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Board Briefs: January

At its January 11 meeting, the Board of Education:

--Approved an update to the 2015-16 school calendar

--Approved an intergovernmental agreement by and between District 112 and District 113

--Approved a resolution to deny the historic property tax freeze

--Approved Policy 7-130 (Student Expression--Rights and Responsibilities), Policy 8-10 (Connection with the Community) and Policy 2-160 (Board Attorney)

Click here to view the full January 11 meeting packet as posted to the District 113 website.

Click here to view the video recording of the January 11 meeting.

At its January 25 3S meeting, the Board of Education:

--Heard reports from student and teacher representatives and DHS Principal Dr. Chris Dignam

--Recognized YEA Highland Park, the Highland Park Community Foundation, and Highland Park Family Service as community partners in education

--Discussed bids related to the DHS bleacher replacement project

--Heard a presentation from the Activities Directors at DHS and HPHS (click here to view the presentation)

Click here to view the full January 25 3S meeting packet as posted to the District 113 website.

Click here to view the video recording of the January 25 meeting.

At its February 8 meeting, the Board of Education:

--Observed a moment of silence for DHS alumnus Adam London

--Approved a superintendent employment contract for Dr. Christopher Dignam

--Discussed bid packages for various Life Safety Improvement projects

--Discussed a bid package for DHS and HPHS technology cabling/low voltage work

--Discussed building capital projects

--Discussed the 2017-18 proposed school calendar

--Discussed various Board policies, approved Policy 7-40 (Nonpublic School Students, Including Parochial and Home-Schooled Students) and Policy 6-140 (Education to Homeless Children)

--Approved bid packages for the DHS bleacher replacement project

--Approved the intent to prepare 2016-17 budget resolution

Click here to view the full February 8 meeting packet as posted to the District 113 website.

Click here to view the video recording of the February 8 Board meeting.

At its February 22 3S meeting, the Board of Education:

--Observed a moment of silence for DHS alumnus Roman Cichocki

--Heard reports from student and teacher representatives and HPHS Principal Dr. Tom Koulentes

--Recognized Moraine Township, West Deerfield Township and the District 113 Education Foundation as community partners in education

--Heard a presentation from the social studies department chairs at DHS and HPHS (click here to view the presentation)

--Approved bid packages related to Life Safety Improvement projects and technology cabling/low voltage work

Click here to view the full February 22 meeting packet as posted to the District 113 website.

Click here to view the video recording of the February 22 meeting.

**Board Briefs is intended to be a quick summary of key Board decisions and discussions. Detailed minutes of each meeting are posted to the Board of Education page following their approval at a subsequent Board meeting. The Board meetings are also recorded on video and posted to the Board page and the Board Meetings playlist on YouTube.

COMING UP FOR THE BOARD:

At its March 14 regular meeting, the Board is slated to, among other things:

--Discuss textbook adoptions for 2016-17 and textbook fees

--Discuss agreements regarding the receipt of developer subdivision contributions and indemnification

--Discuss the determination of the date and time of Board meetings for July 2016 through June 2017

--Take action on the 2017-18 proposed school calendar

--Discuss/take action on various policies

District 113

dates to note

March 9

Policy Committee meeting, 7:45 a.m., Administrative Building, 1040 Park Avenue West, Highland Park

March 14

Board of Education regular meeting, 7:30 p.m., Administrative Building, 1040 Park Avenue West, Highland Park

March 25

Good Friday--NO SCHOOL

March 28-April 1

Spring break

April 4

School resumes

April 11

Board of Education regular meeting, 7:30 p.m., Administrative Building, 1040 Park Avenue West, Highland Park

April 13

Policy Committee meeting, 7:45 a.m., Administrative Building, 1040 Park Avenue West, Highland Park

April 25

Board of Education 3S meeting, 7:30 p.m., Administrative Building, 1040 Park Avenue West, Highland Park

April 27

Policy Committee meeting, 7:45 a.m., Administrative Building, 1040 Park Avenue West, Highland Park

District 113 update

from Dr. Herrick

I don't know about you, but I am finding it difficult to believe that we are

already more than halfway through the 2015-16 school year. Second semester classes are well underway, we are all looking forward to more sunshine and warmer days to come, and there is much to be proud of as we reflect on the past few months in District 113.

