A Dropped Motto? No, Hinsdale D-86 Says

BURR RIDGE, IL – A Hinsdale High School District 86 board member last week questioned the status of the district's motto.

"I recently became aware that the district's longtime motto, 'A tradition of excellence,' is missing from the website," member Peggy James said at a board meeting. "When I asked about that, I was told it was pursuant to the board-approved strategic plan."

But she said she could find no reference in the strategic plan where the motto was discussed.

The district's homepage now features the motto, "Defining excellence."

"We used 'Defining excellence' on the homepages of our district and school sites because the phrase appears at the top of our strategic plan, which was developed by members of our community and approved by the board," the district's spokesman, Chris Jasculca, said in an email to Patch.

The decision to redesign the website was based on and aligned with the goals of the plan, he said.

"With that said, the phrase 'Tradition of Excellence' is still used in a variety of different ways across the district," Jasculca said. "We are also happy to explore ways to try to incorporate it into our sites."