From the desk of Principal Deborah Finn

February 29, 2024

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 

1. There is no school on Monday, March 4 (Pulaski Day).
2. Focus on the Arts is back at HPHS in 2025!  See Student Life for information about student leadership opportunities.
3. Beat The Bell Contest ends today!  Which class will be the winners?

Today is Leap Day!  Did you know if you were born on Leap Day you are referred to as a Leapling?  There are only 5 million people in the whole world who were born on February 29 and NONE of them are currently students or staff at HPHS.  What are the odds (click here to find out)?

We enter the month of March tomorrow, and fingers crossed, we will see Spring soon enough.  Spring sports have begun which is a sign that warmer weather is on the way. Come out and cheer on our Giant athletes throughout the season.  Activities are also busy with projects and competitions.  Make sure to read all about our talented students in the Activities and Athletics sections below as there is a lot of exciting news to share.  

While we are approaching the last quarter of the school year, we still have a lot ahead of us at HPHS.  Parents and guardians - it is not too late to join one of the many organizations that support our students.  For example, our PTO needs your help and leadership to continue to provide our students with educational grant funding, scholarships and so much more.  Please visit their website and consider adding your name to this exceptional list of Giant volunteers.

Monday, March 4 - Pulaski Day, No School

Tuesday, March 5 - Giant Schedule Day

Wednesday, March 6 - Blue Schedule Day

Thursday, March 7 - White Schedule Day



Friday, March 8 - Giant Schedule Day

ACADEMICS

On Tuesday, March 5, Highland Park High School is partnering with Highland Park Hospital for a panel discussion on potential career pathways within the healthcare industry.  All students will attend through their physical education or health class. Here is the letter that was shared yesterday with families  regarding this event.

RADIANCE - HPHS Dance Show 2024



The Dance Show will take place next week, Thursday, March 7 - Saturday, March 9. This is always a spectacular performance that showcases our talented dancers. Tickets are online and can be purchased here. 

Focus on the Arts is looking for students for the 2025 Student Leadership Board?  Click here for more information.

National Hispanic Institute

For over 20 years, HPHS has been supporting student participation in the NHI summer leadership programs. This is an opportunity to partake in leadership projects that focus on communication skills, organizational concepts, and inquiry-based learning.

There will be an  Informational Meeting for 9th graders interested in the NHI summer leadership program. Friday March 8 at 6:00 pm in the HPHS Giant Conference room.

RUMBO 2024

Rumbo a la Universidad 2024 is underway. This four-week program, led by D113 Community Liaison Luisa Espinosa-Lara, Post-Secondary Counselor Holly Siegel, and Counselor Pablo Alvarez, introduces Spanish speaking families to the college search and application process.  Last week students and families came together for a presentation that included hearing from three HPHS alumni and a current senior.

Last weekend the HPHS debate team made its annual trip to Boston for the 2024 Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament. The Giants had a great trip both on and off the debate floor. Not only did they finish in 12th place among the more than 100 elite teams that participated in Congress, but five HPHS debaters also advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament, with four of them picking up much coveted bids to the 2024 Tournament of Champions in Lexington, Kentucky. To top it all off, sophomore Sophia Elkin received the tournament's leadership award for her outstanding work in chamber 24 during the preliminary session. Take a bow Giant debaters for another job well done, and congratulations to Sophia, Jimmy Shivak, Renata Smoler, Nathan Sukenik, and Callie Wu for their special accomplishments in Cambridge!

HPHS junior Clara Zhang performed a live solo concert on WFMT radio followed by an interview with this exceptional Giant. Click here to listen to her performance.

DJ CLUB (Sponsor Mr. Duray) spinning during lunch periods last week!

Lettuce Club (Sponsor Ms. Castellani):

ATHLETICS

HPHS has a State Champion! Senior diver Noam Kulbak had a Giant Saturday at the IHSA State Finals in Westmont, IL. Noam represented Highland Park Athletics with class over the weekend and throughout his time at HPHS. What a great finish to his unbelievable high school career.  

Shoutout to Freshman Liam Hoyer who participated in the Athletes with Disabilities Division at the IHSA State Swim Meet over the weekend. Liam participated in the 100 Free and 50 Free and showed great courage and grit on the state’s biggest stage. 

Congratulations to two-time State Qualifier Clara Ugaz.  Her high school wrestling career came to an end at the IHSA State Finals in Bloomington, IL last Friday.  Clara gave Giant effort and showed tremendous toughness.  She has done so much good for Highland Park Girls Wrestling over the past few years and has a lot to be proud of, on and off the mat.

Preparticipation Physical Update - This information was shared in an Infinite Campus Blast on Monday



Due to the cyber-attack on Lurie's Children’s Hospital, patient records have been locked down, impacting the ability to verify patient physicals. We received word at the end of last week that the IHSA is granting a 2-week waiver for spring sport student-athletes if their preparticipation physicals are held up by the cyber-attack, as long as they have a physical on file with their school within the last 2 years. This waiver period will end on Monday, March 11 and students will need to have an updated physical turned in to HPHS at that time. Feel free to reach out to the Athletic Office if you have been affected by this. Thank you!

DEANS

Our Beat the Bell (BTB) Challenge has come to an end. We will be announcing the winning class soon. The BTB champs will be honored with special treats from Backyard Gill and a $10 gift card to use in the future. Thanks to everyone for their participation and continuing to embrace our House On Vine values. Those non-negotiables include: 

• Show Up: the importance of being present and attending class
• Beat the Bell: the importance of being on time to you, your classmates, and your teacher
• Disconnect to Reconnect: the importance of disconnecting from our devices to more fully engage with each other and our classes
• And Taking Care of our Casa y Familia: the importance of treating each other with respect, kindness, and care, as we are all family members in this House on Vine.

Homeroom @ Home

On 2/28/24, HPHS Counseling took 23 students to two College of Lake County (CLC) campus visits. We visited CLC's Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan, then the Southlake Campus in Vernon Hills. Students toured our most local community college settings and learned about associate's degrees and certificate programs such as HVAC, Certified Nursing Assistant, dental hygiene, and massage therapy.

Consider serving on the D113 Board of Education

Reminder: the deadline to apply is tomorrow, Friday, March 1 at 3 p.m. 

For more information on qualifications and to fill out the application go to this link. 

5 Essentials

Please remember to complete the 5 Essentials parent survey by visiting this site. This survey provides valuable data that helps us ensure the voices of our community inform the decisions and considerations we make in the operation of our school. Your participation in the parent survey will help us understand the conditions at HPHS and guide improvement.

Your response will only be examined in aggregate. There is no way to connect a parent’s response to a particular student.