Our District was recently named the 5th best in Illinois -- and the 25th best in the nation -- by K-12 Niche, with DHS and HPHS ranked 10th and 13th in the state, respectively, by the same publication. This recognition is certainly reflective of the dedication, commitment and support that I have been privileged to witness among our staff, students, families and community partners over these past seven months.

Student and staff achievements

Our students continue to amaze me with their passion, dedication and achievement in academics, the arts, athletics, activities/clubs, and service.

Three District 113 students were selected as candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars program, and 12 District 113 students were named National Merit Finalists. The HPHS chess team (above right) notched a historic fourth-place finish at state, and their coach, Pablo Alvarez, was selected as Coach of the Year.

A robotics team from HPHS

qualified to compete at the state tournament; the HPHS Debate Team took 10th place at the Harvard Forensics Tournament; the DHS WYSE team (right) took first place at regionals and is headed to state; and we recently learned that a DHS junior was one of just 54 students in the world to earn every point possible on the AP Microeconomics exam he took last spring.

The varsity, JV and freshman DHS wrestling teams repeated as conference

champions; two DHS wrestlers finished in the top four at state; and an HPHS wrestler took sixth place at state. The HPHS and DHS boys swim teams both qualified to compete in multiple events at state; the DHS sophomore and varsity boys basketball teams clinched CSL North Conference championships; and the DHS Dance Team (above) took third place at sectionals and seventh place at state, as well as second place for their hip-hop routine. In addition, a number of athletes from both of our schools will be going on to play their sport at the college level.

In December DHS's 2015 School Chest raised more than $160,000 for the

Greater Illinois Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition (GIPCC), and HPHS's 2016 Charity Drive, which is raising funds for College Bound Opportunities, wraps up on February 27. On February 20, the HPHS Rotary Interact Club participated in the Polar Plunge at Clark Street Beach (right); not only did they raise $10,000 for Special Olympics, they were the largest team participating in the event, with more than 50 members!

District 113 staff continue to inspire me with their ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of each and every student, each and every day. They seek out new and engaging learning opportunities, like DHS social studies teacher Jig Vora, who brought in a financial advisor as a guest speaker to kick off the stock market unit. They seek to

build community, like the HPHS staff who performed in a talent show to raise funds for Charity Drive, and like DHS teachers Chris Sykora, Elliott Hurtig and Michael Clack, who launched "Humans of DHS" to spotlight students and staff in a real and authentic way (click here to watch a student-created video about this project). They seek to model collaboration and lifelong learning, like HPHS director of instructional technology Lisa Berghoff, who helped to create and provide a session for Chicago-area special education teachers regarding the power of Google Apps to help all students learn; and like DHS counselor Kim Wiley, a Membership Tri-Chair of the Illinois Association for College Admission Counselors, who is featured in a national video for new IACAC members (click here to view the video--Kim appears at 3:25 talking about the benefits of the IACAC conference!). They seek to foster the importance of service to school and community, like the staff members at both buildings who go all-out in their support of School Chest and Charity Drive, as well as the many other projects that make such a difference for so many.

These are just a few of the latest highlights from our schools; be sure to check the DHS and HPHS websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, as well as the Points of Pride in this publication, for more.

Referendum projects

Our referendum projects to improve the learning environments at DHS and HPHS continue to proceed on time, on budget, and on scope. The new DHS pool and library, along with the Vine Avenue visitor and staff parking lot at HPHS, opened several months ago to great excitement and enthusiasm, and the new City-required crosswalk and signal are now operational at Woodpath and St. Johns by HPHS. Click here to see how the new crosswalk works. All of the referendum work has been bid out with the exception of a few smaller projects related to clean-up and completion, and we anticipate all of the work being complete by summer 2017. Check out our Facilities Updates below for some recent photos!

Testing update

Although standardized testing in the state of Illinois continues to be in flux, District 113 remains committed to administering all required assessments with fidelity while minimizing the impact on student learning. On Jan. 11 the Board of Education approved a revision to the 2015-16 school calendar making Tuesday, April 19 a non-attendance day for sophomores and seniors and an assessment day for freshmen and juniors. On April 19 all freshmen will take the English Language Arts PARCC exam, the state's high school accountability measure, and all juniors will take the full ACT test, with writing. Although the state recently awarded a three-year contract to SAT to administer the college readiness examination contract in Illinois following many years with ACT, administration of the SAT is optional for districts this year. Therefore, in keeping with past practice, and knowing that many of our students have been diligently preparing for the ACT, District 113 will be administering the ACT to all juniors.

