From heated culture wars and mask debates at Hinsdale High School District 86 to community organizing and academic achievements, here’s a recap of a few noteworthy things that happened in Hinsdale in 2022.
An anti-racism consultant receives hate mail from Hinsdale residents, setting off an ongoing discussion on race and equity
In January, Hinsdale High School District 86 tapped a North Carolina-based equity consultant to develop a proposal to provide anti-racism training to faculty. But ahead of Valda Valbrun’s presentation to the board of education, she dropped out, citing a hostile environment that exhibited “racism.” In a letter, that was read out loud by Superintendent Tammy Prentiss, Valbrun said in part, “the vitriol and lack of professionalism in the direct messages I received from members of your school community demonstrates a clear lack of goodwill to address issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in your district. I got several messages yesterday and really think Hinsdale is a dangerous place and would not be physically comfortable there.” The events of that week set off a series of conversations within the District 86 community about its reputation and the importance of DEI education in Hinsdale.
To mask or not to mask
After a temporary restraining order, or TRO, lifting mask mandates in schools was issued in February by a Downstate judge, students listed in the lawsuit did not have to comply with the District 86’s mask mandate. A District 86 spokesperson told Pioneer Press that less than 10 students across both high schools and the Transition Center were plaintiffs in the lawsuit. At a board meeting that week, members voted 5-2 in favor of keeping the mask requirement in place over a mask-optional policy. During the meeting, some District 86 parents opposed to universal masking held up signs that said “no mask mandate, my health my choice.” Several parents rallied against Prentiss and called for her firing. Hinsdale Central junior Imaan Zaheer, however, called for a united front. “The lack of regard for other people in this district is appalling,” Zaheer said at the Feb. meeting. “This is not supposed to be something that should be taken lightly. My message to everyone in this room is to take some time and reflect.”
District 86 makes equity work clear with new leader
Since the equity consultant fallout, Hinsdale District 86 officials were faced with a divided community of people who either disagreed with the need for DEI within the district or people who desperately wanted it. Patrice Payne, the district’s director of instructional equity who was hired in 2021, helped both sides understand DEI through a presentation that highlighted academic achievement gaps between students of different races. In a conversation with Pioneer Press, Payne said certain buzzwords improperly characterized the work of equity education and culturally responsive teaching. “We have to be careful with how it has been conflated, that whenever we mention the word “race” it’s automatically attributed to critical race theory — that’s something we have to continuously dispel,” Payne said. “Critical race theory is not appropriate to what we do in K-12 education. I just find it interesting that a theory that was created in the 1970s has all of a sudden become so popular in 2022 and the way it’s described now is not accurate to what it actually does.”
Group of girls raise over $17K for Ukraine relief efforts
In March, a group of girls who attend Walker Elementary School in Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills District 181 raised over $17,000 for Ukraine relief efforts through a UNICEF fundraiser. After forming a group called the “Giving Girls” in February, the group of six, ages 6-8, set out to fundraise a modest $150 for kids in war-torn Ukraine by selling handmade Rainbow Loom bracelets. But with a social media push, they were able to collect $17,863 between March 4 and March 18, making 424 bracelets using a loom and some rubber bands.
Hinsdale student, U.S. Presidential Scholar gets accepted into 18 universities
In 2022, there were five U.S. Presidential Scholars from Illinois, including Hinsdale Central High School senior Jui Khankari, who last year received the prestigious Diana Award for her work in building an artificial intelligence platform for young learners. Khankari was in the top 2% of her class, scored a perfect 36 on the ACT exam, and got accepted into 18 universities including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford. Ultimately, she chose Stanford.
Hinsdale South senior competes in Deaflympics with his sister
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Jay Yang, a senior at Hinsdale South High School, and his sister Judy Yang, a graduate of Gallaudet University, competed in the 2022 Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil as the first deaf badminton players to represent the United States in the games. While the pair grew up playing badminton and competing in local tournaments, the May 1 to May 15 Brazil games were their first international competition. “I do want to keep training and keep up the fight to be able to come home with a medal one day,” said Jay who finished 15th overall in men’s singles. “That would be a goal of mine — to be one of the first people in America to bring back a medal in the Deaflympics. (I want to) keep improving and beat them all.”
Voice of Village Hall retires
The friendly voice at the other end of the call to Hinsdale Village Hall retired after almost two decades. Christine Bruton’s last day was Dec. 2, but her “cheerful” voice will live on. “She always answers the same way, ‘This is the village of Hinsdale. May I help you?'” Village President Tom Cauley said at a board meeting in November. “She always says it in a very friendly and cheerful manner.”
Local woman efforts shipment to Tanzania school she helped build
In November Hinsdale resident Kellie O’Brien led an effort to fill up a 40-foot “humanitarian relief container” with 450 boxes of Quaker Oats, 23,427 pounds of food formula, 450 pairs of shoes, 30 crates of school supplies, desks, tables and chairs, and 12 crates of jackets among thousands of other items. All the items were either donated from community members or collected from various organizations to be sent to The O’Brien School for the Maasai in Tanzania, Africa. The school has a special place in O’Brien’s heart — she spent nine years creating it after a volunteer trip to Africa with her daughter in 2006. “On weekends my driveway would be filled with piles of shoes — I would say to the volunteers if you had to walk from here to Oak Brook Center, which pair of shoes would you choose? And I would tell them stories of how our kids (in Maasai) walk two miles to school,” O’Brien said of the supply drive. “I would have little children say, “Ms. O’Brien can I give you this oatmeal to help my brothers and sisters in Africa?’
Hinsdale Humane Society putting up the good fight
In recent weeks, Hinsdale Humane Society (HHS) has been urging the Hinsdale community to help save the beloved shelter after a tumultuous year of rescues, returned pets, homeless take-ins, and medical procedures for stray cats and dogs. The local animal welfare organization does not receive any government funding. “Donations have been down and we’re battling the assumption that because we are in a wealthy ZIP code, we have a lot of money. We do not and we need our communities to continue to support us financially in order to keep saving more pets,” said Jacki Rossi, HHS Executive Director. In early October, HHS housed 11 dogs and 12 cats being transported out of a hurricane disaster area in Florida for an overnight pit stop. A staff of volunteers made space in the shelter for the animals and cared for them before their journey to Michigan continued. And a few weeks after that, staff took in 17 dogs that were either homeless or left abandoned. “When you’re in this industry, this is why you do it,” Rossi said.