Students from Clarendon Hills Middle School (CHMS) participated in the WSCAE Science Fair on February 27, presenting research projects on a variety of scientific topics. The event highlighted the work and commitment of CHMS students as they represented their school and Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181.
Projects included Cora Nicholson and Penelope Pagany’s investigation into whether cracking knuckles affects writing speed, Evan Kozlowski and William Schaller’s exploration of how color influences taste perception, and Evan Kabaker and Jacob Mura’s study on which types of wood burn the fastest and longest.
A statement from the school said, “All of these students did a wonderful job with their presentations and represented CHMS and District 181 very well. A special thank you to Science teacher Dr. Milton Harris for supporting our students with these fantastic projects. Great work, and congratulations to all of our science fair participants!”
Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 serves schools in DuPage and Cook counties, including Clarendon Hills Middle School, among others. More information about the district can be found at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/. The district had an enrollment of 3,743 students during the 2019-2020 school year and operates as an elementary school district serving grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.
According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education, District 181 employs 282 teachers who earn an average salary of $94,227 before pension contributions; women make up 90 percent of the teaching staff while men account for 10 percent. No teachers have more than ten absences in a school year. Additional demographic data shows that the student population is approximately 69.8 percent White, 1.1 percent Black, 6.8 percent Hispanic, and 15.4 percent Asian.
The district spent $31,308 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of $117,185,545 (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In terms of attendance, only four students were classified as “chronically truant” during the same period—a rate significantly below the statewide average (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
