Student Achievements

The four-year graduation rate in the Dubuque Community School District climbed to 91.49 percent for the class of 2014, up 2.36 percent from the previous year and higher than the state average of 90.5 percent. This new data was released today by the Iowa Department of Education.

“We are committed to preparing students to be college- and career-ready, and graduating from high school is certainly an important part of the equation,” said Superintendent of Schools Stan Rheingans. “The increase in our graduation rates should be a point of pride for not only for our high school teachers, principals and staff, but also for staff throughout the district. We believe the cumulative experience our students receive in the district greatly contributes to their success in high school and beyond.”

The Dubuque Community School District had the third-highest graduation rate among the state’s 10 largest urban school districts.

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Second graders in Jen Gorrell’s class at Table Mound Elementary School got to see some of their classmates’ newly learned writing skills in action. As part of an exercise learning to write directions, students developed a step-by-step guide for  “how to catch a leprechaun.” They then showed off traps they constructed and talked about how they would, in fact, lure and catch a pesky little leprechaun.

Check out photos from the class:

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

Three of the team’s ensembles (in Group Mime, Musical Theatre, and Radio Broadcasting) claimed the Critic’s Choice Banners, presented by a theater professional to the top performance of the day in each of the 12 categories at the Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) Large Group All-State Festival. The festival was held on February 22 at Iowa State University and 69 students represented Senior at the state’s flagship group speech event.

Read More about “Senior High School brings home three All-State Speech Critic’s Choice banners”

Students in Amanda Goranson’s pre-calculus class at Dubuque Senior High School might have wondered if they would ever use trigonometry in real life. After a recent project created by the math teacher (and with the help of Dubuque photographer and Senior alum Garth Fuerste) they won’t question it any more.

Read More about “Pre-calculus students explore real-life trigonometry”

Jack Hostager, a senior at Hempstead High School, was recently named one of two delegates selected to represent the state of Iowa at the 53rd U.S. Senate Youth Program in Washington D.C. Hostager will participate in a week-long government and leadership education program in the nation’s capital and receive a one-time $5,000 college scholarship.

Read More about “Hempstead Student Named US Senate Youth Delegate”

The 2014 FIRST LEGOLeague (FLL) regional event was held Saturday, December 6, at Roosevelt Middle School in Dubuque. The event is part of a global robotics competition that seeks to introduce students to problem-solving and research skills through robotics competitions on the state, regional and global levels.

In addition to hosting by the Dubuque Community School District, the program was supported by many Dubuque-area businesses who provided mentors and support throughout the season.

Read More about “2014 FIRST LEGO League Winners Announced”

Each year, Senior High School and Hempstead High School recognize the graduates who have achieved the highest academic rank in their class. The student with the highest rank is named the class valedictorian and the student with the second-highest rank is named the salutatorian.

For the Hempstead High School Class of 2014, the valedictorian is Jiwei Sun and the salutatorian is Christopher Lee Bechen. This Sunday, Hempstead will graduate 373 students this year at its graduation at 1 p.m. at the Five Flags Center.

For the Senior High School Class of 2014, the valedictorian is Kristen Savary and the salutatorian is Mitchell Steinhauser. Senior will graduate 375 students during its graduation ceremony on Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Five Flags Center.

Valedictorians and salutatorians are determined based solely on a student’s grade-point-average as calculated by a weighted mathematical formula.

For more information, contact the DCSD School and Community Relations Office at (563)552-3020.

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Hempstead High School graduate Rebecca Weires was confident that she performed well on her United States Government and Politics Advanced Placement (AP) Exam when she took it in spring 2013. But, she had no idea just how well she actually did. Read More about “Hempstead Graduate Earns Perfect Score on AP Exam”