HF FYI

Walking the Path Season 2, Episode 4 features HF Senior Tyteanna Branch, a leader of the new Bring Change 2 Mind program. She and her classmates lead BC2M that empowers students to advocate with friends, teachers and others for mental health awareness to help create more empathetic and stigma-free school environments across the country.

Walking the path between the north and south buildings is a unique experience for Homewood-Flossmoor High School students. Superintendent Dr. Scott Wakeley walks the path with a member of our school community to learn about their Viking voyage and how the competencies of the Profile of a Viking are evident in their lives.

Check out this week's Profile of a Viking episode, featuring English Teacher Mrs. Stewart-Williams on how teaching African-American Literature exemplifies Diversity & Inclusion. "African-American Literature provides the students with an opportunity to see themselves. Parents contact me all the time talking about how their students are more engaged," she says.

Get into the holiday spirit with HF's band and choir! There's a host of concerts coming up in our Mall Auditorium. We'd love for you to be our guest.

Winter Jazz Concert: Tonight, 12/13-7pm

Winter Orchestra Concert: Tomorrow, 12/14-7pm

Holiday Band Showcase: Sunday, 12/17-2pm

Winter Choral Concert: Sunday, 12/17-6pm

Help make the concerts even more festive by purchasing a poinsettia plant for the Music Department's Annual Poinsettia Fundraiser! Each year more than 100 poinsettias adorn the stage. Plants purchased through the fundraiser are available to pick up immediately following the end of the Choir concert on 12/17. Plants are $20 each and available through 8to18: (look for Music Department Poinsettias under "Activity").

Are you a freshman or sophomore, and interested in learning more about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program? Check out the new website to learn more or attend the virtual meeting on tomorrow, December 14 at 7 p.m. Email Libby Day, IB Programme Coordinator, at LDay@hf233.org to receive the link for the meeting.

HF School Counseling Department held a webinar for families of rising 9-12th graders about the course selection process for next school year. A recording of the session has been uploaded to the HF website.

As the Class of 2028 prepares to begin their Viking Voyage, this guidebook provides all the information families and students need to get started. Please share this with any eighth graders and their families that will be Vikings next school year.

HF's Microbiology classes had the chance to visit the Heart Disease Lab at the Museum of Science & Industry. Students engaged in practical training with a human patient simulation robot, conducted genuine medical examinations, and utilized an ultrasound simulator for diagnosing and comprehending heart disease. Last month, students also had the opportunity to observe an open heart surgery.

Last week, Mrs. Davis and 36 of her AP African American Studies students attended a production of The Wiz at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago! Students sang, laughed and cheered the night away while building connections between the classroom and the arts.

Before the show, they enjoyed a catered meal from Faye & Joe’s Southern Bowl (3840 183rd Street in Hazel Crest).

Dr. Kate Masur visited Mr. Jon Elfner's AP US History classes to discuss her work with a web project called "Black Organizing in Pre-Civil War Illinois: Creating Community, Demanding Justice." She shared the history of lesser-known figures advocating for Black civil rights in the face of discriminatory laws passed by the Illinois legislature. Students had a chance to get to know some of these figures from early Illinois history through a lesson produced by the project Dr. Masur leads.

Dr. Masur is a Professor of US History at Northwestern University, and the author of the book Until Justice Be Done: America's First Civil Rights Movement from the Revolution to Reconstruction. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2021. HF's Jon Elfner is producing a radio story for the nationally syndicated program Our American Stories on the life and activism of John Jones, one of the leaders of the early civil rights movement in Illinois, and Dr. Masur will be the chief narrator of the story.

As 1st Semester winds down, it's already time to plan for Summer School 2024! Summer School registration will take place online beginning Tuesday, January 16. The Course Request Google Form will go live at 7:30 a.m., and will remain open until April 26, 2024 (or until classes are full). Note: Submission of the form alone does not guarantee registration for the course. Once the form is submitted, fees will be put on your student's account. Once payment is received, the student will be registered for the class.

