Sorted by date Results 627 - 651 of 1148
I applaud The Hinsdalean’s admonishment (Oct. 21 editorial) of the new District 86 board members’ apparent disdain for the administration’s expert judgment on curriculum and grading matters. Innovation is needed more than ever in these rapidly changing technological times. My 50 years in complex litigation and working with employers, licensing and credentialing organizations in the health care professions and schools on assessment and testing issues, as well as teaching in law and business school, have convinced me that...
As I think about our blessings this year, I count our District 181 teachers, secretaries, janitors, crossing guards, paraprofessionals and principals high on my list. We are so fortunate to live in this community where our kids have the absolute best education opportunities because of our caring, smart and driven educators. Thank you for prioritizing our kids this year more than ever. We are forever grateful to each of you. — Amber Nolan, Hinsdale...
I was talking to my next-door neighbor, Judy, over the weekend, and somehow we got on the subject of her husband George's death in July 2017. She had been very worried in the days after he died about holding some type of event so family and friends could gather to remember him. She really wanted to have it at her house but didn't think she had enough room for everyone she wanted to invite. We had the space at our house, so we offered to host it for her. She promised it would...
Having Veterans Day fall on a Thursday is a special treat for us. Every November for several years now we have recognized veterans who live in town — or whose family lives in town — with a write-up and photo. This year we are recognizing 180 veterans on 20 pages in a special section in the center of this issue. They span our country’s history, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq and Afghanistan. Some came home with medals and honors. Others did not come home at all. Today we join our voices as a grateful nation to pay tribute,...
Word nerd. Grammar geek. Vocabulary vigilante. Take your pick. They've all applied to me since, well, forever. As a toddler, my parents regularly found me cuddling Golden Books instead of stuffed animals when they peeked into my room at night. "Reading Rainbow" was must-see TV and had me begging for a library visit as soon as the credits rolled. I have a particularly vivid recollection of filling a sketchpad with hot neon scribbles (hey, it was the '80s!) and claiming I was wr...
I write to thank Hinsdale Falcon Football & Cheer and “Falcons Nation” for a wonderful fundraising celebration this past Friday night. A special thank you to event organizers and benefactors Nadine and Bill O’Malley, Kay and Mike Sharples, Tracy and Craig Zoberis, and Stephanie and Jim Hamman. Their efforts, and the generosity of nearly 200 Falcons families and supporters, have put this outstanding 100 percent volunteer organization in a position to succeed and thrive well into the future, extending more than 50 years of pr...
Halloween is my second favorite holiday (live for New Year's Eve), but the Larbourd Oaks Mansion Ghost Tour left me with an awkward experience. Just after 10 p.m., I attended the adult tour where the guide informed us, "You can drink if you want, and you can say whatever the H you want." Some foul-mouthed guest, trying to be funny or get a laugh, was taking advantage of the no rules about swearing, and he ruined the tour. I felt sorry for the tour guide as it was probably the...
In response to your recent editorial, “No clear explanation for what’s going on in D86,” we believe that the new board’s resistance to the administration’s agenda is entirely clear. The April election saw an unprecedented shift of four seats away from the incumbents largely due to the community’s complete “lack of faith in the administration.” The previous board rubber-stamped policies and failed to question the administration’s often arbitrary, capricious and ineffective policies (e.g. COVID protocols, discussions of re...
I got the call a year ago this morning. It was a Wednesday - deadline day - and I had a lot to do before the next day's paper could go to press. So when I picked up the phone and the woman from hospice said my mom was nearing the end and suggested I come over, I said I couldn't. I would be over after we finished the paper, I told her. I'm not sure if I didn't think my mom would pass away before I got there or I didn't want to be there when she did. It might have been a little...
Currently, more than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and one in three seniors dies from it. Two-thirds of Americans ages 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s are women. By 2050, the number of people ages 65 and older with Alzheimer’s is projected to reach almost 13 million. November is Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, and the Alzheimer’s Association is encouraging families to discuss cognitive concerns with each other and their doctor sooner to enable early diagnosis with its “Hopeful Together” c...
It's that time of year for seniors - college application season. College applications are many things, one of which is not easy. Speaking from experience, they're a bit of a chore - sort of like cleaning my room, with added importance, of course. My room appears as if a hurricane spiraled through, with piles of laundry, snacks and my dog's footprints. I ignore my mom's texts to tidy up until she pounds on my door. I hear a constant knocking these days, reminding me to get...
Strategic Planning in 2018 and passage of the referendum in 2019 were signs of great progress in District 86. However, since then this community has seen a change of focus at D86. A high-performing district, D86 has seen a dilution of its rigorous science curriculum and seems to be driven by an equity statement formulated by the CELT committee during the pandemic. The equity statement, unlike the strategic plan did not include the whole community and was not board approved. Formed in 2020, CELT conducted a survey asking for...
I have mixed feelings about Facebook, but sometimes I can't help sharing the memories that pop up in my news feed. Just this week, Facebook presented a photo of Ainsley dressed as a Precious Pink Wabbit for her first Halloween. I couldn't help but share it. A lot has changed since Ainsley's first Halloween. Most importantly, I am no longer in charge of her costumes. This year, she is going as John Lennon (she can pull that off easier than her favorite Beatle, Paul McCartney)....
