Highland High School

Our Trojan of the Week this week is Gianna Beasley. Staff vote on Trojan of the week by nominating students who exemplify our 5 core values: Problem solving, Responsibility, Integrity, Self-discipline, and Self-advocacy. Gianna was nominated for going above and beyond to help the school and her peers. She believes that the biggest influences in her life are her siblings. Outside of school, she enjoys playing the piano and drums. Her interests include cinema, the arts, psychology, neuroscience, and music. A goal of hers is to create a movie or short film. Congratulations Gianna!

Please clock the link below to view this week’s Thursday Thoughts!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LlOESY1jUNu8WyzqM4OagV9E6qjMlmSJG249Fc3NnTE/edit?usp=sharing

Our Trojan of the Week this week is Dulce Vargas. Teachers vote on Trojan of the Week by nominating students who exemplify our 5 core values: Problem solving, Responsibility, Integrity, Self-discipline, and Self-advocacy. Dulce is a senior at HHS this year. She enjoys spending time with her friends, sewing, and attending football games. She is very good at bringing people together. This was seen as she helped recruit over 30 students to assist families in Highland who were affected by the recent storms. Next year, she plans on majoring in Biochemistry at Indiana University or Purdue University. Her career goal is to become a pediatric surgeon. Congratulations Dulce!

Click the link below for this week's Thursday Thoughts.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-SYYbMFJZ7G7SDKH8HfW8uDMfUmbtzqAK6ex9A9-SK8/edit?usp=sharing

Attention seniors! The 2027 Lilly Scholarship Application is NOW OPEN! Students can apply through the Lilly website. The Lilly Scholarship covers full tuition, for four years, at any public or private college in Indiana.

Legacy Foundation awards six (6) scholarships for Lake County students.

The deadline to apply is September 28, 2026.

For more information & to access the application please look on the Class of 2027 Main Office Google Classroom.

Please see the link below for today's Thursday Thoughts.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TRdBTLhxMOe8yip6WbSaJyajsL2F9AHqZOULMTsX4XA/edit?usp=sharing

We are excited to see our families tonight for Back to School Night! We will begin with a short presentation in the auditorium. See you there!

SENIOR PORTRAIT INFORMATION:

Class of 2027 have another opportunity to have their senior portrait taken.

Prestige Portraits will be on campus on September 1st and 2nd. Seniors must take their portrait through Prestige. There should be no charge for a yearbook photo, but other photo packages are available if families choose to participate.

Please visit www.schedule.prestigeportraits.com to schedule your photo session.

Retakes for those who took their portraits in July are available at this time as well.

Friendly reminder for Area Career Center students! Your first day of classes at the ACC is tomorrow.

We are excited to have our students back in the building tomorrow! Students will report directly to their Advisory period upon arrival. Advisory teachers and locations are located on our students' schedules in RDS and will be posted around the Commons area tomorrow morning. Please see the flyer below for more information.

8/21/26 Dear Highland Staff and Families, I am deeply inspired by the progress seen across our schools and community following the recent storm. My heartfelt gratitude and pride go out to everyone for your response to these challenges. Our plan to return to school next week is still unchanged. Teachers will report for professional development on Monday, August 24. Students will report for the first day of school on Tuesday, August 25. If there are changes, we will notify you as soon as possible. We are so incredibly excited for the school year to officially begin! All of our schools and the Administration Center now have power and wifi. Our custodians, food services, and technology staff are continuing to work every day to ensure that our buildings are ready to go for the start of the school year. Thank you very much to all of them for their efforts! Here are some additional updates for you: Transportation: Our bus drivers are currently driving their bus routes to ensure we are fully prepared for the first day of school. STOH Administration has worked closely with Highland Public Works to review our bus stops, and we are very thankful for the work they have done to clean them up for our students.) You can find a list of our bus routes and other important information on our website: https://www.highland.k12.in.us/page/bus-routes What's Next: Staff & Student Schedule: Teachers will report for professional development on Monday, August 24, and students will begin their first day of school on Tuesday, August 25. Elementary Back-to-School Nights: Scheduled for Monday, August 24. Please visit our website (https://www.highland.k12.in.us/article/3055500) for specific elementary building schedules. Secondary Back-to-School Nights: Highland Middle School will host its event for parents on Wednesday, August 26, at 5:30 p.m. Highland High School’s event will take place on Thursday, August 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Make-up Days: The Indiana Department of Education sent all Northwest Indiana superintendents the form to request waiver days. I will update you as soon as I receive confirmation on what may be approved. We’ve also got some exciting news - all of our schools will have Domino’s Pizza available for lunch on the first day of school! Regular lunch meal prices apply. Thank you all very much for your patience and understanding as we worked through this devastating storm together. As always, we will continue to keep you informed of any updates. Please enjoy your weekend, and we will see you next week! Regards, John Schwuchow, Ph.D. Interim School Town of Highland Superintendent

