CAMPUS BUZZ

Academic Department Excellence Awards

The Academic Department Awards recognize seniors who symbolize the culture of excellence at Dominican High School. The 2021 recipients were honored for their accomplishments in each respective department at the baccalaureate and senior dinner ceremony and graduation in May.

Darwin Kaestner/ William Crowley Award

(Science) Angelina Maly

Jennifer Doerr Award

(Art) Jack Hillman

Matthew 25 Award

(Religious Studies) Ryan Patoka

Mark Kasprzak Award

(Athletics) Ellie Mazza

Philip Dentice Award

(Social Studies) Ryan Patoka

Sinsinawa Core Value Awards Truth:

Alexa Mercado

Compassion:

Randy Brownlee

Justice:

JC Haliburton-Roque

Community:

Mary Mitchell

Partnership:

Kaylee Pikula

Alumni Career Day Held Virtually

Dominican alumni presented to students virtually this year. While we weren't able to welcome our alumni in person, it was a great opportunity for alumni from across the country to participate via Zoom. Dominican had 19 alumni presenters, including alumni from Massachusetts, Ohio, Missouri, Florida, Georgia, California, Colorado and New York. We are so grateful to our alumni that participated and gave back to the Dominican community through this event!

Dominican Robotics Completes First Year of Competition

The Dominican Robotics Team 8531, dubbed the “TermiKnightors,” completed their first season of competition in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) and submitted scores for the FRC Infinite Recharge At Home Challenge. The TermiKnightors easily outscored the other two rookie teams in their group and placed ninth in the HyperDrive Challenge, which was a test of driver skill and robot speed and agility.

In July, the TermiKnightors traveled to the Lakeshore FIRST Robotics facility in Manitowoc to participate in a scrimmage with 10 other teams. This was the first time the team was able to bring their robot to an in-person competition. The team played in eight qualification matches, finishing with a 3-5 record.

Aidan Phillips, Sean Moore Earn National Merit Scholarship Recognition

Dominican seniors Aidan Phillips and Sean Moore received recognition by the National Merit Scholarship Program for their outstanding academic achievement. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. Approximately 1.5 million high school students enter the program each year. Aidan earned the Commended status in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Sean was named a National Merit Award Finalist.

In addition to these honors, the College Board’s National Recognition Program named both Aidan and Sean as National African American Scholars. In the fall, Aidan will attend Princeton University and Sean will attend the University of Chicago. Congratulations to both Aidan and Sean!

Natalie Tapia Rojas Presents Bishop Haines with Original Art

Dominican senior Natalie Tapia Rojas presented Bishop Jeffery Haines with an original piece of art she created as a gift. Natalie presented the painting at the North Shore Catholic Schools Mass hosted by Dominican for the second consecutive year.

The painting depicts the cross that is given to each Dominican senior at their senior retreat. Natalie will continue to pursue her passion for art at the Maryland Institute College of Art in the fall.

NHS Inducts Newest Members

The National Honor Society inducted its newest members from the Class of 2022 in May. Class of 2021 members of the National Honor Society were also recognized because they were unable to have an induction ceremony last year. Congratulations to the new inductees and all our members of National Honor Society. Well done!

Class of 2021 NHS Members: Margaret Boettinger, Michael Branigan, Audrey Cunningham Natan Fessahaye, Benjamin Frediani, Alexandria Kokalis, Anna Krawczyk, Angelina Maly, Elizabeth Mazza, Mary Mitchell, Sean Moore, Serena Nketcha, Ryan Patoka, Aidan Phillips, Kaylee Pikula, Mason Sammarco, Adelaide Schaetzke, Kunpeng (Andy) Zhang

Class of 2022 NHS Members: Caleb Artman, Josephine Balistreri, Paul Firsan, Brigitte Harrison, Anna Hundt, Benjamin Lozano, Leah Madi, Louis Maier, Fiona McCoy, Rose O’Keeffe, Joseph Parlier, Noel Rubalcava, Ian Stefaniak, Peter Stieg, Morgan Theiler, Saron Weldemariam

Dominican High School Makes Appearance in Music Video

Dominican had the amazing opportunity to be used as one of the locations for Cash Cash’s music video for “Too Late” (feat. Wiz Khalifa & Lukas Graham)! The music video has more than 1.4 million views on YouTube.

Dominican was chosen as a location for the music video when a production company visited the school in the fall for a promotional video shoot and immediately felt the sense of community in the building by the students and teachers. This prompted the company to suggest Dominican as the perfect location for the music video that was shot just a few months later.

Here’s what was trending on Dominican’s social media this School year.

Our freshman class was out in the community today cleaning four local Milwaukee County Parks: Kletzch, Lincoln, Estabrook and Meaux, as a part of their Freshman Retreat. Freshmen Retreat is one of two events for our freshmen focused on the Dominican Pillar of Community.

November 13, 2020 With Dominican’s 68-47 win over Brookfield Academy tonight, Head Coach Jim Gosz earned his 600th career win coaching high school basketball. Congratulations Coach Gosz!

600

January 9, 2021

Dominican High School is excited to announce Steve Showalter as the next head coach of Dominican boys basketball. Coach Showalter comes to Dominican with a career record of 314-102, including WIAA Division 1 state titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014 as the head coach at Germantown High School. Today we recognized our senior student-athletes that will continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level: Ronald Kirk Jr. - University of Minnesota Crookston - Basketball, Kate Poellmann - Aurora University - Volleyball, Lee Barnes Jr. - UWWhitewater - Football, Eferin Burns - UW-River Falls - Football, Jeremy Timmons - Ripon College - Football. Congrats Ronald, Kate, Lee, Eferin and Jeremy!

We held our ugly Christmas sweater contest today and there was some stiff competition. Here are the winners from each class...but nobody could beat Mr. Murray’s sloth sweater.

December 10, 2020 In honor of National College Decision Day, our seniors wore gear for the schools they will be attending in the fall. We’re so proud of the Class of 2021!

April 30, 2021 STATE

Two shows in one day? No problem. Mr. Schaetzke put on the electrostatic sprayer and sanitized seats between shows.

February 21, 2021

Multicultural Day is back! After missing out on the celebration last year, we were able to hold a Multicultural assembly in-person for all four classes. We welcomed SistaStrings, along with a guest appearance by Chante Gayden ’22, and Zach and Ying Rosen from Arthur Murray Dance Academy Whitefish Bay. We are so blessed to have been able to host Bishop Haines, Fr. Paul Hartmann, Fr. Enrique Hernandez, Deacon Mark Jansen, and our fellow North Shore Catholic Schools, Holy Family, St. Eugene, St. Monica and St. Robert for the second annual North Shore Catholic Schools Week Mass today.