Zombies. Witches. Evil clowns. Executioners. Werewolves. Vampires. There’s plenty to be frightened of each Oct. 31. Equally horrifying is the following list of scary scenarios. Each year at The Hinsdalean, we come up with our own terrifying tales in honor of Halloween, imaging a variety of outrageous occurrences and their outcomes. Don’t be alarmed! Unlike evil clowns, this is all in good fun. • SNL writers get a hold of video from recent District 86 board meetings and are inspired to create another school board meeti...
We are baffled. We’ve watched and listened to the discussion of grading practices in Hinsdale High School District 86 from the Sept. 30 and Oct. 14 board meetings. We’ve been attending and reporting on school board meetings for decades, both at The Hinsdalean and other community newspapers. Typically when a board falls into a pattern of ill-tempered meetings that exceed four hours, it’s pretty easy to figure out the source and motivation behind the dysfunction. But that’s not the case with the current D86 board. Three b...
It seems some members of the D86 BOE have implicit trust in the administration and feel that there will be bumps in the road that will iron themselves out. And with the most recent grading alignment — which includes curves and retakes in some classes — they probably will iron themselves out, but only after wildly experimenting with student’s grades and emotions. Shoving higher weights to tests in student’s faces, in some cases with ratios weighted 90 and even 100 percent to summative assessments, upon return from a year of...
With the holidays right around the corner, it's time to consider The Fear-of-Death Diet. Of all the diets I've tried, none has been more successful than The-Fear-of-Death Diet. It's a lot like that well-known adage: "Nothing clarifies the mind like a hanging." Especially your own. I came across The Fear-of-Death Diet by accident at my doctor's office. Most of my "numbers" were not good. Since I was an avid, decades-long lap swimmer, I thought I could eat whatever I wanted. App...
I’ve been very interested in Buddhism of late. I blame this on Teri Goudie. She turned me onto Dan Harris after I complained that Eckhart Tolle’s book, “A New Earth,” was a bit too esoteric for me. Harris’ book, “10% Happier,” offered a more pragmatic approach, she told me. So I read the book, started listening to his podcast and got hooked. Buddhists like lists, and so do I. I especially like the Buddha’s first list, the Four Noble Truths. They are, as translated by H...
Ainsley and I took advantage of having Columbus Day off to do some back-to-school shopping. We headed to Yorktown, primarily motivated by the bubble tea store there. (We had visited the same spot Sunday, but misguided ordering had left Ainsley with a thick, sludgy drink rather than one filled with tiny bubbles that burst when you bite them. She wanted a make good.) A neighbor who also is the mom of a tall girl had given me some recommendations on stores we might visit. At our...
At a time when people of all ages continue to struggle with the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-drug message of Red Ribbon Week is more important than ever. The weeklong campaign, which runs Oct. 23-31, has a different focus each year. The 2021 theme is “Drug Free Looks Like Me.” The week provides an opportunity for people to show their support for a drug-free America and to talk to children about making healthy choices. Red Ribbon Week was created after the death of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a speci...
Clarendon Hills Fire Department has yard signs throughout their town (“We Need Our Own To Save Our Own”) which are supporting the purchase of a new ladder/pumper truck to replace their old truck. I now hear that Hinsdale is considering sharing their older ladder truck with Clarendon Hills in an effort to save money for both villages. Is sharing a truck a wise idea? Things to consider: The truck might be housed in Clarendon Hills half of the time. This could cause a potential delay in response time when the truck isn’t house...
Thank you to all of our wonderful friends and neighbors. Claire, Michael and I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our friends and neighbors who took time to wrap and unwrap the trees with orange ribbons, placed the hundreds of luminaries all along our street, driveway and walkway, attended Joanne’s visitation and service and are now involved in the “meal train.” The ribbons and luminaries were a wonderful reminder of how our neighborhood gathers together to help each other and a beautiful sign of suppo...
I never expected to be where I am now. And I am everything I expected I would be now. I never thought I would be a single mom now. And I know I am a better parent because of that now. I never thought I would still not be in the career I want at age 45, right now. And I know that every day I keep learning, especially now. These seem like complete contradictions. Since I last wrote for The Hinsdalean, so much has changed, and these statements are completely true and in juxtaposi...
Ken Knutson’s recent article “D86 Board: Grading plan misses mark” got it correct in referring to “unveiling” the superintendent’s Learning Leadership Team grading plan, which potentially masqueraded under the purview of COVID-19 executive order practices. Knutson’s reporting disregarded the take-home assignment, however: motivation, self-esteem and anxiety are all at risk when summative tests prevail or dominate academic settings. He further omitted the acknowledgment from Dr. Chris Covino that there was, unfortunately, no d...
The room where my husband Mark and I wait with our dog Cody is sterile and smells like antiseptic. It never bothered me before, but now the bare beige walls and steel table seem harsh and mean. We sit in silence on the hard wooden bench. We've discussed every possibility. Everything's been tried and nothing worked. I've worn my glasses for a month now. My contacts get too fogged up when I cry. I scan my phone while Mark sits with his elbows on his knees, watching our dog....
