modeling clay variety, shaped and painted by young artists to form ornamental plates. The students fashioned them under the tutelage of teacher and mom Chun Ye, who has spent most mornings this summer out on her open-air studio leading her Spin Around the Art World summer art camp classes. The camp, part of her Tianto Art Studio program, has run from 9 to 11 a.m. every Monday...
Hinsdale trustees have put to rest the idea of temporary ban on historic home teardowns. But village officials continue to explore ways to promote preservation of its vintage structures. At Tuesday night’s meeting, trustees voted 5-1 against the proposed 180-day moratorium, having previously expressed strong reservations about restricting property rights in the name of saving historic homes. Trustee Scott Banke cast the lone dissenting vote. The village’s plan commission last month recommended against the moratorium, a sug...
With teachers and many families opposing a full, five-day return to school for students amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Community Consolidated School District 181 Board members Monday night approved both a hybrid in-person/remote model and a full remote learning option for the 2020-21 school year. "We need to listen and hear (our constituents) and work with them to come up with the safest plan possible," said Board President Margie Kleber following the 5-1 vote on the reopening pl...
The rain had mostly passed through by mid-morning Monday, freeing Hinsdale Farmers Market patrons from the need of an umbrella. Protection was still prevalent, however, in the form of face masks, as both vendors and shoppers took prescribed precautions under the cloud of COVID-19. So has the pandemic dampened sales? Hardly, according to purveyors. Steve Theis of longtime participant Evergreen Farms said business is booming. "We're about one and a half times busier than what...
Hinsdale's Helen Johnson may be on the verge of turning 100, but don't rush her. "I'm not there yet," quipped Johnson, who will reach the milestone Saturday. For her, one's level of activity is a more accurate age barometer than the number of calendars burned through. "I'm still moving. As long as I can move around, it's all right with me," she said. "When I can't do that, then I'll complain. Then I'll be 100." Johnson continues a pedigree of longevity in her family, with a...
The pandemic may be restraining a lot of business activity, but at least one sector in Hinsdale seems to be defying the economic quarantine: real estate. "We're up 30 percent year over year," said Coldwell Banker real estate broker Dawn McKenna of her Hinsdale-based Dawn McKenna Group's transaction volume. She said unlike the Great Recession when there were too many listings for a financially insecure market, McKenna this season of tumult has spurred speculative buyers to...
The pro sports world is emerging from its COVID-19 quarantine, and that's good news for Hinsdale's Andrew Gutman. In his second year with the Major League Soccer team FC Cincinnati, the 23-year-old defender got back to competition this month with the MLS Is Back Tournament - sans fans - in the "bubble" of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla. He opened up to The Hinsdalean in this Q&A via email about his journey over the last several months. What went...
How is District 86 leaning into the issue of racial equity? Hinsdale High School District 86 recently launched a Culture and Equity Leadership Team to gather stories from people of color in the community to promote a more inclusive environment that celebrates equity and diversity. For team member Ayesha Truman, student support coordinator at Hinsdale South, the move is an important step. "As a Black woman, this team has provided a space where my personal and professional...
The Willowbrook Corner program, run by The Community House, provides life-impacting academic and social support to youth and families in an underserved community about 10 minutes south of Hinsdale. Hinsdale's Trayce Biancalana, a longtime volunteer, said the pandemic's repercussions have taken a particularly heavy toll on residents there. "They have absolutely been hit a lot harder," she said. "The whole issue of child care for people who were able to maintain their jobs has b...
These summer scorcher days are inviting many to take air-conditioned refuge at home. But after a spring of COVID-19 quarantining, many are looking to get out no matter the heat index. Pools are made for beating the heat. With many swim facilities closed for the summer, two nearby options are open for that refreshing plunge. • The Hinsdale Community Pool, 500 W. Hinsdale Ave., has been a popular spot since it opened for open swim on a reservation basis earlier this month. Masks...
The Illinois High School Association announced its Phase 4 Return to Play Plan last week as Hinsdale Central and other schools look to restore their athletic programs amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The guidelines, which were given a stamp of approval by the Illinois Department of Public Health, allow gatherings of up to 50 individuals indoors or outdoors, with multiple groups allowed outdoors provided they are separated by a distance of at least 30 feet. Athletes must be scr...
How do you prepare for an online debate? Hinsdale's Chloe Attlan was elated in early March after she and debate partner Ajay Jejurikar won the district qualifier for the National Speech & Debate Tournament. Next stop, Albuquerque, N.M. Then COVID-19 hit, and the event was suddenly in jeopardy. But the pair of rising Hinsdale Central seniors got to the national stage in a virtual form of the competition last month. "It was a little different. It feels more like we're just...
Two hundred miles and 24 hours to run it, with 11 sets of legs sharing the task. Not everyone's idea of an inviting getaway. But that challenge is what drew a co-ed group of Hinsdale residents last June to the majestic Wasatch Range in Utah to take part in the 2019 Ragnar Relay. Dozens of teams from across the country participate in the event, which spans from Logan to Park City. Each team member must complete three legs over the day-night-day time period. Team vans wait at...
Phase 4 of Restore Illinois is here, which means cherished local facilities are able to welcome back the public - at least on a limited basis. The Hinsdale Public Library, 20 E. Maple St., will begin to reopen Tuesday, July 7, for "Grab and Go" browsing and checkout from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. "It feels great," said Karen Keefe, executive director of the library, about the opening. The library has been closed to the public...
Several years ago a recent immigrant from China who had settled in the Hinsdale area with her family stopped into The Community House, looking for a way to connect with her new neighbors. She met Marcie McGonagle, director of volunteer services, who worked through the language barrier to find a good fit. "I was trying to get a sense of what she would be interested in," McGonagle recounted. "I could sense that she was lonely." She asked the woman if she had made any friends....
Community Consolidated District 181 Board members approved a tentative 2020-21 budget that projects a $2.2 million surplus in the district’s operating fund as well as healthy balance sheets through 2025. At Monday’s board meeting, Chief Financial Officer Mohsin Dada presented a budget of $71.3 million in revenue and $64.4 million in expenses. That compares with last year’s figures of $69.6 million and $65 million, respectively. Of the $6.8 million excess in operating funds, $4.5 million will be transferred to other accounts....
The short-circuited spring high school sports calendar sadly meant no final campaigns for many senior Central student-athletes. Consequently, The Hinsdalean did not run our normal series of seasonal athlete profiles - until now. Over these last several weeks we've been serving up delayed recognition for (now former) Red Devils who, according to coaches, brought their best to their respective programs, whether in the heat of competition or in fostering team unity. Today's...
What will the post-COVID 19 food scene look like? When colleagues in the food and beverage industry started sending Stuart McCarroll lockdown pictures from China at the start of 2020, the Hinsdale resident knew something ominous was coming. In early March, McCarroll, the CEO of global food producer Doehler Group, saw all of his company's service orders halted. Then in April, the consulting firm he founded, Menu Collective, completed work on its CoLaboratory Chicago project, a...
Boundaries. Created for safety, in some cases. Others, as Grant Glowiak and a team from Union Church of Hinsdale discovered, may be subtle instruments of segregation. Glowiak, director of youth ministries at Union Church, traveled with two other adult leaders and three high schoolers to Baltimore from June 7-16, 2019, to better understand the inner-city's racial, social, economic and political dynamics. A couple of days after arriving, the group was taken on a "social justice...
