Hinsdale residents Megan Mikhail and Kelly Lawrence are co-chairs of the Community Speaker Series committee, which arranges for leading experts on parenting and student issues - like Dr. Aliza Pressman next week - to share their wisdom with local families throughout the school year. (Jim Slonoff photo)
How do you plan the Community Speaker Series?
Several years ago Hinsdale's Megan Mikhail attended a local presentation by Jessica Lahey, author of the bestselling book "The Gift of Failure." It was part of the annual Community Speaker Series, and Mikhail left illuminated.
"It taught me as a parent that it's very good for my children to have what she called 'soft fails' so that they can learn and grow and (I will) not be scared of them failing," Mikhail recalled.
Mikhail and fellow Hinsdale mom Kelly Lawrence now coordinate the three-part series as co-chairs of the planning committee to bring in leading experts to help neighbors trying to decipher the parenting puzzle.
The 2024-25 edition will kick off with Dr. Aliza Pressman discussing the 5 Principles of Parenting at both 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, and 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, at The Community House (see Page 24 for details).
Lawrence said many in town are familiar with Pressman through her books and media platforms.
"A lot of community members, they know (her) podcast," she said.
The speaker series is the fruit of collaboration, jointly sponsored by Hinsdale High School District 86 and Community Consolidated Elementary District 181, with additional support from the D181 Foundation. The committee, comprised of about 15 members, begins identifying candidate speakers in the spring, Mikhail explained, and solicits ideas from school leaders.
"We meet with both school districts to get a pulse on the issues that are relevant," Lawrence said. "They give us ideas of issues relevant to their students and schools."
Once a list of candidates is compiled, the committee views video clips to, in consultation with the school districts, narrow down and prioritize whom they'd like to invite. A process of pricing and scheduling ensues to ultimately lock in speakers for fall, winter and spring programs. Dr. Michele Borba will talk about Empathy & the Unselfie Revolution in February, while Harlan Cohen in April will present The Naked Truth about Turning Every Rejection into Your Ultimate Success.
Mikhail said the committee endeavored to build on the energy generated by Jeff Selingo's well-received presentation on college admissions last spring.
"We are really hopeful that all three of the choices for this season will just continue to grow the interest and attendance," Mikhail said.
Good friends, Lawrence and Mikhail said partnering in the effort has been rewarding.
"We enjoy doing it together," Lawrence said.
"We keep each other organized," Mikhail added. "We kind of divide the responsibilities sometimes, and at other times work together."
Lawrence said there's a spirit of fellowship that organically happens at the talks.
"It's really a great opportunity to meet in person," she said.
That's the idea, Mikhail said.
"One of our goals this year is to foster this sense of community among the parents, providing a place to meet and discuss similar parenting challenges," she related.
"We are so fortunate to be funded by the school districts so that we are able to provide this resource to the community and get these big names here," Lawrence said.
- by Ken Knutson
