School News

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

The Mequon-Thiensville School District is pleased to announce the opening of a new fitness center located in Homestead High School. The fitness center will be primarily used by students and student-athletes during and after the school day, and community members will have access to the space during designated weekday morning hours. The fitness center opened to community members on Wednesday, September 7.

Previously, Homestead students used one weight room space within the school that was shared by athletic teams as well as used for instruction in physical education classes. The addition of the fitness center, which will include both strength and conditioning equipment as well as cardio fitness machines, provides much-needed instructional space for strength and wellness classes, as well as an additional training area for Homestead athletic teams.

“We are grateful and excited for the opening of the Homestead Fitness Center,” said Erich Hinterstocker, Homestead athletic director. “Our partnership with Froedtert and NX Level has given us the ability to significantly increase the fitness opportunities for our student-athletes after school as well as during the summer months. We are also grateful to the Homestead Booster Club for their support in funding equipment for the fitness center.” 

The fitness center was constructed in an area of the building previously designed as a locker room that included coaches’ offices and storage space along the northwestern side of Homestead High School. Along with the construction of the fitness center, an existing team locker room was renovated to bring the room up-to-date with the rest of Homestead’s athletic facilities and optimize usage of the space. Both projects were funded out of MTSD’s general facilities budget and were not part of the recently-concluded 2020 referendum project. 

“We have generated tremendous momentum over the past year in the area of strength training and we’re eager to now be able to expand even further,” added Hinterstocker. “The addition of the fitness center is exactly what we needed in order to keep that momentum going.”

Community member usage of the Homestead Fitness Center will be facilitated in partnership with the Mequon-Thiensville Recreation Department and limited to Mequon-Thiensville residents and students. The fitness center is open to the community as part of the recreation department’s morning fitness program Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.

Seven Homestead High School seniors have earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These National Recognition Programs grant underrepresented students with academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications and connect students with universities across the country, helping them meaningfully connect to colleges and stand out during the admissions process.

Homestead’s student awards include:

National African American Recognition Award
● Julia Gaskin
● Jalen Herndon
● Livia Lathen
● Justin Robinson
● Amaya Tucker
● Adam Yesufu

National Hispanic Recognition Award
● Quinten McLaughlin

“We’re thrilled that our students have earned this recognition,” said Eric Ebert, Homestead High School Principal, “We are very proud of their outstanding achievements in classroom and on these challenging college-prep assessments.”

Students who may be eligible for this recognition have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have excelled on the PSAT or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams; and are African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, and/or attend school in a rural area or small town.

These outstanding Highlanders represent 7 out 62,000 students from across the country to earn academic honors from the College Board’s National Recognition Programs.

At the end of July, Homestead High School’s Latin team, led by longtime World Language teacher, Magistra Marianne Wallach, joined more than 1,200 delegates and teachers/sponsors at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette to attend the National Junior Classical League (NJCL). Held annually, the NJCL is a chance for classics students across the nation, as well as the U.K, South Korea, and Canada, to celebrate and compete in a multitude of diverse events to showcase the proficiency, enthusiasm and talents of students in all that is Latin and Greek.

This year, 45 students from Wisconsin, including nine Highlanders, and six teachers/chaperones traveled to the convention. Events consisted of 12 academic tests administered in the areas of Latin History, Grammar, and Mythology, a graphic arts showcase highlighting the most talented classical artists throughout the nation, and a daily show of spirit where participants shout Latin cheers in spirit attire in a coordinated and vociferous approach meant to outshine the other states. Overall, Wisconsin won the week's Spirit award, surpassing all the other states. Wisconsin also won the Roll Call spirit event with a humorous and creative introduction of the state’s contingency.

“I witnessed the coming together of several WI schools into one cohesive unit as each day passed,” said Wallach, “Other highlights included the success of all three Latin teams of Wisconsin Certamen making it to the semi-finals (similar to Jeopardy). All three teams placed in the top 5 in the nation. Oratory, costume creations, and Ludi Chess rounded out the final contests. Not to be outdone, our athletes showed their tenacity, strength and physical prowess as they competed in all the Olympika sports offered throughout the week. Wisconsin won basketball, track and field, and soccer, and placed second in volleyball. They clearly dominated the sports contests and nearly swept the whole Olympika!”

