Around Campus

Facility Renovations

New Era for Dominican Athletics

When you look good and feel good, you perform well. That is exactly what Dominican High School had in mind when several on-campus athletic facilities were upgraded over the last year. The addition of Palermo’s Field, the renovation of Crowley Gymnasium, and a revamp of the weight room were made possible thanks to the donors of Dominican’s Knight Vision 2.0 Capital Campaign. The additions throughout campus have all been part of a bigger plan to attract more students and community members to Dominican High School, as well as benefit current athletes and improve the overall atmosphere.

“In 2023, there was a higher standard placed on what we do at Dominican High School,” Athletic Director Joe Grady said. “When you talk to people, I think there’s talk of more value with what we bring to the community. We have more space to host camps. We can rent the facilities to feeder programs. There’s a heightened sense of pride. When our students feel the people running the school care about these facilities or care about the things they are doing, it’s going to make the kids want to do better.”

Dominican Wins Prestigious Exemplary Award

“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” – Luke 8:16

Dominican is proud to share that it has been awarded Exemplary Recognition for Mission and Catholic Identity from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The words of the passage from the Gospel of Luke are beautifully represented by the Dominican logo with the four pillars of Dominican life: prayer, study, community, and preaching holding up the Light of Christ. Dominican serves as a beacon of light in the Archdiocese through its ministry and the living of its mission as an Exemplary Catholic High School.

Based on the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools, this award honors schools that have demonstrated innovation and outstanding achievement in the presence, consistency, and complete integration of the mission and identity of the Catholic faith in their entire school community. This award is only given to a handful of schools every other year. To earn this award, Dominican was evaluated both on its written application and through a site visit conducted by a team from the Archdiocese as they interviewed faculty, staff, students, parents, and board members.

Though all aspects of the Dominican experiences were reviewed, a few specific areas were commended within the overall school community. Most notably, the Disputatio Guidelines for Public Discourse, the Uknighted Service program, and the thorough nature in which the Dominican charism and Catholic faith were integrated into all aspects of student life.

“While the students, faculty, and staff at Dominican have always strived to live out our Catholic faith and embody the Dominican mission, winning this award is a profound recognition of the hard work in putting the life of Christ at the center of all that we do,” Campus Minister Nate Friday ’09 said.

Core Values Awards

The Sinsinawa Core Values Awards recognizes seniors who symbolize the culture of excellence at Dominican High School. The Class of 2023 recipients (from left):

Truth: Victoria Okoro ’23

Compassion: Emily Dickmann ’23

Justice: Breon Bennett ’23

Community: Naod Fessahaye ’23

Partnership: Celeste Vargas ’23

Making A Difference

Girls Leading Girls

Madyson Schroeder ’26 and Sara Ketterhagen ’26 got an opportunity of a lifetime to partner with Nike and the Milwaukee Bucks to help encourage more girls to play sports.

Through Nike’s Game Growers program, Madyson and Sara hosted an event called Girls Leading Girls at Fiserv Forum. With the help of several Dominican High School student-athletes, Madyson and Sara led a group of local middle school girls through warmups, drills, and panel discussions.

“By the time girls reach 8th grade, they are 50% more likely to drop out of sports than boys,” Schroeder said. “We wanted to help change that. It was really cool partnering with Nike and Fiserv Forum to put on this event. You learn so many life lessons through sports and we want to inspire girls to continue to play sports.”

Innovation

Dominican Challenge Returns

In February, Dominican High School welcomed 125 local middle schoolers to compete in the Dominican Challenge. Students were split up into teams and competed in a series of academic and STEM challenges. Each team then built their own motorized car and raced it. Throughout the day, students used engineering skills, collected data, and used artistic creativity to design unique vehicles.

“Introducing these students to engineering and STEM early on is important because they learn how to work together as a team,” Samuel Mitchell ’23 said. “Being able to build something from start to finish and see it accomplish what it is meant to do is an amazing feeling.”

This year’s participants came from the parish schools of St. Monica School, Saint Eugene School, St. Robert School, St. Francis Borgia Catholic School, Holy Family School, St. Joseph Parish School, St. John XXIII Catholic School, and Catholic East Elementary School.

Academic Achievement

National Merit Recognition

Oluwatomisin (Tomi) Adesanya ’23 and Patrick Firsan ’23 were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program for their outstanding academic achievements. Students are chosen based on academic records, SAT scores, essays, and leadership skills. Adesanya was a scholarship winner, while Firsan was named a finalist. Less than one percent of high school seniors nationwide make it to the final round of the National Merit Scholarship Program each year. Adesanya will attend Rice University in the fall. Firsan will attend the University of WisconsinMadison.

Around Campus

Student Achievements

Matthew Senn ’23 received the John Paul II Youth Award from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The John Paul II Youth Award recognizes an individual’s involvement in one or more Church activities.

