News Releases

On Saturday, March 15, the Dubuque Senior Speech Team competed in the 2025 State Individual Event Speech Contest at Starmont High School in Arlington, Iowa. The team received overall Division I (Excellent) ratings in 47 performances.

The Hempstead High School Speech Team had a two students receive Division I ratings in four performances. The students were coached by Harmony Roe and Don Stanner. The contest is sponsored by the Iowa High School Speech Association.

The Dubuque Senior Speech Team also received 21 total Outstanding Performance nominations to the 2025 Individual Event All-State Festival which will be held Monday, March 31st at the University of Northern Iowa. The Dubuque Senior Varsity team also earned the I.H.S.S.A. Individual Event
Sweepstakes Trophy, given to the school with the most nominations to the Festival. This marks the thirteenth consecutive year the Dubuque Senior Speech Team has won the Individual Events Sweepstakes Trophy making them 2025 Individual Events State Champion.

Dubuque Senior’s varsity honors include four double All-State nominees – Peyton Dixon, Avery Kane, Chase Kreimeyer, and Ella Meyer. The group is coached by Hannah Burke, Aaron Dean, Greg Ernzen, Natalie Ervolino, Mike Grant, Maria LoBianco, Megan Schumacher, Chad Thomas and Matt Tompkins. The Festival is sponsored by the Iowa High School Speech Association, which is an affiliate of the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union.

Dubuque Senior High School

• Riley Beck – Solo Musical Theatre
• Ami Bellings – Solo Musical Theatre
• Julien Derks – Literary Program
• Peyton Dixon – Original Oratory & Storytelling
• Millie Eikamp – Expository Address
• Norah Homb – Storytelling
• Avery Kane – Acting & Literary Program
• Blair Kapp – After Dinner Speaking
• Chase Kreimeyer – After Dinner Speaking & Improvisational Acting
• Iris Lammer-Heindel – Public Address
• Liam Kroger – Radio News Announcing
• Ella Meyer – Prose & Spontaneous Speaking
• Jameson Norton – Acting
• Izzy Pregler – Prose
• Kate Putnam – Poetry
• Jack Rothert – After Dinner Speaking
• Adrianna Smith – Poetry

State Division I (Excellent) Rated Recognition:

Dubuque Senior High School

• Kelsey Ahlers – Storytelling
• Cassidy Bandy – Expository Address
• Evangeline Blaine – Poetry
• Seattle Bontemps – Original Oratory
• Wyatt Branscomb – Spontaneous Speaking
• Lela Bryant-Henry – Prose
• Sam Cavanagh – Radio News Announcing
• Matthew Denham – Original Oratory
• Liam Dostal – Solo Musical Theatre
• Anna Garrett-Douillet – Public Address
• Olivia Gennings – Prose
• Sam Haug – Review
• Amelia Hoffman – Literary Program
• Finn Kinkaid – Review
• Maura Lawler – Review
• Camilla Moeller – Radio News Announcing
• Josie Norton – Poetry
• Madeline Oney – Poetry
• Reid Postma – Improvisational Acting
• Ellieah Routley – Expository Address
• Benjamin Schaefer – Spontaneous Speaking
• Audrey Schuster – Expository Address
• Alaina Smith – Storytelling
• Bella VandenBerge – Acting & Public Address
• Morgan Weiland – Improvisational Acting

Hempstead High School

• Keegan Quam – Storytelling
• Maggie Morrow – Storytelling

High school students from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior represented the district well at the 2025 Bowling 3A State Championship.

Congratulations to the following students on these honors:

PLACE WINNERS

Dubuque Senior High School

TEAM – 5TH PLACE

• Madyson Arrington
• Zoie Bettcher
• Alison Hedrick
• Alexys Hirsch
• Sophie Jasper
• Ava Pregler

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL 

• Sophie Jasper – 4th Place

Hempstead High School

BOYS INDIVIDUAL 

• Gavin Wardle – 8th

STATE QUALIFIERS

Dubuque Senior High School

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL 

• Madyson Arrington
• Zoie Bettcher
• Alison Hedrick

BOYS INDIVIDUAL 

• Joey Simpson
• Zach Wlochal

Hempstead High School

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL 

• Chloe Hansen
• Ava Kennedy

High school students from Hempstead High School recently returned from a strong showing at the 2025 IHSAA Boys Wrestling 3A State Championship.

