General

High school students from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior recently returned from an impressive showing at the 2023 IHSAA Boys Wrestling 3A State Championship.

Congratulations to the following students on these honors:

3A State Dual Championship

Hempstead High School – 7th Place

Hempstead High School Wrestling Team

Individual 3A State Finishers

Hempstead High School
Jojo Lewis (wt. 220) – 2nd place
Josiah Schaetzle (wt. 160) – 3rd place
Mitch Pins (wt. 106) – 6th place
Evan Bratten (wt. 113) – 8th place
Mitchell Murphy (wt. 120) – 8th place

Individual 3A State Qualifiers

Hempstead High School
Landon Reisen (wt. 126)
Dawson Fish (wt. 138)
Cole Rettemaier (wt. 182)

Dubuque Senior High School
Mason Besler (wt. 120)
Beau Healey (wt. 160)
Cohen Pfohl (wt. 285)

You might say it has been another banner year for the Dubuque Senior High School speech team.

On Saturday, February 18th the Dubuque Senior Speech Team performed at the Iowa High School Speech Association Large Group All-State Festival at Iowa State University. The team of over 75 Dubuque Senior students proudly represented and entertained audiences in performances ranging from One Act Play to Musical Theatre. The Dubuque Senior Speech Team closed the ceremony by earning three Critic’s Choice Awards for outstanding performance of the day in the categories of Ensemble Acting, Radio Broadcasting and Solo Mime.

Dubuque Senior All-State Banner for Ensemble Acting

In the category of Ensemble Acting, Over the River and Through the Woods claimed the Critic’s Choice Award. The play, written by Joe DiPietro, is a warm-hearted, boisterously funny, and touching story about intergenerational relationships and deep familial love. The performance featured students Lucia Kuehn, Scout Kuehn, Soren Obermueller, Aidan Seville, and Emma Ward. It was directed by Aaron Dean. The critic was Tiffany Johnson, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Iowa State University and Artistic Director of the Pyramid Theatre Company of Des Moines.

Dubuque Senior All-State Banner for Radio Broadcasting

In the category of Radio Broadcasting, KWOZ was awarded the Critic’s Choice Award. The performance imagines a witty, whimsical news broadcast from the Land of Oz featuring beloved characters from the classic film. The newscast featured Aidan Dolan, Maddie Fast, Joplin Halstoos, Maura Lawler, Makayla Makovec, Brice Shaw, Hannah Tracy, and Nate Williams. It was directed by Greg Ernzen. The critic was Calyn Thompson, an anchor at WHO-TV 13, Des Moines.

Dubuque Senior All-State Banner for Solo Mime

In the category of Solo Mime, The Price of Perfection received the Critic’s Choice Award. This moving performance examined the pressures of body image and the toll it takes both physically and mentally. The performer was Elise Norman. It was directed by Megan Schumacher. The critic was Paul Kalina, Associate Professor of Movement Studies at the University of Iowa.

Dubuque Senior was also awarded the E. Wayne Cooley Large Group Sweepstakes Trophy. The trophy is awarded to the school receiving the most All-State honors at the IHSSA Large Group Festival, making Dubuque Senior the 2023 Large Group State Champions.

Iowa High School Speech Association Information:

• The Critic’s Choice Award is given by a theatre professional to the top performance of the day in each category.
• This is the tenth Ensemble Acting Award for Dubuque Senior, a category dating back to 1984.
• This is the fourth Radio Broadcasting Critic’s Choice Award for Dubuque Senior, a category dating back to 2005.
• This is the fifth Critic’s Choice Award in Solo Mime for Dubuque Senior, one of the original IHSSA categories from the first festival back in 1981.
• The three Critic’s Choice Awards tie the school record for these honors awarded at a single festival. Dubuque Senior has achieved this feat four times. (1984, 1987, 2015, 2023)
• The award includes a traveling banner which Dubuque Senior will return to the All-State Festival next year.
• This marks the 34th, 35th, and 36th Critic’s Choice Award win for Dubuque Senior High School and the 17th in the last 11 years.
• This is Dubuque Senior’s seventh Large Groups Sweepstakes State Championship. (1984, 2001, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023)

We are pleased to present the Fall/Winter 2022-2023 K-12 Virtual Student Art Gallery, highlighting the amazing artwork of our students.

The exhibit features the ability to virtually walk through a curated gallery of work — and we hope you’ll enjoy immersing yourself in the exhibit as the vision of these talented student artists comes to life.

VIEW THE VIRTUAL STUDENT ART EXHIBITION

The Iowa Legislature is again discussing proposed legislation that would create a school voucher program in Iowa, often being referred to as Education Savings Accounts.

Now is the time for action.

