Retiring Athletic Director Paul Harris saying goodbye to a life’s worth of HPHS memories

Before Paul Harris departs Highland Park High School, he has a very important question to ask:

Where’s the exit?

Harris and HPHS have been connected for so long that leaving may not be a simple task.

“It’s been such a huge part of my life,” Harris said. “I don’t know; does my car know to go anywhere else?

“At the same time, the time is right and it’s been a great run. I can’t say enough good things about my experience in District 113 as a student, teacher, coach and (athletic director).”

Harris, an HPHS alumnus, will retire following this school year, capping 33 years of employment at the high school. He coached basketball for 29 years, collecting more than 300 wins and a state-finals appearance in his 26 years as head coach. Harris also taught students with special needs for a majority of his time with HPHS, a vocation, he said, that he will always cherish.

In the 2020-’21 school year, Harris coached his final year of Giants basketball and took over as the school’s athletic director, overseeing the department during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the aftermath of the 2022 Highland Park mass shooting.

“I would not have been successful in this if I did not have great people to work with here,” Harris said. “… They were challenging times. To be here for the community during that time, a lot of people have pitched in to help. This is not a one-man or -woman job. An AD needs support of others and I was definitely lucky to have that.”

Harris also made sure to mention several mentors — including Jay Geerdes, a longtime HPHS basketball coach; Mike Kolze, the Giants basketball coach who hired Harris; and Paul Pryma, the HPHS athletic director when Harris got started — from whom he learned along the way.

On the court, Harris, who also coached boys golf for two decades, led the Giants to 13 winning seasons — five of them 20-win campaigns — and in 2002 the program’s first trip to state since the 1930s (as Deerfield-Shields High School).

That magical season surely sticks out to Harris, but so do innumerable other moments that involved his family and Giants basketball. He said his parents (his mother taught at HPHS), siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, and of course his wife and children were regulars in the stands during his coaching tenure.

“Having family be a part of what you’re doing for a career — it’s hard to say that isn’t a highlight,” he said.

On deck

Highland Park High School has already called up its new athletic director.

The Township District 113 School Board on Feb. 25 approved the hiring of Mark Ribbens, the current athletic director for Wauconda High School, to replace Harris.

“I am thrilled to join the outstanding staff at Highland Park High School and look forward to building strong relationships with the staff, caregivers, community members, and student athletes,” Ribbens said in a statement. “My goal is to lead HP athletics into its next chapter, while fostering a culture of cohesion and inclusion for all student athletes. I will work closely with Mr. Paul Harris to ensure a smooth transition and a united vision for the program’s future.”

Ribbens is a 22-year educator, spending 11 of those years as an athletic director.

A message from HPHS Principal Holly Fleischer says Ribbens has a history of committing to inclusivity, equity and support to optimize participation in a school’s athletics.

“Mark Ribbens possesses the experience, the proven success, the innovative mindset, the demonstrated commitment to student well-being, the passion for Highland Park, and the vision necessary to lead Highland Park Athletics to new heights, and he should be our next athletic director,” Fleischer wrote in her message.

She added, “Ultimately, Mark believes that athletics should foster a sense of belonging, build self-confidence, enhance self-discipline and problem-solving skills, and improve academic performance.”

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