Strategic Plan

District 113 continues to move forward with the development of a strategic plan to guide us as we strive for continuous growth and improvement in all areas. Many hours have been dedicated to research, analysis and

discussion of the District's overarching goals related to curriculum and instruction, leadership and governance, finances/budget and community engagement; we are now seeking assistance and input from our stakeholders as we strive to broaden the framework of our plan into an actionable, living document that grows with the District.

In late April the District will host two community engagement sessions so that all interested stakeholders can weigh in on our strategic plan. We will share the particulars with you in early March, and we hope that you will join us at one of these sessions to help shape the future of District 113. In addition, both schools are hosting a series of meetings in February and March specifically to solicit input from staff regarding the strategic plan.

Budget update

District 113 remains firmly committed to developing and implementing a budget plan that mirrors our vision, mission and goals, and to keeping our community updated as we move forward in the coming months with our budgeting process for 2016-17.

Despite ongoing efforts to find cost savings and new sources of revenue we, like school districts throughout the country and the state, continue to face significant financial challenges due to factors such as an extremely low Consumer Price Index (CPI), continued low interest rates on our investments, and state and federal budgetary issues. The CPI drives the annual increase to our primary source of revenue, local property taxes; the CPI for the 2016-2017 school year is 0.8%, and the CPI for the 2017-2018 school year is even lower: 0.7%.

The State of Illinois still has not passed a budget for the current fiscal year, and while District 113 has received a portion of the funds due us, it is unknown whether we will receive all that we have in the past. We continue to follow many conversations in Springfield, as well as at the federal level, regarding funding cuts to school districts. Additionally, we are currently in our third year of a five-year commitment to allocate a total of $25 million in District funds towards the referendum without impacting educational programs or services to students.

Click here to view the slide shows from the annual mid-year financial presentation on February 8.

Click here to view the video recording of the February 8 meeting.

Thank you all for your continued support of our students and schools, and please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Dr. Daryl Herrick
Interim Superintendent of Schools

Township High School District 113

Facilities updates

Our referendum projects to enhance the learning environments at Highland Park and Deerfield High Schools continue to proceed on time, on budget and on scope. We are appreciative of the community's continued support! Be sure to visit www.dist113.org/facilityupdates for the latest updates.

What's new?

The demolition of the existing pool and concrete foundation at HPHS are complete, and excavation, masonry, underground electrical and underground plumbing work for the new pool has begun.

The HPHS C building addition structural steel and concrete floor slab work is in progress. The south half of the building exterior framing, sheathing, masonry, windows and roofing work is complete. The overhead and in-wall mechanical, electrical and plumbing work has begun.

Monthly Update

Click here to check out the latest Monthly Update from Gilbane and Perkins + Will for more photos, as well as the overall referendum project status, design status, work completed at both schools, work in progress/upcoming work, potential neighborhood impacts/notices, and logistics plans for the current phase of work.

District news

District 113 names new superintendent

As we shared in a special news bulletin on February 8, Township High School

District 113 is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Christopher Dignam as the new Superintendent of Schools, effective June 28, 2016. The Board of Education voted February 8 to approve Dr. Dignam's three-year contract. Dr. Dignam has been serving as principal of Deerfield High School since July 2015. Prior to being named principal at DHS, Dr. Dignam spent three years as principal of Lane Tech College Prep, a public four-year selective enrollment magnet school in Chicago.

The Board will host receptions this spring to welcome Dr. Dignam to his new role in District 113; details will be announced shortly, and all staff, students, parents/guardians, community members and alumni are invited to attend.

Click here to view the full press release.

D113 Board recognizes variety of organizations as community partners

As we pursue our common goal of providing the best possible educational experience for our students, a key component in our continued success is the ongoing support that our students, staff and schools receive from our community partners. To show appreciation for this support, the District 113 Board of Education is personally recognizing and thanking community partners at each of its 3S meetings this year.

