Three H-F Speechies competing at IHSA in Peoria

Good luck to the following H-F Speech team members who punched their ticket to the IHSA State Tournament this weekend at the Peoria Civic Center with 2nd Place finishes at last weekend's IHSA Sectional:

• Diamond Carrington (Oratorical Declamation)
• Stella Hoyt (Dramatic Interpretation)
• Aaron McIntyre (Extemporaneous Speaking)

The team is coached by Ms. Stroemer, H-F English teacher. For a full Sectional report, check out "Viking Victories" below.

H-F Wrestlers grappling at IHSA in Champaign

Good luck to our five H-F wrestlers who are ready to compete at the IHSA State Tournament this weekend in Champaign:

• Deion Johnson - Sectional Champion (106 lb.) (pictured)
• Vincent Robinson - Sectional Champion (126 lb.)
• Jaydon Robinson - 3rd Place (145 lb.)
• Haku Watson-Castro - 4th Place (182 lb.)
• Justin Thomas - 2nd Place (220 lb.)

The team is coached by Mr. Sokoloski, H-F Math teacher.

Viking students can sign up to ride a fan bus to the State Boys' Wrestling Tournament! Contact the Athletics Dept. for details at 708-335-5004.

H-F Fencers headed to Junior Olympics in Utah

Representing H-F at the USA Fencing Junior Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, this weekend are students — Caleb Brutus (Men's Sabre); Briea Levant (Women's Foil); Sofia Magan (Women's Epee); and Zaniya Walker (Women's Sabre) — and two H-F alumni: Malcolm Smith (Men's Sabre) and Bryson Robinson-Levant (Men's Foil). The team is coached by Mr. Greene. Go, Vikings!

Girls' Wrestling - 8 headed to State next weekend!

Congratulations — and good luck — to H-F's first-ever IHSA Girls' Wrestling State qualifiers! H-F had 8 wrestlers qualify, making it the second school with the most qualifiers. They are below with their placement at IHSA Sectionals:

• Attalia Watson-Castro - Sectional Champion!
• Ini Odumosu - Sectional Champion!
• Ava Anderson - 2nd Place
• Nina Hamm - 2nd Place
• Grace Gibbs - 3rd Place
• Kristen Roberts - 4th Place
• Madison Skowronski - 4th Place
• Jocelyn Williams - 4th Place

Coached by Mr. Aronson & Ms. Davis, H-F Social Science teachers, the team heads to IHSA State to compete Feb. 25 & 26 in Bloomington. Go, Vikings!

New Faces Theatre: A Spare Me opens next week!

Reserve your seats now for the H-F Theatre's New Faces production of A Spare Me, running at 7 p.m. Feb. 24-26 in the new Performing Arts Center. With Earth’s resources and population dwindling, humanity puts everything it has left into one final generation of children. They are selected for their genius and furnished with everything they could require — including genetically-engineered spare life forms that will ensure no child’s existence is ended by something as trivial as death. But when academy student, Sel (Sam Bouyer), is replaced by his spare after a tragic accident, his friends begin to reconsider their own identities. As they uncover the dark secrets behind their own lives, both the children and the spares set out to prove they have minds of their own. Don't miss this unique show, directed by J.R. Willard-Rose, and featuring our newest H-F performers. Tickets — $10/adult, $5/student/senior — are now on sale online at this website...

Click here to view the Feb. 10 Webinar for

Class of 2026 Incoming Freshmen Parents...

Black History Month Materials at H-F Library

To honor Black History Month this February, the H-F Library has created a resource guide for students and staff. Here you will find booklists, links for further exploration, videos and more! There are also a number of great books on display that celebrate African American authors, characters and stories, including some recommendations by members of the Friends of the Library club. Check out the Black History Month page by clicking here...

Looking ahead to spring: Athletic tryouts starting soon

The spring sports season will begin soon! The following sports are included in the spring season:

• Badminton (begins Feb. 28)
• Baseball (begins Feb. 28)
• Boys' Gymnastics (begins Feb. 14)
• Boys' Lacrosse (begins Feb. 28)
• Boys' Tennis (begins Feb. 28)
• Boys' Track & Field (began Jan. 17)
• Boys' Volleyball (begins March 7)
• Boys' Water Polo (begins Feb. 28)
• Girls' Soccer (begins Feb. 28)
• Girls' Track & Field (began Jan. 17)
• Girls' Water Polo (begins Feb. 28)
• Softball (begins March 2)

To participate on the start day, students must register on the 8to18 Dashboard (click here), and they must have a physical exam on file with the Athletic Dept. (The physical exam/vaccine report required for incoming freshmen can be used to participate in athletics.) Questions? Contact the Athletic Dept. at 708-335-5004, [email protected].

Your Feedback is Needed!

5Essentials Survey Now Open

H-F Parents & Guardians: Please take a few minutes to complete the Illinois 5Essentials Survey by Friday, March 11. This annual survey will help us understand your student's experiences this year and will help guide improvements at our school. Please know that your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your student. Thank you!

Click here to begin the survey...

Join our Social Workers for Wellness Wednesdays in G5

Wellness Wednesday discussions will return in person this February! Students are invited to attend Wednesdays during 4th Period in South Building Room G5; they may sign up for one session each month. The schedule for February is:

• Feb. 16: Healthy Relationships
• Feb. 23: Managing the Uncomfortable

To sign up for a session, please click here...

Questions? Contact Mrs. White at 708-335-5554 or [email protected].

