Clarendon Hills Middle School 8th graders complete WWII inquiry project
Clarendon Hills Middle School eighth-grade students are completing a World War II inquiry-based project as part of their Social Studies curriculum, according to a Mar. 10 announcement from the school. The project, called "WWII Day," is coordinated by Social Studies teachers Meghan Carey and Ryan Cantrell.
The initiative aims to deepen students' understanding of history while building research and presentation skills that will benefit them in high school and beyond. Students choose a topic related to World War II, develop essential questions, conduct research, create visual aids, and deliver informational speeches to share their findings with peers and guests.
The project follows the completion of both the Social Studies unit on World War II and an English Language Arts class study of Elie Wiesel’s Night. According to the announcement, "students are empowered to explore any aspect of the era that sparks their curiosity." The process encourages critical thinking, information literacy, and public speaking.
Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 represents DuPage and Cook counties and includes Clarendon Hills Middle School among other schools in the district according to the Illinois State Board of Education. The district enrolled 3,743 students in the 2019-2020 school year and serves grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade; it is located in Clarendon Hills and DuPage County according to ISBE.
District data shows there are 282 teachers with an average salary of $94,227 before pension contributions; ninety percent are women and ten percent are men. No teachers had more than ten absences in a school year according to ISBE. The student body is composed of approximately 69.8 percent White students, 1.1 percent Black students, 6.8 percent Hispanic students, and 15.4 percent Asian students according to ISBE.
In terms of resources, Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 spent $31,308 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of $117,185,545 according to ISBE. Chronic truancy rates remain low at just four chronically truant students during the same period—a rate of only 0.1 percent—compared with a statewide average of 9.6 percent according to ISBE.
The "WWII Day" project highlights efforts within Clarendon Hills Middle School—and across District 181—to foster academic engagement while supporting student growth through hands-on learning experiences.