From the desk of Principal Deborah Finn

October 19, 2023

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 

1. Parking is limited on campus and it is critical only authorized students park in our lots.  Please read the Deans section for information about addressing parking violations in the future.
2. There is a lot happening in our Activities Department - check it out.
3. As we are nearing the midpoint of semester one, now is a great time to check in with your student.  Take a look at Academics for some conversation starters. 

While we are trying to provide as much normalcy for our students at HPHS as possible, we acknowledge that the world continues to be a dangerous, hurtful and scary place.  It has never been more important for students to rely on the adults in the building who they trust and feel they can confide in when they need support.   Please remind your student that our counseling department, psychologists, social workers and Drop-In Center staff are here for all of our students.

Last night I attended the HPHS Music Showcase and it was magnificent!  There is nothing like music to unite us as a caring community.  As part of the program, our students publicly performed for the first time “Hymn for Us”, written by composer James Stephenson.  This beautiful and triumphant hymn was dedicated to the HP Community and everyone who was traumatically impacted by the July 4 shooting.  Our Band Director, Josh Chodoroff spoke from his heart recalling the horror of that day, as he and many of our HPHS band students were present at the parade.  As haunting as it was to recall July 4, 2022 and the days that followed, I also vividly remembered the outpouring of love and the coming together of a community in service to others.  At the end of the performance, I was filled with emotion and gratitude for the privilege of being able to experience this with my HPHS family and embrace all that makes us HP Strong. 

My congratulations to all the performers and to our outstanding staff (Josh Chodoroff, Remington Clark, Maria Barnhill, Shanova Friend, Ron Bowden and Cynthia Mace) who brought us to this wonderful event.  Watching our students shine is the best part of my job.  Shout out to Girl’s Field Hockey and Girl’s Volleyball for giving it their all this past week too.

Monday, October 23 -Giant Schedule Day

Tuesday, October 24 - Giant Schedule Day

Wednesday, October 25 - Blue Schedule Day

Thursday, October 26 - White Schedule Day

Friday, October 27 - Giant Schedule Day

This Friday, October 20, is the mid-point of semester one.  If you haven’t done so recently, please check IC and Schoology to learn about your student’s academic progress.  Teachers are your first point of contact if you have any questions that your student is unable to answer.  Here are some conversations starters to have with your student:

• How do you think you are doing in school? Let’s look at Infinite Campus and Schoology together.
• What do you like best about school?
• What is the hardest thing about school?
• How do you manage your homework so you can stay on top of it and feel good about it?
• Do you know how to receive academic support at school?  Who would you see and/or where would you go?
• How can I support you with school and your academic progress?

HPHS Club Pictures begin Wednesday October 18th! Check out the schedule for this week and the QR Code for the rest of the club schedules. 

Club Pictures 23-24

ACTIVITIES

Every year HPHS remembers the tragic events of the Holocaust and other Genocides worldwide. Please email Mrs. Meyer if you are interested in being on the Holocaust Remembrance Committee and help us plan our district wide event on April 18.  Meetings will be monthly in the Library. Our first meeting will be Thursday, October 26 at 8 am in the Library.

Wayfarer Theater of Highland Park wants to invite HP students and staff to a special one-man Frederick Douglass performance that can only be seen at Wayfarer Theaters performed by Masud Olufani. This new work combines the orations of Frederick Douglass with an immersive storytelling experience highlighting the nobility of the human spirit. The show runs from October 19 through October 22. Tickets for the show are $20, but they are offering Highland Park students/ staff a discounted price of $10. 

Join Philosophy Club on Wednesday, October 18 for our RESCHEDULED meeting as we discuss the Food for Thought Question: How valuable is entertainment? We will meet in A320 from 3:15-4:30. All are welcome; come share your own philosophy or listen to others as we discuss the philosophy of entertainment! There will be food!

Latin Dance, 24/7/365 and Beyond, & Hispanos Unidos Host HP’s Annual Pachanga!

ATHLETICS

Congratulations to our Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams.  Both braved the elements on Saturday and competed well in very tough conditions at the Conference Championship Meet.  Our Varsity Girls finished 2nd and the Varsity Boys won the CSL North Conference Championship.  Both teams had multiple All-Conference runners.

Girls Swimming and Diving hosted the NISCA PowerPoint Event at HPHS on Saturday. The team was led by Freshman Brooke Eliacin who finished in 1st place individually. Brooke won the 50 Free and the 100 Breaststroke.

Our Football Team moved one step closer to being playoff bound with their win over Maine East last week.  The team travels to Vernon Hills on Friday for their regular season finale.

Highland Park High School hosted a coaching clinic for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association on Saturday.  Players from our Boys Basketball Program helped the guest speakers (Phil Lascala - Boys Coach - Lake Forest High School, Ryan Webber - Girls Coach - Bettendorf High School and Ronnie Fields - Boys Coach - Hope Academy).  Our Girls Basketball Program was presented with their 1st Place Academic All State Award from the 2022-23 season.  Congrats to Coach Jolie Bechtel and all the members of the Girls Basketball Program. 

DEANS

We want to provide an important update regarding our school's parking regulations and enforcement policies. We understand that parking has been frustrating for some of our students and parents who have paid for parking spots and found them unavailable upon arrival at school. We want to address this concern and ensure parking spaces are used fairly and efficiently.

Security has closely monitored parking infractions and documented violations in response to this issue. There have been several instances of vehicles receiving multiple violations, which is a cause for concern. We are implementing a new towing policy to address this and promote a more organized parking environment.

Beginning on Monday, October 30th, any vehicle that incurs further violations after receiving their third parking notice will be subject to towing due to the following infractions:

1. Parking without a valid permit.

2. Students parking in the Staff Lot.

3. Vehicles parked in the Carpool area.

 Example of Parking Violation citation

Open communication is crucial, and we want to avoid surprises or inconveniences. Therefore, we will provide clear and consistent notifications to students and parents. We aim not to tow vehicles, but to create a fair and accessible parking system for all.

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s dean. We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring a smooth parking experience for all members of our school community.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Check out the FAN Network presentation on Modeling Matters: What Parents Need to Know (and Do) to Decrease Stress, Worry, and Anxiety as well as other great programming.