Patrick Firsan ’23 was named a recipient of the Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship. This scholarship recognizes students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, citizenship, community service, and academic achievements.

Victoria Okoro ’23 was chosen as one of Marquette University’s Burke Scholars. The program is a full-tuition scholarship awarded to seniors who demonstrate exceptional commitment to their community through service, leadership, and social justice.

The College Board named Naod Fessahaye ’23 a scholar for the National African American Recognition Program. This is awarded to students for excellence in academic achievement.

Academic Department Excellence Awards

Philip Dentice Award (Social Studies)

Georgea Cushman ’23

Matthew 25 Award (Religious Studies)

Matthew Senn ’23

Mark Kasprzak Award (Athletics)

Leo Langerman ’23

Jennifer Doerr Award (Art)

Sophia Bonifas ’23

Darwin Kaestner/William Crowley Award (Science)

Samuel Mitchell ’23

Successful high school students have a roadmap that takes them from their first day as a high school freshman all the way through graduation. Navigating that route becomes more complex when it’s filled with decisions, responsibilities, and deadlines.

For the past 67 years, Dominican High School has been providing students with a Catholic, college-preparatory experience that fosters each individual’s talents and needs. We asked members of our school community to tell us what it is about the Dominican experience that puts students on the best road to success.

Academic Excellence

Dominican offered several AP and CE course options that allowed me to challenge myself in high school and earn college credit for my postsecondary education. I am currently attending Georgetown University and they accepted 22 credits from my courses at Dominican, which enabled me to enroll in higher-level courses right away. Because of the high expectations and heavy workload from my Dominican teachers, I was ready for the rigorous coursework at Georgetown. At times, I found my college courses were easier than my courses at Dominican. The faith-based education I received at Dominican really helped me prioritize my values at Georgetown as well.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS & HIGH SUPPORT

Decades Of Success

Technology, curriculum, and students change, but the reason why Dominican has been able to sustain decades of success is because we always keep the same core values. We try to help students find their footing and find a direction they can use as a stepping stone for the rest of their life.

The size of the school really matters. When you get the same students multiple times, you get to know them on a deeper level. Students get more personalized attention and I think that’s what they really need to succeed.

At Dominican High School, we hold our students to very high academic expectations, challenging them to strive for excellence in their educational journey. However, we firmly believe that these high expectations must be met with equally high levels of academic support. Our Counseling Office and student support team work tirelessly to ensure that our students have all the resources, guidance, and assistance they need to thrive.

It is Dominican’s mission to provide a Catholic, college-preparatory education, and by upholding these high academic expectations and providing robust support, we not only prepare our students for college but also equip them with the skills and mindset needed for success in all aspects of life.

Personalized Attention

I think one of the best things about Dominican is that everything is personalized. I started having one-on-one meetings with my college counselor during my junior year in preparation for my post-secondary plans. Ms. Young knew my profile and gave me ideas and suggestions on areas where my application would need to be strengthened based on the respective school I was applying to. Dominican also provided personal assistance for every student with the college essay writing process. The monthly college newsletters were filled with information regarding deadlines, schedules for upcoming college visits to Dominican, updates from the college counselors, and available scholarship opportunities.

Dominican’s counseling staff was extremely helpful, and when you are surrounded by people who really know you, you are able to create a more substantial and cohesive application. I enjoyed my college application process and know that the guidance I was received at Dominican helped me gain acceptance to great schools like Princeton, Purdue, and UW-Madison.

Prepared For College

Alumni would always come back to Dominican and tell us how prepared they were for college. I assumed they were just saying that to make us try our best in our classes and not take our education for granted. Once I got to college, I quickly realized how ready I was because of my preparation at Dominican. Dominican teachers focus on helping students create good study habits and time management. The writing skills I developed helped me excel in my courses as well. When you come to Dominican, you are not just learning what you need in order to graduate from high school, you are developing life-long learning habits that will set you up for success in college and in your future career aspirations. I know that I had a successful start to my college career because I attended Dominican High School.

Noel Morales ’22, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Patrick Firsan ’23, University of Wisconsin-Madison Class of 2023 Valedictorian

Faith Centered Experiences

My faith has always been a big part of my life and Dominican has done a great job helping me further explore my relationship with God. Even as a first year student, there were so many opportunities to form and deepen my own faith. I helped lead a middle school retreat, attended Mass every week, participated in the monthly Liturgies, and was an active member of the Campus Ministry Team. I valued being able to have these faith opportunities available to me throughout my freshman year, it was a wonderful experience.

Ella Holtey ’26

Meaningful Relationships

I’ve been blessed throughout my career with incredible mentors who have strongly impacted my professional choices and guided me toward success. I have greatly enjoyed returning to Dominican to share my career experiences and advice with current students through the Alumni Career Day event held annually in March. I love giving back in the same way others did for me when I was a student at Dominican.

