Aug 19 2009
The Face of Our Association
The following are the prepared remarks presented at the Regular Action Meeting of the Hinsdale High School District Board Meeting, Monday August 17th, 2009:
On behalf of our members I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you a piece of history I found when going through files in our relocated Association office as we start the new school year.
Our organization has its roots in the Hinsdale Teachers Association, which served both District 181 and District 86 teachers in the early days of Hinsdale schools. However, in fall of 1956 members of the Professional Committee contemplated forming a separate high school organization, resulting in the first official meeting of HHSTA being held the following spring. Today we are proud to begin our 52nd year as the professional Association advocating for the teachers of our two high schools. Such an established history within our tradition of excellence is inspiring to me, as are the many individuals associated with our history.
For example, individuals like Harvey Dickinson often carry multiple connections within this tradition. A legendary coach; a nationally recognized Athletic Director; Harvey Dickinson is a HCHS Foundation Hall of Fame inductee in whose honor Central’s Dickinson Field is named.
In 1957, Harvey Dickinson was also the first president of HHSTA.
Too often individual connections such as this can be overlooked or forgotten if we view each other as separate entities: “the Board” or “the Association”. It’s easy to be wary of a faceless organization, to paint a group with a broad brush, or to tarnish the majority based on the minority. In reality we’re part of the same organization and far greater together than these labels imply separately.
With this in mind, I’d like to put a face to our Association. Certainly we are first and foremost the professional educators in our classrooms, student support networks, nurses’ offices, and our libraries. But our members are also the directors of school plays, variety show organizers, float builders, prom chaperons, and sponsors of a multitude of clubs and activities that take place before and after school.
Every year Association members flip pancakes and serve spaghetti to provide scholarships for our students. Every season, our members are the coaches that continue our highly recognized athletic traditions. And every day our members help students with their homework, their choice of college major or career, and through the ups and downs of high school life.
I’ll close by reiterating what leaders who have stood here before me have said: we look forward to working together to build upon our long tradition of excellence. By building our relationships and working together we will continue to achieve the best environment possible for our students.
Thank you and have a great year!
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