D181 Foundation’s Young Writers Night celebrates student creativity and achievement
The Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 Foundation hosted its annual Young Writers Night on March 19 at Hinsdale Middle School, highlighting the creative work of student writers and artists. The event celebrated the release of the new Young Writers book and recognized students for their achievements in writing and art.
The evening provided an opportunity for students, families, and educators to come together in support of literacy and artistic expression. All participating students received a copy of the Young Writers book, while awards were presented for cover art as well as writing in categories such as poetry, creative writing, persuasive writing, informational writing, and graphic story.
Renowned youth author Liesl Shurtliff delivered a keynote speech that was followed by a question-and-answer session with four middle school students. Shurtliff concluded her appearance with an interactive activity called "Mind Benders," engaging the audience in a game show about time travel stories. According to the press release, "Liesl Shurtliff, a Chicago-based author, grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and channels the magic of her childhood love for books by authors like Judy Blume and Roald Dahl into her writing today. She lives with her husband and four children and hopes to share the magic of storytelling with children everywhere."
The program is supported in part by the Theresa Wilkie Memorial Fund. The press release states that Wilkie "truly believed in her students, empowering them to take on challenges and celebrating their achievements." The fund encourages students to "reach for the linguistic moon...and provides an opportunity for them to learn, grow and fly high, just as Ms. Wilkie did."
Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 serves DuPage and Cook counties through several schools including Clarendon Hills Middle School, Elm Elementary School, Hinsdale Middle School, Madison Elementary School, Monroe Elementary School, Oak Elementary School, Prospect Elementary School, The Lane Elementary School, and Walker School according to Illinois Report Card. The district enrolled 3,743 students during the 2019-2020 school year across grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade according to Illinois Report Card.
The district employs 282 teachers who earn an average salary of $94,227 before pension contributions; ninety percent are women while ten percent are men. No teachers had more than ten absences during a school year according to Illinois Report Card. Demographically, the district is composed of approximately 69.8 percent White students; Asian students make up 15.4 percent; Hispanic students account for 6.8 percent; Black students represent 1.1 percent according to Illinois Report Card.
In terms of finances and attendance rates: District spending per student was $31,308 in 2020 with total expenditures reaching $117 million according to Illinois Report Card. Only four chronically truant students were reported that year—a rate of just 0.1 percent—compared with a statewide average chronic truancy rate of 9.6 percent according to Illinois Report Card.
The D181 Foundation emphasized that programs like Young Writers Night are made possible through community donations supporting educational initiatives throughout District 181.