Wall of Distinction
Attention Students!
The Wall of Fame is a new development at Homestead that aims to highlight the accomplishments of the student body in the classroom and beyond the school walls. We want YOU to let us know about all the awesome things you do both in and outside of school! It could be doing a cool research project, serving the community in a unique way, being involved in an arts performance, and so much more! Click the link below to let us know about the awesome ways you are showcasing your talents, and you could be featured here in our monthly newsletter and in our new "Wall of Fame" by the 500's hallways!
Eliminate illiteracy drive
Every year, the Spartana Staff collects donations for the Literacy Alliance. The Literacy Alliance is a local non-profit organization that aims to improve education. They do this by strengthening people's English speaking skills, training for jobs and certifications, and receiving a High School Equivalency Diploma. This year, Homestead students donated school utensils, coffee and tea items, cleaning supplies, and plastic bags. Here, the Spartana Staff packaged hundreds of the donated items. Great job to all of the students who participated!
mrs. wyss wins girls cross country coach of the year
Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (IATCCC) has announced the winners for Cross Country Coach of the Year. A coach from both Boys and Girls Cross Country is selected per class. Homestead participates in class AAA because of the size of the school. Coach Sara Wyss won the best coach for class AAA in girls' cross country. Lexi Goebel, a student on the cross country team, can attest to Mrs. Wyss being an amazing coach. Whenever Lexi gets nervous before a race, the most important words Coach Wyss tells her are "You are ready," reminding Lexi that she has put in the work and her team believes in her. Furthermore, she affirms that "Coach Wyss' belief in me as an athlete and student challenges me to push myself each day." Freshman Lindsey Arnold said her favorite moment with Coach Wyss was sitting next to her when they found out they won state. She has motivated Lindsey through injury and helped her navigate her freshman year.
On Wednesday, February 21, Mrs. Wyss joined co-coach Tammy Behrens and some seniors of the program at the State of the City Event. At this event, Mayor Tom Henry honored the Girls Cross Country achievements as state champions.
jazz ensemble wins Purdue jazz festival
On January 20, Purdue hosted its 34th annual Jazz Festival, a yearly competition for school jazz bands in the Midwest. Homestead competes with other bands that have a large high school or have more selective jazz bands. Out of the 43 jazz bands in their class, Homestead took first place! This is an outstanding accomplishment. This also projects that the Homestead Jazz Ensemble will do well in their season considering this festival is one of the first ones until their spring concert on May 21. To find more about their schedules or to listen to their performances, check out the Jazz Band Schedule in the Performing Arts Tab.
cancer awareness in february
Recently, the Girls and Boys Homestead Tennis teams have teamed up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to combat cancer. Leukemia and Lymphoma Society(LLS) is a national non-profit organization that aims to advance research and help patients with types of blood cancer. Sai Shamyant Boda has been passionate about this issue for a long time, partially because their mom treats cancer for a living. Caroline Meijer was inspired by her brother's good experience with LLS fundraising as well as her wanting to save people from this dreadful diagnosis. Gabriel Pasalich got involved to help kids "live a full life." If you would like to help the cause, you can donate to the organization through Shamyant Boda's link or Gabriel Pasalich's link. Additionally, Interact Club is hosting a pickleball tournament supporting the cause. More information about this event is in the Announcements Tab.
Winner for Graduation Ceremony Program Cover
Every year, Mr. Manco’s Advanced Art - Dual Credit VISC 102 course holds competitions to design something that’s worth more than a school project. Typically, these opportunities are featured within Homestead. Students in this class have made Course Description Guide covers and motivational signs that are posted around the school. Recently, the contest was to craft the 2023-2024 Graduation Ceremony Program Cover. Students were told to mix creativity with techniques learned in class to produce the best design.
The Homestead student body had the opportunity to vote on what they felt the best cover for the Graduation Program. This year, senior Brooke Webb won the competition. The design is a beautiful watercolor background with Homestead blue and gold with an elegant font.
sacs superstar award: Mrs Acree
The SACS Education Foundation has created a new opportunity to honor SACS employees and would like your assistance. Students, community members, and colleagues can nominate a SACS employee who has gone above and beyond to impact our students. Any SACS employee can be nominated, including teachers, custodians, bus drivers, and nurses. If you see a staff member that excels at their duties and goes the extra mile to help others, nominate them for this award by clicking on this link. SACS staff spends so much time doing their best to make the learning environment for students as good as possible, so it is our turn to show them appreciation by acknowledging the work of the individuals. Take time to submit the application by the 15th of each month, where the nominated staff members have a chance to win $250!
This February, Homestead's Amy Acree was nominated for the SACS Superstar! Although Mrs. Acree moved to be an English teacher in another district, she returned to Homestead last year as a librarian. With her time at Homestead, she has made such an outstanding difference in our library. She is open to working alongside teachers with any research or library-related content, and she has great ideas and passion. She also supports students in numerous ways. Many students notice and appreciate how quickly she responds to their requests for help - usually within minutes. Also, she has prioritized making the library inclusive and accessible for our special needs students. She has improved the Homestead experience in specific and important ways.
If you have more questions, contact Mrs. Braman by email! abraman@sacs.k12.in.us
Dance ensembles win state
On February 17, groups of talented dancers performed in the Spartan Arena. This competition was hosted through the Indiana High School Dance Team Association (IHSDTA). Many Homestead dance groups put their all into performing going on to receive outstanding awards. The Large Ensemble consisting of 7 members was the State Runner-up in their division. Team members (pictured above left) include Leah Schreck, Layla Hinsenkamp, Taylor Cawood, Arowynn King, Kinzie Bay, Ella Thaut, and Aashi Jain.
Homestead has multiple small ensembles. One small ensemble (pictured above middle) includes Elie Bilodeau, Carolyn Kenefic, and Kate Goeglein. Kenefic says that she went into the competition wanting the group to do their personal best and improve on previous scores. They are extremely happy with their placement, especially by earning the highest score of the day with a 90.82. They dance in a contemporary style with some technical elements.
The Junior Ensemble performed in the lyrical genre and were State Champions in their division. Going into the competition, Carly Kenefic had a positive mindset that the team could "show that [their] hard work throughout the season had paid off." She says that the team pushed themselves individually but also pushed "to be unified and work together to achieve" their state title. Members (pictured above right) include Carly Kenefic, Carlie Carrigan, Abbrey Miller, and Morgan Elonzae.
national merit finalists
This year, 1.3 million juniors nationwide were considered for the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program from exemplary PSAT & NMSQT scores. Despite that incredibly large number, these seniors make up less than 1% of their class in the country. These Spartans were Nation Merit Semi-Finalists last semester and after careful consideration continued to be Finalists. To become a semi-finalist, students have to have an exceptional PSAT score. To continue as a Finalist, students submit an essay and a teacher recommendation. Noah Beal attests that Trigonometry and Algebra II were the most helpful math courses for SAT testing, and Homestead's reading-based classes helped his grammar skills. Sophie Topmiller agrees with Noah and mentions that AP Literature greatly helped her quickly read and analyze texts. Congratulations to Noah Beal, Sophie Topmiller, Jack Burda, Lily Rassette, and Layla Kelly on their achievements!