Iowa already has significant school choice in its public schools and the Dubuque Community School District opposes the creation or expansion of programs/plans that redirect or designate additional taxpayer funds for private school, homeschooling or other private services.

We hope you will consider advocating in opposition to school vouchers as well.

Investments in education savings accounts, voucher programs, school tuition organizations or homeschool:

• Remove resources from public schools,
• Lack accountability for expenditures, requirements to educate all children or provide special education services, and
• Are hidden from the public oversight that should come with tax dollars.

KEY TALKING POINTS

• Iowa already has a wide range of school choice options for parents and students, including: in district transfer, district-to-district public school open enrollment, charter schools, strong non-public schools, home school options, publicly funded School Tuition Organization tax credits.
• Parents should have the choice to enroll their child in a private or religious school, but not with public taxpayer funds.
• Use public dollars for public schools, period. The public’s investment should be used to support public community schools which are open to all students regardless of race, religion, gender, socio-economic status and disability. These same expectations do not exist for private educational institutions in our state.
• This bill creates incentives for outside entities and private organizations to establish a private school in our district, without consent of our locally elected School Board. Private schools are then given freedom from regulations that our school district must follow. Why not instead give our public schools flexibility and funding to be innovative?
• Public funds require public accountability and transparency. Public schools are overseen by a publicly elected citizen governing board, are required to report academic results to the general public, have an annual public financial audit, and are transparent with all expenditures and decision-making. Private and religious schools are not held to that same public standard. Taxpayers have a right to know how their funds are being used, but are left in the dark about the use and impact of voucher funds.
• A slippery slope toward a costly and expansive voucher program: This voucher program may start small, but as we’ve seen in other states, once a program is established, it is easy to expand. This will pull more resources away from public schools.

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR

The following legislators represent areas served by the Dubuque Community School District. For a complete directory of legislators, view the FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR tool on the Iowa Legislature website.

• Sen. Carrie Koelker, Iowa Senate District 33
• Sen. Pam Jochum, Iowa Senate District 36
• Rep. Lindsay James, Iowa House District 71
• Rep. Steven Bradley, Iowa House District 66
• Rep. Chuck Isenhart, Iowa House District 72
• Rep. Shannon Lundgren, Iowa House District 65

You can also register your opposition with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.

Middle and high school students across the Dubuque Community School District were recently selected to perform in prestigious music festivals across the state.

Congratulations to the following students on these honors:

2022 All-State Music Festival

Saturday, November 19, in Ames, Iowa

Dubuque Senior High School
Jace Holz, orchestra (cello)
Gabrielle Norman, band (contra-alto clarinet)
Henry Raber, band (French horn)
Drew Weidemann, orchestra (bass)
Hao Xu, orchestra (violin)

Hempstead High School
Megan Bolduc, orchestra (clarinet)
Ella Stahl, band (clarinet)
Brett Tomkins, band (tuba)
Payton Reid, chorus (tenor)
Noah Blair, band (string bass)
Alec Bowman, orchestra (violin)
Cora Harvey, orchestra (violin)
Hailie Lukasik, orchestra (violin)
Gavin Weinbender, orchestra (violin)

Alternates:
Emily Davisdon, band (alto saxophone)
Gwen Deutsch, band (oboe)

2022 University of Northern Iowa Clarinet Festival

Sunday, November 6, in Cedar Falls, Iowa

Roosevelt Middle School
Josie Kilgore
Aaron Blanchard
Isla Steckel
Carson Ambrosy
Kinnick Burkart
Emerson Rowley
Hadley Peat
Adelyn Mottet
Morgan Waddington

Dubuque Senior High School
Elise Norman
Gabrielle Norman

Hempstead High School
Savannah Bailey
Lauren Schmitz

2022 Iowa Opus Honor Choir

Thursday, November 17, in Ames, Iowa

Roosevelt Middle School
Samuel Haug

Washington Middle School
Leeland Wilson
Reid Postma
Liam Dostal (also a solo finalist singing tenor 1 part)
Julie Derks

2022 Iowa Junior Honor Orchestra

Friday, November 18, in Ames, Iowa

Hempstead High School
On violin: Maria Hart, Jeannie Jasper, Alexis Luetzelschwab, Abd Ul-Haq, Gavin Weinbender
On viola: Stacy Montelius
On cello: Bella Hruska, Aadi Patel (alternate)
On bass: Hannah Wrobleski

Dubuque Senior High School
On violin: Iris Lammer-Heindel

2022 Northeast Iowa Bandmasters Association Honor Band

Saturday, December 3, in Oelwein, Iowa

Roosevelt Middle School
Aaron Blanchard, clarinet
Addison Hingtgen, bassoon
Matthew Haug, trumpet
Nolan Page, trumpet
Diem Treanor, French horn
Jordan Davisdon, French horn
Addilyn Dolan, clarinet

