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Below are some of the honors, awards and accomplishments that students and staff from Hinsdale Central earned during the 2021-2022 school year.
School News
District 86 is excited to announce that Hinsdale Central is among the 325 schools from across the country that have been named a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School. The U.S. Department of Education awards this recognition on an annual basis to affirm the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content.
“Hinsdale Central is honored to be one of 18 schools from Illinois, including Prospect Elementary School in District 181 and Butler Junior High School in District 53, to earn the distinction of being called a National Blue Ribbon School,” said Principal Bill Walsh. “This award is a testament to the tireless efforts of our exemplary faculty and staff, the unwavering support of our families and community, and, most importantly, the passionate commitment to learning that our students exhibit on a daily basis.”
The Education Department recognizes schools in one of two performance categories that are based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates. Hinsdale Central was named an Exemplary High Performing School, which denotes that it is among the highest performing schools in Illinois as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
“On behalf of District 86, I want to congratulate Hinsdale Central on this incredible achievement,” said Superintendent Tammy Prentiss. “While the award itself is impressive, what truly makes this moment special is that every member of the school community contributed to this accomplishment. We look forward to celebrating this well-deserved honor and the important work that Hinsdale Central is doing to guide our students down the path toward their ideal future.”
All of the 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools will be recognized during a ceremony in early November. In the meantime, Walsh used a familiar phrase to help sum up his feelings about the award.
“We often celebrate our successes at Central by saying ‘It’s a great day to be alive and a Red Devil.’ This recognition epitomizes the spirit of that phrase and the immense pride we have in our school.”
Faculty and Staff
- Eleanor Monyek was recognized by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association in conjunction with the selections for its 2022 All-State Teams. She received a special
mention for the girls team at the Class 4A level. - Congratulations to Laura Milas on being selected to present at the 2021 Illinois Art Education Association Conference. Her presentation, which was titled "AP Studio Art Idea Swap," helped make the event a great success.
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Congratulations to Christina Brodell for earning the title of National Board Certified teacher and Master Teacher designation on the Illinois Professional Educator License. Congratulations as well to the following teachers who renewed their National Board certification:
- Arpan Chokshi
- Abbey Grenn
- Dawn Oler
- Christopher Wilbur
Students
- Millan Whittier went undefeated (7-0) and took first place at the state finals for chess.
- Mara Severts was one of four students to earn a scholarship during the recent 2022 Alliance of Fine Art (AFA) Student Scholarship Competition. Mara received a $250
prize for her oil painting titled "For Breakfast." - Vincent Galassi was named to the Illinois High School Association's (IHSA) 2021-22 Honorable Mention Team for academics.
- Abigail Antinossi is one of 31 students in the world who earned a perfect score on the Advanced Placement exam for United States Government and Politics.
- Shriya Mehta is one of 375 students in the world to earn a perfect score on the Advanced Placement exam for Research.
- Hinsdale Central senior Alexandra Collins has been selected as one of the winners of the 2021 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. This annual award, which was established by author T. A. Barron in 2001, honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have had a positive impact on people, their communities and the environment.
- Congratulations to Jui Khankari on being one of 300 high school seniors who were named scholars by the Society for Science in conjunction with the organization's annual science and math competition. The international competition drew over 1,800 applications from more than 600 schools. Scholars and their schools will receive $2,000 each to use toward STEM-related activities. You can access additional information about the competition by visiting https://bit.ly/31A1sTG.
- The following members of the speech team earned top five finishes in their individual
events at state:
● Ajay Gupta - state champion in the Extemporaneous Speaking event and fifth
place in the Impromptu Speaking event
● Jack Huber and Nico Kiperman - state champions in the Humorous Duet Acting
event
● Amy Bayarsaikhan, Gemma Flaming, Kiran Gitzlaff, Harry Hughes, Jenna
Jazayerli, David Leung, Holly Marcus, Eric Seppanen, Arjun Shah, Grace
Stafford, Shannon Stover, Quinn Stromberg, Hannah Turek and Meiyan Zhu -
third place in the Performance in the Round event -
Hinsdale Central is pleased to announce that the following 21 students have been named 2022 National Merit Semifinalists:
Arnima Agrawal
Jackson Brown
Morgan Carlson
Amy Dong
Henry Flaming
Aishvarya Godla
Killian Hughes
Jui Khankari
Maximilian Lai
Nathaniel Lee
Sophia Lee
Nadir Muzaffar
Emaan Pirzada
Rishabh Ranganathan
Shivani Rao
Shiven Shah
Dmitriy Shvydkoy
Isabella Terry
Rohan Tolani
Emily Wang
Grant Zhang
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Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program
Congratulations to the following students who were named Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program:
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
Carolyn Zhu
- After winning its conference, regional and sectional championships, the Scholastic Bowl team capped off its incredible season by taking fourth place at state.
