Congratulations to HMS Those Who Excel Winners

The Illinois State Board of Education sponsors the Those Who Excel program to honor educators who have made significant contributions. Congratulations to Mr. George Andrikokus (band and jazz ensemble director), Mrs. Mary Lynch (instructional assistant), and Ms.Kelly Pelak (6th grade science teacher) on their Those Who Excel (TWE) awards. HMS is very fortunate to have such dedicated and compassionate staff working with our students.

D181 BOE will be hosting a District Celebration in the evening on Monday, May 6th at HMS. They will honor retirees, TWE winners, and the D181 Foundation. Everyone is welcome to attend, let’s show the HMS recipients our support! Please read the following excerpts from their nominators:

George Andrikokus (Award of Meritorious Service): George is a passionate musician and teacher. His love for music is easy to see and he builds that passion in his students. He meets his students where they are at and works tirelessly to develop them. The program that he has built at HMS allows students the opportunities that are unheard of in a middle school.

Mary Lynch (Award of Special Recognition): Mary is an exceptional paraprofessional. She isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty if it involves supporting her students. She has a keen sense of knowing just when her students are ready to be challenged or need to take a break. It is with her unwavering support that her students make incredible growth in a short period of time at HMS.

Kelly Pelak (Award of Excellence): Kelly is an incredibly innovative, engaging teacher. She will stop at nothing to keep her students excited about learning science. She makes meaningful connections with her students to ensure that her lessons pique her students’ curiosity and spark a love for her content. She is a cheerleader for all her students and they know that she is in their corner.

WWII Day at HMS

The backstage of the cafetorium was transformed into a WWII museum on February 29th. The WWII PTO co-chairs Stephanie Konieczka and Ariel Juberg, along with Mr. Dusek (8th social studies teacher) organized this educational yearly event with for our 8th grade students. The students attended talks by special guest speakers Dr. Aschinberg, who was a toddler in Europe during WWII, and Dr. Wilkemeyer, who spoke to students about the weaponry used. Students had the privileged of meeting an energetic Mr. Charles Powers, a 98 year old WWII veteran who fought and helped liberate a concentration camp filled with prisoners. Mr. Powers is also the father in-law of Mrs. Lisa Powers (7th ELA teacher). Mrs. Lisa Powers, the PTO thank you for sharing your father in-law with HMS year after year!!

HMS Celebrates Pi Day

On Thursday, 3.14, the PTO staff appreciation committee organized a table full of sweet and savory pies to celebrate Pi Day for the teachers and staff to enjoy. This event would not have been possible without the generosity of 20 HMS families. Thank you for your contributions (Velco, Alsheik, Shakir, Sweis, Schuler, Stefanowicz, Horton, Olson, Meltzer, Franses, Joshi, Breton, Shin, Lyons, Zhao, Smajkic, Kendall, Dimitropoulos, Konieczka, Phelps)!

Parent Night, April 9th

Please join the HMS PTO to kick off spring and gather together to meet other HMS parents, welcome incoming 6th grade parents, and say farewell to our 8th grade parents on Tuesday, April 9 from 5-9pm at The Open Door in Clarendon Hills.

Raffle tickets for amazing locally curated baskets will be sold so please bring cash, check, or pre-purchase tickets via Zelle treasurer@hmspto.org (1 ticket for $25 or 5 tickets for $100).  Please put your first name, last name, and phone number in the Zelle notes. The raffle drawing will take place at 8pm, and you do not need to be present to win.

10% of all sales for the ENTIRE day will be donated back to HMS PTO, this includes product purchases! Please consider stocking up for your spring and summer events.

The Open Door Taproom offers a  variety of beverages from mocktails and slushies to beer and wine. They are pet and kid friendly and have an outdoor patio that will be open.  For more information about The Open Door click HERE.

Lost and Found

There are many items in the Lost and Found. If something looks familiar, please claim them by the end of the day on Thursday, March 21st. Any items left will be donated.

Save the Date: Who Gets Into College and Why Presentation by Jeff Selingo – April 24, 2024

Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 
7:00pm – 8:30pm
In Person at the Hinsdale Central Auditorium
Register HERE.

It’s the question on the minds of teenagers and their parents everywhere: how do colleges select their freshman class? For an entire admissions cycle, Selingo was embedded in three admissions offices and followed a group of high-school seniors through the process as well as players behind the scenes, including the marketers, the financial aid consultants, and the rankers.

Selingo dispels the entrenched notions of how to compete and win at the admissions game, reveals why families have much to gain by broadening their notion of what qualifies as a “good” college, and explains how the Covid-19 pandemic will impact admissions in the long run.

See FLYER for details.

Happy Spring Break!

Spring Break March 25-29th

Let’s finish strong this week before we head into spring break! Wishing HMS families and staff a relaxing and safe spring break.

Upcoming Dates

  • Spring Break – March 25 through 29th
  • Parents Night Out – Tuesday, April 9th, 5-9pm at The Open Door, Clarendan Hills
  • Stuff the Squad – Thursday, April 11th
  • IAR Testing – April 2, 3, 4
  • Spring MAP Testing – April 23, 24, 25, 26
  • Community Speaker Series – Wednesday, April 24th, 7-8:30pm at Hinsdale Central auditorium
  • BOE D181 Celebration – Monday, May 6th at 5:30pm, HMS
  • Last PTO Meeting – Friday, May 17th at 9:30am, MRC

Upcoming Dates

  • Spring Break – March 25 through 29th
  • Parents Night Out – Tuesday, April 9th, 5-9pm at The Open Door, Clarendan Hills
  • Stuff the Squad – Thursday, April 11th
  • IAR Testing – April 3, 4, 5
  • Spring MAP Testing – April 23, 24, 25, 26