Every day as I walk in through the front doors of Hinsdale Central, I see a wall to the left with pictures of students. Social Studies, World Languages, School Service Leader—these students aren’t just ordinary students. They are Students of the Quarter.

Personally, I think that the Student of the Quarter program is a great way to recognize and honor students. There are many students at Hinsdale Central who deserve to be recognized for their hard work and their achievements in their classes. With Central’s competitive atmosphere and environment, the Student of the Month program is a great way to allow for more students to be recognized beyond the awards programs already held at Central.

I’m not alone in my appreciation for the program. “I think it’s nice that the school recognizes students who work hard at what they do,” said Madeleine Lofchy, junior.

Every quarter, one student from each department gets selected and recognized as Student of the Quarter. When selecting students for recognition, areas such as a student’s love of the class, improvement in the class, and general character are assessed by teachers.

“When I think of a Student of the Quarter, I think of academic excellence. I also think of students who have shown notable improvement and growth,” said Deborah Trujillo, Spanish teacher.

Teachers submit names of students who they believe should be recognized along with a paragraph about why they think that student should be nominated. Together, the department chairs and the teachers eventually chose one student.

“We encourage our teachers to take a look for students who are really enjoying their classes and are doing a great job at them. It’s a great way for us to recognize students who don’t always get the recognition that we think they deserve here at Hinsdale Central,” said Jessica Hurt, Social Studies Department Chair.

The Student of the Quarter program honors students of all levels, not just honors and AP students. The goal of the program is to recognize students who are going above and beyond no matter what their level.

“I remember[that] I nominated a student my first year here. She just came in everyday and was so pumped about social studies. And that doesn’t always happen. Students are like, ‘Oh come on Ms. Hurt. We don’t even want to learn about this.’ But every day she went above and beyond. She just came in everyday and was so pumped about Social Studies. I really wanted to recognize her for it,” Hurt said.

Students of the Quarters are then honored at a breakfast for the students, their parents, their teachers, and department chairs. The teacher that nominated the student speaks as to why they believe the student deserved the recognition of the department.

“I think Student of the Quarter is a wonderful way to honor the students for all their hard work and accomplishments,” Trujillo said.

The only drawback of the program that I can see is that only four students from each department are recognized each year. However, some departments such as the World Languages Department honor Student of the Months in addition to Student of the Quarters providing even more opportunities for students to be recognized.

“Student of the Quarter is a school wide initiative in which basically one student is chosen from a department. With the Student of the Month, you have several students chosen from the department per teacher. Every teacher may select a student to honor and recognize,” Trujillo said.

Both Student of the Month and Student of the Quarter and the other award programs at Central ensure that a wide variety of students are recognized. So, next time you pass the Student of the Month wall at the entrance of the school, think of all the hard work and achievement your fellow peers have done to deserve the honor.