Highland Park Senior High Headliner
April 26, 2024
To translate this newsletter, see link at top.
Message from Principal Dr. Winston Tucker
Highland Families,
I hope this edition of our newsletter finds you well. We hope to see you at the Monday evening virtual PTSA meeting. This meeting is the last of the school year and I will be doing a Highland budget overview for the upcoming school year. In addition, various student groups will be sharing their experiences in the clubs in which they participate. Hope to see you there!
Mark Your Calendars!
Monday, April 29
- PTSA Meeting via Zoom 7:00-8:00 (link below)
Friday, May 3
- Prom at Landmark Center 7:00-10:00
PTSA Meeting: Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
PTSA Meeting: Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
Monday, April 29
7-8 PM
Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/98903630871?pwd=NTFRUUs2MzJNc2RSK0Iya2VZMjhsZz09
Our final PTSA meeting of the year will focus on wrapping up this year and looking ahead to next. Our agenda includes:
- Dr. Tucker presenting on the budget and other important issues
- Representatives of student groups sharing information
- PTSA sharing programs and needs for next year
There is room on the agenda for your questions and ideas too! If you would like a specific issue addressed, please let us know ahead of time. We are also still looking for representatives from student clubs, sports and extracurricular activities to share. If you have any connections with groups that would like to share on April 29, let us know. All questions and ideas can be emailed to
Sherry Kempf at sherrykhighlandptsa@gmail.com Deadline: April 24.
Prom Flowers Available
Prom is coming up on May 3! You have the chance to order beautiful flowers for prom (Corsages & Boutonnieres) and support the All Night Party for graduates. But hurry! Quantities are limited and the deadline is April 26, so get your order in asap. Scan the QR code to get to the order page.
CCRC Newsletter
Click here to see the 4/26/24 CCRC Newsletter! This newsletter highlights upcoming college and career-related opportunities.
Highland Park CCRC - The CCRC is here to help students with college and career planning! The CCRC provides the following resources to students:
- Interests and skills exploration tools
- Career Information
- Resume Help
- College and Post-Secondary exploration tools
- College Admission, Career and Military Representative Visits
- College Admission test information such as ACT and Accuplacer
- Scholarships
- Financial Aid
- Summer and Community Opportunities
- And more!
CLICK HERE to check out the new CCRC website! This site will be updated throughout the year with important information, resources, and opportunities.
Parent Party FUNdraiser Information
Parents/ Guardians/ staff are invited to the Parent Party FUNdraiser - a community building event to support the Highland Park Senior All night Party.
Patina Fundraiser Sunday May 5th - 20% of sales go to support the Senior All Night Party. Perfect for Mother's Day, Father's day and Grad Party gift.
Tuesday May 7th, Highland Park Pavilion. All Proceeds support the senior all night party, Taco Bar generously donated by Boca Chica, enjoy beverages and prizes.
See flyer link below.
https://hpgradparty.weebly.com/store/p14/Parent_Party_Ticket.html
IB MYP Personal Project Celebration!
On Friday 4/26, 10th grade students were recognized for completing their Personal Projects and Papers! Students were congratulated with a speech and slideshow, and received their scored papers.
The Personal Project is an integral part of the MYP. It is a student-centered and student-selected project culminating student learning experiences and skills in MYP. It enables students to engage in practical explorations through a cycle of inquiry, action, and reflection. The MYP Personal Project helps students to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile and provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate approaches to learning (ATL) skills developed through the MYP. It fosters an opportunity for students to produce something that is personal, meaningful, and creative.
The process of the Personal Project is what is most valuable and critical in assessing student work. The paper aims to explain the process of the personal project, explain the impact of the project on learning, evaluate the product based on student success criteria, and show reflection with detailed examples and evidence. The paper is used to evaluate the work on the Personal Project as it embodies the planning, research, skills, evidence, and reflections on the process and project.
Many students reflected in their surveys that they found a sense of independence and confidence in their learning and commented on enjoying the opportunity to pursue and complete a project of their choice. Students also expressed how much they learned about the importance of the ATL skills such as time management, communication, and creative thinking. Students really enjoyed sharing their projects, seeing projects and interests of others, and bringing the class of 2026 together.
All students who completed a project and paper this year earned a passing score! Congratulations!