Amy Suss ’04 Clinical Pharmacist, SPS Health

“Listening to the student reflections from Kairos made the tuition we paid all worth it.”

Life Defining Moments

In thinking about our ten-year, four-child experience at Dominican, there are many cherished moments on which to reflect. The one that I call the ‘$10,000 moment’, was the Kairos Retreat.

Listening to the student reflections from the retreat made the tuition we paid all worth it. Definitely a transformational experience -- one that definitely distinguishes Dominican from other schools.

Michael Brauer, Past Parent Executive Director, Journey

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KNOWN BY NAME, BY NEED, BY GIFT

When I learned I was going to Dominican, it felt like my prayers had been answered. My Dominican experience exceeded my expectations. From the first day of freshman year, I felt accepted and knew that I was an important part of this community. Teachers and staff really cared about me. They had high expectations and expected me to have high expectations in myself. I achieved well beyond what I believed I was capable of in the classroom. I am the first person in my family to go to college.

I am the person I am today because of the incredible adult role models who guided me along my faith journey, and the wonderful friendships I forged with my classmates. It was an absolute privilege to attend Dominican High School.

Unlimited Opportunities

Dominican’s administration, faculty, and staff is supportive every step of the way in helping its students meet their individual interests and needs. As a way to get out of my shell, I became interested in opportunities to enhance my public speaking abilities. I spoke with Mr. Foy and asked if we could create a Forensics Club. He loved the idea and immediately helped me secure a club moderator, Mrs. Mueller. Mrs. Mueller helped promote the club and before I knew it, we had a practice schedule and we were signed up to participate in Forensic competitions. They all came together simply because I asked.

Dominican is really good at helping its students unlock their hidden talents and potential. By helping me pursue my interest, I was able to express myself in a way I didn’t know I could. I am taking my newfound skills with me to the Northwestern University Debate Institute as I was selected to participate in their high school policy debate program this summer.

Alex Salud

MENTORED & CARED FOR

In high school, you are discovering who you are and where you fit. Having people who are there to guide you is something that has been very important to me at Dominican. Being mentored and cared for makes you feel valued, it makes you excited to come to school. Dominican is not just a place where you learn, it’s a place where you have all these friends and amazing mentors who cheer you on no matter what you are doing. You are recognized and you are noticed. If you are not involved, the faculty and staff are quick to try and help you find opportunities to help you shine. The family and community atmosphere at Dominican is like none other.

Tailored Academic Plan

All three of our children received an exceptional education from Dominican High School and we are grateful for everything the faculty and staff did to personalize their respective educations based on what they needed to be successful. This was especially true with our youngest son who was offered roles in Chicago and Broadway productions of West Side Story during his last months as a senior. Dominican worked with Jarred and personalized his remaining academic coursework in a way which allowed him to complete his senior year remotely and earn his high school diploma. Dominican maintained their high expectations, but definitely went above and beyond to help Jarred succeed.

Strong Relationships

We have high expectations for our students so that they achieve beyond what they thought possible, all while genuinely knowing them and caring for their well-being.

I have found these strong relationships between faculty and students to be very unique to Dominican, as are the strong bonds our students have with each other.

Abby Young Director of School Counseling

A Sacred Place to Spend Time with God

Dominican makes renovations to St. Dominic Chapel

“Peter of Venice was one of St. Dominic’s earliest followers. In his writings about the leader of the Order of Preachers, Peter said, “Whenever Dominic was traveling, he saw him either praising or preaching or giving his time to prayer or meditation. When he was traveling he would tell his companions, “to go on ahead and let us think about our Savior.””

From his birthplace in Caleruega, Spain to cities across France where St. Dominic ministered, he often found a sacred space and a sacred time to dedicate to God the foundation for all his good work of the Gospel.

Through the generosity of several current and past parents, foundations, community members, and alumni, Dominican has renovated its own sacred space, St. Dominic Chapel. Last updated in 1996, St. Dominic Chapel has received a complete renovation, including new floors, ceiling, lighting, chairs, window treatments, and much more. Though much of the work has been completed, several key elements are still in progress. Most notably, the new altar and crucifix are being crafted from the maple trees that were previously on North Campus. The south wall of the chapel will also feature icons and first-class relics of four influential Dominican Saints: Dominic, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, and Martin de Porres.

Just as St. Dominic was often called in many directions to live out the Gospel, Dominican students find themselves involved in a multitude of ministries, clubs, sports, and organizations. The renovation of St. Dominic chapel provides that place of rest for students to recharge for the good work ahead. Whether through participation in Tuesday lunch-hour Liturgy, Stations of the Cross, Eucharistic Adoration, or individual personal prayer, having a sacred space on campus provides students, faculty, and staff alike with that regular opportunity to allow the world to go on ahead so they can spend time with God.