COVID FLOW CHARTS

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) recently adopted new COVID guidelines from the CDC (click here). There are now different stipulations around quarantines and exclusions from school. Please consult the updated flow charts below when needed. Questions? Please contact Jodi Bryant, Director of Human Resources & Public Relations, at 708-335-5550.

Additional COVID Links & News

• D233 COVID Family Reporting Form — To report positive cases or close contacts.

• SHIELD Testing Registration Form — Testing is held Tuesdays from 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the H-F Pool. Return completed form to the Nurse's Office or [email protected].

• D233 COVID Dashboard — To track case counts and metrics from our community.

Last Wednesday, H-F was visited by a representative from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. She presented our administrators and Guidance Office with a banner honoring H-F's Silver Honor status for achieving a FAFSA completion rate of 75% or higher for the Class of 2021. Filing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or Illinois Alternative Application is often the first step in helping students and their families make their aspirations for education beyond high school a reality. For more information, visit isac.org.

2 Vikings named National Merit Finalists

DAVID GIBEK

CARTER LANGSTON

Congratulations to H-F seniors David Gibek & Carter Langston, who have advanced to Finalist status in the National Merit Scholarship Program for the Class of 2022! They are now prepared to be considered for National Merit Scholarship awards, which will be offered later this year to 7,500 students from across the country. For more information, please click here...

FCCLA sends 3 to State

The Family, Career & Community Leaders of America Club recently competed at Tinley Park High School for the regional competition with great success! Three students have qualified for the state competition, set for April 7-8 in Springfield: 

• Zosha Schall competed with an original lesson accompanying the children's literature, Corduroy, and reduced a gold rating and qualified for state! 

• Madelyn Zirbel (pictured) competed with an original preschool lesson about friendship and received a gold rating, qualified for state and Most Outstanding in the category! 

• Arianna Keyes competed in frosted cake decorating with a Disney theme. Her interpretation of a frosted Belle dress earned her a gold rating, qualified for state and Most Outstanding in the category! 

The club is coached by Mrs. Pesha, H-F CTE teacher.

H-F Speech: Sectionals Recap

Leading into IHSA Sectional competition, 11 H-F Speech students entered in to ALL 14 events to vie for a spot at IHSA State against the area’s toughest. On Saturday, Feb. 12, they went up against some of the state’s formidable opponents in the Thornton IHSA Sectional. In addition to our three IHSA State qualifiers mentioned at the top of this newsletter (Diamond Carrington, Stella Hoyt & Aaron McIntyre), congratulations to these Vikings for their great work at IHSA Speech Sectionals this year:

• Devin Kenebrew & Emma Steiner - 6th Place Humorous Duet Acting
• Layla LaNier - 6th Place Poetry Reading & Humorous Interpretation
• Emma Steiner - 7th Place Impromptu Speaking
• Tinbit Dogisso -7th Place Informative Speaking
• Stella Hoyt & Halena Laven - 9th Place Dramatic Duet Acting
• Jazmin Rhodes - 9th Place Original Oratory
• Diamond Carrington -10th Place Original Comedy
• Aaron McIntyre - 10th Place Prose Reading
• Josh Bridges - 11th Place Radio Speaking
• Caroline Bivens - 12th Place Special Occasion Speaking

Conference Results from Mathletes

Congratulations to the H-F Mathletes team for some strong performances at last week's SWSC Red Division Conference Championship! The team was led by senior Keisha Toguem, senior Wynton Wright and sophomore Lorin Wright, who finished 2nd in the conference on the Group competition. Also placing at conference were: the Functions and Limits team (seniors Sophia Hinich, Sam Starkenburg, Keisha Toguem & Wynton Wright); the Right Triangle Trig team (juniors Fatima Hernandez, Jered Maltbia & Jenna Rechsteiner); and the Junior-Senior Calculator team (Hernandez, Hinich, Maltbia, Rechsteiner & Starkeburg). The team is coached by Mr. Sacks, H-F Math teacher.

State Results from Chess Team

Congratulations to the H-F Chess Team for going 4-3 at the IHSA State Chess Tournament last weekend, ending the season ranked 59th in the state. Team members are: seniors Sam Starkenburg & Christian Tate at 2nd and 6th boards; sophomores Elijah Burr, Cameron Cage & Xavier White at 7th, 8th board & Alternate; freshmen Matthew Brison, Lyndon Proby, Eric Nickerson & Everett Van Til at 1st, 3rd, 4th & 5th boards. Special recognition to Christian Tate, who went 4-1-2 on the weekend and brought home the final win against York High School! Thea team was coached this year by Mrs. White, H-F Math & CTE teacher.

6 Viking Student-Athletes Recognized for Academic Excellence

Congratulations to our six Ice Hockey student-athletes, who have been named to the 2021-22 Hayes Academic All-Conference Team! They are: senior Charles Knetl; junior Makenzie Russell; and sophomores Jack Keigher, Luke Romans, Jacob Sline & Timothy Van Etten. The team is coached by Mr. Perry, H-F PE/Health/DE teacher.

AAIRON FRY

LAKELAND U.

Baseball

JACKSON GREEAR

CARROLL U.

Soccer

AARON HOGAN

CARROLL U.

Football

JADEN JACKSON

JOLIET JUNIOR COLLEGE

Baseball

JAREN JACKSON

JOLIET JUNIOR COLLEGE

Baseball

MALYK JONES

U. OF INDIANAPOLIS

Football

JAMARION MCDONALD

ST. AMBROSE U.

Football

JUSTIN THOMAS

U. OF INDIANAPOLIS

Football

MYLES WALTON

NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE

Football

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!