Dubuque Senior High School
Madison Fast, oboe
Lance Hasselblad, bassoon
Audrey Kilgore, French horn
Calvin Lueken, trombone

Hempstead High School
Savannah Bailey, clarinet
Jacob Blanchard, trumpet
Emily Davisdon, alto saxophone
Hannah Davisdon, flute
Gwen Deutsch, oboe
Hanna Dolan, flute
Emmelia Pitt, tenor saxophone
Lauren Schmitt, bass clarinet

In April, the School Board voted to approve a goal of moving to a two middle school model by fall 2026, with a focus on creating feeder schools to the district’s two high schools.

The study, led by Iowa-based INVISION Architecture, includes baseline data collection and analysis of the district’s current middle schools, benchmarking against best practices, and analysis of potential consolidation locations.

PRESENATION FROM THE NOVEMBER 1, 2022 COMMUNITY INFORMATIONAL MEETING

View the latest presentation below, which includes information about potential site locations.

After watching the video of the November 1 meeting below, GIVE YOUR FEEDBACK ON A SHORT SURVEY.

PRESENATION FROM THE SEPTMEBER 22, 2022 COMMUNITY INFORMATIONAL MEETING

A short time ago, the City of Dubuque issued a precautionary boil water advisory for a large portion of the city. (Read the City’s full release, including a map, about the boil water advisory.)

This boil water advisory includes the following district buildings:

Alta Vista Campus
Bryant Elementary School
Dubuque Senior High School
Forum Campus
Hempstead High School
Hoover Elementary School
Irving Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School
Table Mound Elementary School
Transportation Office
Washington Middle School

The district will operate on its normal Friday one-hour late start schedule tomorrow, and is taking a number of steps to prepare for tomorrow’s school day:

• Breakfast and lunch tomorrow will include menu items that do not require tap water to be used in preparation.
• Bottled water is being procured and will be delivered to affected buildings. While we anticipate having at least one bottle of water for each student, WE ASK THAT STUDENTS AND STAFF CONSIDER BRINGING BOTTLED WATER FROM HOME FOR USE DURING THE DAY.

The City of Dubuque recommends the following for any locations impacted by the advisory:

• Do not drink tap water without boiling it first. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
• Until the advisory is lifted, boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation.
• Bring water to a boil, let boil for one minute, and let it cool before drinking/using.
• Unboiled tap water may be used for bathing and other non-drinking purposes.

Residents seeking additional information may call the city at 563/690-6210.

Thank you for your flexibility as we prepare for the school day tomorrow!

The Dubuque Community School District Board of Directors will conduct public hearings on the sale of two properties as outlined below:

• On MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the Forum, 2300 Chaney Road, Dubuque, Iowa, concerning the proposed sale of District property located at 3355 John F. Kennedy Road, Dubuque, Iowa (known as the Dubuque Soccer Complex).
• On WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, at 4:30 p.m. at the Forum, 2300 Chaney Road, Dubuque, Iowa, concerning the proposed sale of District property located at 2540 Central Avenue, Dubuque, Iowa (known as the Fulton Elementary School Building).

Don’t miss this year’s Back-to-School Bash, themed ‘Build a Healthier Community!’

Saturday, Aug. 6
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Audubon Elementary School
605 Lincoln Ave.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL BASH FEATURES:

• sign-up for school supplies from the St. Mark’s Apples For Students program (Learn how to contribute supplies to the program)
• Dubuque Community School District registration assistance
• vaccinations and school physicals
• free Back-to-School Bash t-shirt
• booths by a variety of community organizations
• and more!

NEED A RIDE? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!
Hop on or off a school bus shuttle at one of the following locations/times:

Thank you to the AMAZING community organizations that make the Back-to-School Bash possible:

• Black Men Coalition
• City of Dubuque
• Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
• Dubuque Community Schools
• Kendall Hunt Publishing Company
• Multicultural Family Center
• RH Prints Co.
• Resources Unite!
• St. Mark Youth Enrichment
• Women United | United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States
• and many more!

QUESTIONS?
Contact Anderson Sainci!
563/589-4326 or
asainci@cityofdubuque.org

For those having problems registering with the Multifactor Authentication (MFA) process or logging into the new Employee Access portal, there will be three (3) open sessions offered in the Board Room at the Forum where Innovation Technology (IT) and Business Office personnel will be available to assist staff with common issues.

The following is a list of dates and times for the three (3) open sessions offered. Drop in anytime during one of these sessions to receive assistance.

• Tuesday, July 12, 2022, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 13, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 19, 2022, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.