Pierre B. Simonian emigrated from France to the United States in 1951. After graduating from Waukegan High School in 1954, he went on to Northern Illinois University where he graduated with honors in 1958. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960, he began his teaching career at Deerfield Junior High School. In 1963, Mr. Simonian earned his MS in Education Administration also from Northern Illinois University.

Mr. Simonian came to Hinsdale Central High School in 1962, was named Foreign Language Department Chair in 1968 and continued in that capacity until his retirement in 1993. Mr. Sitnoniari's efforts earned national recognition for Hinsdale Central's foreign language program. In 1991, after five years of intense national search, the U.S. Department of Education cited the Foreign Language Department of Hinsdale Central High School, the first so chosen, as an "exemplary program" to be used as a model for other high schools throughout the nation. Prior to this unparalleled honor, in 1982 the Foreign Language Department was chosen as one of the top 50 award winning programs in the United States. He has served as a textbook consultant for Harcourt Brace and Scott Foresman and on the French National Contest test development committee for seven years.

Among Mr. Simonian's individual awards and honors are: the Chevalier a l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques from the French Government (1980), the Illinois Foreign Language Teacher of the Year Award (1986), the Illinois Lt. Governor Award for Contributions to the Teaching of Foreign Language (1991), and "Those Who Excel" distinction from the Illinois State Board of Education (1993).

Mr. Simonian and his wife, Donna, reside in Clarendon Hills. They have two daughters, Nicole Masika and Diane Gasior, and three grandsons, Billy, Joey, and Teddy.

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