FFA State Convention Results
Highland Park had an excellent showing at the MN FFA State Convention this year! We had over 40 students compete in various events. Here are the results:
- Highland Park FFA named #5 chapter in the state out of over 230 chapters
- Dmitriy Mangal WON the Extemporaneous Speaking contest, advancing to Nationals in October
- Ag Communication (Forest Lanza and Ash Reinhart) WON their contest, advancing to Nationals in October
- Trump Vang places 2nd in the Employment Skills contest
- Conduct of Chapter Meetings (Carmina Stensland, Adwoa Frempong, Ava Gaw, Halima Adam, Sienna Lee, Mekael Getahun, Rihana Abdi) placed 1st in opening ceremonies and 2nd overall. They performed opening ceremonies in front of the entire convention on Tuesday morning which was a great honor! You can watch here starting at 32:55
- Madeleine Klevay placed 2nd with her Agriculture Communications Proficiency
- Lillian Thuente placed 2nd with her Agriculture Education Proficiency
- Estrella Vail Perez placed 2nd in the Spanish Creed Speaking contest
- Milk Quality (Madeleine Klevay, Lillian Thuente, Ellie Moore, Ziva Westreich, Lily Long) placed 3rd out of 48 teams
- Molly Jones placed 4th in Creed Speaking
- Elsa Houge placed 5th in Prepared Public Speaking
- Dmitriy Mangal and Elsa Houge earned their MN State FFA Degrees, an honor only 2% of FFA members achieve
- Parliamentary Procedure (Elsa Houge, Valeria Orozco, Rosemary Egberg, Trump Vang, Allegra Larson, Maya Vossen-Nelson) placed 8th out of 18 teams
- Soils (Finn Black, Dmitriy Mangal, Trump Vang Isha Abdel Razek) earned 8th out of 46 teams
- Vet Science (Ava Mayer, Natalia Gercheva, Kasie Xiong, McKenzie Green) placed 20th out of 58 teams
- Crops (Henry Behr, Bryce Roffee, Kaliel Hefferan, Brennan Schuman) placed 22nd out of 39 teams
- Floriculture (Owen Blat, Yi Yi Aung, Rosemary Egberg, Valeria Orozco) placed 38th our of 50 teams
- Edric Robbins performed with the State FFA Band
- Lillian Thuente served on the State FFA Nominating Committee
- Idile Omar and Stephanie Rodriguez Vela competed in FFA Quizbowl
Students Running Success!
Several students and Luis Villar had a great experience participating in Twin Cities in Motion run “Hot Dash”, around 8 students participated and finished the race strong, we are very proud of them.
They will be running again at the “Get in Gear” run on April 27th; here are some pictures from our race, these kids are awesome!
Nerf Wars
I am reaching out to request your help in raising awareness with your child about the potential dangers of “Nerf Wars” in order to keep our students safe. While students do not participate in these activities in the school, during school time or on school grounds, as the principal and a former parent of a high school student I want you to be aware of this activity.
Nerf Wars or Nerf Assassins is a popular, yet potentially dangerous, activity amongst some of our students as well as students throughout the city and surrounding suburbs. Nerf Wars involves teens forming teams and then "killing" opposing team members with nerf guns. The winning team receives a cash prize awarded from entry fees, so students are often highly motivated to compete. These activities are not sponsored or supported by Highland Park Senior High School nor the Saint Paul Public School District.
These activities are not only dangerous and could result in injury, but they may also be illegal and could result in criminal charges. In some cases, it has been reported that students use cars to block other teens; jump on top of moving vehicles; have gotten into car accidents; crawl into homes, garages and/or on roofs without the homeowner's permission. While young people may find these types of activities fun they are often not thinking about the very serious potential consequence that may result.
Teens running around in the dark "shooting" at each other with Nerf guns that sometimes resemble real guns put themselves in danger. If your child is participating in this activity, please talk with your child about the potential danger and consequences for participating in “Nerf Wars.” Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students and community safe.
Senior Job Fair
Mr. Carlson organized a Senior Job Fair at Highland on April 24th that focused on providing employment opportunities for seniors who are still figuring out their plans for after graduation or are looking for a summer job. Over 60 students attended and had the opportunity to connect with employers like the MN State Fair, St. Paul Parks & Rec, Summit Academy, Xcel Energy, and more!
Choir News
Good morning—I'm so proud and excited to announce that the Intermediate and Honors Choirs performed "Into the West" for state sectionals yesterday morning and received the highest rating of SUPERIOR! Please congratulate these dedicated and talented students when you see them. Well done!
Upcoming Athletic Schedule
Teacher Wish List
There are two ways to support our terrific Highland Park teachers and staff:
- By purchasing requested items from this Wish List This list is always being updated—check with individual teachers if you want more information.
- By purchasing general school supplies—Kleenex, hand sanitizer, pencils, pens, highlighters, dry erase markers, post-its and snacks. General supplies can be brought to the school office any time.
At this point in the school year, teachers are running low on Kleenex, hand sanitizer and other basic school supplies, and have to restock them with their own money or go without. Anything you can contribute will have a positive impact on our students, our teachers and our school!
Thank you from the Highland Park PTSA.
Library News
After School Hours
The HP school library is open after school Monday-Thursday until 4:30.
Homework Help Resources
Did you know? Homework help is available throughout the school year at the Saint Paul Public Library. Click here for information on their Homework Centers hours and locations as well as the Online Homework Help service.
Yearbook Ordering Information
From the Library
TEEN LIT CON
FREE EVENT FOR TEENS!