Congratulations to the following students on these honors:

PLACE FINISHERS

• Abe Heysinger (wt. 106) | 3rd Place
• Mitchell Pins (wt. 120) | 5th Place
• Cam Smith (wt. 215) | 7th Place
• Mitchell Murphy (wt. 132) | 8th Place

STATE QUALIFIERS

• Garren Christiansen (wt. 144)
• Ike Heysinger (wt. 113)
• Elijah Hyet (wt. 126)
• Peyce McCoy (wt. 175)

High school students from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior recently returned from an impressive showing at the 2025 IHSAA Boys State Swimming Championship.

Congratulations to the following students on these honors:

State Finishers

HEMPSTEAD HIGH SCHOOL – 2025 SWIMMING STATE CHAMPION

50-Yard Freestyle

• Owen Leitzen | 3rd Place
• Kyle Powers | 4th Place

100-Yard Breaststroke

• Abd Ul-Haq | 6th Place

100-Yard Butterfly

• Logan Westhoff | 8th Place

100-Yard Freestyle

• Owen Leitzen | 4th Place
• Kyle Powers | 3rd Place

200-Yard Freestyle

• Logan Westhoff | 4th Place

200-Yard Freestyle Relay – STATE CHAMPIONS

• Owen Leitzen
• Mason Lemm
• Kyle Powers
• Logan Westhoff

200-Yard Individual Medley 

• Abd Ul-Haq | 7th Place

400-Yard Freestyle Relay – STATE CHAMPIONS

• Jake Dolphin
• Owen Leitzen
• Kyle Powers
• Logan Westhoff

DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

100-Yard Backstroke 

• Zachary Heiar | 4th Place

100-Yard Butterfly

• Zachary Heiar | 4th Place

200-Yard Medley Relay – 4th Place

• Duncan Freund
• Jonah Fry
• William Fry
• Zachary Heiar

State Qualifiers

HEMPSTEAD HIGH SCHOOL

50-Yard Freestyle

• Mason Lemm

100-Yard Breaststroke

• Caden Stickney
• Braden Wenger

100-Yard Butterfly

• Mason Lemm
• Caden Stickney

100-Yard Freestyle

• Henry Gilbertson

200-Yard Individual Medley

• Jake Dolphin
• Braden Wenger

200-Yard Medley Relay – TEAM

• Jake Dolphin
• Mason Lemmm
• Caden Stickney
• Abd Ul-Haq

500-Yard Freestyle

• Jake Dolphin
• Nolan Page

DUBUQUE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

50-Yard Freestyle

• Walter Freund

100-Yard Backstroke

• Jonah Fry
• William Fry

100-Yard Breaststroke

• Duncan Freund

100-Yard Butterfly

• Jonah Fry
• William Fry

100-Yard Freestyle

• Duncan Freund

200-Yard Freestyle Relay – TEAM

• Duncan Freund
• Walter Freund
• Zachary Heiar
• Cole Marshall

400-Yard Freestyle Relay – TEAM

• Walter Freund
• Jonah Fry
• Rowan Fry
• William Fry

We are pleased to present the Fall/Winter 2024 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 Dubuque Senior Theatre Department had a successful showing at the 2024/2025 International Thespian Excellence Awards (or Thespys® for short).

The national qualifier event was held at the Iowa Thespian Festival on Friday, November 14 at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA. The International Thespian Excellence Awards program is designed to provide feedback for Thespians on theatrical performances and technical presentations. Students are adjudicated by theatre educators and professionals on rubrics that reflect national standards in theatre education.

Dubuque Senior brought home nine Superior ratings in the competition in a variety of performance events. In addition, students earned eight overall Excellent and one overall Good rating for their performances.

Students that earned overall Superior ratings qualified for the national event held at the University of Indiana in June, 2025, as part of the International Thespian Festival. The following students earned Superior ratings and have qualified:

SUPERIOR RATINGS – QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS

Solo Musical Theatre

• Kelsey Ahlers | “Losing My Mind”
• Riley Beck | “Out There”
• Ami Bellings | “With You”
• Liam Dostal | “Giants in the Sky”
• Avery Kane | “Not a Day Goes By”
• Bella VandenBerge | “I Can’t Say No”

Duet Musical Theatre

• Riley Beck + Ami Bellings | “Love is My Legs”

Group Acting

• Riley Beck + Chase Kreimeyer + Jameson Norton | “The Complete Word”

Group Musical Theatre

• Kelsey Ahlers + Riley Beck + Ami Bellings + Julien Derks + Peyton Dixon + Liam Dostal + Avery Kane + Chase Kreimeyer + Jameson Norton + Bella VandenBerge | “When You’re An Addams”

The following performances were also selected by adjudicators as the best in their performance centers for the competition:

