Highland Highlights

Happy December! I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving break.

Our schools were busy this past month: assemblies, competitions, theatre productions, and much more. Even with all the craziness, our STOH community also worked together to donate a ton of food items to local charities.

We had an absolutely fantastic November - read all about it in this month's newsletter!

In the December Admin Update, one of our Highland High School Assistant Principals, Mr. Andy Locke '03, discusses his strong Highland roots and what he believes makes this district so great.

Spell Bowl Success

Our elementary students on Spell Bowl teams might as well disable autocorrect! Each school sent students to compete in Spell Bowl competitions, and they did an awesome job! Merkley (pictured) and Warren tied, and both Johnston and Southridge won in their divisions. Congratulations to all!

Learning Anatomy in... Kindergarten?

Many of us may have taken a Human Anatomy class in high school, but we have some students starting to learn anatomy in Kindergarten! Miss Kelly's class at Johnston recently learned all about various organs in the human body, the bones in our hands, and how they all work together to make our hands function.

STOH Students Give Back

During the month of November, our school community came together to donate countless food items to local charities. For example, our High School National Honor Society collaborated with the Highland VFW Post to collect nearly 1,800 units of food, and our Merkley K-Kids packed 35 Thanksgiving meals for a local church pantry. We are very #HighlandProud of how our community worked together to support others.

HHS Thanksgiving Letters

In celebration of Thanksgiving, our students at Highland High School wrote nearly 1,000 letters to staff members who help our buildings function every single day. The video below shows a few students delivering letters to staff, including those in the office and cafeteria, custodians, bus drivers, and more. You'll even get to listen to a few of the letters!

December 8, 2025, 6:30 p.m. - HMS/HHS Orchestra Concert (at Monbeck Auditorium, HHS)
December 9, 2025, 6:30 p.m. - HMS/HHS Band Concert (at Monbeck Auditorium, HHS)
December 11, 2025, 6:30 p.m. - HMS/HHS Choir Concert (at Monbeck Auditorium, HHS)
December 16, 2025, 6:00 p.m. - School Board Meeting (at the Administration Building)
December 16, 2025, 6:30 p.m. - Merkley Winter Concert
December 22 - January 2 - Winter Break!

Here are some important reminders -

Food Services:

As the first semester comes to a close, please remember to check your MealTime balances and add funds if necessary. If you have accrued MealTime debt, even the smallest deposits go a long way. Make sure you contact the Food Services Department with any questions you may have!

Transportation:

Please continue to review school bus safety precautions with your children! The attached image outlines important rules to ensure everyone stays safe on the bus.

Check out the video below to learn more about our Cadet Teaching program, in which upperclassmen from HHS explore the teaching field and get hands-on experience working in our elementary schools.

You'll have the opportunity to see two of our Senior Cadet Teachers, Nina F. and Cash W., as they work with students at Warren Elementary School in Kindergarten and 2nd Grade.

While October and December are full of concerts, November was all about theatre, dance, and cheer! Here are some photos from the Highland High School production of Fools, as well as the HHS & HMS Cheer and Dance showcase!

Here's a roundup of some of our favorite social media posts from the last month, just in case you missed it!

The Warren Wobble

Kindergarten and 1st-grade students at Warren Elementary School participated in a fun parade the day before Thanksgiving Break. Students either made turkey costumes or balloons and marched around the school with all the other students cheering them on.

Southridge's Got Talent!

A ton of students showed off their skills in Southridge's Talent Show. There was singing, dancing, magic tricks, and even karate.

Veteran's Day Panel

8th-graders at HMS listened to a panel of veterans to learn about their experiences serving our nation.

A School Full of Wrestlers

Our Girls Wrestling Team at HHS hosted its annual Highland Girls Invite, and it was awesome. There were hundreds of wrestlers from over two dozen schools competing - our gyms were filled to the brim!

Welcome to the Highland Highlights! Welcome to the Highland Highlights!