Sally McComis, study center supervisor, has always focused on family since adopting four African American children and loving them unconditionally since they locked eyes. After her last boy moved out she needed to find a new family, her work family. Her path led her to Homestead.

¨I truly believe we have our birth/adopted into families… our chosen families (our friends), and our sisters and brothers in Christ… Plus our families within the community. It truly does take a village to raise a family…and we all need to look out for each other. I am blessed beyond measure for all the intertwining families I am connected with,¨ McComis said.

Jake, her biological son, asked for siblings at age six because his best friend had four siblings. He would always go over to their house for dinner because they always had a full table and lots of stuff to talk about.

After several miscarriages, McComis and her husband decided adoption was the best choice for their family. They first looked at overseas adoption that didn’t work, so they went to a private place in the United States to find children in the Milwaukee area who needed a loving home.

They worked with Milwaukee County Social Services and discovered that there were many sibling groups of children who were harder to place. Then they discovered four amazing African American boys that they wanted to call their own.

Jordan
Ben
Sam
Tevin

McComis stayed at home with her children until the last one was out of the house; she would volunteer at their schools to learn more about them and their friends.

The four brothers Jordan, Ben, Sam and Tevin all had residual special needs as they were born to a drug-addicted mother.

McComis spent many years taking them to many different therapy appointments such as physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and psychological counseling.

“The most difficult part of adjusting from going from being a mother of one to five sons…was there was not a gradual transition as one would have if a person had birthed five biological children.”

As she mentioned, however, it takes a village to raise children.

She had help from wonderful people paid and not paid.

¨One woman we affectionately named Joyce Keeper. She manned down the fort, did laundry, sometimes made meals and watched who was staying at home.¨

It seemed there was help around every corner.

¨Another woman’s name was Sandy, and I met her when she worked the drive-thru lane at the local McDonald’s, and when she retired from there, she started helping us out… Primarily with laundry and housekeeping.¨

Primarily, though, she was the one responsible to man the fort at home.

¨I am so grateful I was able to be the steady, consistent one based from home. My husband had a very demanding career, and was often working long days. I think with me being home, it provided a solid foundation for all of the boys, and a sense of security that was missing from their lives when they arrived.¨

After her last boy left the house and her husband, unfortunately, passed away in December of ´20 she decided to go back to work instead of volunteer. She was happy to be hired at Homestead ¨I also thought Homestead, though already a vibrant school, would be very interesting considering all the ethnic diversity, and classes.¨ ¨I love being here, I love the students, and staff, and hope to be useful here for many years to come.¨

¨I looked for positions that paired well with my life experiences and gifts,¨ Mc Comis said.

She decided to work im a high school instead of a lower school because she understood more of what a teenager goes through in a day.

¨Since my life had revolved around kids, a position within a high school was a great place to explore.¨

McComis brings snacks to school every day for her students.

¨I think it might be a carry over of living with so many kids, grocery shopping all the time, gladly feeding their friends on a regular basis and wanting to make sure they were all taken care of! Now I live alone, have lots of love to share and have trouble grocery shopping for just myself.¨

She added, ¨I care deeply about each and every student here…even if I haven’t had them in study hall. It is how God has wired me to be one who has keen observation skills, and is full of encouragement and joy. I ask every day before I come into the HHS building to see someone who needs to be noticed, say hello to someone who wants to have eye contact, have compassion for all, and focus on building relationships. Building deep connection with students whether you have them or not is a big skill.”