FIRST PLACE

Solo Musical Theatre

• Ami Bellings | “With You”

Group Acting

• Riley Beck + Chase Kreimeyer + Jameson Norton | “The Complete Word”

Group Musical Theatre

• Kelsey Ahlers + Riley Beck + Ami Bellings + Julien Derks + Peyton Dixon + Liam Dostal + Avery Kane + Chase Kreimeyer + Jameson Norton + Bella VandenBerge | “When You’re An Addams”

SECOND PLACE

Solo Musical Theatre

• Riley Beck | “Out There”
• Avery Kane | “Not a Day Goes By”

Lighting Design

• Wyatt Branscomb | “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”

Duet Musical Theatre

• Riley Beck + Ami Bellings | “Love is My Legs”

THIRD PLACE

Solo Musical Theatre

• Liam Dostal | “Giants in the Sky”

The following students earned an overall Excellent or Good Rating for their performance:

EXCELLENT RATING

Solo Musical Theatre

• Cheyenne Brown | “Don’t Rain On My Parade”
• Olivia Gennings | “She Used To Be Mine”
• Reid Postma | “Where is the Life”

Solo Musical Dance

• Ella Meyer | “I Want to Be a Rockette”

Lighting Design

• Wyatt Branscomb | “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”

Duet Musical Theatre

• Seattle Bontemps + Morgan Weiland | “The End of the Line”
• Olivia Gennings + Blair Kapp | “Suddenly Seymour”

Group Musical Theatre

• Seattle Bontemps + Kate Putnam + Morgan Weiland | “Mama I’m a Big Girl Now”

GOOD RATING

Solo Musical Theatre

• Ella Meyer | “She Used to Be Mine”

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Furthermore, Dubuque Senior High School’s production of Lauren Gunderson’s The Revolutionists has been selected to perform at the 2025 International Thespian Festival. The selection is based on adjudication from theatre professionals from across the country. The performance of The Revolutionists at the 2024 Iowa Thespian Festival in November was reviewed by the national adjudicators and was selected to be one of just eight main stage performances at the International Thespian Festival.

CRITIC’S CHOICE AWARD (IHSSA All-State Festival) & SUPERIOR RATING (Iowa Thespian Festival)

One Act Play

• Ami Bellings + Peyton Dixon + Avery Kane + Bella VandenBerge | “The Revolutionists”

Dubuque Senior’s production of The Revolutionists featured four remarkable actresses as historical characters at the height of the Reign of Terror in France. The cast includes seniors Ami Bellings (Charlotte Corday) and Bella VandenBerge (Olympe du Gouges), and juniors Peyton Dixon (Marianne Angelles) and Avery Kane (Marie Antoinette). Adjudicators noted the Dubuque Senior actresses for their performances which were “captivating to watch” and for their “emotional depth.”

The production also featured music performed by Anna Garrett-Douillet on the harp. Adjudicators commented on Anna’s powerful performance and musical talent.

The ensemble of The Revolutionists included Kelsey Ahlers, Seattle Bontemps, Joslyn Brown, Olivia Gennings, Norah Homb, Iris Lammer-Heindel, Camilla Moeller, Jameson Norton, Josie Norton, Madeline Oney, and Izzibelle Pregler, as well as a special appearance by Grace Weber. The creative team included Aaron Dean (Director), Katie Galliart (Music Director), and Megan Schumacher (Scenic Art). The design team included more than twenty Dubuque Senior students working on costumes, lights, sound, props, and more. Adjudicators commended the student designers for the strong supporting role the technical elements played in the production.

Dubuque Senior’s performance at the International Thespian Festival will be June 25, 2025 at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana. More than 3,000 students from across the country and abroad will gather for a week of main stage and studio performances, workshops with theatre professionals, and national competitions.

Congratulations to all our students on their achievements!

High school students from Hempstead and Dubuque Senior recently qualified to compete at the 2024 IGHSAU Girls Swimming and Diving State Championship.

