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Kudos to Rev. Pamela Rumancik for her recent comments in The Hinsdalean (Jan. 27 letter), in which she stated that “Hinsdale can take a leading role in making the world safer for everyone, upholding the worth and dignity of every child and adult, no matter their race, creed or color.” As a woman of various intersectional identities, I applaud her pro-life stance, especially as it pertains to the unborn, “no matter their race, creed or color.” Amen, Sister. All lives matter, from conception to natural death. — Mary O’Dowd, D...
In response to Rev. Pamela Rumancik (Jan. 27 letter), Valda Valbrun was not hired to tell us about Jesus. He either lives in your heart or he doesn’t. Carving out nearly $200,000 to pay someone to train our academic community on equity, anti-racism and diversity issues while publicly defiling those who she vehemently opposes based on their views or political affiliation eliminates any credibility she purportedly had. What would your congregation think of you spending a similar amount on someone who promotes a so-called o...
After two failed attempts, the D86 superintendent persists in pursuit of an equity consultant for the school district. The superintendent points to a strategic plan ratified by a prior school board in 2018. It says nothing about an equity consultant. In October 2025, regulations will require new teachers to have been trained in culturally responsive teaching and these govern training facilities, not high schools. Local school boards have no duty to implement these measures, ever. The superintendent tells us she is bound by...
Growing up, I didn't know a soul who was adopted. As an adult, I find the opposite is true. Adopted people are everywhere. At a 2020 Community Revue cast party, I learned that two of my castmates were also adopted and that all of us either had met or hoped to meet our birth parents. A fellow cast member came up and asked us what we were discussing so intently. "Finding our birth parents," one of us offered. She promptly turned around and headed back to the bar. One of the folk...
I read a weekly email called “3-2-1” Thursdays” by James Clear, the author of “Atomic Habits.” And I usually agree with his personal writings and the poems and literature he shares, under a focused theme, from other authors. However, one week in late 2021, I disagreed with what he wrote on the topic of resilience and growth. “Growth demands a temporary surrender of security,” he wrote. “It may mean a giving up of familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, relationships t...
Racism isn’t always blatant. Sometimes it’s very subtle. The perpetuation of stereotypes about physical traits associated with certain ethnicities. A repeatedly mispronounced name. Slight differences in treatment. An assumption about where a person of color lives. This type of racism still exists in the world and, from everything we’ve heard, in Hinsdale High School District 86. Dozens of stories on Hinsdale’s Black Lives Matter webpage offer examples. And at last week’s school board meeting, one brave mom stood up and share...
A college friend of mine is going to be a first-time grandparent soon and wants to suggest baby names. Names. Funny thing about names ... I have a group of friends, and, coincidentally, we're all redheads. Back in the day, we dubbed ourselves the Redhead Club. (Sorry, Gen Zers, we weren't Gingers. This was the 1990s.) We'd call club meetings as a reason to dine out, drink wine and share girl talk. After going out, we'd convene in the third-floor apartment on West Cornelia in...
Jesus counseled “Be Not Afraid” over a hundred times in the Christian scriptures. He urged folks to let go of fear and trust that God is love and that love is the only way through. Our faith teaches that the only way to create a safe world for some of us is to create it for all of us. The people who attacked and threatened Ms. Valbrun are afraid. Afraid that by somehow learning more about our past, they may have to change their minds — may have to give up some false sense of superiority. But life is change — and things...
While editing Lisa Seplak's column (facing page) and checking whether "Gen Zers" requires any punctuation (it does not), I stumbled upon some interesting facts about Generation Z. They are more racially and ethnically diverse than any other generation and on track to be the most well-educated generation yet, according to the Pew Research Center. Gen Zers are more likely to have a college-educated parent than previous generations. Most Gen Zers live with married parents and,...
Whether it’s snow, sleet or ice, winter weather can cause extremely dangerous road conditions. After a fairly mild start to the season, Hinsdaleans have had to navigate those elements in recent weeks. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, in 2019, there were 440 fatal crashes, and an estimated 33,000 injury crashes that occurred in wintry conditions. Preparing oneself, and one’s vehicle, for winter weather is key. Here are some helpful tips from the NHTSA to keep you and others safe: • Slow...
The last two years have been very difficult. The stress caused by the pandemic has splintered our school community. Knowing this, we should strive to meet each other on common ground, not engage in conduct that drives us further apart. For this reason, it was wrong for D86 to consider hiring The Valbrun Consulting Group as a diversity, inclusion and equity consultant. It was likewise wrong for Superintendent Prentiss to share Valbrun’s withdrawal letter at the recent D86 BOE meeting and in a districtwide mailing. V...
I've spent a lot of time thinking about 2021 lately. It's not because I'm stuck in the past. Like many of you, I was ready for a new year (and the hope that it would be our last with COVID as a pandemic!). I've been immersed in 2021 for two reasons. 1. We are preparing our "Year in Review" special section, which will be inserted in next week's paper. So we've been looking for quotes and photos to include on the pages of this annual retrospective. 2. We are selecting our entrie...
