HF FYI

On this week's episode our "Profile of a Viking" video series, we spoke with HF Fine Arts Department Chair Candi Helsel-Wilk about Innovation & Problem-Solving. "I think being a teacher calls on us to be innovative," she says. "We have to look at the needs of a variety of different kinds of learners and in that, we are required to solve problems along the way." Watch the full profile here.

The Big Future College Board National Recognition Programs award academic honors to sophomores and juniors who take eligible administrations of AP®, PSAT/NMSQT®, or PSAT™ 10 exams, have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and identify as African American or Black, Hispanic or Latino, Indigenous or Native, or attend high school in a rural area or small town. We're excited to announce that 20 HF students have been recognized:

Learn more about the National Recognition Programs here. Congrats again to all of our students!

HF is reinstating senior final exams for the 2nd semester. Senior final exams were temporarily suspended due to COVID-19. Now that the pandemic is over, the school is choosing to resume our regularly scheduled exams. Policy revision may be considered for the following school years. As always, we appreciate all you do to support us in providing the best learning environment imaginable for our students. Families are asked to reinforce this communication with their students. If you have any questions, you can contact Principal Dr. Clinton Alexander (clinton.alexander@hf233.org). Second Semester Senior Final Exams will be completed during regularly scheduled class periods the week of May 13th, at the teacher's discretion.

This week we had the pleasure to be joined by 1993 Alum and Emmy Award-winning WGN Investigative Reporter Ben Bradley! Ben's 1993 class aired the first edition of Viking Television. He spoke with our Superintendent Dr. Scott Wakeley about how his valuable time at HF paved the way for his career success.

Stay tuned on Friday to hear what Ben had to say in the season two opener of our series "Walking the Path with Wakeley".

Did you miss last month's College Planning 101? Here's your chance to hear what our Post-Secondary Counselors Kevin Coy and Brad Kain had to share to help you prepare for life post-HF. Re-watch the session here.

As you work through those college applications, mark your calendars for some major events next month to further assist your planning of your next chapters:

• Monday, October 16: Career Day in the Fieldhouse/North Gym 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Monday, October 16: College Night in the Fieldhouse/North Gym 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 18: Historically Black Colleges/Universities Night in the Auditorium 7 p.m.- 9 p.m.

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.

Calling all #FutureViking Cheerleaders: Join your HF Cheerleaders for Youth Night on Friday, September 29. Participants (must be ages 5-13) will learn jumping, motion, and stunting techniques, as well as learn a routine to perform at half-time during the Varsity game.

Registration is $60 and covers the practice clinics and game day hoodie. You can find the form attached below. Registration deadline is this Friday, September 22 (to ensure your game day hoodie). Checks will only be accepted through Tuesday, September 26; payments made after that date must be in the form of cash.

Please drop off or mail form & payment to:

Homewood-Flossmoor High School

Attn: Zenia Boyd

999 Kedzie Avenue

Flossmoor, IL 60422

Parents must also purchase a ticket to the game on GoFan. Contact Coach Zenia Boyd with any questions at zsmith@hf233.org.

The Fall Children's Play is right around the corner. Still Life with Iris is a fantastical adventure which centers on a little girl's search for the simplest of things: home. Iris lives with her mom in the land of Nocturno—a magical place in which the workers make, by night, all of the things we see in the world by day. Also, in Nocturno, memories do not reside in people's minds but instead are kept in their coats (called 'Past Coats'). The rulers of Nocturno, the Great Goods, are determined to have the "best" of everything on their island—and therefore take Iris away from her home and bring her to Great Island to be their daughter. To ease the pain of this separation, they remove her Past Coat, leaving her with no memory of her home or her family. All that remains of Iris' past is a single button from her coat. Using the button as a clue, Iris joins with friends she meets on her journey— to find her way home.

This piece is the first play for young audiences to receive the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays Award. Be sure to join us Saturday, September 30 in the Auditorium. Get your tickets here for the 2 p.m. show or 7 p.m. show.

HF's Class of 2003 will celebrate their 20-Year Reunion this Saturday, September 23! Check out the flyer below for the day's fun-filled schedule (shout out to the '03 reunion committee for their planning efforts to make the time worthwhile!)

Questions about alumni events? Contact Victoria Koblick, Director of Alumni Engagement & Development at vkoblick@hf233.org. Once a Viking, always a Viking.

This year's #DadSquad is on Monday, October 30, 2023. Dads and legal guardians of current HF students are invited to share encouragement and a positive presence in hallways, tour the school, and learn about their child's high school. Register by Monday, October 9, 2023 at https://bit.ly/HFDadSquad23.

Participants can volunteer for one of the following shifts, depending on their availability:

• Half-day AM (7 a.m.-11:30 a.m.)
• Half-day PM (11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.)

There will be an Orientation Meeting via Zoom Tuesday, October 24 at 7 p.m. Thank you for your participation in supporting your students!

Homewood’s Fall Fest is back for a day filled with family-friendly activities such as live entertainment, vendors, a pumpkin patch, local eats and more. Read more about Fall Fest here and be sure to stop by downtown Homewood this Saturday, September 23 between 12pm-9pm.

Turn a new leaf, fall into giving. Versiti Blood Center of Illinois is hosting a blood drive at The Irvin Community Center in Homewood (18120 Highland Avenue) on Tuesday, September 26 from 2:30 p.m.-7 p.m. All attempting donors will receive a limited-edition Sickle Cell Awareness t-shirt (while supplies last). Appointments are preferred: Sign up here.

Thornton Fractional (TF) High School District 215 and the Southland Transition Planning Committee is hosting "Next Steps: Transition Resource Fair" for students and families with disabilities on Wednesday, September from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. in the TF South Cafeteria. The fair will have a host of agencies present to assist families of Suburban Cook County. TF South is located at 18500 Burnham Avenue in Lansing. Please enter through Door N-7. Contact Samantha Rosell with any questions at SRosell@tfd215.org.

Keep up with all the news as we Chart a Course for the future of HF through Strategic Planning. This dedicated webpage will be updated regularly to ensure timely, transparent and two-way communication with our community.

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