GI flies through Sectionals, headed to State

The IHSA Sectional Group Interpretation competition was held last weekend at Thornton Township H.S. H-F's production of Fly the Friendly(?) Skies finished in 3rd Place, advancing the team to IHSA State this weekend at Oak Lawn Community H.S. Of the 75 schools that entered this year, only 18 are advancing and our Vikings will be there! The story — a tribute to the life of everyday heroes (in this case, flight attendants) — features an original script, adapted from multiple sources, co-directed by Ms. Stroemer and Mr. Mulling, English teachers, with technical direction by Mr. Tholl, Theatre Manager. (Sidenote: Mr. Mulling competed in GI as a Viking, finishing in 2nd Place in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, under the guidance of Ms. Stroemer!) Congratulations to the full cast & crew, and special shout out to these students, named to the All-Sectional Cast: Josh Bridges, Diamond Carrington, Ronald Trey Gerring & Layla LaNier. Go, Vikings!

Institute Day: Friday, March 25

& Spring Recess: March 28-April 1

Spring Recess is nearly here! This Friday — March 25 — is an Institute Day for teachers & staff; there are no classes for students. There will also be no classes Monday, March 28-Friday, April 1. The Textbook Center will be closed. District offices will be open, however, from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 

Safe travels to all who are traveling this week, and if you are staying in town, be sure to check out a spring athletic game (see calendar below), including this weekend's Boys' Varsity Volleyball Tournament in the Fieldhouse. 

Classes will resume for all students & teachers on Monday, April 4!

Sign up now for the 2022 H-F Reads Parent/Caregiver Edition

“If it takes a Village to raise a child, then we must welcome, empower and elevate our Village.” 

The H-F Equity Committee invites parents/caregivers to participate in a monthly discussion series on Zaretta Hammond’s book, Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Through this book study, parents/caregivers will build knowledge on the importance of culture and how it impacts student-information processing and the essential foundations of cultivating independent learners. Participants will have the opportunity to thought-partner with the H-F Equity Committee regarding contents of the text, community perspectives, and partnerships to increase student social, emotional and academic outcomes. Discussion sessions will be led by DEI Coordinator Catherine Ross-Cook and the H-F Equity Committee one evening per month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at H-F. Texts will be provided to participants; space is limited. If you are interested in participating, please click here to fill out a Google Form...

Add this to your Spring Break To-Do List: Apply for H-F Foundation Scholarships

Attention, Class of 2022 Vikings: applications for more than 15 scholarships — offered to H-F students only — are now open! Don't miss this opportunity to garner some additional money for your college education. The scholarships are offered in partnership with the H-F Foundation, and will be presented to students during the Honors Convocation in May. Application deadline is Sunday, April 10, for:

• Brian Miller Memorial Scholarship
• Class of 1971 Scholarship
• David Boettcher Memorial Scholarship
• Dr. Bob Donaldson Memorial Scholarship
• Elyse Bell Memorial Scholarship
• Exelon Dresden Nuclear Station STEM Scholarship
• Flossmoor Service League Scholarship
• Friends of the Library Scholarship
• GTT Scholarship for Social Excellence
• H-F Teacher Union Future Teacher Scholarship
• H-F Teacher Union Service Scholarship
• Homewood-Flossmoor Parent (HFPA) Scholarships
• Kevin Maher Memorial Scholarships
• Korean United Methodist Church Scholarship
• Kristina Knoll Martinez & Danny Martinez Family Scholarship
• Lighthouse LGBTQ Scholarship
• Lowry Family Scholarship
• National Council of Jewish Women South Cook Section Award
• Rotary Club of Homewood Scholarship
• Suzanne E. "Nebs" Nebendahl Memorial Golf Scholarship

For more information or to begin an application, visit the Going Merry website by clicking here. Questions? Contact College Consultant Brad Kain at 708-335-5615, [email protected].

