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What's New at Hempstead High School

Jorgenson Named Next Hempstead High School Principal

The Dubuque Community School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Julia Jorgenson as the new principal of Hempstead High School, pending approval by the Board of Education at its March meeting.

Jorgenson, who currently serves as assistant principal/registrar at Hempstead will succeed Lee Kolker, who will retire at the conclusion of the school year. When she assumes the position on July 1, Jorgenson will be the first woman to serve in this role in the history of Hempstead High School.

Julia Jorgenson

Julia Jorgenson

As principal of Hempstead, Jorgenson will be responsible for the strategic and day-to-day operations of the school, which serves approximately 1,600 students and has 200 professional and support staff.

“Julia is a well-respected leader who has built a strong network of relationships with staff and students at Hempstead,” said Superintendent Amy Hawkins. “This, combined with her strong instructional, communication and collaboration skills, make her an ideal fit to lead Hempstead into the future.”

Jorgenson currently serves as assistant principal/registrar at Hempstead, overseeing delivery of the school’s academic programming in addition to a wide range of administrative responsibilities including staff evaluation.

Prior to being named assistant principal, Jorgenson served as a mathematics teacher at Dubuque Senior High School since 2007, where she also served in a leadership role as instructional coach since 2014. She was mathematics department chair at Dubuque Senior from 2009-2014 and a mathematics teacher at Central Alternative High School from 2002-2007.

Jorgenson holds a bachelor of science degree with education certification from the University of Iowa as well as a master of arts in educational administration from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a member of School Administrators of Iowa.

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Fall/Winter 2022-2023 Student Art Gallery Now Live!

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

Mobile Registration and Employment Fair, July 26-Aug. 3

Need help registering your student?
Looking for a job in an amazing school district?

We are hitting the road and bringing the district to you!

News mobile registration bus

Visit our registration and human resources teams at one of our stops throughout the community from Monday, July 26, through Tuesday, August 3.

At each stop:

  • Our registration team will be on hand to assist families in completing online registration for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year.
  • Our human resources team will take applications and conduct on-the-spot interviews for a variety of district jobs, including paraprofessional, transportation and food/nutrition positions.
  • Computers with internet access will be provided – and we even have a few treats in store!
  • NOTE: A Marshallese interpreter will be available at each stop.

Join us at one of the following times:News join our team sign

Monday, July 26, from 1-3 p.m.
Bee Branch (in the parking lot near the 22nd street bridge)

Tuesday, July 27, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Dubuque County Fair (Admission to the Dubuque County Fair is FREE this day!)

Wednesday, July 28, from 9-11 a.m.
Comiskey Park

Thursday, July 29, from 9-11 a.m.
Asbury Park

Friday, July 30, from 1-3 p.m.
Flora Park

Monday, August 2, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Heritage Pond

Tuesday, August 3, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Murphy Park

We look forward to seeing you!

District Recognized Among 2021 ‘Best Communities for Music Education’

2021 Best Communities for Music Education, brought to you by the NAMM Foundation. Proud BCME DistrictThe Dubuque Community School District has again been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.

This is the fourth consecutive year the district has received the honor.

Now in its 22nd year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, the district answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

“The district has long recognized the value of music education in our schools, and music remains an integral part of our curricular and extracurricular offerings,” said Stan Rheingans, superintendent of schools. “Our district commitment is underscored by tremendous partnerships throughout our community that support our work to expose students to music education. This honor is truly a community honor.”

About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,400 members around the world. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs.

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Dubuque-Area K-12 Virtual Art Exhibition

We are pleased to present the 2021 Dubuque-Area K-12 Virtual Art Exhibition, a way to highlight student work in a year that makes in unable to do so in person.

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 EXHIBITION

HOSTED BY:

 

 

 

Dubuque Museum of Art Logo

 

 

 

SPONSORED BY:

NEWS Dutrac Logo

2021 Graduation Update

Dear Parents/Guardians of the Class of 2021,

In just a few short months, your student in the Class of 2021 will walk across the stage to receive their Dubuque Community School District diploma – proudly becoming a graduate of Dubuque Senior High School or Hempstead High School.

While we continue to move closer to normal, we will again make adjustments to this year’s graduation ceremony to ensure that we are providing a safe environment for our students and their families.

  • The most significant change is that the ceremony will be held outdoors at Dalzell Field in order to provide additional capacity while also allowing for appropriate physical distancing.
  • As scheduled, graduation will be held on Saturday, May 29, and we will use Sunday, May 30, as a rain date should weather present an issue on Saturday.
  • Dubuque Senior High School’s ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. and Hempstead High School’s ceremony will be held at 3 p.m.
  • Based on the capacity of Dalzell Field, each graduate may receive up to eight (8) tickets. WATCH YOUR EMAIL IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS FOR TICKET RESERVATION DETAILS.
  • We will again livestream the graduation ceremonies for family and friends who are unable to attend the ceremony in person.

Additional details about logistics, safety protocols and ticketing will be shared as our graduation planning continues.

We are excited to be able to hold an in-person celebration of the Class of 2021. Best wishes as your student completes the remainder of their senior year!

Sincerely,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent of Schools

Ticket Information for IHSAA Postseason Events

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) will utilize HomeTown Ticketing as the exclusive ticket provider for postseason lead-up events and select state tournament events.

Therefore, tickets for postseason basketball games hosted by Senior and Hempstead WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE through HomeTown Ticketing.

This includes the following games:

  • Dubuque Senior Boys Basketball on Monday, February 22
  • Hempstead Boys Basketball on Friday, February 26

Each school will provide a link to participants where family members can purchase a limited number of tickets for the game. Additionally, students will be provided with a separate link where they can purchase a ticket for the game.

Due to spectator limitations we anticipate that there will be NO general admission tickets available to the general public.

  • If general admission tickets would become available, the district will put a HomeTown Ticketing link on the official district Facebook and Twitter pages on game day for individuals to purchase a ticket.

NOTE: The digital ticket purchased through HomeTown Ticketing is the only ticket that will be accepted for these contests.