D86 Digest: Private Email Request Voted Down

By a 5-2 vote, the Board of Education this week decided not to allow private email addresses to be listed on the district website.

Board members Dianne Barrett and Dr. Richard Skoda were the only two board members to vote in favor of allowing private email address. Barrett had requested that she be allowed to list her personal email address on the site, saying she felt district residents would be more comfortable contacting her directly, rather than using the district’s email system.

Board members discussed the issue at their first meeting in June and no discussion was held prior to the vote at Monday’s meeting.

Board approves renaming of Hinsdale South baseball field

The board unanimously approved renaming the baseball field at Hinsdale South “Alumni Field” at the request of the Hinsdale South Athletic Club, which is donating a new brick backstop at the field.

“We are very fortunate to have such good, supportive parents in our district,” board member Kay Gallo said.

Retiring support personnel recognized

The board gave special recognition to five retiring employees who have served the district for more than 20 years each.

Joan Mangano, Carlene Vicha, Robert Rietz, Lee Ann Swanson, and Sandra Gales all received a certificate of appreciation from the board.

Mangano and Vicha have both been district employees for 33 years. Managano was the assistant to the athletic director at Hinsdale Central and Vicha was Central’s assistant bookstore manager.

Rietz served the district for 30 years, most recently as the assistant maintenance foreman at Hinsdale South.

Swanson is retiring after 26 years with the district. She was a math and FACS secretary at Hinsdale Central.

Gales, an Excel program tutor at South, is retiring after 21 years with the district.

Business educator honored

The board also offered congratulations to Dr. Gary Hutchinson, chair of the Business, Tech Ed, and FACS Department at Hinsdale South.

Hutchinson recently received a Distinguished Service Award from the National Business Education Association. Board members took the opportunity to examine the plaque Hutchinson received in connection with the award.

Hutchinson has been teaching at South for 12 years. In 2009, he was named Administrator of the Year by the Illinois Business Education Association. Earlier this year, he was named Career and Technical Educator Teacher of the Year by the Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education.

Field trips approved

The board gave unanimous approval to several requests for overnight field trips, including one to Bangkok, Thailand.

Four Hinsdale Central students will have an opportunity to travel to Thailand’s capital in August to attend the Youth Conference for a Sustainable Future. The students will work with other students from around the world to develop a possible solution to a specific environmental problem with global impact.

The conference is sponsored by Toshiba, which will pay all expenses for the students attending.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” Hinsdale Central Principal Michael McGrory said.

The board also approved a field trip for Hinsdale Central Latin students to Italy next March and a trip by Hinsdale South Model UN Club students to attend the Model UN National Conference next May.

Asbestos abatement bid awarded

The board unanimously approved awarding the low bid of $15,300 for asbestos abatement this summer at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South to Colfax Corporation of Chicago.

Funding for the work will come from the budget for summer projects the board passed in March.