Please see the link below for this week's Thursday Thoughts. Go Trojans!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XYxlRU3QMOpkZJzrtvW_ZlzvlP0Hh5XKEoXoF-FRSe8/edit?usp=sharing

Dear School Town of Highland Staff, Students, and Families, Thank you for your continued patience and flexibility following the destructive storms that have impacted our schools and community. We recognize that this storm has affected far more than our school buildings. Many of our families and staff members are dealing with tremendous stress, property damage, power outages, food loss, cleanup, disrupted childcare and work schedules, and other unexpected challenges at home. Our tentative schedule remains the following: teachers will report for professional development on Monday, August 24, and students will report for the first day of school on Tuesday, August 25. We will keep you informed if there are any changes or updates to this tentative schedule. As of Tuesday, August 18, we currently have power at the Central Office, Highland High School, Highland Middle School, Merkley Elementary School, and Warren Elementary School. Both Johnston Elementary School and Southridge Elementary School are still without power at this time. Trying to start school too quickly while families and staff are still managing these losses could create additional and unnecessary stress. Giving our Highland community these few additional days allows families and staff to address immediate needs while our district team works to make sure our schools are truly ready for students. Here’s why we need this additional time: -Assess and address storm-related damage in our buildings and on our grounds. -Restore and test phone systems. -Restore Internet and network connectivity. -Ensure security cameras and other safety systems are fully operational. -Get coolers, refrigeration, and food-service equipment working properly. -Receive food deliveries and prepare our kitchens. -Clean, organize, and prepare classrooms and common areas. -Confirm that our buildings are safe and ready to welcome students. -Ensure the safety of walking conditions for our students traveling to their bus stops and the driving conditions for our bus drivers. While we prepare our buildings for students to return, our commitment to our families does not stop at our school doors. As buildings and utilities become safe and operational, we will communicate opportunities for assistance. Back-to-school nights have also been tentatively rescheduled. All elementary back-to-school nights are currently planned for Monday, August 24. Please visit our website - highland.k12.in.us - for the elementary schedules. Highland Middle School has its back-to-school night scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, at 5:30 p.m., and Highland High School’s will be on Thursday, August 27, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. If your Highland High School student attends the Area Career Center (ACC), please continue to check your messages from HHS for further updates. We plan on sending another update regarding the start of school on Friday, August 21. Thank you very much to all of our STOH staff for their hard work in cleaning up our schools and preparing for our students to come back to school. We sincerely look forward to welcoming our students and staff back to our buildings as soon as it is safe to do so. Regards, John Schwuchow, Ph.D. Incoming School Town of Highland Superintendent

Join us at Griffith High School this Friday as our Trojan football team takes the field for their first regular season game!

UPDATE:
As was previously messaged to families, our first day for students will be Tuesday, August 25th. Students will report directly to their advisory periods on that day.

Our Back to School Night that was originally scheduled for tomorrow has been rescheduled for Thursday August 27th from 5:30 to 7 PM.

The Area Career Center has cancelled classes for tomorrow August 18th. They will tentatively be starting on Wednesday August 19th.

Underclass picture day that was originally scheduled for August 20th has been canceled. We will let you know once a new date has been decided.

Please be on the lookout for additional information being sent out from our district office.

Go Trojans!

Hello School Town of Highland families and staff, School Town of Highland remains closed as our community continues to recover from the August 11 storm. At this time, our buildings do not have stable power sources and are operating on generators. After a meeting with Highland Public Works, we are tentatively scheduling the first day for teachers for Monday, August 24, and the first day for students for Tuesday, August 25. Our High School will provide updates regarding the Area Career Center's start date. Please also check FamilyID for athletic updates. These dates could change depending on whether we have stable power to our buildings, the walking conditions for our students traveling to their bus stops, and the driving conditions for our bus drivers. We will provide everyone with a building update on Tuesday, August 18. If your family is in need of assistance, please contact your building principal. Thank you for your patience and support. We can't wait to welcome everyone back. Regards, John Schwuchow, Ph.D. Incoming School Town of Highland Superintendent

Join us tomorrow as we root on our Trojan football team during their pre-season scrimmage! See the attached flyer for more information. Admission is free and the parking lot will be open for tailgating. Alcohol is strictly prohibited.

Please see the link below for today's Thursday Thoughts. Have a great night!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N-6WuFB97CTFVBbWQP0ZOw4hpl_9JQlZI1WigCJ5Hvc/edit?usp=sharing

Our amazing students are assembling work crews to assist families with storm damage. We will be meeting at 9 AM tomorrow and Thursday before heading to various locations throughout town. Please email travisanderson@highland.k12.in.us if you or someone you know would like us to stop by to give a helping hand.