Hilton Head Preparatory School's performance of "The Diviners" has been rescheduled to this week starting tonight September 18th, Wednesday, September 19th, and Thursday, September 20th at 7:30 pm at the Main Street Theatre. Prep is accepting donations in lieu of purchasing tickets. If you have already purchased tickets you may attend any night as there will be "open seating". All are welcome! Don't miss this amazing show!

Hilton Head Prep will induct six student athletes and two coaches into its Athletic Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Friday, September 28, 2018.

The inductees include student athletes:

• Patrick Andrews, baseball, Prep Class of 2011/Clemson University
• Kate Brunori, basketball, Prep Class of 2011/Villanova University
• Liz Buterbaugh, volleyball, Prep Class of 2012/Wofford College
• Andrew Hazel, cross country, Prep Class of 2006/Maryville College
• Matt Layman, football-basketball-baseball, Prep Class of 2011/Mars Hill College
• Niles Murphy, football, Prep Class of 2006/Dartmouth College

Being inducted along with the students are two long-time coaches:

• Bob Sulek, girls basketball
• Larry Tavino, boys soccer

The student-athletes represent stellar accomplishments in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, and volleyball. Each of them went on to distinguished careers at the college level.

"Induction into Prep's Athletic Hall of Fame is a distinct honor," said Prep's Athletic Director Rich Basirico. "Not only do we recognize our students for their athletic achievements but also for their academics and character values." "Each of these young people, along with our two coaches, continue to make all of us at Prep proud by what they have continued to do in their lives," Basirico continued.

Inductees will be introduced during halftime of Prep's home football game on Friday, September 28, and then will attend an induction ceremony in Prep's field house following the game. Each inductee will be presented by a coach or mentor of his/her choosing. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mrs. Bethany Wilkinson directly at 843-715-8508 or via email at bwilkinson@hhprep.org.

Hilton Head Prep is pleased to announce its annual College Fair held this year on Thursday, October 4th, on campus, in the Middle School Gym. Hilton Head Prep is located at 8 Fox Grape Road in Sea Pines Plantation, Hilton Head Island. Over twenty (20) colleges and universities will be represented including both large and small institutions, both in-state and out of state, with varying academic requirements for admissions.

Colleges in attendance:

Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Coker, College of Charleston, Denison, Eckerd, Flagler, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Hampden Sydney, High Point University, Lafayette, Lehigh, Long Island University, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Presbyterian College, Princeton, Sewanee, St. Lawrence University, University of Georgia, University of Michigan, University of South Carolina, USCB, University of Tampa, and Villanova.

The Fair will be open to Prep families and the greater community beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Middle School Gym.

Prep's College Counseling staff is excited to let students and their families get a glimpse of what life beyond high school might be like! No registration is necessary to attend, but anyone wishing for more information may call Hilton Head Prep at 843-671-2286.

Dear Prep Community,

Yesterday's report from the Governor was a clear statement that Florence was no longer a threat to Beaufort County and government offices and schools would re-open on Wednesday.

Obviously this announcement sent every school administrator in our area scrambling. I can only assume the Governor did not speak with his public school administration before making this decision as we now know the public schools could not open because they did not have enough available teachers or bus drivers.

I spoke with other schools in our area and their intent was to return on Thursday provided they had the required staffing. My administration was able to contact our teachers who resoundingly said they were ready and able to return as needed which prompted my communication that we would open for class on Thursday. My communication was sent as quickly as possible in an effort to contact families as close to the noon mandatory evacuation time as possible.

As I am sure most of you are aware, the forecast changed significantly yesterday afternoon with predictions having Florence stall as it reaches the North Carolina coast before it turns to the southwest. Current storm tracks and predictions are varied but it seems Hilton Head will still experience tropical storm force winds on Friday that are expected to possibly increase over the weekend.

With this dramatic change in the predicted path it is only prudent to revert back to our initial plan of not having school the remainder of this week. I am sorry for the confusion and stress this storm has caused. I do my best to work with the information we have at the time and the collaborative efforts of our school community.

As I mentioned in my previous e-mails, every family must do what they feel is best for their safety regardless of what the government or school announces.

Stay Safe,

Jon Hopman

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW!

Hilton Head Preparatory School opens the new school year with the Upper School performance of Jim Leonard, Jr.'s "The Diviners". The fictional town of Zion, Indiana during the 1930s/Great Depression era will come alive when Prep's fall show runs at the Hilton Head Preparatory School Main Street Theatre September 13-16, 2018.

Hilton Head Prep's first show of the 2018-2019 season once again has the directorial expertise of Peggy Trecker White at the helm. Peggy has directed Prep shows for four seasons including "Les Miserables", "Almost, Maine", "Little Mermaid", "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Godspell" and has helped solidify Hilton Head Prep's strong performing arts reputation. She brings a wealth of experience as Director for five summers at the Intermediate Musical Theatre Department at Interlochen Center for the Arts. She is a founding member of Lean Ensemble Theatre where she has directed and starred in several of their shows and has traveled and worked in theatre all over the world.

