THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Summative Assessment schedule and no school Friday
• The District 113 Education Foundation’s Annual Virtual Auction will take place December 13-15, 2024
• Check out all the  Exceptional Athletes in the Athletics Section

Dear Giant Family,

Next week marks the beginning of our Final Assessment Week. We want to remind everyone of the schedule and available resources:

• Attendance: Students are only required to attend school if they have a scheduled final assessment; however, we strongly encourage all students to take advantage of the supports available in the building.
• Resources: The TLC, Library, teachers, counselors, and other intervention resources will be accessible throughout the week to provide assistance and guidance.

Tips for a Healthy Mindset During Finals Week

1. Mindset: Believe in your ability to succeed. Approach each final experience as an opportunity to show what you’ve learned.
2. Take Breaks: Schedule short breaks during your study sessions to recharge and avoid burnout.
3. Get Enough Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night to ensure your mind is alert and ready to focus (this will probably require a technology boundary!).
4. Stay Active: Incorporate light exercise or stretching to relieve stress and maintain energy levels.
5. Practice Self-Compassion: Remember, it’s okay to make mistakes. Use them as learning opportunities.

Study Tips for Success

1. Create a Study Schedule: Organize your study time by prioritizing subjects and topics that need the most attention.
2. Use Active Learning Strategies: Practice with flashcards, solve sample problems, or teach the material to someone else.
3. Review Notes and Materials: Focus on key concepts and areas emphasized by your teachers.
4. Ask for Help: Don’t hesitate to reach out to your teachers, peers, or counselors if you need clarification or support.
5. Practice Self-Care: Stay hydrated, eat nutritious meals, and take care of your overall well-being.

We’re here to support you every step of the way and wish you all the best during Final Assessment Week.  Let’s finish the semester strong!

As always, thank you for sharing your students with us this week and beyond,

Holly

HAPPENING NEXT WEEK

ACADEMICS

Next week is the end of the first semester.   We will follow the  Summative Assessment Week Schedule.  Since students only need to be present for classes that are administering a summative assessment, we will run bus routes for students to arrive for the start of each period and leave at the conclusion of each period.  The Transportation Department has posted the HPHS Summative Assessment week bus routes so that students can determine their stops and times.   Please note that the bus route document is only accessible using a D113 account, so your student will have to use their account to access the information.

ACTIVITIES

 Sponsors Lindsey Choy and Joe Brysiewicz and Model UN Presidents Delia Cashman, Hannah Kee, and Ryan Kessler are excited to celebrate the Highland Park High School Model UN Team's 2nd Place finish (Outstanding Overall Delegation) at the 2024 CIMUN (Chicago International Model UN) Conference this weekend! Our 24  HP Model UN delegates competed successfully with hundreds of other students from across the United States and internationally in committee sessions over the last four days.

At the CIMUN Conference, HPHS Model UN largely represented the delegations of three countries: Belgium, Croatia, and Cuba - as well as several state cabinets and specialized committees such as the 2003 Historical US Senate, where students met with actual US Senator Dick Durbin for a Q&A session. Throughout the weekend, our students exhibited many skills: public and extemporaneous speaking, coalition building, and international relations diplomacy - all of which reflected their countless hours of research in the months leading up to the conference.

In all, our team received a 2nd place overall finish and 15 individual awards, including 1 Delegate's Choice Award, 3 Honorable Mentions, 9 Outstanding Delegate Awards, and 2 Best Delegate Awards.

Outstanding Overall Delegation (2nd Place)

Highland Park High School

Best Delegate in Committee (1st Place)

Madelaine Kenzer: European Union 2003 - Belgium

Hannah Kee: UN General Assembly 2024 - Croatia

Outstanding Delegate in Committee (2nd Place)

Harry Shapiro: WHO 2003 - Croatia

Alex Siegel: WHO 2003 - Croatia

Ryan Kessler: WHO 2003 - Cuba

Isabel Davis: WHO 2003 - Cuba 

Julia Nathanson: Russian Cabinet 2003 - Minister of Defense

Jacob Rolfe: (Ad Hoc) Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister of European and Euro- Atlantic Integration

Owen Silverman: French Cabinet 2024 -  Spokesman of the Government of France

Nora Gladstone: Russian Cabinet 2024 -Kremlin Press Secretary

Zach Shapiro: UN General Assembly 2003 - Belgium

Honorable Mention in Committee (3rd Place)

Wyatt Rosenblatt: NATO 2003 - Belgium

Katelyn Rosen: Senate 2003 - Senator Kit Bond

Delia Cashman: NATO 2024 - Croatia

Delegate's Choice Award

Jacob Rolfe: (Ad Hoc) Ukrainian Cabinet - Deputy Prime Minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration

The sponsors and families are incredibly proud of the hard work and commitment all our students demonstrated throughout the weekend. We are looking forward to attending the 2025 national conference in New York in March!

