Sept. 1, 7:25 a.m. marked the start of 2023-2024 school year with 11 new teachers to welcome to the faculty.
Kevin Condon, study hall supervisor, was a teacher for 15 years at Cedarburg High School teaching History. Condon stated that after 15 years of teaching, he felt that he needed a break. Condon is a huge history buff and would love to help anyone who needs it.
Both Dylan Drozdowicz, special education paraprofessional, and Condon are excited this year to see students excel in their education. “All my colleagues and students have been so kind and welcoming. It just feels like a family environment,” Condon stated.
Jeni Appleby, school counselor, said “everybody through the whole interview process was so welcoming that it just felt like the right fit.”
Clair Tipton, ELL specialist, also commented on the welcoming interactions. “(I appreciate) the positive connections I made with other teachers and staff members,” Tipton said.
Three of our new teachers are Homestead alumni: Condon, Drozdowicz and Appleby.
“Walking through these halls again reminds me of several of my positive high school memories,” Drozdowicz said.
Both Appleby and Condon switched schools to work at Homestead.
“I was at Brown Deer High School. I’d heard such good things – it’s just such a great school district that when I saw the posting I thought ‘let’s see where it goes’,” Appleby said.
Although Appleby started at UW Madison as a Human Development and Family Studies major, she knew she wanted to come back and help the youth. “I had started out right after college at a girls and boys club and kind of pivoted and started working for UW Madison, and it was great, but I did miss working with youth.” Becoming a high school counselor “combines my interests – and I think what my strengths are.”
Tipton, who has a different role, helps students as a “English Language Learner Specialist. I support the students who are learning English while learning all their other subjects here at Homestead and Lake Shore Middle School.” Tipton also “loved volunteering in schools with students. Even I was a student myself.”
Drozdowicz takes a different approach as he works with special needs students. “I utilize various methods for teaching. I typically utilize a form of visualization to support the voiced lecture. After, I typically like students to work in groups to talk and collaborate. After group collaboration, I like to see how well they comprehended by asking both indirect and direct questions.”
Some other new faces to Homestead include Samantha Stark, special education; Nicole Lockhart, science teacher; Nick Marsh, computer science teacher; Scott Steger, math teacher and Charlie O’Brien, band teacher.
