From the desk of Principal Deborah Finn

February 1, 2024

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 

1. Charity Drive is in full swing! Looking for something to do this weekend - make sure to visit the website and read below, as there is a lot happening.
2. HPHS is celebrating Black History month!
3. HPHS Athletics Hall of Fame has three new Inductees. Read about the exceptional athletes in the Athletics section.

It is Black History Month!  The 2024 national theme for Black History Month is African Americans and the Arts. 

In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized the entire month of February as Black History Month. Although the shortest month of the year, February was intentionally selected because of the birthdays of American President Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12th) and American abolitionist Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14th). For more information/resources visit The National Museum of African American History & Culture.

Students are encouraged to take a photo with friends and/or staff members in front of our HP Black History Month Balloon Wall in the student cafeteria.  Remember to send the photo with Dr. Stephenson jstephenson@dist113.org  so he can share it with our HPHS community. 

Monday, February 5 - Giant Schedule Day

Tuesday, February 6 - Giant Schedule Day

Wednesday, February 7 - Blue Schedule Day

Thursday, February 8 - White Schedule Day



Friday, February 9 - Giant Schedule Day

Did you know that Highland Park High School has a long standing and proud history of offering a Dual Language (DL) education? Last week, some of our Dual Language students shared with D112 students their enthusiasm for the program. Many thanks to Edgar, Tony and Jackson for taking time out of their busy schedules to share their experiences with incoming HPHS students. Click here to learn more about DL.

Summer School

Summer is already on our mind! The 2024 Summer School brochure is live on the Summer School website. Registration for classes opens on Monday, February 5th. Please review the registration information for details on how to register for classes. If you have any questions about Summer School, please reach out to Summer School Principal, Matt Wallace (mwallace@dist113.org).

ACTIVITIES



Snowcoming Week was a ton of fun for our students! Follow us on @hphsactivities on Instagram to see all of the highlight videos and photos. Big news to share - at our Winter Pep Assembly the students sang Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield and she reposted the video from our pep rally on her personal Instagram! 

Check out the Charity Drive Website!

A reminder of upcoming events that are asking for pre-registration/payment or looking for HPHS student performers. Consider participating in one of these Charity Drive events:

• Game Night, Feb 2 click on the links to access entry ticketing - 
• Taste of HP, 24-HOUR Run, Poms and Jammers Dance Clinic, 
• The Cannonball Contest!
• Sports Day, Feb 3 -  12p.m. - 4 p.m. Click here to purchase your ticket!

Also, check out these other great ways to participate in Charity Drive: 

• La Cocinita Food Truck will be at HPHS by the Giant Gym from 12-4. Here is the link to order and say what time you want to pick it up. Open to the public!
• Order Canes for lunch for your student! Order form will close on Tuesday, Feb. 6th. Pre-Orders ONLY. Here is the link to order.  
• Takeout Tuesday on 2/6 is Piero's Pizza. Mention HPHS Charity Drive when ordering
• Silent Auction opens on 2/7. So many great items including the coveted student parking spaces and reserved seating at graduation. Here is the link to join.
• Order Valentine's Day candy for your students! They will get a note in homeroom telling them to pick it up. Here is the link to order.
• Want to donate to The Cancer Wellness Center? Click here.

ATHLETICS



This Friday is Hall of Fame Night. We will be inducting three new members to the HPHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

Norm Parker ‘60 - Wrestling, University of Iowa 

Josh Wexler ‘85 - Basketball, Cornell University

Emily Feldman ‘11 - Cross Country, Basketball, Soccer, Emory University

Our own Colleen Boilini was named Assistant Athletic Director of the Year by the Illinois Athletic Directors Association (IADA). If you’ve had the pleasure to work with Ms. Boilini, you know she is a True Giant and deserving of this honor. Ms. Boilini will be recognized at the IADA Conference in Peoria, IL this coming May.

Last weekend was a busy one for HP Athletics with many highlights:

1. Girls Gymnastics finished 2nd in the CSL North at the Conference Meet on Friday.  They compete at the IHSA Regional tonight at New Trier hoping to advance to next week’s Sectional at Glenbrook South.
2. Girls Basketball defeated Regina on Saturday afternoon after a tough loss to Maine West on Friday night. This group is showing a lot of grit and is looking forward to Senior Night tomorrow at home versus Niles North.
3. Boys Basketball got two victories. Friday over Maine West and Saturday at Buffalo Grove. The team lost a close one to Lake Forest Academy on Tuesday and is looking to bounce back Friday night at division leading Niles North.
4. We had 3 of our Girls Wrestlers competing at the IHSA Regional. Senior Clara Ugaz advanced to next week’s Sectional. Our Boys Wrestlers compete at the Stevenson Regional this weekend.
5. Boys Swim & Dive lost to Vernon Hills on Senior Night, but it was another record setting night for Senior diver Noam Kulbak. The team travels to Maine West tomorrow night.
6. Our lower level teams continue to make Giant strides. Shoutout to our lower level coaches and athletes.
7. Poms and Jammers celebrated Senior Night on Friday. They will be hosting our youth dance clinic this Friday night.

Homeroom @ Home

Students took the Panorama SEL & Well Being Survey in homeroom today. Last week, we shared information with you about what the survey is, what it’s measuring, and what HPHS is doing with the data. In case you missed it, you can access it here in English, and here in Spanish. 

We encourage you to use the survey as an opportunity to engage your student in talking about the sense of connection they feel at HPHS. There are some rich opportunities to connect with your student as an “asset detective” on the infographics linked above.