THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

1. 1. Focus on the Arts hub  
2. 2. Giants Club Yard Signs are available for Spring Sport Athletes. Visit the Giants Club Website and place your order as soon as possible.
3. 3. ACT testing on April 9th and April 10th

Dear Giant Family,

As we embark on a well-deserved break, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the extraordinary school-family partnerships that enrich our community. It's truly inspiring to witness the dedication and impact of these groups.

First, I want to acknowledge the incredible work of the Giants Club. Just last night, I had the privilege of sitting with this group of dedicated individuals who are working tirelessly, outside of their full-time commitments, to bolster our athletic programs. 

Secondly, our exceptional PTO deserves immense praise. They recently brought joy and a touch of Irish luck to our entire staff with delightful shamrock shakes. Thank you for your ongoing partnership, unwavering support, and consistent demonstrations of appreciation. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated PTO.

In addition to these wonderful groups, I want to highlight the tremendous efforts of our volunteers who are working tirelessly on FOCUS on the Arts. Their dedication is making it possible to provide an excellent, immersive arts experience for our entire community. 

Finally, I am thrilled to announce that De Padre a Estudiante at Highland Park High School has been honored with the 2025 Community Partner Award by the Park District. This remarkable group of caregivers, under the inspiring leadership of School Community Liaison Luisa Espinosa-Lara, is making a profound difference. Luisa, a true guiding light, has dedicated the past three years to bridging cultural and educational gaps, fostering community connections, and enriching local programs with vibrant Latin culture. Through weekly meetings, workshops, book clubs, and cultural experiences, they empower parents to actively support their children's education.

We are stronger together!  We are HP!  Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable break!

Thank you for sharing your students with us today and beyond,

Holly 

ACADEMICS

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires that all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors participate in yearly accountability testing.  ISBE recently transitioned from utilizing the Digital SAT suite of assessments to the Digital ACT suite of assessments.  Here are some important pieces of information:

• On April 9, all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will take their respective ACT assessment in school.  
• Some students who require two day testing will continue testing on April 10.  
• All students are automatically registered by District 113. 
• April 9 and 10 are dedicated to the ISBE accountability testing.  When students are not testing, they are not required to be at school.
• Seniors do not attend either day (April 9 or 10)
• These letters provide more specific information for each grade level:
• 
  
• PreACT 9 Letter for Freshmen
• PreACT 10 Letter for Sophomores
• ACT Letter for Juniors
• 
  

STUDENT LIFE

ACTIVITIES

Congratulations to Ms. Olshansky, Mr. Zishuk, Mr. Chodoroff, and our talented students for an amazing Dance Show 2025!!! The hard work surely paid off with outstanding student leadership, production, choreography, lighting, jazz band, music selection, and the diversity of our schools' united talent on display. Thank you all for supporting HPHS Dance Show 2025! Click here to view pure joy!!!

Congratulations Highland Park High School Model United Nations Team!

Model UN sponsors Joe Brysiewicz and Lindsey Choy congratulate Model UN Presidents Delia Cashman, Hannah Kee, and Ryan Kessler, and the entire Highland Park High School Model UN team on their 1st place designation (Overall Delegation Award of Distinction) and 2nd place designation (Research & Preparation) at the 51st Annual National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) Conference in New York City. This is the team's first Overall Delegation Award of Distinction at NHSMUN since 2018. 

Our students joined over 3,000 high school students for four days of debating international crises and drafting multilateral resolutions. The conference included an incredibly rare opportunity to attend a fireside chat and Q & A with 46th President of the United States Joseph R. Biden.

In addition to our two delegation team awards, eight of our delegates (noted below) received NHSMUN's top individual honors. This honor includes speaking at the Saturday morning plenary session. Students who received this honor were asked to speak from the dais at closing ceremonies. Above all, our team continues to receive national recognition for the talent and effort of its members all while maintaining a spirit of cooperation and generosity when working with other delegations. Our members represented Highland Park High School with the highest integrity, diligence, and skill.

Delegation Awards (Group Honors)

• - Highland Park High School - Overall Delegation: Award of Distinction (1st Place Designation)
• - Highland Park High School - Research & Preparation: Award of Excellence (2nd Place Designation)

Plenary Speakers (Top Individual Honor)

• - Delia Cashman ('25) - United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC)
• - Isabel Davis ('25) - United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC)
• - Ryan Kessler ('25) - UN Economic and Social Commissions for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
• - Julia Nathanson ('25) - United Nations Security Council - Historical 1991 - (UNHSC)
• - Jacob Rolfe ('25) - United Nations Security Council - Historical 1991 - (UNHSC)
• - Alexa Rabin ('26) - UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• - Joslyn Klein ('27) -  High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)
• - Phoebe Berkowitz ('28) - UN Economic and Social Commissions for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

Congratulations to Imani Pitts for winning the “Candy Guess” game this Wednesday! She won all of the candy and a new pair of AirPods! 

WE ARE HP ♥️

ATHLETICS

It was an exciting weekend for our Track & Field Programs. The Girls hosted and placed 3rd in the Giant Relays. The team finished only two points out of first place. It was great to see the Indoor Track rocking with excitement. The enthusiasm and passion continued on Saturday as the boys took on Deerfield in their annual dual. Our Giants lost at the Varsity level, but were victorious at the JV level. Thanks to all the coaches and workers, especially maintenance and security, for their help in hosting two big meets in less than 24 hours. 

We also hosted a Boys Water Polo Invitational on Saturday. Coach Washburn’s squad lost to Hersey in the championship match, but got their season off to a great start. They followed that up with a big win over Lake Forest on Tuesday. 

Boys Gymnastics traveled to Niles West to compete this weekend. The freshmen showed a lot of potential on Friday night and the Varsity did a nice job on Saturday. The program hosted Evanston on Tuesday and junior Alex Gudgeon had a great day. 

The Girls Water Polo co-op team won their first game of the year against Lake Forest last week by the score of 8-4. The team’s record stands at 1-2. 

Congratulations to the Varsity Girls Lacrosse Team and Varsity Girls Softball Team. Both were victorious in their season openers against Regina on Tuesday. 

If you missed the most recent athletics information meeting you can access the presentation by clicking this link:  HPHS Athletics Information for Spring.  Feel free to reach out to the athletic office if you have any questions. You can find all of our Spring Sport schedules here. Good luck to all of our teams competing in upcoming events.



FAMILY LIAISON



We are very proud of the work this group of parents has accomplished.



De Padre a Estudiante, under the leadership of Luisa Espinosa Lara, School Community Liaison, creates opportunities for parents’ intellectual growth, the establishment of support networks among parents, and the development of opportunities to collaborate within our community. Thanks to the volunteers—Claudia Barranco, Martha Sánchez, Laura Ríos, Nancy Santiago, Lucy Báez, Marcela López, and Roberto Barranco for helping every year with the creation of the Altar for the Día de los Muertos for the Park District Día de los Muertos Celebration.