Wellness Wednesdays

Wellness Wednesday discussions returned in person last month! Students are invited to attend Wednesdays during 4th Period in South Building Room G5; they may sign up for one session each month. The remaining session in March is:

• March 23: Taking Care of OurSELF

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

Questions? Contact Mrs. White, H-F social worker, at 708-335-5554 or [email protected].

COVID LINKS

• 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.

Earlier this month, students in Mrs Marks' Advanced Culinary classes, made homemade pasta with hand-cranked pasta machines — something they couldn't do remotely last school year. Students nailed this simple recipe of Durum wheat flour, eggs & oil to make delicious dishes.

H-F Debate State Results

Congratulations to the H-F Debate team for a great performance at IHSA State last weekend at Illinois State University! Junior Peyton Jackson went 9-1 in preliminary rounds and was the top seed at the tournament. Peyton lost a tough Quarterfinals round and finished the tournament in 5th Place! She was also named to the All-State Team and 2nd speaker in State. It had to go to a 3rd tiebreaker between Peyton and the All-State Captain to determine 1st and 2nd place. In Public Forum Debate, seniors David Gibek and Khalil Spight went 6-4 and narrowly missed the Octafinals elimination rounds by only five points! Also, sophomore Kevin Gibek went 7-3 and missed the Quarterfinals elimination round by only three points! The team was coached this year by Mrs. Cole, English teacher; Ms. Carroll, Special Education teacher; and Elise Harmening.

Winter Athletic Awards

Last Wednesday evening, our winter student-athletes were celebrated at a special recognition ceremony, held in the South Gym. All nine of our varsity teams this season received the IHSA All-Academic Team Award for having a team GPA of 3.00 or above! Special congratulations to:

Sportsmanship Award Recipients

• Boys' Basketball: Lee Marks
• Girls' Basketball: Skye Echols
• Cheerleading: Sani Zinnerman & Sari Zinnerman
• Dance: Vashti Lasticly
• Girls' Gymnastics: Lola Pohrte
• Boys' Swimming & Diving: Ethan Myers
• Ice Hockey: Timmy Van Etten
• Boys' Wrestling: Haku Watson-Castro
• Girls' Wrestling: Ini Odumosu

Most Improved Players

• Boys' Basketball: Robert Brazelton
• Girls' Basketball: Jaeda Murphy
• Cheerleading: Mia Hillman
• Dance: Kailah Brooks
• Girls' Gymnastics: Jordan Flowers
• Boys' Swimming & Diving: Danavan Wright
• Ice Hockey: Joey Boldt
• Boys' Wrestling: Rahmal Graham
• Girls' Wrestling: Jocelyn Williams

Most Valuable Players

• Boys' Basketball: Christian Meeks (SWSC Athlete of the Year)
• Girls' Basketball: Alyssa Latham (SWSC Athlete of the Year)
• Cheerleading: Madison Manley
• Dance: Nicole Peterson
• Girls' Gymnastics: Tanylah Gillen (SWSC Athlete of the Year)
• Boys' Swimming & Diving: Charles Niemiec
• Ice Hockey: Charlie Knetl
• Boys' Wrestling: Vincent Robinson
• Girls' Wrestling: Attalia Watson-Castro

Click here to view more photos from the event...

Seven Vikings earn MOS Certification

Congratulations to Mrs. Alexander’s Advanced Computer Applications class for passing the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Exam for PowerPoint 2016. Microsoft Office Specialist Certification is the premier credential chosen by individuals seeking to validate their skills and advance their careers. The MOS Certification shows that the students have the skills to tap the full features and functionality of Microsoft Office, specifically Microsoft PowerPoint. Certification requires individuals to demonstrate their ability to create and manage presentations, insert and format shapes and slides, create slide content, apply transitions and animations and manage multiple presentations. Congratulations to: Kalind Ford (not pictured), Tyler Hendrix, Kendra Hoskins, Peter Jinadu, Amarion Lifschultz, Dallas Prince & Logan Roberts.

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!