THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 

• Homecoming Pep Assembly Special Schedule Friday October 18
• Homecoming Once Upon A Time Saturday 7:00pm - 9:30pm (See important information in the Activities section)
• ALICE Drill information from our Deans

Happy Homecoming Week! As we celebrate, I want to take a moment to reflect on how often I hear about how special HPHS is—and this week, I’m really feeling it in my soul. From the energy in our classrooms to the buzz in the hallways, it’s clear that we have something extraordinary here. As a community, we can continue to ensure that all students find their place, experience joy, and have moments to shine—or even help shine a light on their peers.

I’m constantly impressed by the genius of our students. Whether it’s being at the Musical Showcase last night (I’m still in awe), watching the moments leading up to our Varsity Girls’ Tennis win, reading American Studies papers in progress, or hearing about projects in Biology class—there’s brilliance and exploration everywhere I turn. This week truly captures the beauty of what makes HPHS special.

And now, we get to cap it all off with Homecoming, one of the most exciting traditions of high school life!  The fun has kept our lunch periods buzzing with joy all week (ask your students about bouncy houses, climbing walls and more! Let’s keep the energy high and ensure that every student feels included in the fun. As a community, let’s continue to encourage our kids to share joy with one another, support their peers, and celebrate the uniqueness that every Giant brings.

Once upon a time, as a teacher, I used to tell my students every Friday to "have a good weekend and make good choices." I encourage you to take this opportunity to discuss with your students what it means to make good choices for their own well-being and the well-being of our community. Weeks that offer communal joy such as homecoming, is a chance for them to have fun and create lasting memories.  Please reference my communication from yesterday to read more about how to help keep our students emotionally and physically safe with homecoming.  With your partnership, we can ensure that those moments are filled with positivity and respect for themselves and others.

Thank you for your continued support and for being such an important part of the HPHS family. Let’s make this Homecoming one to remember!



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

Holly Fleischer

Happening next week

ACADEMICS

National Merit Scholars

Congratulations to the semi-finalist scholars of the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program! Semifinalists are among the top 16,000 (less than 1% of high school seniors) academically, high-achieving students in the nation. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. Congratulations to the following scholars:

• Amanda Altman 
• Sadie Benjamin 
• Nicolas Garcia 
• Julian Kolthammer
• Siena Logan
• Charles Ludington
• Jayla Marcus 
• Nicholas Prokos
• Benjamin Smollar

Congratulations to the commended scholars of the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program! “Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for National Merit Scholarship Corporation. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development,is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.” Congratulations to the following scholars:

• Ben Bass
• Helena Lee J Dogs
• Dylan Dominguez
• Eli S Fisher
• Emma K Fox
• Lyla I Goldman
• Hannah A Kee
• Jacob M Rolfe
• Connor F Sasveld
• Kobi A Silver
• Owen F Silverman
• Henry Suh

ACTIVITIES

Senior Picture Day – Friday, October 25th

We will be hosting Senior Picture Day in the Giant Conference Room all day on Friday, October 25th. Any students who have not taken their photo at the Stuart Rodgers studio should attend this free event to ensure their portrait is included in the 2024-2025 HPHS Yearbook. Students typically wear a nice dress shirt or blouse for the photo. Please email Lindsey Meyer LMEYER@DIST113.org with any questions

Monday October 21st is our next Club Photo Day. Please see the schedule below and arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled photo.

Please support The Genocide Commemoration Committee's fundraiser for Wednesday October 23rd at Lou Malnatis. Code GPFUND24”

HP Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration!

Check out our HP Student Activities Instagram page so see videos of our students and staff dancing and celebrating in community while Cerro Azul de Chicago performed during all lunch periods on Friday, October 11th. It was such a beautiful experience! Thank you to everyone who dove into the fun!

1. Homecoming tickets will NOT BE SOLD AT THE DOOR. 
2. HoCo Omella Ticket purchase link 
3. Student Activities Website Info for HoCo link

ATHLETICS



We have some exciting things happening this Homecoming weekend.  Here are a few of the many things going on: 



Thursday is Senior Night for our Girls Swimming and Diving Program.  Our Girls Volleyball Program also travels to Deerfield for the annual Dig Pink game, where both schools come together to raise money in support of cancer awareness.  Friday is our Homecoming Football Game at 6:30pm at Wolters Field.  We also have some teams competing in postseason contests.  Boys Soccer travels to Waukegan for a Regional Quarterfinal game, Girls Tennis is headed to the IHSA Sectional Tournament at Glenbrook North, and Girls Field Hockey hosts DePaul College Prep at 4:15pm at Wolters Field.  Saturday our Boys and Girls Cross Country teams run in the Conference Championship Meet at Deerfield High School.  Here is a link to all the athletic events happening this weekend. Good luck Giants!

Winter and Spring Sport Registration/Information Meeting

Wednesday, October 30th - 7:00-8:00pm

HPHS Student Cafeteria

We will be holding an Athletics Information and Registration Meeting at 7:00pm on Wednesday, October 30th in the student cafeteria at HPHS. Student-athletes interested in Winter or Spring Sports are encouraged to attend with their parents/guardians, as we will be covering a variety of important topics related to athletic participation.  If you attended the Kickoff Meeting in the Fall you do not need to attend this meeting, but can if you desire.  Click here for information about Winter and Spring Sport start dates.

Contact our Athletic Director, Paul Harris (pharris@dist113.org) with any questions. 

Congrats to:

1. Girls Tennis for capturing the CSL North Championship at the Varsity and JV levels.
2. Varsity Football for earning a conference win last Thursday night at Niles West.
3. Girls Flag Football for defeating Stevenson in the first round of the State Playoffs last week.  The team was then defeated  by Wauconda in the Regional Championship.
4. Varsity Boys Soccer on their 3-0 victory against Deerfield last Thursday.
5. Varsity Girls Volleyball on their win over Maine West on Tuesday.

DEANS

Each year, schools must conduct state required safety drills, including a "law enforcement drill" otherwise known as an active threat drill. This year, prior to conducting the active threat drill, we will once again be utilizing homeroom time to review the ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) response protocol.

This year, our first discussion about active threat protocol will take place on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 during homeroom. During that period, students will watch a video created by our former School Resource Officer, outlining the ALICE response protocol.  The video will explain the steps individuals can take in the event of an active threat within our building. The video will help prepare students and staff for the active threat drill which will occur during the homeroom period the next day on Wednesday, October 23. 

In taking a more trauma-responsive approach to this drill, we are hopeful that students have an opportunity to address their questions and concerns with their homeroom teacher(s). If students need additional support, they are encouraged to see their counselor or go to the Drop-In Center. If you anticipate that your student may need additional support during any of the aspects of the drill, please contact your student’s counselor or dean.  Students may also opt-out of this drill, and can do so by contacting your student’s counselor and/or dean by Friday, October 18.

Quest Reports D113 NOT Impacted by Listeria Meat Recall 

You may have seen news reports about a nationwide recall of meat contaminated with listeria. Following that initial recall issued to retailers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that some contaminated meat had been distributed to schools. Upon hearing this news, District 113 immediately contacted our food service provider Quest Food Management Services, and Quest has confirmed that it and its vendors have not been affected by this recall.