At its January 25 3S meeting, the Township High School District 113 Board of Education recognized YEA Highland Park, HP Community Foundation and Family Service as community partners in education. Moraine Township, West Deerfield Township and the District 113 Education Foundation were recognized at the February 22 3S meeting.

"We are so grateful to each of these groups for their ongoing support of our
students," said School Board President Annette Lidawer.

Click here for the full story and photos from the January 25 meeting. Click here for the full story and photos from the February 22 meeting.

Points of Pride:

News from our schools

Three D113 students selected as U.S. Presidential Scholars program candidates

Three District 113 students--DHS seniors Jessica Chen and David Zhao, and HPHS senior Daniella Cohen--have been selected as candidates for the United States Presidential Scholars program, which recognizes and honors some of the nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Annually, up to 161 students are chosen as U.S. Presidential Scholars from among several thousand outstanding graduating seniors nationwide who are invited to apply for the designation. Scholars are recognized during the National Recognition Program in June in Washington, D.C.

Twelve D113 students named

National Merit Finalists

Twelve Township High School District 113 students have been named Finalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program: Anne Greene, Corey Novick and Thomas Wehner from HPHS, and Tara Cruise, Benjamin Edelstein, Zachary Frischer, Aarohi Mahableshwarkar, Benjamin Sachs, Ariel Sheffey, Asher Silverglade, Ilyssa Silverman and Dana Suri from DHS. Approximately 1.4 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from among the Finalists, which represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

Nearly 300 District 113 students named

Illinois State Scholars

Nearly 300 students from the graduating classes of 2016 in District 113 have been recognized as Illinois State Scholars for their outstanding academic achievement. Illinois State Scholars possess strong academic potential and are chosen based on a combination of exemplary ACT or SAT test scores and sixth semester class rank. State Scholars rank in approximately the top ten percent of high school seniors, representing 652 high schools across the state.

Click here for the full list.

District 113 athletes sign letters of intent

The following DHS athletes have signed letters of intent to play their sport at the college level: Jordan Baum, basketball, University of Chicago; Vuk Budic, tennis, Wake Forest; Elena Brichacek, basketball, Concordia University of Chicago; Nick Klabjan, soccer, University of Wisconsin; Ryan Pfutzenreuter, baseball, Villanova University; Brian Ranallo, football, Butler; Matt Record, soccer, Grinnell College; Will Schmetterer, soccer, Carleton College; Ryan Smith, swimming and diving, DePauw (Indiana); and Niko Wasilewicz, tennis University of Illinois at Chicago.

The following HPHS athletes have signed letters of intent to play their sport at the college level: Brett Davidson, boys cross country, Boston University; Charlotte Nawor, girls cross country, University of Illinois; Justin Mills, baseball, Tufts University; Cristian Volpentesta, football, University of Wisconsin; Adam Danzig, football, St. Olaf; Noah Stern, baseball, Webster University; and Emmett Sullivan, lacrosse, Carthage College.

HP chess team has historic finish at state, Alvarez named Coach of the Year

It's been a historic year for the Highland Park High School Chess

Team. Following a festive Giants sendoff on February 11, the Highland Park High School chess team notched a fourth place finish at the IHSA state tournament over Presidents Day weekend. In addition, the team's coach, Pablo Alvarez, was named Coach of the Year by the Illinois Chess Coaches Association.

Click here for the full story!

DHS WYSE team wins academic challenge regional tournament

The DHS Science and Engineering Team (WYSE) won the Academic

Challenge Regional Tournament held at the College of Lake County on Saturday, February 13, scoring an impressive 491.9 points out of 500. Deerfield defeated Libertyville, Lake Zurich, and Buffalo Grove High Schools to clinch the championship. In addition, two DHS students took first place in their subject areas.

Click here for the full story!

HPHS Robotics team qualifies for state

Highland Park High School's Robot to the Knee 5452 qualified for the state

robotics tournament for the third year in a row the weekend of January 23! The team also earned the Think Award for their engineering notebook, and took second in the Inspire Award.

Team members include Max Grosshandler, Jackie Hirsch, Max Lowery, Daniel Mouscher, Kyle Rabin, Xander Sahin, Dylan Treschl, Benny Cohen, and Iskender Arda Sonmez.

