Hinsdale High School Teachers Association

The Hinsdale High School Teachers Association (HHSTA) is pleased to announce a new four year collective bargaining agreement reached with the District 86 Board of Education on Monday, November 29. Recognizing the current economic climate, the Association worked collaboratively with the Board to maintain financial reserves of at least 21% by increasing costs for a wide range of health insurance and retiree benefits. HHSTA believes this agreement continues our tradition of excellence, enhances the District’s ability to continue to attract the best educators to the district in the future, and recognizes the exemplary efforts of the district’s professional educators.

As has been done for several years now, the PTO at Central handed out some appreciation with a side of pie this Thanksgiving. The Doings covered the event:

A long-standing tradition at Hinsdale Central, the pumpkin pies for each teacher and staff member is a way of saying thanks as teachers, staff and students get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving.

“We love our teachers and appreciate everything they do for our kids,” said Maria Kallis, chairperson of the Teacher Appreciation Committee. “We love to do this for our teachers and staff, and it’s nice for them to have a pie to take home with them.”

Thanks ever so much to our great PTO for this annual show of thanks and appreciation!

Happy Thanksgiving!

In his new book, On Purpose: How Great School Cultures Form Strong Character, noted educational researcher Samuel Casey Carter names Hinsdale Central one of twelve top schools in the nation. From the Sun Times:

The private college prep in poverty-stricken Garfield Park and the Hinsdale public high school serving the 32nd richest zip code in the nation are both offered as evidence that schools that emphasize character development along with scholastic performance can dramatically improve student achievement.

“Those two could not possibly be more different, yet they enjoy the outcomes that can be harnessed by an extraordinary school culture committed to student character,” said Samuel Casey Carter, author of On Purpose: How Great School Cultures Form Strong Character, released this week.

[…]

Hinsdale Central too, has long ranked among the nation’s top schools — for its academics as well as athletics. The school in 2008 received a national award for its character education program that’s integrated into curriculum, student life and connections in its community, called “Character Counts!”

Carter researched over 3,500 schools and visited 40 during the research and writing of his new book. He visited Central multiple time last year. He will be on C-SPAN tomorrow November 25th to discuss his experiences:

We are very excited to let you know that in addition to your holiday festivities with family and friends, Casey Carter, author of On Purpose: How Great School Cultures Form Strong Character, will be on C-SPAN this Thursday from 8:30 - 9:15 AM for the Thanksgiving installment of C-SPAN’s Washington Journal — a live, national, call-in program.

Update: Here is the video

Congratulations to Central Physical Education teacher and coach Pat Richardson winning the IHSA 2009-10 Girls Track and Field Coach of the Year Award! Pat is now eligible for national coach of the year honors.

Congratulations Pat!

Paul Faeh, Social Studies Teacher at South, has been named a top three finalist in the 2010 Illinois History Teacher of the Year Award given by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Gilder Lehrman History Institute.

Congratulations Paul!

As has been done in the past, the principal at Central has written a letter to the editor of the local papers for American Education Week, sharing his thoughts on the faculty and staff at Central.

American Education Week is celebrated the week of November 15th through the 19th.  During this special week of recognition for educators, I would encourage students and parents of Hinsdale Central to take time to thank and show their appreciation for educators, sponsors, coaches and mentors who have profoundly impact their lives.

Often students will not realize the full extent of their appreciation until they leave Hinsdale Central.  Like most of us, they won’t understand how special something is until it is over.  Fortunately for both the students and the staff members, District 86 conducts a graduate survey.  While the intent of the district is to gather information from graduates that will help improve the education offered in our high schools, the survey often provides graduates an opportunity to express their appreciation for the staff,  at a time when they have fully realized the impact Hinsdale Central staff have had on their lives.

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The Doings is on the story about award winning South Economics teacher Jeff Waterman:

Hinsdale South teacher Jeff Waterman has a lot of faith in his students.

So much faith he put up $50,000 of his own money for students to use on stocks when he started an investment club at the Darien high school. He also takes economics education from boring and dry to intriguing and interesting, using stories and memory tricks in the classroom.

Waterman’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. On Oct. 26, he received a 3M Star in the Classroom Award in Chicago, along with 12 other Illinois teachers.

[…]

“I was identified in the competition for the (National) Economics Challenge,” Waterman said. “We won state and finished 16th in nationals.

“With our students doing well, it put me on their radar.”

Winning state in its first try over competition such as Homewood-Flossmoor and Stevenson high schools was unexpected and rewarding, Waterman said.

[…]

“He was one of the best teachers I have ever had,” said Christine Miller, a freshman at the University of Virginia and a member of the state-winning Hinsdale South Economics Challenge team. “I have often heard of economics being referred to as, arguably, a boring and difficult subject, but because of his class, I plan on majoring in economics.”

Dan Zagri, a freshman at Harvard University, had Waterman as a sophomore at South, but returned as a member of the Economics Challenge team as a senior.

“He’s an unbelievable resource for students, and an astounding example of someone who truly enjoys doing something worthwhile,” Zagri said. “He’s not doing it for the recognition, but he certainly deserves it.”

For more information, see our previous post on Jeff’s success.