December 22, 2025

Greetings Fellow Scots,

As we conclude the semester, I want to thank you for your continued support and partnership throughout these past months. It has been a successful time for our school, and we are grateful for the hard work of our students, faculty, and families.

Our focus this final week has been on finishing strong and reflecting on the growth our students have made both academically and personally. We are proud of the effort our students have shown and appreciate the encouragement and support you have provided at home.

As always, please feel free to reach out if you have questions, suggestions, or concerns. I hope everyone enjoys a safe, restful, and joyful break, and we look forward to welcoming students back refreshed and ready on January 7th.

Thanks and Go Scots!

Dr. Kevin Hunt - Principal

Highland Park High School

huntk@hpisd.org

Campus Mission: Highland Park High School, upholding its tradition of excellence, exists to provide a learning environment that prepares students to serve as engaged global citizens in a complex and ever-changing world.

TAG TESTING REGISTRATION

MAD FOR PLAID

Clements Foundation and La Fiesta launch $100,000 holiday match!

The Highland Park Education Foundation is excited to announce that the Clements Foundation and La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas have issued a generous $100,000 match to challenge the community to give. Every dollar donated to Mad for Plaid in the next month (between December 10 and January 7) will be DOUBLED up to $100,000.

Mad for Plaid is a districtwide fundraiser that raises funds in support of HPISD's critical budget needs. Currently, that critical need is raising the bar for teacher and staff salaries districtwide. Your Mad for Plaid donation will directly support the District in retaining and attracting top talent, and we hope you don’t miss the chance to have your donation doubled. Every gift, no matter the size, will help the HP Education Foundation gift $1.8 million to HPISD in 2025-2026. 

Each family in this district is an essential piece of the puzzle! Learn more at hpef.org/mad-for-plaid.

Thank you to the Clements Foundation, established by Governor Bill Clements, HPHS Class of ’34, and La Fiesta de las Seis Banderas, for their continued generosity and passion in challenging our community to support our wonderful educators!

Double your gift here!

FINE ARTS TEACHER OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS

Please submit your nominations for Fine Arts Teacher of the Year to help us honor our amazing teachers and HP Arts Community Advocate! You can find the link at HPArts.org. Deadline is January 16, 2026.

SENIOR INTERNSHIP MEETING

MAPS APPLICATIONS FOR THE 26-27 SCHOOL YEAR ARE OPEN

Highland Park ISD is excited to announce that applications for the 2026–2027 Moody Advanced Professional Studies (MAPS) program are now open for current HPHS sophomores and juniors. MAPS empowers learners to explore career pathways through hands-on experiences in media, business, engineering, design, and more—all while collaborating with industry partners and professionals.

This year’s application season includes multiple entry points, two information sessions for families, and designated interview windows. Students are encouraged to review the timeline carefully and apply early if possible. 

Students interested in applying should do the following:

1. Fill out an information form at www.hpisd.org/maps
2. Sign up for a 10-minute interview time in the MAPS Makerspace (NW312) and attend their interview
3. Look for the MAPS Application Status email by Friday, January 23, 2026, in their student email

Families and students are encouraged to attend one of the information sessions to learn more about course offerings, program expectations, and the unique opportunities MAPS provides.

For questions or additional information, please contact Polly McKeithen (McKeitM@hpisd.org) or visit our website www.hpisd.org/maps.

LITFEST 2026

Calling all book lovers! Take some time over the holidays and read Blake Crouch’s bestseller, Dark Matter! Please join us for the HP LitFest Parent Book Club, which will be held on January 28th at 7:00 pm at 3216 Westminster Ave. All are welcome! RSVP to info@hplitfest.org

HP CREW

After another amazing racing season, Dallas United Crew (DUC) invites new athletes to join our High School Learn to Row Trial Program — the perfect chance to see what rowing is all about!

Two 1-Week Trial Sessions (Grades 9–12):

• Trial 1: January 5 – 9, 2026
• Trial 2: January 12 – 16, 2026

Details:

• Location: 417 E. Lawther Drive, Dallas, TX
• Time: 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
• Contact: admin@dallasunitedcrew.org
• Register: www.DallasUnitedCrew.org/highschooltrial
• 
  

No experience is necessary — we’ll teach you everything you need to know.

Rowing is also excellent cross-training for out-of-season athletes looking to build endurance, strength, and teamwork.

Through our partnership with Highland Park Crew Club, qualified athletes can earn a varsity letter through Highland Park High School Athletics.

Dallas United Crew also offers:

• Off-campus PE credit
• Service-hour opportunities
• Regional and national competition opportunities
• A fun, supportive team community

Join us on the water and discover why rowing is the ultimate team sport — and the perfect way to start 2026 strong!

