THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 

• Freshmen are invited to attend the Varsity Girls Flag Football Game on Wednesday, Sept 25th, at 6:00pm for a tailgate at Wolters Field!
• No School October 3rd and the 14th
• Keep reading to find out more about Paint the Town Blue on October 5th!

As a former counselor, I realize the importance of centering the mental health of our students in order to promote a positive school climate where each student can learn at their optimal level.  National Suicide Prevention Month is a crucial time for schools and families to come together to promote mental health and well-being. By raising awareness, we can help break the stigma surrounding mental health and encourage open conversations. Together, we can build a healthy, supportive community where every student feels valued and safe, knowing they are never alone in their struggles.  Here are some suggestions for ways you can start the conversation at home.  If you need support or additional resources, do not hesitate to reach out to us, we are an important partner for you and are here for you and your students.

• Create a safe, non-judgmental space: Let your student know they can talk to you about anything, and you’ll listen without judgment.
• Ask open-ended questions: Use prompts like “How are you really feeling?” or “Is there anything you’ve been worried about lately?” to encourage deeper conversations.
• Listen actively: Give them time to express themselves fully without interrupting or jumping to conclusions (I know this is hard!).
• Validate their feelings: Acknowledge their emotions by saying, “I understand why you might feel that way” or “That sounds really tough.”
• Be direct about suicide: If you're concerned, ask calmly, “Have you ever had thoughts about hurting yourself or not wanting to be here?”
• Normalize mental health discussions: Emphasize that mental health is as important as physical health and that everyone has struggles sometimes.
• Model openness and vulnerability: Share your own experiences (when appropriate) with stress, anxiety, or sadness, showing it’s okay to talk about these feelings.
• Encourage healthy coping strategies: Suggest activities that can improve mood, such as exercise, creative hobbies, or spending time with friends.
• Promote professional help when needed: Normalize seeking help from counselors or therapists, and offer support in finding resources like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
• Check in regularly: Keep the conversation going, showing ongoing care and interest in their well-being.

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

Holly Fleischer

Attention Freshmen, our Class of 2028! Students are invited to attend the Varsity Girls Flag Football Game on Wednesday, Sept 25th, at 6:00pm, with their Junior and Senior Link Crew Leaders! There will be popcorn and other giveaways for our Freshmen fans. Please drop students off at Wolters Field at 5:45pm and plan on picking them up at 7:15pm. We look forward to a night of cheering on our Varsity Girls Flag Football team, being together and having a great time! Go Giants!

Highland Park Band and Orchestra students side-by-side in rehearsal with the National Children's Symphony of Venezuela and Maestro Gustavo Dudamel. They did such an AMAZING job!!  Maestro Gustavo Dudamel is current conductor of the New York Philharmonic and has served as conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 

ACTIVITIES

Our HP Math Team is hard at work!

Class of 2028: The entire class of 2028 were able to pick up their FREE class t-shirt this week! If your student did not get a chance to do this, please have them pick it up in the Student Activities Office.

Paint The Town Blue! Clubs and Team will be participating in Paint The Town Blue on October 5th! See details below:



HPHS PTO

HPHS PTO is proud to sponsor Paint the Town Blue, HPHS' homecoming window painting event in downtown Highland Park, on the afternoon of Saturday, October 5th from 3:00-5:00 PM. We are partnering with the Giants Club, HP Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, HPHS student activities and athletic teams to bring homecoming spirit to downtown Highland Park!



How can you help? 

• Encourage your student's club/activity or athletic team to sign up to paint a window!
• Encourage a Downtown HP business to sign up to have their window painted!
• Join us for a fun afternoon volunteering at this event! Signup for a short shift on Saturday, October 5th in the afternoon between 2:00 and 5:30 PM.

Visit www.hphspto.org/paint to get involved!

Varsity Football Student Section White Out!

ATHLETICS

Wolters Field Parking Information

Construction continues on the parking lot at the Recreation Center of Highland Park.  This is the lot we typically use for overflow parking when the lots at Wolters Field are full.  See below for pertinent information about parking for Wolters Field events and practices:

- Please continue to use the west lot for drop off and pick up.  Please do not use the side streets to the east of Wolters Field for picking up and dropping off students.

- Mondays through Thursdays, and Saturdays we will have parking in the West Lot and Center Lot.  If those lots fill up, parking will be available at the Administration Building.  

- On Friday nights, when we host varsity football games, parking will be available in the West Lot and grass lot for primary parking.  We have asked visiting teams to utilize the Administration Building and East Drive.  When all of our lots fill up, people can try to park at the Rec Center, however we expect there to be very few spots available.  Because of this we will be offering shuttle service from HPHS to Wolters Field.  Our buses will be parked by the athletic entrance off of Vine Ave (see visual below).  Shuttle service will be available after the game as well.  Parking on the side streets near Wolters Field is prohibited.

- Carpooling for athletes and spectators is highly encouraged.  

A few of our athletic programs took field trips recently.  Our Girls Field Hockey Program attended the Northwestern vs. Boston College game.  It was great to have our athletes there to watch.  Northwestern’s team is one of the best in the country again this year.  Our Boys Soccer Program traveled to the Chicago Fire game on Saturday night against New York.  The boys enjoyed watching the Fire get a win and even got to walk on the field after the game.

Congratulations to Sadie Benjamin from the Girls Golf Program.  Sadie had a top 10 finish at the Vernon Hills Invite on Saturday.  Our Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams traveled to Peoria, Illinois this past weekend.  Both teams ran well under difficult conditions.  The Boys placed 10th out of 45 teams. 

Shoutout to our HPHS Athletes of the Month from August.

Lucas Gordon - Football

Dari Velazquez - Girls Flag Football

Ava Heimgartner - Girls Flag Football

Vincent Rosheger -  Boys Soccer

Dylan Dominguez - Boys Cross Country

Tasia Dimitriou - Girls Volleyball 

Team and individual portraits from your picture day are now available to view and order online.  To order photos from your picture day:

1. Go to: https://www.vipis.com/group/6ca666a5/highland-park-high-school
2. Select "View now" on the green Sports Team & Individual tile
3. Enter your information in the search fields
4. Select the school year (July 1st to June 30th) during which your photos were taken and click "search"
5. Follow the instructions to select your package or products and choose your background for your individual photos if applicable
6. You will receive a confirmation email

If you can't find your team, it may have been photographed at a later date.  You will receive another email when new images are posted, or you can check back in a few days.  If you have any questions, please contact support@vipis.com.