Congratulations to Jojo and Sean for a job well done at the SSC conference. Jojo received 6th place for Varsity and Sean got 9th for JV. #hillcresthawkpride
BHSD228 Families and Students,
On Tuesday afternoon, our Student Information System vendor PowerSchool notified our District that we may be among the many PowerSchool clients worldwide whose data may have been accessed during a cybersecurity incident. On Wednesday at 2PM, we attended a detailed PowerSchool debrief about the data breach.
While PowerSchool is responsible for this incident and its impact, Bremen High School District 228 is committed to protecting our student, staff and family data and is committed to communicating with transparency about this incident. We are providing the information we currently have and as more specific information becomes available we will share it.
What happened?
According to PowerSchool, someone used a compromised PowerSchool credential to access an internal PowerSchool system that is intended for supporting their clients through a maintenance connection to individual district PowerSchool systems. When PowerSchool became aware of the incident on December 28, 2024, they notified law enforcement, locked down the system, and engaged the services of CrowdStrike (a cybersecurity company that develops software to help companies detect and prevent cyberattacks) and Cyber Steward (a professional advisor with experience in negotiating with threat actors).
What data could have been accessed?
District 228 has not received specific details about the extent in which D228 faculty and student information was accessed and they have assured us that further analysis of our particular situation will be shared in the weeks ahead. Information accessed may include demographic and contact information, including names, addresses, and phone numbers as well as some limited health information for some students. District 228 does not collect or retain student or staff SSNs in PowerSchool and to our knowledge, no financial information was included in the data breach.
PowerSchool states that they have received “reasonable assurances from the threat actor that the data has been deleted and that no additional copies exist. We do not anticipate the data being shared or made public, and we believe it has been deleted without any further replication or dissemination. We have a video confirming deletion and are actively searching the dark web to confirm.”
What happens next?
PowerSchool has stated that the incident is contained, and they have no evidence of malware or continued unauthorized activity in the PowerSchool environment. They are not experiencing, nor expect to experience, any operational disruption and they continue to provide services as normal to school districts.
Although PowerSchool has assured us that the risk of data dissemination or misuse is low, we remain vigilant and are leveraging all available resources to thoroughly assess the situation and strengthen the protection of our systems.
Communication and Transparency
District 228 personnel will continue to work with our PowerSchool representative and we will share relevant information as it becomes available to us.
Kira Kinney and Jakenya Coleman are the Students of the Week! They show outstanding leadership qualities both in and out of the classroom. Way to start the semester strong! #hillcresthawkpride
District 228's Operation Snowball is having a fundraiser at Portillos in Tinley Park on January 16th from 5-8pm! Save the date! Details can be seen below.
Tonight was Senior Night for the Girls Bowling Team. We celebrated our 3 seniors - Caimora Montgomery, Imani Moore, and Ashani Moore.
Coach Ramel and Mulcahy wish nothing best for these 3 girls and look forward to finishing strong the remainder of the season! #hillcresthawkpride
Did you know that South Korea is known for their POP music? AP Geography students learned the history of K-Pop music while in collaborative groups. #hillcresthawkpride
Congrats to Hillcrest senior and varsity football player, Erimus Wright, for being named to the All-State Football Team! This is a testament to his exceptional talent, hard work, and dedication to the sport! Read more here : https://hillcrest.bhsd228.com/o/hhs/article/1950275
Today, we celebrated our early graduates with a ceremony and breakfast. Congratulations to our Early Graduates. We wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors. #hillcresthawkpride
Today, Building and Trade students gave out wood holiday plaques they created in class to their favorite teachers! #hillcresthawkpride
Congratulations to our students of the week.
Ravyne Bouie is a kind and dependable student. We see you and appreciate you!
Paris Thomas gives 100% every day and works well with peers.
#hillcresthawkpride
Senior students attended the Zoo lights for a memorable night with their sponsor Ms. K! Over 35 students attended the event. #hillcresthawkpride
Sophomore class, Diversity Club and Aspiring Writers Club teamed up and hosted a Toy Drive for kids in need this Holiday season! #hillcresthawkpride
DECA students went to Nob Hill and participated in the Holiday Wish Party. They had a wonderful time with the students in Ms. Griffith's Pre-Kindergarten Class. DECA students interacted and bonded with the students and also brought some presents! Seeing their eyes light up when they brought presents was priceless. #hillcresthawkpride
Band and Choir had their annual Winter Concert. Beautiful performances by everyone. Great work to all of the students and sponsors that made this incredible night of music happen. #hillcresthawkpride
Congratulations to our soaring sophomore students, who have made tremendous gains this semester. Your hard work and dedication to your studies is well appreciated!
Congratulations to Christiara Finley on her Championship WIN at the Eisenhower Girls Wrestling tournament over the weekend! Way to go! #hillcresthawkpride
The Girls Bowling team took part in the Rich Township Raptor Invite this weekend. The Varsity team placed 5th overall! Excellent Job Girls. Our JV team brought home two pieces of hardware. The JV team came in 3rd place overall and Hillcrest Freshman, Robin Lewis ,came in 1st Place as the Individual Tournament Champion! Congratulations Robin and Coach Mulcahy and the entire bowling team! Way to represent Hillcrest!#hillcresthawkpride
Congratulations to our students of the week!
Jakiyla Dukes is extremely hard working and responsible.
Shavon Thomas has made huge strides towards her goals this semester!
🎓☕ Mrs. Youngberg hosted an inspiring "Coffee and Career" day with Hillcrest Alumni in her FCCLA class! Students had the chance to learn about a variety of careers from former FCCLA members and Hillcrest graduates. The alumni shared valuable insights about their professions, plus tips on networking and the power of hard work. After the presentations, students participated in a Q&A session, diving deeper into the career paths and college. A huge thank you to all the alumni who returned to support and guide the next generation of Hillcrest students! #hillcresthawkpride #HillcrestAlumni
Hillcrest hosted the SSC Conference Mathletes Competition last night and medaled in the following
contests: Senior Conics and Probability, Sophomore Factoring and Groups, and Freshman groups. Congratulations team, what a great season! #hillcresthawkpride