Thank you for your continued support of our students and Highland Park High School Model UN!

ATHLETICS

Winter Athletes - Don’t forget to place your order for an athletics yard sign.  Click here to access the Giants Club Website and check out the options.

Winter Sports Highlights

• Girls Gymnastics - The team finished 1st at the Wheeling Invitational last Friday. Amelie Gerber had a great day finishing 3rd on vault, 1st on bars and 2nd all around. Jillian Mangione had a fantastic performance on floor and placed 2nd.  The program will be working hard on their routines over the next few weeks.  Their next competition is January 7th.
• Boys Wrestling - The team lost a close conference match with Niles West. The Varsity then traveled to the Hinsdale South Invite on Saturday and held their own placing 5th out of 12 teams. Nate Ferrari and Alex Gudgeon both placed 1st in their respective weight classes. Despite having some athletes out of the lineup, the group continues to persevere. The JV and Freshman teams are working hard and showing improvement. Our Boys take on Maine West on Thursday and all teams travel to invitationals on Saturday.
• Girls Wrestling - Numbers in the Girls Wrestling Program have more than doubled this year. On Friday night, our girls won their first ever conference dual meet versus Niles West. This group continues to blaze a trail. It’s a busy week for our girls with competitions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
• Girls Basketball - The Varsity team moved to 2-0 in CSL North play with wins over Maine West and Vernon Hills. It has been great to see junior Reese Crosby back on the floor after missing all of last year with an injury. The Varsity team is off to a strong start (6-2) and our lower level teams are getting better everyday. Both lower level teams defeated Vernon Hills last week. The Varsity girls travel to Maine East on Friday.  Lower levels play on Thursday.
• Boys Basketball - The Varsity boys impressed over the weekend, earning a conference win against Vernon Hills on Friday and a gritty victory over Addison Trail on Saturday. Their record is now 6-1 overall. Simon Moschin led the way with 33 points on Friday and 27 on Saturday. The Sophomore team is also off to a strong start and our Freshmen B team was victorious in their first game of the season against Vernon Hills. The program has two road games this weekend versus Maine East and Deerfield.
• Boys Swim & Dive - The 1st swim and dive competition of the season was Saturday at Stevenson. It was a nice start for the team despite having some key performers out. Look for this young group to be a team that keeps improving and surprises people this year.  The team takes on Evanston on Friday night.
• Poms and Jammers - The winter season has started for HP Poms and Jammers. They got right to it after Thanksgiving Break, as they performed at two Girls Basketball games last week and the Boys Basketball game on Tuesday night.

The Illinois High School Association has moved to digital tickets for all state series events. Highland Park High School, and many schools we travel to, also utilize Go Fan for tickets to sporting events where admission is required. There will be a cash option at HPHS, but that may not be the case at other schools. Click here to see the Go Fan website and search HIGHLAND PARK HIGH SCHOOL for upcoming events.

November Athletes of the Month - Brooke Eliacin - girls swimming, Emily Fraser - girls swimming, Megan Kim - girls swimming, Apple Wojtowicz - girls swimming, Dylan Dominguez - boys cross country, Matthew Simon - boys basketball, Emily Calub - girls basketball, Dana Holt - girls wrestling

The HPHS Athletic Hall of Fame will be welcoming five new inductees this year. Danny Barnett (Class of 1990 - Football, Basketball), John Gorleski (1981-Present - Athletic Trainer, Athletic Director, Coach, Contributor), Cathy Nachman (Class of 1973 - Multi-sport Athlete, Coach, Contributor), Peter Rudman (Class of 1986 - Basketball, Baseball), and The 2011 Girls Golf Team (3rd Place in State) make up the 2024-25 Hall of Fame Class. All will be recognized at a ceremony on Saturday, February 8 at 2:30pm in the HPHS staff cafeteria and also at the Boys Basketball game later that day. Congratulations to this group of inductees who have given so much to HP Athletics.

All HPHS female athletes are invited to attend a special event at Deerfield High School on Presidents Day. (Monday, February 17th). Students from across the northern suburbs will be coming together to celebrate and elevate female sports. You can register using the QR code below. Don’t wait - you won’t want to miss out on this amazing opportunity. To learn more check out this video.

Mark your calendars! The District 113 Education Foundation’s Annual Virtual Auction will take place December 13-15, 2024. Our virtual auction is the perfect way to complete your holiday shopping while supporting our mission to bring innovative programs and opportunities to our students. Bid on an incredible selection of items including Bulls tickets, Cubs tickets, baskets, jewelry, experiences and much more. Plus, don’t miss your chance to enter our raffle for a coveted HPHS parking spot and reserved graduation seats. For more information on the District 113 Education Foundation, please visit www.district113foundation.org