From the desk of Principal Deborah Finn

May 2, 2024

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 

1. Reminder - Monday, May 6 is a Special Giant Day Schedule
2. Read about senior events, including graduation, in Student Life
3. Monday begins Staff Appreciation Week

May is here and there is a spring in the step of students and staff at HPHS.  I started my day with yoga students on a field trip to the Botanic Gardens.  What a lovely way to start a Thursday! 

We are celebrating Asian American and Pacific Isalnder (AAPI) Heritage month.  Students should check out the AAPI balloon wall in the student cafeteria.  On May 10, during all lunch periods, in the Giant Conference Room, our fabulous staff members Emma Forquer, Weifang Wang, Audrey Kopera, and Kunal Pujara will be hosting a special event in honor of our AAPI community.  All students are welcome to join in on the fun. 

Next week is dedicated to celebrating our amazing HPHS staff.  Thank you in advance to our fabulous PTO for hosting the annual Staff Appreciation Lunch on Friday, May 10.  Throughout my career nothing has meant more to me than a note of appreciation or a few kind words from a student.  Now is the perfect time to send a simple note of thanks to a teacher, coach, member of our support staff, security, maintenance, or any staff member who has helped to make this past school year great. 

Monday, May 6 - Special Giant Schedule Day

Tuesday, May 7 -Giant Schedule Day

Wednesday, May 8 - White Schedule Day

Thursday, May 9 - Blue Schedule Day

Friday, May 10 - Giant Schedule Day

ACADEMICS

Summative Assessment Week & End of Year Information

These last few weeks, students are hard at work preparing for summative assessments and final projects.  Now is a great time for a family conversation about student progress in school. This document contains details about the last day for seniors, summative assessments for seniors, and the schedule for summative assessment for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. 

Tech Campus, College of Lake County

There is exciting news to share from our College of Lake County Tech Campus program.  Owen Levitt earned a gold medal at the SkillsUSA Competition.  Owen is enrolled in the Firefighting program and is excelling.  

Photography

Congratulations to Ethan Eicher and Ezekial Hightower on being accepted into the Student Perspectives show at the Perspectives Gallery in Evanston.  This is a prestigious and competitive show and we are very proud of these Giants and excited for their work to be presented publicly.  For more information visit: Student Perspectives Show at Perspectives Gallery Evanston

STUDENT LIFE

Graduation

The Class of 2024 Graduation ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22 at 5:00 PM.  The ceremony will conclude at approximately 6:30 PM.  A required graduation rehearsal will take place Wednesday, May 22 from 9:00 AM until approximately 12:00 PM.  All graduating students must attend the rehearsal.  Graduation tickets will be distributed at the rehearsal.  Each graduate receives 5 tickets.  For those who cannot attend the ceremony in person, there will be a live stream video.  The link will be on our main website the day of the ceremony.  For more information about graduation, please visit the graduation webpage.

ACTIVITIES

Three GIANT, Class of 2024, Senior activities are now accepting registrations for participation.  Please sign up ASAP!

• Senior Prom 2024 Information:  We are very excited to celebrate prom 2024 with our seniors and their guests. To ensure safety for all attendees, all belongings will be searched prior to boarding the bus for prom. We wanted to reiterate that any student/guest that is either under the influence or in possession of alcohol, marijuana, illegal substances and/or weapons will not be allowed to attend prom and parents will be notified. Substances will be confiscated by HPPD, with possible police/school consequences. Because prom is prepaid, refunds will not be granted in the event of any alcohol/drug infraction.  Click here for all the details. 
• After Prom: 
• Seniors do not need to attend Prom to attend this event!  After Prom registration is not included with the purchase of a Prom Ticket. 
• Deadline to register is May 10. 
• This FREE event is open to ALL HPHS Seniors. From 11:30pm - 2:30am on May 18, seniors will enjoy casual late night fun. Students attending Prom may bring a change of clothes for the event and check in a bag before boarding the bus. Please plan on arriving a little earlier for bag check and labeling.  Click here to read all about it!
• Grad Night: 
•  May 22, 10:00 PM - 3:00 AM
• $50 to attend
• The HPHS PTO is planning a safe, supervised, substance-free, all-night party for every graduating senior.  This night will be a memorable, fun-filled opportunity for the entire class to be together before they go their separate ways.  
• It is not a date night, and the dress is casual.  
• Buses will leave late enough in the evening to allow time for family celebrations.  Plan for your graduate to be a part of the send-off and last HPHS hurrah for the class of 2024!
• Scholarships based on financial need are available. To request financial assistance, please stop by the Activities Office BEFORE registering for the event to receive a promo code.
• Click here for more information.

ATHLETICS

Last night the Class of 2028 visited HPHS for our annual Athletics Fair.  Thanks to everyone who attended the event and to the Giants Club for being there to share information and sell HP spirit wear.  

Congratulations to Russell Czerwinski and Grace Welhouse from our Track and Field Programs.  Both individuals recently broke school records.  Russell broke the high jump record and Grace broke the record in the 100m hurdles.

The HP and Deerfield Varsity Girls Soccer teams played on Saturday night and both teams came together to stand up against hate.  It was a great show of unity between the two programs as the Giants and Warriors  “gave hate the red card”.  It was great to see so much pride on the field and in the stands.

Below are some lower level athletic team updates.  Look for more next week.

1. Our Boys JV Volleyball team is having a fantastic year on the court.  The team is hoping to build off their recent conference wins and their title at the Libertyville Invite.
2. JV Girls Lacrosse had a big win over Glenbrook South this week.  It has been great to see the progress of the entire program this year.
3. JV Boys Lacrosse defeated Vernon Hills recently.  This group has shown a love for the game and a desire to improve.
4. JV Girls Softball defeated New Trier on Tuesday at Wolters Field.  The team showed tremendous spirit from start to finish.

College Signing Day - Wednesday, May 8

Our College Signing Day Ceremony is on Wednesday, May 8 from 7:45-8:45am.  The event will be held in the Highland Park HS Courtyard, located next to the student cafeteria.  In the event of bad weather we will move the ceremony indoors. The names we have received are below.  Please let us know if you are aware of any senior athletes who are missing from this list.  We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our college bound student-athletes.  Feel free to reach out to Paul Harris with any questions.

David Finfer 

Sebastian Vybral 

Tyler Gleyzer 

Noam Kulbak 

Eli Secher 

Luke Weber 

Doug Anderson 

Nate Wehner 

Barak Goldstein 

Dmitry Derbedyenyev 

Alex Knight 

Russell Czerwinski 

Evan Glebov 

Jill Maigue

Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times. Here are tips for improving your emotional health: Emotional Wellness Checklist.pdf

HONOR AN EDUCATOR

Let your favorite educator and staff members know they have made a difference in your students' lives by Honoring An Educator through a donation to the District 113 Education Foundation. Your donation will help enhance the student experience at Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools by fostering innovative programs and opportunities. A hand written card will be sent to notify the honoree of your generous donation. For every donation of $25 or more (per educator), a $5 Starbucks gift card will be sent to the honoree, along with the note. To learn more about the District 113 Education Foundation, please visit www.district113foundation.org.