Sat. April 27 10am-3pm @ Edina High School, 6754 Valley View Road, Edina MN 55439
Teen Lit Con is where teens and authors collide. Hear authors speak, attend breakout sessions on writing, book arts, and trivia. Learn about MN book creators, get a book signed, and discover your next favorite book.
More info here: teenlitcon.org
Parking Expectations
Highland Families,
Please see the important announcement that was shared with students regarding student parking expectations.
If you drive to school, please only park in the lot if you have a permit. In addition, please only park in the designated parking spots. The designated parking spots are the spots between the white lines. Do not park on the grass or in spots that are crossed out with yellow lines. If you park in a handicapped spot be sure you have a handicap sticker on display. All other vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense if they are parked in a spot that is not a designated parking spot. Thank you for your cooperation regarding this matter.
Senior Class Meeting Recap
Hello!
Here is a recap of today's senior class meeting - there is a ton of information here. Save this email for reference 🙂
Slideshow from today: it has a lot of information that is helpful as we approach graduation (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Jc3e2dwyOenIVAQga9SMqk3793LjcgMEUUDYi_YeI9s/edit?usp=sharing)
Voting for Staff Speaker for Graduation: Please fill out this form(https://forms.gle/rni5XKv2J7PN8qd18)You will not be able to change it once you've submitted it. You will need to be signed in to your stpaul.k12.mn.us account. If you haven't submitted your votes yet, do it now. The form closes at 3:00 pm tomorrow (Friday 3/1).
Graduation Stoles: If you're looking at ordering a stole for graduation, please see the guidelines shown here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KOuXPox6BataxVPDGAbw-AFFQfM41_ov6zY5VG9XyLc/edit?usp=sharing As we approach graduation, a form will be sent out for you to complete to have your stole/adornment approved. Be sure to check these guidelines before ordering your stole.
Student Commencement Speaker: If you're planning to be considered for the student speaker at graduation, this form is due by Monday, May 13th at 4:00 pm. https://forms.gle/vUathXxhdT5YDodFA
All night party: A fabulous group of parents are planning the HPSH Class of 2024 All Night Party. The All Night Party is the night of graduation. It is an overnight lock-in with SO MUCH FUN - Games, activities, food, fun. More details will follow. Tickets will be available in May. It is an event you don't want to miss. https://hpgradparty.weebly.com will have information as it becomes available. (Parents - volunteers are needed throughout the night! Please watch for details in the coming weeks! It's a great night and a fun way to help celebrate the graduates. Even if your student protests your presence....you should still do it 🙂)
A graduation web page is active on the highland web site. SPPS technology recently changed the way websites are presented - All of the information is here, but some of the titles aren't changed over from 2023, as access isn't available yet. Hopefully they will allow us editing access soon, but the links are active. https://highlandsr.spps.org/students5/graduation-information
Keep being awesome and working to wrap up your year well! I look forward to seeing all of you cross that stage on June 4th!
Ms. Hedwall
Health Start Clinic News
Spring sports are starting very soon! Does your child need an updated sports physical before the season starts? Your school’s Health Start clinic is the perfect place to get it done! We accept all insurance and there is never a copay. Students can stop by the clinic, located near the nurse’s office, anytime to get the necessary forms and make an appointment. If you have any questions, you can call the clinic directly at 651-690-7667.
Updated Grading & Assessment Policy
We have recently updated a portion of our Grading & Assessment Policy. The updated policy allows involves the reassessment policy related to summative assessments. The updates allow students an opportunity to retake more than one summative assessment in a quarter grading period. This change more closely aligns with the current trends in grading practices and allows students greater opportunities to demonstrate learning. I encourage you review the entire Grading & Assessment policy with your child so there is a full understanding of expectations and practices. Here is a link for easy reference.
New Social Media Connection
Check out what our awesome Scots are up to by following Highland Park Senior High on Facebook and highlandparksr.scots.pride on Instagram.
Nutrition Services
In-person students will receive free breakfast and lunch under the Minnesota Free School Meals program. All students are eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. Second meals, incomplete meals and single item purchases, such as milk only, must be purchased.
- Student Second Breakfast: $2.85
- Student Second Lunch: $5
- Milk Only: $0.50
- For a complete list of prices, visit spps.org/ns.
Visit schoolcafe.com/spps to manage your student’s meal account, view menus, ingredients and nutritional information, and complete the Application for Educational Benefits.
Parent Portal - Access Your Student's Progress
Use Parent Portal and see your child’s attendance, homework assignments, grades and more. Log on to spps.org/onestop and click on “parent portal”. This valuable tool will provide both information on your student and a means of communicating with your student’s teachers. Report cards are not mailed to homes.
For access please contact the main office at 651-293-8940.
MTC Unlimited Transit Pass Available for Purchase
MTC Bus Pass Quarter Dates
4/1/2024 to 6/14/2024 payment due by Monday, March 25, 2024
Highland Park Senior High School
Website: https://www.spps.org/highlandsr
Location: 1015 Snelling Avenue South, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-293-8940