Congratulations to the following students:

State Qualifiers

Hempstead High School

100-Yard Breaststroke

• Maisey Duehr

200-Yard Freestyle Relay

•  Maisey Duehr | Maggie Kelzer | Rebecca Roling | Taylor Tigges

200-Yard Medley Relay

•  Maisey Duehr | Adalyn Mairet | Rebecca Roling | Taylor Tigges

400-Yard Freestyle Relay

• Maisey Duehr | Maggie Kelzer | Rebecca Roling | Taylor Tigges

500-Yard Freestyle

• Taylor Tigges

Para 50-Yard Freestyle

• Ally Darter

Para 100-Yard Breaststroke 

• Ally Darter

Alternates 

• Mallory Blum
• Morgan Mason

Dubuque Senior High School

100-Yard Backstroke

• Annie Gilligan

200-Yard Freestyle

• Annie Gilligan

500-Yard Freestyle

• Lily Steines

200-Yard Freestyle Relay

• Kaley Beimborn | Annie Gilligan | Ellie Hoffman | Lily Steines

400-Yard Freestyle Relay

• Kaley Beimborn | Annie Gilligan | Ellie Hoffman | Lily Steines

1-Meter Diving 

• Payton Ryan

Alternates 

• Adi Finnin
• Ana Konrardy

Students from both Dubuque Senior and Hempstead High Schools competed in the Iowa High School State Cross Country qualifying meet to determine their eligibility to compete at the State Championship at Kennedy Park in Fort Dodge on Friday, November 1st.

Congratulations to the following Class 4A student qualifiers:

Dubuque Senior High School

GIRLS

Team Qualifiers

• Emily Gorton | Grade 12
• Claire Hoyer | Grade 12
• Briel Bechen | Grade 11
• Emma Chesterman | Grade 11
• Nevaeh Kessler | Grade 11
• Stella Weber | Grade 11
• Lise Hoyer | Grade 10

Alternates

• Lilly Anderson | Grade 12
• Audrey Kilgore | Grade 12
• Braeley Wullweber | Grade 11
• Millie Eikamp | Grade 10
• Josie Beard | Grade 9
• Skylar Carpenter | Grade 9
• Mallory Schaefer | Grade 9

BOYS

Individual Qualifiers 

• Jacob Haug | Grade 12
• Danny Rothert | Grade 12

Hempstead High School

GIRLS

Team Qualifiers 

• Evie Henneberry | Grade 12
• Mylee Lange | Grade 12
• Gracie Driscoll | Grade 10
• Maggie Henneberry | Grade 10
• Natalie Leitzen | Grade 10
• Paige Pitz | Grade 10
• Chelsea Heiberger | Grade 9

Alternates

• Maria Hart | Grade 11
• Eva Stevenson | Grade 11

BOYS

Individual Qualifiers

• Micah Fern | Grade 11

The Dubuque Community School District and the Dubuque Esports League (DEL) are pleased to announce an innovative partnership that will establish a new esports program for students enrolled at Dubuque Senior High School and Hempstead High School.

One of the fastest growing activities in the world, esports is a form of competitive video gaming where players compete against each other in organized tournaments and leagues. Often connected to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning, extracurricular esports programming helps students develop strong bonds with their school and classmates while developing critical mental and physical skills such as teamwork, strategy, communication, mental toughness, hand-eye coordination, technical skills, time management and more.

“Esports has skyrocketed in popularity across the world and it’s been a regularly requested addition to our extracurricular offerings,” said Coby Culbertson, the district’s chief technology officer. “This new partnership gives us the chance to connect our students up with the expertise and facilities of the Dubuque Esports League. It’s a true partnership with everyone dedicated to giving students outstanding opportunities to compete while developing them as individuals.”

Through this new partnership, the district will recruit students to participate in esports and provide a staff liaison to coordinate programming at the high schools. The Dubuque Esports League, which is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, will provide students participating with access to the organization’s state-of-the-art esports facility as well as coaching support and training opportunities for the esports teams. Funding the for the district’s initial year of programming was made possible through a generous grant from the DRA, a Dubuque-area philanthropic organization.

This is the first extracurricular offering in the Dubuque Community Schools that is facilitated through a partnership with an outside organization – and it’s a model that both groups believe could spark additional future innovation in activities programming.

“We’re excited to see this partnership come to life and offer Dubuque Community Schools students new esports opportunities,” said Shelby Wartick, DEL co-founder and co-executive director. “Our goal has always been to create a safe, welcoming community where students can thrive. We’re grateful to partner with a school district that innovates to engage students in their passions and help them grow through skills like teamwork and leadership through platforms like esports.”

“As college scholarships for esports continue to grow, this partnership offers students a pathway to compete and pursue educational opportunities through esports,” said Susie Quinn, DEL co-founder and co-executive director. “We’re excited to kick off our winter season with games like Overwatch 2 and Rocket League, both of which are also played at the collegiate level. The possibilities ahead are incredibly exciting!”

High school junior varsity and varsity teams will begin forming this fall and the district anticipates joining the Iowa High School Esports Association, which currently oversees esports competition between high schools in the state.