School News

Homestead High School is proud to announce that juniors Eli Devorkin and Jasmine Xu are recipients of the Jay Miley “Service Above Self” award. This award is given to students who have gone above and beyond in service and commitment to others. Devorkin and Xu were honored in April during a luncheon sponsored by the Milwaukee North Shore Rotary Club.

Both award recipients have been inspired by their parents and mentors to jump into action to make a difference in the lives of others through service. Jasmine and Eli are honor students at Homestead High School and actively participate in numerous clubs and activities both in school and in their community.

“Eli and Jasmine have answered a calling to enrich the lives of others through their kindness, compassion and service to others,” said Homestead High School counselor, Sarah Robinson. “I’m inspired by their service to others - our world certainly needs them.”

Devorkin is passionate about working with and supporting children with physical and mental disabilities. He dedicates his time at All-Star Health Center in Mequon, training and exercising with children and young adults who need extra support. Devorkin plays for the Homestead baseball team, works a part-time job at Les Moise sporting goods store, and is considering a career in physical therapy.

Xu is involved with a non-profit organization called ENGin that connect volunteers with students in Ukraine to teach them English via Zoom. In her teaching role, she meets individually with her students once a week to monitor their English progress and teach new topics. In addition, Xu creates
individualized lesson plans for each student based on their progress and she shares supplemental resources and websites with her students to promote their learning. She also takes time during the week to maintain informal communication with her Ukrainian learners to build a positive relationship with them and support them socially. Additionally, Xu plays the cello with Homestead’s chamber orchestra, is a member of Homestead’s programming club, math team, and golf team. She has recently been selected to attend The Summer Science Program, a highly competitive and academically enriching summer program offering students research opportunities in the STEM fields.

Homestead is excited to announce the winners of the HHS 2023 National Latin Exam!

Pictured in front, left to right:

• Magistra Marianne Wallach
• Emily T. (Gold Medal)
• Anya M. (Magna cum Laude)
• William H. (Gold Medal)
• Luke L. (Gold Medal)

Pictured in the back row, left to right:

• Michelle I. (cum Laude)
• Anna P. (Silver Medal),
• Addison D. (Silver Medal)
• Charlotte K. (Gold Medal)

Other National Latin Exam winners not pictured are:

• Will S. (Gold)
• Rosalie K. (Gold)
• Aleksey M. (Silver)
• Peter C. (Silver)
• Lucas M. (Magna cum Laude)
• William G. (Magna cum Laude)
• Eliana P. (Magna cum Laude)
• Sara W. (cum Laude)
• Wolf S. (Silver)
• Matthew S. (Silver)
• Hanna M. (Silver)
• Lauren S. (Silver)
• London B. (Magna cum Laude)
• Joseph E. (Magna cum Laude)
• Emersyn S. (cum Laude)
• George Z. (Gold)
• Olivia R. (Silver)
• Mary G. (cum Laude)
• Drew T. (Magna cum Laude)
• Brian F. (cum Laude)

The NLE is a test given annually to Latin students across the United States and around the world. The NLE is not meant to be a competition but rather an opportunity for students to receive reinforcement and recognition for their accomplishments in the classroom. Depending upon their score, students may earn certificates, medals, and may even qualify for scholarships.

Congratulations to these outstanding Latin scholars!

The art departments of Homestead High School and Steffen Middle School are proud to announce that twelve students received accolades for their visual artwork through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Under the direction of teachers Melinda Plamann (Steffen Middle School), Kat Hustedde, Katie Nowak, and Gina Ruchalski (Homestead High School), these young artists received Gold Key, Silver Key, or Honorable Mentions across the mediums of digital art, drawing, painting, photography, and art metals. 

The Scholastic Art Awards are given annually to students whose work breaks from convention, blurs the boundaries between genres, and challenges notions of how a particular concept or emotion can be expressed. Entries must demonstrate use of techniques to advance an original perspective or a personal vision or voice, and show skills being utilized to create something unique, powerful, and innovative. Other award criteria include working with an authentic and unique point of view and style.

"We are proud to have our district represented with the largest number of Key recipients in well over a decade!” said Homestead art teacher Kat Hustedde, “We have an incredible group of talented students in the program and are excited to help them achieve well-deserved recognition for their gifts." 

Gold Key Winners include:

• Addison Drumm, Grade 9
• Julia Gaskin, Grade 12
• Clare Pepke, Grade 12
• Emma Rader, Grade 12
• Angela Vang, Grade 11

Silver Key Winners include: 

• Addison Drumm, Grade 9
• Meghan Eckl, Grade 10
• Julia Gaskin, Grade 12
• Delaney Melgaard, Grade 9
• Meredith Niedfeldt, Grade 10
• Olive Ramsey, Grade 11

Honorable Mentions include:

• Elsa Heinrich, Grade 10
• Kalina Longworth, Grade 11
• Delaney Melgaard, Grade 9
• Sylvia Moser, Grade 8

Gold and Silver Key recipients' work will be on display for free to the public in the Calatrava Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum from February 4 through March 19. Gold Key works will continue to the National Scholastic contest in New York City. To see the work of MTSD Scholastic Art Winners, please click here.

