THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Nice long weekend with no school Tomorrow February 14th and Monday February 17th
• Thank you to everyone for their engagement in our Charity Drive supporting the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation

Dear Giant Families,

Following up on Dr. Holland's message regarding the deeply concerning situation at HPHS and Edgewood, I want to reiterate that student and staff safety is our absolute priority. We understand your concerns and are committed to transparency, sharing any updates as they may become available while respecting the ongoing police and district investigations.

We deeply appreciate our partnership with the Highland Park Police Department as they conduct their thorough investigation, and D113 has launched its own Title IX investigation as well.

Our entire staff, especially our dedicated counseling teams, are here to support your children. Students can access counseling services through the Drop-In Center or any member of our student services team. We encourage students to reach out if needed. We are here for you too.

Please remember that you can report a concern anonymously by submitting a tip to the District 113 Tip Line by calling or texting 844-224-1521 or by using the online portal. Also, a reminder to consider applying to join the D113 Security Advisory Committee. Applications are available in English and Spanish. You can find more information on the D113 website. 

We are committed to ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for every Giant. Thank you for partnering with us in this effort. We have much to embrace as Giants that is included down below and now is a time to keep community and emotional and physical safety at the forefront of our efforts.



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

Holly 

ACTIVITIES



Here are some photos from this past week's Charity Drive events/activities (Cupcake Decorating Championship, Taste Of HP,  A Staff Amazing Race, and Centennial Ice Skating Night)!

PTO

ATHLETICS



Weekend Highlights

We celebrated our seniors from Boys Basketball, Jammers and Poms on Friday Night and all of our groups brought their “A game”. Our Varsity Basketball team defeated Niles West 60-38 and our Poms and Jammers squads continued to show their skill in front of a great crowd in the Giant Gym. Shoutout to our student section who came out in force and stayed until the final buzzer sounded. That’s us!

Our Girls Basketball Team defeated Niles West on Friday to finish all alone in 1st place in the CSL North with a 9-1 record in conference. This earned the group an invitation to play in the CSL Showcase Game tonight at 7:00pm at HPHS. Our Giants will take on Glenbrook South, who won the CSL South this year. 

Boys Wrestling has two IHSA Sectional qualifiers. Congratulations to Daniel Derbedyenyev and Alex Gudgeon. Both will travel to Barrington High School this coming weekend trying to earn a trip to the State Finals. Our Girls Wrestlers will be competing at New Trier for their Sectional Tournament on Friday and Saturday. Good luck to all of our Sectional Qualifier Wrestlers.

Boys Swim & Dive defeated Maine East on Friday night. Next up is the CSL North Championship Meet on Saturday at HPHS. Diving begins at 9:00am and Swimming starts at 1:00pm. Good luck to all of our Giants who are competing.

The Girls Gymnastics season came to an end on Wednesday night at the competitive GBS Regional. Our group had a fantastic year and made memories that will last a lifetime. Congratulations to everyone who played a part in this year’s success.

National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) was Wednesday, February 5th. We sponsored a breakfast on Wednesday in the student cafeteria for all female athletes and coaches of female sports, to acknowledge the accomplishments of girls and women in sports, the positive influence of sports participation, and the importance for equality for women in sports. We also honored three women who have had a big impact on HP Athletics during their time here. A Giant thank you to Sarah Palmberg, Jolie Bechtel, and Lydia Gonzalez for their contributions to female sports at HPHS.

Saturday was our 2024-25 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Congratulations to the 2011 Girls Golf Team, Cathy Nachman, Danny Barnett, John Gorleski, and Peter Rudman. In their speeches, our inductees reinforced our Giant Values. They spoke about people who showed generosity and nurtured them during their time at HPHS. Many shared stories of coaches and family members holding them accountable. It was clear the sense of belonging they still feel because there were opportunities to be included in athletics. And finally, they all showed humility, mentioning they wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all they accomplished without the help of their teammates. A big thank you to Evan Gerke and HPTV for livestreaming the ceremony so people all over the country could tune in.  It truly was a great day to be a Giant where you were.

5 Simple Rules for High School Parents:

Help Your Student Increase Resilience and Prepare for College Life. Harlan will be presenting on Thursday, March 6th from 7:30-9:00 pm in the Deerfield High School Auditorium. 

In today’s world, parents often find themselves solving problems for their children instead of guiding them to overcome challenges on their own. This can leave students without the grit and life skills necessary to thrive beyond high school. Join Harlan Cohen, New York Times bestselling author, on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 7:30 pm in the DHS Auditorium, as he shares “5 Simple Rules for High School Parents.”In this engaging session, Harlan will provide actionable tools to help parents empower their teens to become more resilient, less reactive, and better at solving their own problems—skills essential for navigating the challenges of college and adulthood.  

Learn more about Harlan Cohen’s work, Harlan Cohen with Al Roker on TODAY All Day .