First-ever Warrior Dance Team dance

marathon to benefit Filler Foundation

On Friday, Feb. 26, the Deerfield High School Warrior Dance Team will host its first-ever Dance Marathon in support of the Jordan Michael Filler Foundation. This 4-hour event, which is open to the community and kicks off at 6 p.m. in the new Warrior gym, will include entertainment and dancing throughout the night, as well as raffles and food for all of the participants.

For more information or to sign up to participate and help DHS surpass its fundraising goal of $10,000 for the Jordan Michael Filler Foundation, visit www.facebook.com/DHSdancemarathon.

The Jordan Michael Filler Foundation, the runner-up for this year's DHS School Chest fundraiser, was created after the untimely death of a Highland Park High School alum (the cousin of a Warrior Dance Team member). The Foundation works to help those who struggle with drug abuse and to prevent the loss of loved ones to drug addiction. For more about the Foundation, visit www.jordanfiller.org.

HPHS senior launches

recording equipment into space

HPHS senior Arielle Kimbarovsky recently captured footage from space via a camera, GPS, and other equipment she launched from a hangar at Watertown Municipal Airport in Watertown, Wis. She launched her payload early one morning and retrieved it a few feet from a forest while driving home that afternoon. Arielle credits her HPHS teachers with instilling in her a passion and drive for science. Click here or hit "play" below to check out this amazing video highlighting the launch process!

DHS finishes strong at

Model United Nations conference

More than 2,600 students from the United States and foreign countries such as China met in Chicago at the Palmer House Hotel February 4-7, 2016 to simulate the workings of the United Nations at the 28th annual MUNUC Conference sponsored by the University of Chicago. Deerfield represented the country of Colombia for this conference, participating in ten committees as national representatives, and three specialized committees. In a highly competitive field, eight of DHS's 13 delegations received awards, including one award for Outstanding Delegation and five for Honorable Mention.

Click here for the full story!

HPHS Fine Arts to present Dance HP

The HPHS Fine Arts Department will present Dance HP in Concert 2016, "Metamorphosis," at 7:30 p.m. March 10-12 in the Auditorium. More than 150 student dancers, choreographers, lighting designers, stage crew, jazz musicians and professional choreographers are collaborating to present a concert that offers an exciting variety of dance and music genres. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the school Bookstore in advance, or at the box office the night of each show.

Click here for the full story.

DHS junior earns all points possible on AP Microeconomics exam

DHS junior Levi Goldstein was one of just 54 students in the world to earn every point possible on the AP Microeconomics exam last spring.

"Levi's success is a testament to the value of patient, persistent hard work. As a student in two courses I teach, Levi has been resolute in his determination to expand his understanding of the world, further strengthen his skills, and as always, challenge himself and apply his best efforts. I congratulate him on his success," said DHS social studies teacher Jerry Lavin.

"We applaud Levi's hard work and also the AP teacher responsible for engaging students and enabling them to excel in a college-level course," wrote Trevor Packer, senior vice president of AP and Instruction for The College Board.

HPHS alumni chosen for 30 Under 30

Two HPHS alumni were recently named to Forbes 2016 30 Under 30, which recognizes a total of 600 young people for their work within 20 sectors.

Click here for the full story!

HPHS Polar Plunge participation raises $10,000 for Special Olympics

It was 60 and sunny at Clark Street Beach at Evanston and the water was a balmy 32 degrees when the Highland Park High School Rotary Interact Club plunged into Lake Michigan on February 20 to raise funds for Special Olympics. Not only did the team, HPHS Breaks the Ice, bring in $10,000 for a great cause, they also had the largest team participating, with more than 50 members!

Click here for the full story.

Annual DHS Warrior Buddies

Valentine's Day dance a huge success

Everyone had a wonderful time at the Deerfield High School Warrior Buddies
Valentines Day dance on Feb. 6.

The popular annual event is attended by students from Best Buddies programs at a number of surrounding schools such as Highland Park High School, Glenbrook North, New Trier and Stevenson, as well as from DHS. A DJ, photo booth, snacks and beverages all contribute to an incredibly festive atmosphere.

"The night was such a great success. Everyone who attended had so much fun! This was our best dance yet, and I can't wait to see where it can go in the future," said DHS senior and Warrior Buddies co-president Francesca Sigmond.