Happy New Year! Like every other New Year's Eve, this one was no different. We rang in the new year with a festive and fun-filled celebration with the family. Lots of hugs, kisses and high-fives in my household. But then, out of nowhere, my daughter Anna dared to blurt out the words I will never forget as long as I live: "Happy wedding year!" Wait, what? What are you talking about? And how dare you utter those words in front of your father. Clearly, she recognized the...
Men behaving badly. That admonishment is essentially the conclusion of investigation into an October parking lot incident between board members Erik Held and Jeff Waters. The attorney hired to conduct it, Dana Crumley of Franczek P.C., presented her findings at last week’s Hinsdale High School District 86 Board meeting. We’re not sure how much the district will have to pay for this ruling, as the firm has yet to submit a final invoice. Whatever the amount, it’s too much. We’re not suggesting the district should have ignored...
Some things, they don't warn you about. Others, even things you'd rather not know, are shared in abundant detail - labor and delivery experiences, kids' test scores, social gaffes. All stories told parent-to-parent about raising kids. To be fair, I am grateful for the stories, most of which can be boiled down to a central nugget of meaningful advice. Girlfriends and strangers alike have shared knowledge that is worth more than any information from Dr. Oz, Oprah or podcasters...
If donating blood is something you’ve thought of doing, the time is now. This week the American Red Cross issued a plea to help with its worst blood shortage in more than a decade. “Dangerously low blood supply levels are posing a concerning risk to patient care and forcing doctors to make difficult decisions about who receives blood transfusions and who will need to wait until more products become available,” the organization’s press release reads. The pandemic, of course, continues to present challenges, forcing the can...
I’ve taken the ACT test twice in my life. Once as high school junior — and once as a grown adult. I had a chance at my previous job to take the ACT at Lyons Township High School along with other business people, to help us understand expectations on high school juniors. I attended the study session. And I studied on my own (which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me). I’m happy to say I scored the same as an adult as I did as a high school student. But that was many, many, many years ago. So when I saw a press re...
As I write this article, I'm in the throes of "the most wonderful time of the year." My kitchen island is littered with barely-legible to-do lists, package deliveries are coming in so fast and furious Vin Diesel would blush and my browser has so many open tabs that I fear my laptop is about to overheat. The same goes for my brain: Ho-ho-holy crap, there's still so much to do. When I was younger, I didn't truly understand what went into making the holidays special. Write a...
I blame my timing. I didn't finish my list of "21 for '21" nonresolutions until February of last year. Had I had the month of January to work on them ... Of course, when I wrote about the suggestion by Gretchen Rubin, author of "The Happiness Project," to consider writing such a list as an alternative to resolutions, I was impressed with her laissez faire approach to her own list. The things she did were marked "DONE." The things she did not do were marked "no." There were no...
“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” — Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr Less recognizable in its original language than the Spanish “Que será será” — “Whatever will be, will be” — this French phrase might be even more well-known. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” The opening days of 2022 certainly seem to fit the bill. High number of positive COVID-19 cases. Check. Disappointment over holiday plans changed or canceled due to COVID-19. Check. Uncertainty over what the weeks and months ahead will bring wi...
Your cares will disappear When you hear Hallelujah St. Nicholas is here When it’s Christmas time In New Orleans In a column last March, I summarized my travelogue recollections from prior visits to the city not for spectators, but for participants. Taking advantage of my college freshman’s holiday break, I joined Maya a few weeks ago in an easy pursuit of “bon temps” in New Orleans. Day 1 we started in the Bywater District with an outdoor table at Alma Café. Waiting on lunch...
In three days I will be the mother of a teenage girl. While I’ve had 13 years to prepare for this moment, I still find it taking me by surprise. Each December as Ainsley has gotten older, I’ve wondered whether I’ve reached the final year of what has been an annual tradition since she was little. On the issue before her birthday, I use this space to pen her a letter. I thank her for her patience in letting me write about her — and yours for your willingness to read about h...
As the finishing touches are being put on 2021, we look ahead to 2022 with hope and, of course, resolutions. Here are resolutions we submit to enhance an already wonderful community. • Stick to the agenda Hinsdale High School District 86 Board President Terry Walker should resolve to discuss all items on the meeting agenda. If four board members have agreed to place the item on the agenda, Walker shouldn’t change the rules — as she did Dec. 16 — and ask for another vote to determine whether to actually discuss it. • Avoid...
Every holiday season I am thankful I am able to cozy up around the fire with family and friends and rewatch the holiday classics. Images of Clark Griswold hanging lights, the Kranks getting a tan at the mall and Buddy the Elf eating syrup drenched spaghetti dance through my head like sugar plums of yesteryear. In the midst of those visions, one movie stands above the rest: “It’s A Wonderful Life.” With all of the colorful wannabes and the passage of time, it is easy to forget how wonderful this movie is and the message it ca...
’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the town The Hinsdaleans were scurrying, they rushed all around. For last-minute gifts and cards they did sprint, Armed with lists and ideas and maybe some hints. Gateway and Grant squares and downtown they traveled. But with each stop, their nerves did unravel. The hustle and bustle had dampened their mood. They were tired and cranky and needed some food. They stopped for some lunch and looked over the list. To finish their shopping, they knew they’d persist. But they wan...