- Hinsdale Central finished in sixth place overall at the state Forensic's tournament, but took home a pair of individual state championships - Jack Huber and Nico Kiperman in the Humorous Duet Acting event and Ajay Gupta in the Extemporaneous Speaking event. Additional highlights included the team's third place finish in the Performance in the Round event, Jack Huber's fifth place finish in the Dramatic Interpretation event and Tess McArdle's sixth place finish in the Humorous Interpretation event.
- Marko Ivanisevic took fifth place and Cody Tavoso took sixth place in their respective weight classes at the state final for boys wrestling. They qualified for state following great performances at the sectional tournament that were highlighted by Cody taking first place and Marko taking second.
- On Feb. 9, Hinsdale Central honored 293 students who were named young scholars in conjunction with the school's Young Scholars Program. This program recognizes freshmen who earned at least a 5.0 GPA during their first semester. It also encourages them to remain committed to the pursuit of academic excellence by offering those who maintain a 5.0 GPA throughout high school the chance to receive one of two $1,000 scholarships from the Hinsdale Central Foundation that will be awarded around the time of graduation their senior year.
- Hinsdale Central had 65 students participate in the AMC (American Mathematics Competition). The top scorers for the AMC 12 were Grant Zhang and Wilbert Chu (tied for first place), Sebastian Attlan (second place) and Dmitriy Shvydkoy (third place). The top scorers for the AMC 10 were Nathanial Maydanchik (first place), Kevin Xue (second place) and Ashkay Naik (third place). All seven students also qualified to participate in the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME).
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The following four Hinsdale Central seniors were recently named candidates for the 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
- Jui Khankari
- Maximilian Lai
- Nadir Musaffar
- Grant Zhang
- The girls tennis team won its 19th state title. Sophia Kim and Katie Dollens took second place in doubles at the tournament, while Anna Wiskowski took fourth place in singles.
- The girls golf team took fourth place at state. Ellyssa Abdulah capped off a fantastic freshman season with a fourth place finish of her own.
- The boys golf team took third place at state.
- The varsity girls cross country team won its regional championship thanks to top 10 finishes by Catie McCabe (second place), Erin Milligan (fifth place) and Louisa Brorson (eighth place).
- After winning its first conference championship since 2014, the varsity boys cross country team finished in second at the regional tournament. The team was led by junior Dan Watcke, who added another first place finish to his growing list of accomplishments. Joining Watcke in the top 10 was senior Colby Revord, who took fourth place.
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We congratulate the following students from Hinsdale Central on earning All District selections for band, choir, jazz band and orchestra from the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA). This is an amazing accomplishment for these students, especially given that more than 2,000 of their peers from nearly 80 high schools auditioned for the honor.
Hinsdale Central All District Musicians
Dalia Ahdab
11
Senior Band
Alto Sax
Amy Chen
10
Senior Band
Flute
Ryan Chen
12
Senior Band
Trumpet
Sam Chung
11
Senior Band
Alto Sax
Jordyn DeLeon
10
Senior Band
Bb Clarinet
Imran Husain
11
Senior Band
Flute
Sophia Lee
12
Senior Band
French Horn
Arun Marion
12
Senior Band
Oboe
Bridget McBride
12
Senior Band
Flute
Ivy Qiu
11
Senior Band
Tenor Sax
Michael Shao
11
Senior Band
Euphonium
Sairaj Shetye
12
Senior Band
Bb Clarinet
Vandana Sivakumar
10
Senior Band
Bassoon
Nina Teoli
11
Senior Band
Oboe
Joshua Yan
11
Senior Band
Baritone Sax
Ann Ascher
12
Senior Chorus
Soprano I
Evan Carlson
11
Senior Chorus
Tenor II
Lily Gerami
11
Senior Chorus
Alto I
Samantha Hutten
12
Senior Chorus
Soprano II
Vanessa Ivanov
12
Senior Chorus
Soprano I
Nicholas Kiperman
12
Senior Chorus
Bass II
Elizabeth Larson
12
Senior Chorus
Alto II
Naya Majauskas
11
Senior Chorus
Soprano I
Tess McArdle
11
Senior Chorus
Soprano II
Isaac Park
11
Senior Chorus
Bass I
Arjun Shah
10
Senior Chorus
Tenor I
Grace Stafford
12
Senior Chorus
Alto II
Leo Usher
12
Senior Chorus
Tenor II
Luke Sutton
12
Senior Jazz Band II
Jazz Trumpet
Rian Mendi
9
Senior Jazz Combo
Jazz Guitar
Dan Bieber
12
Senior Orchestra
Trombone
Athena Deng
11
Senior Orchestra
Violin
Sonali Marion
10
Senior Orchestra
Oboe
Pietro Pamfili
9
Senior Orchestra
Violin
Joy Shen
10
Senior Orchestra
Violin
Eric Tu
10
Senior Orchestra
Violin
Emily Wang
12
Senior Orchestra
Violin
April Wu
10
Senior Orchestra
Violin
Isabella Xu
11
Senior Orchestra
Cello
Leila Zou
9
Senior Orchestra
Violin
- Illinois Music Education Association All State Band, Choir and Orchestra
The students listed below earned All State selections for band, chorus and orchestra from the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA). They were chosen from among the more than 10,000 individuals who auditioned for this honor.