Her co-president, senior Julia Aronson, said she loves seeing the buddies having so much fun.

"It definitely is the highlight of my year and I love sharing it with our Warrior Buddies club as well as the surrounding high schools," she said.

HPHS, City, Chamber launch Career Exploration Program

The City of Highland Park, Highland Park High School

and the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce recently launched the Highland Park Career Exploration Program (HPCE) at training sessions with more than a dozen community professionals. The HPCE provides opportunities for any Highland Park High School junior or senior to participate in a job shadow experience in a variety of industries throughout the city.

Click here for the full story!

HPHS student spearheads fundraising efforts for Moraine Township food pantry

HPHS sophomore Namrita Narula is spearheading efforts to collect change at

new donation station "parking" meters installed in downtown Highland Park, which will be used to purchase fresh produce for the Moraine Township Food Pantry.

Click here to read the full story!

DHS students selected to participate in Illinois High School Art Exhibition

Five students were selected to represent DHS at the annual Illinois High

School Art Exhibition: Amit Aharoni in painting, Gwen Elledge in drawing, Dylan Callistein in graphic design, Amanda Barr in photography, and Alex Pobereskin in 3D sculpture. The premiere and largest high school art exhibition in Illinois, which provided more than $20 million in scholarship offers last year, the IHSAE aims to provide a public platform for the range and beauty of student artwork, to promote an artistic community of peers and professionals, to celebrate the importance of art in education, and to reinforce the power of art in students' lives.

HPHS debaters take 10th at Harvard tournament, senior moves on to finals

Over Presidents Day weekend the Highland Park High School Debate Team

placed 10th out of 111 schools at the 42nd annual Harvard Forensics Tournament, the largest Congressional debate tournament in the nation.

Senior Corey Novick made it all the way through preliminaries, quarter-finals and semi-finals to become the only debater from the Midwest region to advance to the finals.

"This is truly an exciting achievement, and we could not be more proud," said co-sponsor Megan Counts.

Junior Bradley Berkman and sophomore Haley Rubin advanced to the quarter-finals round. Also competing in preliminaries were Dana Abelson, Noah Brown, Charlie Deer, Sammy Field, Jordyn Greenbaum, Emory Holzer, Daphne Kass, Brad Leshem, Eitan Lewittes, Daniel Meek, Jose Moreno, Josh Small, Michael Tresley and Leah Weiss.

HPHS, DHS debaters finish strong

at ICDA 5 tournament

The debate teams from HPHS and DHS both competed in the ICDA 5 tournament in January. Six team members from DHS and four HPHS team members qualified for the Tournament of Champions round of competition.

Additional DHS accomplishments: Team captain Kate Baddeley placed first in her TOC chamber and captured fifth place overall in the tournament. Caroline Bartoszek and Ben Gerstein each captured first place awards in their chambers, while Saleel Huprikar and Shelby Miller were both named Best Presiding Officers.

Additional HPHS accomplishments: Allen Wehner was named 1st place Quality Speaker for the entire tournament, and Josh Small was a finals competitor at the TOC Qualifying Level. In addition, Robbie Aronoff and Allen Wehner were named 1st place speakers in Invitational chambers, and Emory Holzer and Daphne Kass were named Best Presiding Officers.

HPHS STEM-W partners with Northwestern to offer Tech Giants program

The Saturday education program at Highland Park High School, which provides enrichment classes to children and adults from low-income families in Highland Park, now includes a new offering, Tech Giants. Designed to teach students to learn how to problem solve through coding and computational thinking, the program is geared towards girls between the ages of 9-13. Tech Giants is being taught by HPHS STEM-W co-sponsors Erica Tuke and Deb Wilson, members of the STEM-W Club, a Northwestern University electrical engineering professor, and students from Northwestern University's electrical engineering/computer science department.

Humans of DHS brings stories to life

DHS Fine/Applied Arts teacher Chris Sykora and English teacher Elliott Hurtig recently devised and launched a project, with assistance from Fine/Applied Arts teacher Michael Clack, entitled Humans of DHS. The collaborative art installation is based on Sykora's interest in the Humans of New York project and Elliott's interest in StoryCorps. Humans of DHS is designed to bring these two forces together at DHS to create a special work of art and showcase the unique and diverse people and stories that exist at DHS. Click here or hit "play" below to check out a WDHS video about the project!

