EPCHS Alum In The Spotlight: Devonte Hill, Class Of 2011

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — A former member of the Evergreen Park Community High School football team and Operation Snowball organizer has put together quite the life of service in the dozen years since his high school graduation.

Devonte Hill, EPCHS Class of 2011, is a U.S. Navy veteran and works as a firefighter in Evergreen Park and neighboring Chicago.

“Devonte always wanted to be a firefighter,” Renee Hill, his mother, said. “His dad was a fireman, and he’s always been very passionate about protecting and saving lives.”

Devonte Hill enlisted in the Navy a couple years after graduation and left to serve in Japan on Veterans Day 2013. Serving six years, including two-and-a-half overseas, his role in the Navy was as an EO-3 equipment operator. He reached the rank of Petty Officer Third Class.

At age 19, Hill became a cadet after enrolling in the fire program. He started as an intern with the Evergreen Park Fire Department in February 2012 and has been with EPFD ever since. He’s since also joined the Chicago Fire Department, with whom he’s a firefighter/EMT.

Renee Hill says her son has fond memories of EPCHS.

“He spent most of his time in the library,” she said, pointing out that EPCHS Librarian/Media Specialist Dr. Tina Ward “knows him like a book.”

Mr. Krist Enstrom, a recently retired EPCHS history teacher, is another who has made a lasting impression.

“They both enjoyed each other and communicated quite a bit,” Renee Hill said.

Ward said she remembers Hill as “a kind, young gentleman.”

“This is evident in his chosen career path,” she said.