Lt. Col. Bradly Bucholz named 2020 “Great Starts in District 61” honoree
June 2020 Darien District 61 Educational Foundation proudly recognizes Lt. Col. Bradly Bucholz as the 2020 “Great Starts in District 61” honoree. The award recognizes former students from Darien District 61 who, having had a “great start” in their District 61 years, are on exciting paths of learning, service, employment and adventure in their lives.
Brad attended District 61 schools for grades 3-8, graduating from Eisenhower Junior High in 1995. After graduating from Hinsdale South High School in 1999, he received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy, graduating with a degree in civil engineering is 2003.
Throughout his military career, Brad has traveled the world for many assignments serving his country. He has been recognized with numerous awards and decorations. He is currently stationed in Japan. Learn more about Brad
Eisenhower Junior High, Lace School awarded grants
August 2019 Darien District 61 Educational Foundation has awarded two annual grants, one to Eisenhower Junior High and another to Lace School.
EJH will receive $2,327 to purchase additional gym equipment for the school’s fitness room, to help promote workouts and wellness as part of the school’s curriculum. Based on assessments made in the fall, students will have a benchmark fitness level and will be evaluated again in the spring to measure their fitness progress.
Lace will receive $2,349 to buy a complete programmable robotics kit. By assembling the parts and using a free programming site called Scratch, students will collaborate to build robots for two special projects, which will promote concepts in a variety of subjects, including science, engineering, art and English. Read more about grants awarded
Krzysztof Bzdyk named Foundation’s “Great Starts in District 61” honoree for 2019
May 2019 Darien District 61 Educational Foundation is proud to announce that Krzysztof Bzdyk is the winner of this year’s “Great Starts in District 61” recognition award. Krzysztof attended District 61 schools from K-8, graduating from Eisenhower Junior High in 2009.
He graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. Louis University with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. While in college, he helped launch two satellites. His master’s project consisted of building a thermal vacuum chamber, which is used for testing satellites in a space-like environment.
Currently, Krzysztof works at NASA as a propulsion engineer for Orion, similar to the Apollo spacecraft, only larger. The new spacecraft is designed to take people to the moon and back and eventually to Mars. In September, Krzysztof will be starting a Ph.D. program at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.”Darien Read more about Krzysztof
Matt Mayberry receives “Great Starts in District 61” award for 2018
April 2018 The foundation congratulates Matt Mayberry, the recipient of this year’s “Great Starts in District 61” award. Matt is a highly successful motivational speaker and author. But that wasn’t his original goal. The accomplished athlete was signed by the Chicago Bears after his college years at Indiana University. But an injury during the first pre-season game ended his career and changed his life. “The relationships and guidance that I received from my teachers and coaches were special to me,” he says about his years in District 61. “They helped me tremendously in my development as a young man and set me up for success down the road.” Read more about Matt