UIL ACADEMICS

The Academic UIL team kicked off their competition season at the Ennis Christmas Invitational on Saturday, December 13. The team placed 4th overall and enjoyed a great start to their season. Please see below for a complete list of results.  

Computer Science-3rd place team (Bradley Liang, Shayen Nair, Mark Schmidl, John Shamburger, Ian Song)

• Ian Song-3rd 

Current Issues and Events-1st place team (Elliot Bergin, Laurie Bickel, Kate Bodwell, Christian Chen, Alex Liu)

• Laurie Bickel-4th 
• Kate Bodwell-6th 

Mathematics 9/10

• Madeline Xing-5th 
• Aiden Xia-6th 

Number Sense 9/10

• Madeline Xing-6th

Number Sense 11/12

• Henry Zhu-6th 

Ready Writing

• Preston Houghton-3rd

Science 11/12-1st place team (Henry Zhu, Ethan Stanwood, Bradley Liang, Adrian Gu, Will Forsberg)

• Henry Zhu-1st, Top Biology, Top Physics
• Ethan Stanwood-3rd
• Bradley Liang-5th

HPHS GIRLS LACROSSE TRYOUTS

HP CHEER TRYOUT MEETING

BASKETBALL

The Men’s Basketball Team opened district with a 85-28 stomping of R.L. Turner. Multiple Scots led the charge in scoring behind Canon Wyatt, Cade Kaplan, Charlton Bradford and Zach Jackson. Leading the way in rebounds was Charlton and Spencer Omundson while Will Saunders and Chris Martinez led the way in assists. 

The Scots have some time off until they travel to Allen High School to participate in the In-N-Out Burger Tournament. Their first game will be on December 29th at Noon vs Lovejoy.  

Happiest of Holidays and Merry Christmas to our amazing teachers, staff, parents, and students. You are all a blessing to our wonderful HP community and a joy to serve. 

Thank you to Culture Club, Men’s Track & Cross Country, HP Cheer, the PTA, and Student Council for wrapping up the teacher and staff “Twelve Days of Christmas” by providing fun and delicious treats!

Huge thanks to our wonderfully hospitable Teacher Appreciation team for hosting a festive holiday luncheon that brought Italian warmth and sunshine to our faculty. Every detail of the “Italian Holiday” truly felt like la dolce vita! Sara Friedman, Lara Gaither, Lindsey Miller, Jen Munoz, Michelle Pletcher, Nancy Scripps, and Shannon Williams.

Thank you to the PTA treasury team that helped coordinate our teacher and staff gifts: Kyle Huckaby, Allyn Waid, Kelley Curtin, Kristina Whitcomb, and Ashley Blanchette. Thank you to Dads Club for partnering with the PTA to share in the teacher and staff holiday gifts and for joining the celebration to help distribute them! Martin Gill, Scott Mallonee, and Lewis Brown. We always appreciate our Dads Club support!

Thank you to our Caring Scots team who has been busier than Santa’s elves spreading sunshine to our high school community: Stacey Beck, Tanya Benbow, Natalie Guerry, and Ali Watkins.

We are grateful for the holiday cheer that was spread by last week’s cafeteria volunteers! Carrie Green, Catherine Hardaway, Claire Baker, Ashley Blanchette, Surabi Shetty, Aimee Cali, Jamie Saylor, Katherine Sbaiti, Julie Melihercik, Beth Birdwell, Erinn Zielke, Alison Malone, Elizabeth Peters, Margarita Coale, Kristy Steffen, Emily Haddock, Alison Sumner, Tricia Perhirin, Carla Cree, Diann Alden, Michelle Slaughter, Kelsie Sumner, Kristin Mitchell, Jessica Klein, Alyson Booth, Drew Stull, Claudia Daniel, and Maggie Kipp.

Thank you to Renne Lokey for keeping the Supply Shop stocked with all the right reading materials for our English classes. We so appreciate your love for our students—and your love of reading!

Our Supply Shop parent holiday elves spread much joy to our Scots last week too! Jennifer Hayes, Sara Friedman, Addie Skinner, Darla Haglund, Destin Shore, Meredith Finney, Katie Head, Molly Thomas, Amanda Park, Jackie Gahagan, Amy Camillo, and Caroline Settle.

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Didn't see a school-related shout-out, blurb or mention this week? We want to hear about it so please email ScotsWeekly@hphspta.org the details and up to four (4) pictures! Deadline for submissions is each Wednesday by 5 pm - FIRM DEADLINE to make it into the Monday newsletter. If submitted late, it will go in the next week's newsletter.