Students, staff, alumni ready to celebrate Hoffman Estates High School's 50th birthday

Poised to mark its 50th birthday on Oct. 21, Hoffman Estates High School plans to celebrate the occasion all year long with students, staff, alumni and the community.

Over the past half century, the school's graduates have included actress and talk show host Sherri Shepherd, actor Todd Stashwick — most recently seen as Captain Liam Shaw on “Star Trek: Picard” — and current Miami Dolphins tight end Eric Saubert.

Meanwhile, other alumni have gone on to serve the community in which they were raised, like Hoffman Estates Village Trustee Karen Arnet and Deputy Village Manager Dan O'Malley, according to Mayor Bill McLeod.

Hoffman Estates High is the youngest of the five campuses of Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211, though a replacement was built for the oldest — Palatine High — in 1977.

When Hoffman Estates High opened, it drew students who previously would have attended Schaumburg and Conant high schools, Assistant Principal Tom Mocon said. Since then, it's continued to serve families in Hoffman Estates, Hanover Park and Schaumburg.

Anniversary festivities began last Friday with a 50th Kickoff in the stadium at the end of the first week of classes, attended by more than 1,000 students. The pep assembly was followed by an opportunity to take part in a number of games and activities set up on the football field.

“The idea was just to come together as one,” Mocon said.

At least one anniversary event is planned each month through the entire school year. Several will occur around homecoming week Sept. 18-23.

Organizers pored over old yearbooks for inspiration of past activities. Te donkey basketball game in which real donkeys were once ridden will be evoked by the use of inflatable ones instead on the Friday before homecoming week, Mocon said.

The week also will feature some of the most public celebrations of the anniversary, including a planned parade and bonfire on Wednesday, Sept. 20; the annual dodgeball tournament in which the Hoffman Estates police and fire departments will each have teams on Thursday, Sept. 21; and the homecoming football game hoped to be followed by a fireworks display on Friday, Sept. 22.

The official anniversary of the day the school's first graduating classes arrived as freshmen and sophomores falls on a Saturday this year. The birthday will be celebrated at the school the day before — Friday, Oct. 20.

Details of all the remaining monthly events through prom are still being finalized, Mocon said.