"The Diviners" takes place in rural Indiana during the Depression and is centered around the relationship between a young boy blessed with the magical ability to divine water and a former preacher who comes to town looking for work. The ex-preacher soon realizes his real purpose is to help the boy deal with the one traumatic experience that has caused him to fear the very water he divines.

Trecker White selected "The Diviners" because, as she says, "it is a beautiful story about relationships, faith, and love; all heartwarming things that anyone can relate to. It's an honor to work on a piece of theatre that has such depth."

This show is in one word, heartwarming. The way the town sees Buddy, the young boy, as their blessing and the nurturing way CC, the ex-preacher, cares for the boy, captures a sense of community and togetherness that is unique. Audience members will walk out of the theater being truly touched by the show.

This show also follows Prep's tradition of including students of all ages in the production even though it is billed as an upper school performance. The cast includes some seasoned Prep performing arts students as well as some newcomers. Be sure to mark your calendar to see all these talented students again in Prep's winter show, "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" February 13-17, 2018.

Performances are September 13-16 at the Hilton Head Preparatory School Main Street Theatre, Thursday - Saturday at 7:30 pm, and a matinee on Sunday at 2 pm. For tickets and information, visit www.hhprep.org or call 843-715-8510. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door.

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW!

We are excited to announce the return of the "Sweet Feet" program offered for students Junior Kindergarten through First grade.

For the families who are new to Prep; Sweet Feet is a soccer program that meets for ten Mondays starting September 10^th. The additional dates are September 17th and 24th, October 1st, 15th, 22nd, and 29th. The program concludes in November taking place the 5th, 12th, and 26th. Sweet Feet is a soccer and education program for children that works to create lifetime learners that appreciate physical activity and health. They teach soccer and movement education to students through a theme based curriculum that is based on fun, learning, and passion development. During all of their classes, all participants get to use a ball while playing fun games that always include cardiovascular exercise. When school is dismissed the coach will take those who have registered outside to practice various drills and techniques. The attached flyer provides more detailed information regarding times and pricing. To register your child for Sweet Feet go online to www.SweetFeetSoccer.org .

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact Tricia Kontz at tkontz@hhprep.org or directly at 843-715-8551.

MORE INFORMATION ON SWEET FEET!

Hilton Head Preparatory School announces the start of its Baseball Academy for the 2018 - 2019 school year. The academy runs throughout the school year from 1:40 pm to 3:30 pm at the Prep baseball field, Monday through Thursday, and is open to Prep and non-Prep students. For the fall semester only seventh through twelfth graders are eligible to participate. The schedule allows any student to participate regardless of their after-school activity or sport. Director of the academy, Coach Erik Mathisen, has big plans for player development, "Having the ability to build off of Coach Sofield and continue Hilton Head Prep's development of athletics is an amazing opportunity. I am excited and passionate about the development of each student-athlete in sport and as quality contributing members of the Hilton Head Prep community. The students have a unique opportunity to work hard and pursue their passion through the academy structure," Mathisen said.

Coach Mathisen believes in using a strategic approach supported by available technology and resources for athletic development, data collection and evaluation. Each student-athlete participates in their own evaluation, goal-setting and development plan. Coach Mathisen documents and uploads each individual plan to a readily accessible web-based program called TRAQ (developed by Driveline Baseball). When a player completes their workout, they self-report their progress. The TRAQ software integrates with technologies such as Diamond Kinetics, which Coach Mathisen uses to track player's swing data. "We want to be smart about training and getting better. We have tools at our fingertips that allow us to create an environment of accountability. In the end, we want to prove the value of the program. If we can't report on our progress, we won't know whether or not we need to make any changes, or if what we're doing is actually working the way we intend," Mathisen said.

In addition to the tools mentioned, Coach Mathisen also uses proven training protocols from Driveline Baseball to improve arm health, arm strength, and player mobility. Academy participants will also improve in the mental aspects of baseball and exploration of a wide range of baseball concepts.

More information about Coach Mathisen:

Erik is from New Jersey where he played high school baseball at Hillsborough High. After playing briefly at York College of Pennsylvania, his playing career ended and he transferred to Rowan University and graduated with a degree in Public Relations and Advertising. His coaching career began in 2009 at Williamstown High School in NJ as the varsity assistant coach. He spent two seasons there and then moved back to Central NJ and took a job as the freshman coach at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, NJ. After a few years there, he joined a childhood friend on staff at his alma mater, Hillsborough High School. He stayed in that role for three years before moving to Hilton Head for the 2017-18 school year. During that year, he was the assistant JV coach at Hilton Head High.

During all of the years coaching HS baseball, coach Mathisen coached at Bill Reddick Baseball Academy, was the head coach of multiple Senior Legion teams, started his own travel program, and helped run a four-week Summer camp each year. He has coached every age group from 10u through college-age and has seen players go on to play at major Division I, II, III, NAIA programs and has seen two of his players get drafted.

More information about TRAQ and Driveline Baseball can be found on their website at www.drivelinebaseball.com.

More information about Diamond Kinetics can be found on their website at https://diamondkinetics.com.