Connecting real life with literature is one of the objectives of English teacher Chris Billie and Special Education teacher Alecia Faull.  Reading the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Senior Literature students in Billie’s and Faull’s courses encounter the character Hassan, who is born with a cleft palate.  The class started collecting loose change for Smile Train daily.  This semester the two classes raised $1,182.25 – enough for four cleft surgeries and money toward a fifth surgery.  This curriculum-based fundraising opportunity has helped create a community of learners, provided students with a sense of pride, and opened student eyes to the world far from Hinsdale Central High School.  We are so proud of Senior Lit!