Homestead High School (Wisconsin)
| Homestead High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
5000 West Mequon Road , 53092 | |
| Coordinates | 43°13′23″N 87°58′18″W / 43.22306°N 87.97167°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Motto | Proud Heritage, Students of Achievement |
| Established | 1959 |
| School district | Mequon-Thiensville School District |
| Superintendent | Matthew Joynt |
| Principal | Brett Bowers |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1282 (2015-2016) |
| Color(s) | Red and White |
| Fight song | We Are The Mighty Highlanders |
| Athletics conference | North Shore Conference |
| Mascot | Angus the Highlander (#51) |
| Nickname | Highlanders |
| Newspaper | The Highlander |
| Yearbook | The Tartan |
| Website | HHS website |
Homestead High School is a four-year public high school located in Mequon, Wisconsin, a northern suburb of Milwaukee. Part of the Mequon-Thiensville School District, it serves a 48-square-mile (120 km2) area including the city of Mequon and the village of Thiensville. The school opened in 1959 and educates nearly 1,300 students annually. Its graduation rate is 99%, and its most recent average composite ACT scores were 23.4, the seventeenth-highest of any public school in the state.[1] Homestead is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[2]
History
The area on which Homestead High School now stands originally belonged to the Potawatomi and Menominee Indians. In 1838, the land was taken by the United States government. Sales of the land occurred in 1835. In 1841 and Peter and Anna Frank received a land grant for the area,[citation needed]and in the following years, the 80-acre land area was owned by their children.
Homestead High School opened in 1959. Dr. Merton Campbell served as the first Superintendent; Mr. Lauren Dixon served as the first Principal. Originally the school consisted of four wings, two music rooms, a small theater, cafeteria, and a gymnasium. Homestead has undergone four renovations/additions. In 1962, another wing was added to the high school. Three additional wings, the library, a swimming area, another gymnasium, a lecture hall, and an auditorium were added in 1968. In 1978, the school added an orchestra room. In 1998, the biggest renovation occurred - Homestead High School added a wing, a new heating and cooling system, fine arts rooms, another cafeteria with a food court, an academic support center, a field house for athletics, and a conference room for the district.[3]
Enrollment
Homestead's enrollment has decreased from 1610 in 2003 to 1405 in 2011-2012 and to 1282 in 2015-16.[4] Of the 1282 students, 0.3% are Native American, 1.8% are Latino, 3.6% are Asian, 3.3% are African American, and 91.0% are White.[5]
Academics
Homestead High School teaches courses in business, computer science, cooperative education, engineering and technology, English, family and consumer education, fine arts, foreign language, mathematics, physical education, science, and social studies.[6]
Honors courses include algebra 1, algebra 2/trigonometry, American literature, American studies-English, American studies-social studies, biology, British literature, business organization and management, calculus AB I, chemistry, English 9/argumentation, English 9, expository writing, French 4, geometry, German 4, independent study, Latin 4, multi-variable calculus, physics, pre-calculus, product development project, Spanish 4, and world studies.[2]
Homestead offers A.P. classes in French, German, calculus AB, calculus BC, physics, Spanish, statistics, United States history, American government, biology, chemistry, macroeconomics, microeconomics, psychology, English language, and English literature.[2][7]
The graduation rate for the school has been 99% or better for at least the past 10 consecutive years.[8] In the Class of 2011, 86% of the students are attending a 4-year college, 5% are attending 2-year colleges, and 9% are working.[2]
Recognition
In 2004 Homestead High School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor a school can receive from the U.S. Department of Education. It was one of 33 public high schools in the United States to receive the honor that year.[9] In 2009, BusinessWeek magazine ranked Homestead as the top high school in Wisconsin. The magazine noted that Homestead offered the "Best Overall Academic Performance".[10] In 2011, Homestead was named one of the top 500 schools in the nation by Newsweek.[11]
Notable alumni
- Ronald D. Asmus - diplomat
- Mike Dunleavy, Jr. - professional basketball player, (Attended briefly during sophomore year)
- Ben Gardner - Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 7th round of the 2014 NFL Draft
- Shelby Harris - Drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 7th round of the 2014
- Kaspars Kambala - Latvian professional basketball player
- Coby Karl - 2005-2006 All-WAC second team honors and former Los Angeles Lakers player
- Margaret S. Lewis - Wisconsin State Assemblywoman
- Steven D. Loucks - Wisconsin State Assemblyman
- Peter Mueller - Olympic Gold Medalist, speed skating (1976)
- Willy Porter - folk rock musician
- John Ridley, Academy Award-winning screenwriter[12][13]
- Gregg Steinhafel - former president & CEO, Target Corporation
References
- ^ "Homestead Performance Report" (PDF). Mequon-Thiensville School District. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Homestead High School Profile 2011-2012" (PDF). Profile. Mequon-Thiensville School District. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "History of Homestead". History of Homestead. Mequon-Thiensville School District. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Homestead Highlanders". Homestead High School Sports. Wissports. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Homestead High School". Grade Sizes & Demographics. MuniNetGuide. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Academics". Academics. Mequon-Thiensville School District. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL" (PDF). HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL. Mequon-Thiensville School District. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Mequon-Thiensville School District
- ^ "2004 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools All Public High Schools" (PDF). United States Department of Education. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ "America's Best High Schools: Wisconsin*". BusinessWeek. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
- ^ "America's Best High Schools". Newsweek. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
- ^ Dudek, Duane (16 Jan 2014). "Mequon native Ridley talks Oscar nominations for '12 Years A Slave'". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Lee, Chris (3 March 2014). "Oscars 2014: '12 Years a Slave' wins for adapted screenplay". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 March 2014.