PUBLIC SAVESTATION DEDICATED
The first 24/7 accessible SaveStation with life-saving AED in Hinsdale was dedicated Sept. 21 at Burns Field Park in Hinsdale.
The station was donated by the Just1Mike Foundation in honor of Michael Brindley, who died of sudden cardiac arrest at age 16. His family are former Hinsdale residents and Mike was a frequent user of the park.
“The village is excited and honored to be the recipient of this public access SaveStation with AED,” said Heather Bereckis, superintendent of parks and recreation. “Someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest is three times more likely to survive with early intervention by a bystander performing CPR and using an AED.
“Public access AEDs are simple to use, too,” she added. “They actually tell you step by step, in simple instructions, what to do when they are activated. The village does encourage people to become CPR/AED certified. Certification classes are available through the Hinsdale Fire Department.”
Following the dedication, the Hinsdale Fire Department led a CPR demonstration featuring the Just1Mike Junior Board.
Photos are posted online at https://www.facebook.com/thehinsdalean.
HINSDALE TEEN WINS NATIONAL AWARD
Alexandra Collins, a senior at Hinsdale Central High School, has been named a winner of the 2021 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.
The Barron Prize annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders who have made a significant positive impact on people, their communities and the environment.
Collins co-founded Students Against Ethylene Oxide (SAEtO), a nonprofit that engages youth in fighting to ban the carcinogenic gas EtO near schools and residential areas. Her student group helped prompt the closure of Sterigenics, a medical instrument sterilization company in Willowbrook that for 30 years had spewed EtO into the community’s air. Collins first learned of the emissions in 2018 — and discovered the surrounding towns suffered from a cancer rate nine times the national average. She also discovered that few of her peers and neighbors knew about the documented connection between EtO and cancer.
In just over a year, Alexandra’s group was instrumental in pressuring the local polluter to shut down. SAEtO continues to write politicians and stage protests in an effort to enact nationwide legislation banning EtO emissions near schools. The group also recently launched EtO-Free, which posts online reviews of EtO-free beauty products.
“I’ve learned that youth shouldn’t be embarrassed or silenced by their lack of experience or expertise when combating issues in their community,” she said. “Our voices should carry no shame, no quietness.”
PROSPECT SCHOOL EARNS BLUE RIBBON
Community Consolidated School District 181 is pleased to announce that Prospect School is one of 325 schools recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School. This is the highest award given by the U.S. Department of Education and the third consecutive National Blue Ribbon for District 181.
Prospect joins other National Blue Ribbon Schools in District 181 – Clarendon Hills Middle School, Hinsdale Middle School, and Elm, Monroe, Madison, Oak and The Lane schools.
STUDENTS MAKE COMMENDED LIST
Hinsdale Central High School students were named Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.
They are Emmelia Anderson, Kelly Baird, Gabrielle Becka, Rama Bhagwat, Louisa Brorson, Nadia Burt, Liam Carden, Matthew Cihlar, Alexandra Collins, Kelsey Condon, Eden Drescher, Rana Dubauskas, Vincent Galassi, Elizabeth Grieve, William Halpin, Mia Hanlon, Tucker Hawthorne, Noah Hernandez, Spencer Hogervorst, Vincent Jia, Sophie Kempenaar, Brett Klovanich, Neha Kumar, Christine Leung, Jacqueline Lopez, Mateo Lopez, Megan Lu, Paton Mehrhoff, Shriya Mehta, Lucas Montesantos, Sarah Nicholson, Matthew Notaro, Daniel Ortiz, Priyanka Patel, Parker Peterson, Maximilian Pohlenz, Anass Qneibi, Zahrah Qureshi, Abhinav Reddy, Serene Safvi, Mia Sekiguchi, Mara Severts, Rohan Shah, Raghav Sharma, Sairaj Shetye, Dylan Tang, Kyle Tausk, Aidan Walsh, Veronica Walsh, Mingxiao Wang, William Zander, Leeland Zhang and Carolyn Zhu.
About 34,000 commended students throughout the nation are being recognized. Commended students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship competition.