Congratulations to the Homestead Theatre department. They swept the State One-Act Play contest as part of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Theatre Festival at UW-Whitewater.

The play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” received 8 awards, including the highest honor of Critics Choice Award.

• Outstanding Technical Theatre Award
• Outstanding Ensemble Acting Award
• Outstanding Directing Award
• Critics Choice Award

Four students also received Individual acting awards:

• Matthew Seiberlich as Rosencrantz
• Ryan Bennett as Guildenstern
• Alexandra Berryman as The Player
• Amelia Eichmeier as Hamlet

Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

Homestead High School (HHS) is proud to announce that senior Ilia Mikhailenko has received the 2022 Heisman High School Scholarship Award. The Heisman High School Scholarship program honors the nation’s most accomplished, community-minded high school senior athletes. In addition to excellent academic achievement, scholarship recipients must participate in at least one of the sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, or the National Federation of State High School Associations.

In October 2021, Ilia earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT exam, a national college entrance exam that tests in the areas of English, reading, math, and science. In addition to maintaining outstanding academic achievements, Ilia plays both volleyball and tennis for Homestead at the varsity level and was named the varsity tennis co-Captain as a junior. Additionally, he serves as president of Homestead's National Honor Society and, until recently, was the president of the Wisconsin Junior Classical League, a statewide student organization involved in promoting the classics. He is a member of HOSA, a club for students interested in a career in healthcare, and also tutors his fellow peers while volunteering as a coach for youth volleyball and tennis programs. Ilia is interested in neuroscience and healthcare and plans to pursue a career in the medical field.

Homestead High School is proud to announce that senior Adam Yesufu is a recipient of the Princeton Club of Wisconsin Book Award. Yesufu was nominated for this award by Homestead school counselor, Mrs. Sarah Robinson, during his junior year and received the honor during a special dinner held this past June.

The Princeton Book Award is awarded to a high school junior who displays a concern for the opinion of others while demonstrating exceptional leadership, talent, and competence in both academic and nonacademic pursuits. Yesufu was one of 10 students statewide to receive this honor.

Yesufu is an alumnus of Steffen Middle School and currently participates in MTSD’s TAG (Talented, Advanced, and Gifted) programming, with an impressive array of academic achievements across a range of content areas. He received a 34 (out of 36) on the ACT and a 1480 out of a possible 1520 on the PSAT - including a perfect 760 on the math section. He is an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction award-winner, and recently received an African-American Recognition Award from the College Board for excellence in academics.

“Adam is one of Homestead’s best and brightest,” wrote Robinson in Yesufu’s nomination letter. “Adam’s drive to do his best in all aspects of his life is one of his strengths. His curious mind, ambitious spirit, and persistent work ethic support his academic achievement and strong engagement in all learning activities.”

In addition to excelling in academics, Yesufu is a member of the National Honors Society, Homestead Neuroscience Club, Students Exploring Medicine Club, International Youth

Neuroscience Association, Homestead’s HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) Chapter, and is active in Homestead’s Math and Robotics teams. He was also recently recognized as a 2023 National Merit Semifinalist.

During his time at Steffen, Yesufu received a Certificate of Merit for successfully representing Steffen in the Mathcounts Milwaukee Chapter competition, earned a Presidential Award for Educational Excellence, and a Milwaukee Brewer’s Student Achiever Award for being in the top 6% of student academic performance.

“In furtherance of my desire to give back to the community,” said Yesufu, “I volunteered during Lionsfest, a three-day fundraising festival held by the Thiensville-Mequon, Wisconsin Lions

Club. As for my post-secondary plans, I intend to go into pre-med, and eventually medicine, with an emphasis on neuroscience."

The National Merit Scholarship Competition (NMSC) recently announced the names of over 16,000 Semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Homestead High School is excited to announce that eight of our senior students have qualified as National Merit Semifinalists.

Those students include: Isaac Bloomgarden, Abigail Horwitz, Henry Kroft, Jonathan Lim, Ilia Mikhailenko, Nathan Moldavsky, Maura Whitaker, and Adam Yesufu. This is the second consecutive year that Homestead High School has announced eight students as Semifinalists.

These academically talented seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of competition. Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

“It is truly exciting to see this many outstanding National Merit Semifinalists announced at Homestead once again,” said Homestead High School Principal Eric Ebert. “These students have gone above and beyond not only in their commitment to academic achievement, but in their pursuits outside of the classroom as well. I look forward to seeing the success they will continue to achieve this year, and into the future.”

High school juniors entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

Students who qualify as Semifinalists based on their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT are the only program participants who have an opportunity to advance to the Finalist level and compete for National Merit Scholarships. From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to Finalist level, and in February will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Finalists will be announced beginning in April 2023.

Find more information about the National Merit Scholarship Corporation at www.nationalmerit.org