- Hinsdale Central High School All State Musicians
- Ann Ascher- Honors Chorus Soprano I
- Evan Carlson - All-State Chorus Tenor II
- Athena Deng - Orchestra Violin
- Lily Gerami - Honors Chorus Alto I
- Vanessa Ivanov - Honors Chorus Soprano I
- Arun Marion - Band Oboe
- Grace Stafford - Honors Chorus Alto II
- Emily Wang - Orchestra Violin
- April Wu - Orchestra Violin
- Isabella Xu - Orchestra Cello
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Several students from Hinsdale Central were recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in conjunction with its Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Below are the names of the students, the awards they won and the categories in which the awards were received.
Student
Instructor
Place
Title
Category
Jacqueline Bousquette
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Orange Boy
Painting
Elia Crisan
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Ascending
Drawing & Illustration
Amy Dong
Laura Milas
Gold Key
Collarbone
Painting
Amy Dong
Laura Milas
Gold Key
Toes
Painting
Amy Dong
Laura Milas
Gold Key
Kneecap
Painting
Amy Dong
Laura Milas
Silver Key
Humanity
Art Portfolio
Ella Graeb
Hannah Kabat
Honorable Mention
Walk Along the Ocean Floor
Ceramics and Glass
Jessica Han
Laura Milas
Gold Key
Quarantine
Painting
Alex Jiang
Evan Haase
Gold Key
Perceptions Playing Cards
Design
Alex Jiang
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Intersection at Dusk
Drawing & Illustration
Yanning (Maria) Jiao
HongJun Lou
Gold Key
Sunlight Through the Roses
Drawing & Illustration
Yanning (Maria) Jiao
Laura Milas
Silver Key
Blur of Notes
Mixed Media
Yanning (Maria) Jiao
Xuerui Shen
Honorable Mention
Will There Always Be Shadows?
Drawing & Illustration
Yanning (Maria) Jiao
HongJun Lou
Gold Key
Satin and Fur
Drawing & Illustration
Yanning (Maria) Jiao
HongJun Lou
Silver Key
Getting Off the Last Subway
Drawing & Illustration
Yanning (Maria) Jiao
HongJun Lou
Honorable Mention
The Race
Drawing & Illustration
Fatima Khan
Joohyun Pyune
Honorable Mention
A Tangled Web We Weave
Digital Art
Fatima Khan
Joohyun Pyune
Silver Key
Afghan Women
Digital Art
Fatima Khan
Joohyun Pyune
Gold Key
Root Reflections
Digital Art
Wilhelmina Kratz
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Choice
Art Portfolio
Isabella Levinthal
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Battery Acid
Painting
Isabella Levinthal
Laura Milas
Gold Key
Time Machine
Painting
Bridget McBrde
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Trace of Humanity
Mixed Media
Abigail McMillin
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Drawing & Illustration
Abigail McMillin
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Drawing & Illustration
Madeline Miller
Evan Haase
Honorable Mention
Life in the Rain
Digital Art
Doreah Salti
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Birds and Barbed Wire
Drawing & Illustration
Mara Severts
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Mara Severts Senior Portfolio
Art Portfolio
Audrey Song
Laura Milas
Silver Key
melting...
Drawing & Illustration
Tiffany Tu
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
Afternoon Stroll
Drawing & Illustration
Tiffany Tu
Laura Milas
Gold Key
Piano
Painting
Tiffany Tu
Laura Milas
Honorable Mention
When can I Drive
Drawing & Illustration
Tiffany Tu
Xiangbin Shi
Silver Key
Sun-Surrounded
Drawing & Illustration
Rachel Zuo
Matthew Gawlik
Gold Key
Lemon Skirt
Painting
- Eleanor Monyek was recognized by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association in conjunction with the selections for its 2022 All-State Teams. She received a special