Freshman Brooklyn Aldridge & junior Amina Kendrick are going to state! They finished in 2nd Place Doubles at the IHSA Girls' Tennis Sectional Tournament, hosted by Lincoln-Way East, last week. Congratulations to this duo for this amazing accomplishment and good luck at IHSA State, which will begin tomorrow in Buffalo Grove!

All current H-F parents & guardians are invited to a special online meeting via Zoom tonight: Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. Superintendent Dr. Von Mansfield and Superintendent-Elect Dr. Scott Wakeley will be at the meeting to address your concerns, answer questions and review the first quarter of this school year. Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83076481278?pwd=SnRxRjc4T1hzU0dWbTNBaU9qdlpFQT09

Passcode: 919273

Mark your calendars for this year's High School Play: The Secret in the Wings, scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 28-30 in the H-F Performing Arts Center. Directed by Mrs. Calderon, this haunting, dark and engaging show will get you ready for Halloween weekend, as you appreciate our talented student-performers. Show is recommended for ages 12+. Masks will be required.

The cast features: Jayla Watts, Stella Hoyt, Caroline Bivens, Marissa Diaz, Avery Calhoon, Judah Crowder, Masila Whorton, El Jenkins, Grace Opyd, Ronald Gerring, Sean Haggerty, Langston Fantroy and Bryce Stewart. Production assistants are Anly Flores, Braxton Scullark & Amy Ward.

Tickets — $10/adult, $5/student/senior — are now on sale online — click here to order. Discount codes are available for Gold Club Card members and for students who need financial assistance. Call 708-799-3000 for details. Please note: Order tickets early! Seats are limited due to COVID-19 social distancing regulations.

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held online this year on Thursday, Nov. 4, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and from 5-8 p.m. Parent/guardians will be sent an emailed invitation to set up an individual Google Meet with each of their student's teachers. Each meeting will be for approximately 5 minutes, and it is recommended that your student also be at the session. There will be no classes for students held on that day. Conferences will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are unsuccessful at scheduling a time with a teacher or you need additional time, it may be necessary to contact the teacher directly to set up a Google Meet on an alternate day. Please note: Due the number of parents wishing to meet with teachers, individual conferences will be limited to 5 minutes. Although conference times are scheduled in 10-minute blocks, the remaining 5 minutes will be used as transition time for teachers to enter their next meeting. Here are some questions to consider asking your teachers:

• What can I do at home to help my student succeed in your class?
• What is the best way to communicate with you?
• Are there any major assignments, projects or exams coming up that I should be aware of?
• What are two things my student should work on to find success in your class?

Read more in this letter to parents — click here... Questions? Please contact Interim Principal Dr. James Mitchem at [email protected] or 708-335-5541.

The Winter Sports Season begins soon! See the tryout dates below:

COMPETITIVE CHEERLEADING

Oct. 25 & 26, 3:30-6 p.m. @ Cheer Room

COMPETITIVE DANCE

Oct. 25 & 26, 3:30-6 p.m. @ Dance Room

BOYS' BASKETBALL: Nov. 8 & 9

Varsity — 3:30-6 p.m. @ South Gym

Sophomores — 6-8 p.m. @ South Gym

Freshmen — 3:30-6 p.m. @ Fieldhouse

GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Nov. 8 & 9

Varsity — 3:30-6 p.m. @ South Gym

Sophomores — 3:30-6 p.m. @ North Gym

Freshmen — 3:30-6 p.m. @ Fieldhouse

GIRLS' GYMNASTICS

Nov. 8 & 9, 3:30-6 p.m. @ Gymnastics Room

WRESTLING

Nov. 8 & 9, 3:30-6 p.m. @ Wrestling Room

BOYS' SWIMMING & DIVING

Nov. 22 & 23, 3:30-5:30 p.m. @ Natatorium Pool

Physical examination forms must be on file in the Athletic Department Office by the start date in order to participate. Forms can be submitted at the Security Desk in the North Building or emailed [email protected] note: The Physical Exam / Vaccination Report required for incoming freshmen can be used to participate in athletics. 

Students interested in participating in a winter sport must be registered on the 8to18 Dashboard: https://hf.8to18.com/accounts/login

COVID-19 Dashboard & Reporting Form

Updated Student COVID-19 Flow Chart is shown above.

Vikings: Thank you for doing your part to keep our school safe by properly wearing a mask indoors, watching your distance and washing your hands frequently. Most importantly, thank you for staying home when you are feeling ill.

Parents & guardians: Please remember to complete the D233 COVID Family Reporting Form to report positive COVID-19 cases in your household, close-contact COVID-19 exposures and if your student is experiencing suspected COVID-19 symptoms. The form is available by clicking here...

Also, remember that you can track COVID-19 cases and quarantines at H-F, as well as see community data at the D233 COVID-19 Dashboard — click here...

Above: On Monday night, hundreds of Vikings met with college and university representatives in the H-F Fieldhouse during the annual College Night, sponsored by our Guidance Office.

Below: Our National Merit Semi-Finalists and Commended Students were honored with a special breakfast in the South TLC with their parents last Thursday morning.

One of the benefits to resuming in-person learning this fall has been the resumption of hands-on experiential learning. Here are some examples from recent classes in our Science Department. Thank you, teachers, for these special activities, and thank you to Science Department Chair Ms. Smith for the photos!

Frog dissection in Ms. Coerper's Biology class

Bowling ball acceleration lab in Mr. Muller's Physics class

Properties of metals and glass demonstration in Mr. Pavinato's Chemistry class

Viewing the moon, Venus and Saturn's rings in Mr. Gibson's Astronomy & Geology class

A rocket launch in Mr. Svozil's College Engineering class

Viewing the moon, Venus and Saturn's rings in Mr. Gibson's Astronomy & Geology class

Investigating a mock crime scene in Mr. Banasiak's Forensics class

After school, some of our teachers have amazing hobbies. Mr. Elfner, Social Science teacher, for example, is a musician, who also produces history-related segments for radio. His latest show — which aired on the national Our American Stories program in early October — is about a mail-order book series called the Harvard Classics, published in 1909 by Charles Eliot, the longest-serving president of Harvard (1869-1909).  

The Harvard Classics series was aimed at people who sought to become more culturally sophisticated, but who didn't have the resources to attend a university. Eliot promised that if subscribers read for 15 minutes a day from this 50-volume series that no college would be necessary to become "cultivated." Mr. Elfner was inspired to make this radio special after discovered the series last year at his parents' former home. The family's full collection of the series has been donated to the H-F Library, so students can investigate the series on their own!

Click here to listen to the 11-min. radio broadcast...

Note: Only home games & playoffs are shown below. For complete athletic schedules, click here...

Did you know that H-F sends out dedicated emails prior to every regular District 233 Board of Education meeting? Update your "H-F FYI" subscription by clicking here and add "District 233 Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting Preview" to your list of requested messages from our school. Thank you!