Summer School 2024 Fees:

$175/semester

$350/full year

$350/Summer Academy

Bus transportation is available:

$47.50/semester

$95.00/full year

Summer School 2024 Dates:

Summer School Semester 1: June 10-28 (June 19, school closed)
Summer School Semester 2: July 1 - 19 (July 4 & 5, school closed)
Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m.-12:50 p.m.

Parents: Be on the lookout for an email in the coming weeks that will include the Summer School brochure, including course offerings and further details on registration. The brochure will also be linked on our website.

Congrats to our Varsity History Bowl team who qualified for Nationals at the Northern Illinois Regional Tournament at Sandburg on Saturday beating Sandburg, Williams Bay, and Barrington on their way to the semifinals and qualification! In the Varsity History Bee, Jack Piros took 4th to both reaffirm his individual History Bee Nationals qualification. He also earned qualification to the International History Olympiad.

The History Bowl team competes next at the Chicagoland Championships on February 10, 2024 at Stevenson, and will compete at Nationals in Washington D.C. April 25-28!

HF's Mathletes brought a strong performances to the SWSC Meet 4 at Andrew last week. The team was led by Junior Everett Van Til, who scored 49 out of 50 on his oral presentation on Graph Theory, and two perfect 10 out of 10 scores on other competitions! Sophomore Taylor Alexander also shined on the Polynomial Competition and Senior Jack Piros, Junior Jackson Willis, and Freshman Oreoluwa Owolabi scored strongly in all of their competitions.

The team competes next in the SWSC Conference Championship Meet on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at Lincoln-Way West.

Yesterday we celebrated Girls' Basketball Coach Anthony "Tony" Smith on his 500th career win, after the Varsity Team beat Sandburg HS!

Coach Smith has been in the game for 20 years, this being his 11th season at HF. His career includes multiple IHSA State Final appearances--in 2015, he led the team to 4th place in the state finals. In 2023, he received a nomination for the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame. Congrats to you, Coach Smith!

HF's Varsity Cheerleaders took home 1st Place at the Marian Catholic Invitational over the weekend.

Our Girls’ Gymnastics Team placed 3rd at our annual home invitational!

Congrats are in order for Coach Rob Assise on being named the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (ITCCCA) Assistant Coach of the Year! In order to receive the award, you must have been a track and field/cross country coach for at least 10 years and received a nomination from a fellow coach.

Homewood-Flossmoor High School and Honest Game have partnered to provide students and families with an easy-to-use College Athletic Pathway software and additional educational resources. We know that accessing scholarships and college athletics requires not only a commitment to athletic training and competition but also a commitment to academic success.

Honest Game’s online platform provides students and families with individualized tracking across FIVE college athletic opportunities, including NCAA DI, DII, DII, NAIA, and Junior College pathways. Learn more and get started by clicking the link below.

The SAT is still important for college planning as it is used not only for admissions, but also for placement and scholarship money. Illinois will be paying for every student in the Class of 2025 to take the SAT in April 2024. To prepare the junior class, HF has invited ExcelEdge to offer SAT 1600. You can sign-up now through January 14, 2024. Check out the attachment below to learn more.

Homewood-Flossmoor High School distributes the caps and gowns for graduates at the graduation rehearsal in May. In preparation for distribution and the ceremony, we are collecting gown sizes and colors. If you haven't done so already, please fill out your cap and gown form here.

Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 with Consolidated High School District 230 is hosting a Planning Is Essential (PIE) Presentation on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). PDA is an emerging profile for individuals with autism, characterized by a strong desire to avoid demands. Strategies for PDA differ than those widely considered effective for individuals with autism. Set your reminders: The presentation is tonight, December 13 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Reserve your spot here.

Snowflakes light up the streets of Homewood, but can you spot the different one? If you can find the different lit up snowflake, join Mayor Hofeld each Saturday until the end of December and let him know where the different snowflake is located. If you're correct, you'll win a gift certificate to a Homewood business!

Enjoy Flossmoor's newest tradition with the Holiday Lights Parade at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 21. Set up some lawn chairs, a blanket on the lawn or visit one of two viewing stations at Flossmoor Park and Heather Hill school, and watch as the Flossmoor Police, Fire and Public Works Departments travel through the neighborhoods with their vehicles adorned with holiday displays!

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