Madison multilingual students recognized in statewide elementary poetry contest
Several multilingual students from Madison School have been named winners in the 22nd annual statewide elementary poetry contest, sponsored by the Illinois Teachers of English and Bilingual Education. The announcement was made on March 17, with a virtual ceremony scheduled for Saturday, March 21 to honor the young poets. Donna DeVito is the teacher guiding these students at Madison School.
The contest is open to second through fifth grade students enrolled in multilingual programs across Illinois. It aims to encourage children to express their interests or cultural backgrounds through poetry.
Winners from Madison School include James Li (2nd Place Acrostic - Baseball), Caden Dang (1st Place Haiku - Red Panda), Liam Huang (2nd Place Haiku - Seal), Ethan Zhou (1st Place Acrostic - Fishing), Keke Xie (1st Place Haiku - Cat), Preston Yu (2nd Place Diamante - Chinese New Year/Thanksgiving), Paula Solans (1st Place Acrostic - Barcelona), Max Stefanowicz (1st Place Diamante - Krakow/Chicago), Maximus Leong (2nd Place Diamante - Dumplings/Pizza), and Jaiylah Ruelas (1st Place Haiku - Flowers).
Madison Elementary School is part of Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181, which represents DuPage and Cook counties and includes several other schools such as Clarendon Hills Middle School, Elm Elementary School, Hinsdale Middle School, Monroe Elementary School, Oak Elementary School, Prospect Elementary School, The Lane Elementary School, and Walker School according to the Illinois Report Card.
Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 has a teaching staff of 282 with an average salary of $94,227 before pension contributions; ninety percent are women and ten percent are men. There are no teachers in the district with more than ten absences in a school year according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
The district's student population is composed of approximately 69.8 percent White students, 15.4 percent Asian students, 6.8 percent Hispanic students, and 1.1 percent Black students according to ISBE data. In terms of spending, Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181 spent $31,308 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of $117 million as reported by the Illinois Report Card.
Chronic truancy rates remain low within the district; only four chronically truant students were recorded during the 2020 school year—a rate of just 0.1 percent—compared to a statewide average of 9.6 percent according to ISBE. The district enrolled 3,743 students during the same period and serves grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in Clarendon Hills and DuPage County according to official records.
The recognition received by Madison’s multilingual students highlights both their creative talents and the support provided by their educational community.