HP3 Club dines, brainstorms at Curt's Cafe

Last month, Highland Park High School's HP3 Club took a post-finals field

trip to Curt's Caf� in Evanston to actively support social justice activism, "dine with a purpose" and brainstorm potential projects for the club to work on. Founder Susan Trieschmann and Director of Networking Lori Dube joined HP3 to answer questions and talk more about their mission. Students thought the caf� food was delicious, the environment was relaxing and friendly, and they felt good that they were supporting a great cause (visit www.curtscafe.org for more information).

HPHS performs well at CIMUN conference

Highland Park High School finished strong at the 12th annual Chicago International Model UN (CIMUN) conference last month. Students worked for 8-12 hours a day developing policy, creating coalitions, and drafting successful resolutions on pressing global issues. In addition to the strong team effort and a second place finish by the team delegation for the Syrian Arab Republic, 20 team members won individual awards for their superlative work on particular committees, including five 1st place finishes.

DHS students become

'resident doctors' for medical unit

Students in Kristen Piggott's Anatomy and Physiology class recently got the opportunity to become "resident doctors" at "Deerfield High School Hospital."

Throughout the semester, students learned about various body systems, including the nervous, sensory, muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, integumentary and endocrine systems. For each unit, the class examined several diseases/disorders that can affect each system, including diagnostic tests and treatments for these case studies.

For their final project, students became "resident doctors." They interviewed their patient and filled out a patient intake form; requested and analyzed appropriate lab diagnostic tests; diagnosed their patient, based on the test results, with one of the conditions examined in the case studies; created a comprehensive treatment plan, including prescription, if necessary; and generated an informational pamphlet to give to their patient to educate them on their condition.

HPHS staff creations

win Foundation's Baker's Cup

The winner of this year's Baker's Cup, one half of the tasty annual Pizza

Bowl/Baker's Cup competition sponsored by the District 113 Education Foundation, was some in-house District 113 talent.

Doughy Delights, founded by Highland Park High School teachers David Burke and Michael Arcurie in summer 2014, features eggless cookie dough that can be eaten raw or baked; the business also supports good causes. Doughy Delights raised more than $450 for Charity Drive 2015, and they are on pace to raise $1,000 for Charity Drive 2016, with a cookie dough sale set for Feb. 22. They have chosen Feed My Starving Children in Libertyville as their ongoing charity partner and raised $500 for them from summer outdoor markets and festivals.

The Pizza Bowl/Baker's Cup is an annual fundraiser hosted by the District 113 Education Foundation, in which attendees sample wares from local restaurants and bakeries and vote for their favorite. The winner of this year's Pizza Bowl was Lou Malnati's.

HPHS students awarded

competitive national scholarships

HPHS junior Olivia Varones was awarded the Bertie Green Travel Scholarship to participate in a 10-day trip to Ecuador, during which she will represent the HPHS Spanish Honor Society in cultural activities. Varones was one of just 24 students nationwide to earn this travel opportunity. Additionally, Omar Quintana was one of just 60 seniors nationwide to be awarded a Joseph Adams Senior Scholarship from the Soceidad Honoraria Hispanica.

DHS multimedia teacher's documentary

on Homari Cantu to premiere at SXSW

This year's South by Southwest (SXSW), a music, independent film and technology festival, will feature the world premiere of a full-length documentary film created by DHS teacher and DHS Media sponsor Brett Schwartz.

The film, entitled "Insatiable: The Homaro Cantu Story," profiles local celebrity chef, innovator and social entrepreneur Homaro Cantu, who "helped put Chicago on the culinary map when he opened his first restaurant, 'Moto,'" in his late twenties."

Sadly, Cantu died last April, making the premiere incredibly bittersweet.

"I have tried to honor a man I came to know for years before he passed away so tragically. My thoughts are also with his close friends and family who have been very supportive and have participated in this film," Schwartz said.

Click here to view the premiere schedule and information on the SXSW website.

Click here to read the Chicago Tribune's story on the film premiere.

HPHS students chosen for Highland Park boards, commissions

Last month the Highland Park City Council approved the appointment of 15 HPHS students to serve as representatives of the City's various boards and commissions. Click here for the full story!

