Popular Community Speaker Series Returns to Hinsdale District 86

Submitted by Hinsdale Township High School District 86.

Hinsdale Township High School District 86 today announced the schedule and provided an overview of the speakers for the upcoming Community Speaker Series.

The series is presented in conjunction with District 181 Foundation, Hinsdale Central PTO and The Community House and was designed to inform and inspire families about issues in education and parenting.

The first speaker in the series is psychotherapist and school counselor Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, co-author of “The Whole Brain Child.” In her practical and humorous way, Bryson will take her knowledge of cutting edge science and help explain why teens and pre-teens act the way they do. More importantly, she will discuss the role that parents play in the development and construction of teens’ brains in shaping their adult brains to be mentally healthy and ready for meaningful connections with others.

Bryson will speak at The Community House on Wednesday, October 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and again at 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Both presentations are free but advance registration is required.

“We, along with our partners, the District 181 Foundation, the Hinsdale Central PTO and The Community House, are really excited to present the Community Speaker Series,” said District 86 Superintendent Dr. Bruce Law. “Now in its third year, the series seeks to engage and help all of us in supporting our students’ social and emotional well-being. The journey from adolescence to adulthood can be a challenging one, and we are lucky to have such enlightening speakers with us to discuss these important topics and to spark the conversations necessary for us to work together to create the conditions which encourage our children’s future success.

Online registration is now open for the first event at http://www.d181foundation.org/.

Laurence Steinberg, author of “Age of Opportunity: Lessons from The New Science of Adolescence,” will be the second presenter in the series on January 27 and 28. The third installment will feature the documentary film “The Mask You Live In” by Jennifer Siebel Newsom on February 24 and 25. “New York Times” money columnist and author of “The Opposite of Spoiled” Ron Lieber will complete the 2015-2016 series with presentations on April 13 and 14. For more information on the entire series, click here.