Homestead achieved one last success as a school at the end of the week with the National Board elections. Elizabeth Foster, Homestead Class of 2020 and currently a junior at Tufts University in Boston, ran for President for the National Senior Classical League Board, which aids the NJCL in running the annual convention. For the first time in the Board’s 60-year history, a Homestead SCLer was elected President. During her high school years, Foster was a successful HHS Latin student serving on both the Homestead Latin Club Board, as well as the state-run WI Junior Classical League Board as Historian. This success places Foster in the top leadership position of the Senior Classical League, overseeing the Latin & Greek college members nationally, which is a huge achievement.

“It was only a 7 day convention, yet so many contests were waged and medals won for the Wisconsin students to take home and display at their respective schools this Fall,” added Wallach. “It was a time when friendships were forged and memories made. Soon we will begin work on the 2023 Convention but this time we will journey to Emory University in Atlanta.”

On July 13, the Mequon-Thiensville School District Board of Education approved the hiring of Mr. Matt Zavada as the newest assistant principal at Homestead High School. Zavada takes on the role previously held by Mr. Christopher Weiss, who transitioned away from MTSD this summer to take a principal position at John Long Middle School in the Grafton School District.

Mr. Zavada previously served in the Kohler School District, where he has held the roles of Athletic & Activities Director and Director of Community Service since 2019 and also taught physical education in Kohler since 2003.

“Throughout the interview process, Matt’s dedication to students and passion for paving the way for their success really shone through,” said Eric Ebert, principal of Homestead High School. “Notably, I appreciated the examples he gave of the ways he has worked hard to support students’ academic and social-emotional growth.”

Zavada holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education and adaptive PE and coaching from Concordia University Wisconsin as well as a master’s of education in interdisciplinary studies curriculum and instruction from National Louis University and a master’s of science in educational leadership and policy from UW-Oshkosh.

“Having the opportunity to work in a small district like Kohler has allowed me to develop strong skills that have prepared me to become a successful leader as a principal, often allowing me to wear many different hats, which suits my servant-leadership style very well,” said Zavada. “I look forward to an opportunity to use my skills and experience to positively impact the Homestead High School community.”

Zavada will transition into the role over the next month in preparation for the start of the 2022-23 school year.

Homestead High School is proud to announce that Defensive Coordinator Matt Wolf is a recipient of the United States Marine Corps’ Semper Fi Coach Award. This award recognizes a high school coach who exemplifies the Marine Corps motto: Semper Fidelis - “Always Faithful” - and who models the Marine Corps leadership values of honor, courage, and commitment.

Wolf has been a teacher and coach at Homestead High School since 2001. Throughout his Homestead coaching career, Wolf has been in 18 conference championships, 20 playoff appearances, 11 final four appearances, and was a state championship finalist in 2007 and 2021. His accomplishments also include helping win five state championships in 2006, 2008,
2012, 2015, 2018, being named North Shore Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2013, 2015, and 2018, and South East Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018.

“The most fulfilling thing about coaching is the preparation and growth that goes into being successful each year,” said Wolf, “I love being with the guys every day and watching them grow
as they continue the traditions of the players before them. There is no feeling like looking back and seeing where you started and how far you have come together as a team.”

According to a release provided by the Marine Corps, a Semper Fi Coach is a coach who creates a legacy of intentional leadership. Wolf is credited with “building a lasting tradition through his selfless commitment to his team and community - his character and actions speak louder than anything else.”

In addition to his tenure as a football coach, since 2016 Wolf has held the position of Academic and Career Coordinator for MTSD and took on the role of co-head coach for the 2020-2021 school year with fellow Homestead teacher and current head football coach Drake Zortman. Wolf is also involved with the Mequon-Thiensville Rotary, recently concluding his presidency of the rotary’s Sunrise Club.