HPHS Mock Trial team finishes in second place at Lake County competition

The HPHS Mock Trial team finished in second place at the Lake County competition on Feb. 20. Jeremy Burroughs won an Outstanding Attorney Award, while Samantha Lask won for Outstanding Witness. Also contributing to the team's strong finish were Bradley Berkman, Daniella Cohen, Charlie Deer, Jacob Heilizer, Caroline Kane, Heather Knoebel, Hannah Langsam, and Naomi White.

HPHS math teams take second

The HPHS junior math team and orals team both took second place at the NSML meet earlier this month. The junior team includes Charlie Gordon, Diya Yang and Will Nawor; the orals team includes Jeremy Burroughs and assistant Benny Cohen.

Congratulations to our athletics teams on their numerous accomplishments, which include:

The DHS boys swimming and diving team qualified to compete at the state meet in the medley relay (Scott Stern, Evan Fischoff, Ryan Smith and Brent Bouslog), 200 free relay (Ryan Smith, Micah Wesselhoff, Scott Stern and Brent Bouslog), 400 free relay (Ryan Smith, David Basin, Brent Bouslog and Scott Stern), the 200 individual medley (Judd Fishman), 100 butterfly (Ryan Smith), and diving (Will Kruse and Harry Wise).
The HPHS boys swimming and diving team qualified to compete at the state meet in the medley relay (Andrew Vorobev, Allen Tran, Levy Nathan and Hugh Laedlein), 200 free (Levy Nathan), 500 free (Levy Nathan), 100 back (Hugh Laedlein), and 100 back (Andrew Vorobev).
The DHS sophomore and varsity boys basketball teams clinched CSL North Conference championships, marking three titles in a row for varsity!
HPHS wrestler DJ Pennick took sixth at state and was named an All-State athlete. Alex Rosenbloom also qualified to compete at state.
DHS wrestlers Sage Heller and Holden Heller took second place and fourth place, respectively, at state. Also qualifying to compete at state were Reece Heller, Kenny Kerstein, Nick Kupets and Andrew Mehrholz, who unfortunately was unable to compete due to injury.

Foundation news

District 113 Foundation gives more than

$18,500 in grants to DHS, HPHS

An EKG machine, an infrared camera, a news magazine library, a self-

defense program and a social-emotional program for Latino parents were among the 15 requests totaling $18,508 that were funded by the District 113 Education Foundation for the 2015-16 school year.

The annual grants program is the crux of the mission of the District 113 Education Foundation, which is to enhance and enrich the education of students at Highland Park and Deerfield High Schools by promoting and supporting innovative educational opportunities.

Click here for the full list of grant recipients for 2016!

Community corner

Deerfield Parent Network partnering

with CTAD and DHS PTO for film screening

Deerfield Parent Network, Community. The Anti-Drug and the DHS PTO are

partnering to bring parents a special screening of "The Hunting Ground," a documentary that exposes the growing epidemic of assault on U.S. college campuses. The screening will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, in the DHS Auditorium, followed by a Q&A discussion facilitated by NorthShore University HealthSystem psychologist Bethany LoPresti, Ph.D., and DHS alumnus Jessica Harris. The film is rated PG-13; due to the nature of the topic and the content of the film, viewer discretion is advised.

Click here to view the event flyer.

Community. The Anti-Drug reaches out

Just over six years ago, in partnership with Districts 106, 109, 112, 113, and the private schools in those communities, Parents. The Anti-Drug, sent out its first monthly email. For several years, these monthly emails provided information and advice on how we can keep our children drug and alcohol free. The organization's name is now Community. The Anti-Drug, to reflect the joining of multiple community forces in their mission.

Click here to view the full letter that was shared with District 113 families in late January.

Township High School District 113, consisting of Highland Park and Deerfield High Schools, serves the communities of Deerfield, Highland Park, Highwood, Bannockburn and Riverwoods.

113 Connects is designed to share timely, relevant information about District 113 and its two high schools with parents, community members, alumni, and others who are interested in how we are living out our mission. If you have any questions/comments regarding 113 Connects, or have an article/photo idea for the publication, please contact Director of Communications Jennifer Waldorf at jwaldorf@dist113.org or (224) 765-1018.