Academic Departments

Advancement Via Individualized Determination, or AVID, is a national, nonprofit college readiness system offered to students of all academic levels in grades K-12. The system is designed to equip students with the necessary intellectual skills and behaviors for academic success in rigorous coursework. AVID empowers students with critical thinking skills to navigate the educational landscape through an explicit focus on high expectations, while emphasizing the development and refinement of student competence in writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading, or WICOR.

Students in middle school experience best practices and proven methodologies through AVID Schoolwide and the AVID Elective.

Schoolwide AVID transforms teaching and learning in all classrooms through a focus on the following components:

Instruction: The full instructional staff uses AVID strategies, other best instructional practices, and 21st century tools to promote improved academic performance for all students.

Systems: Systems are in place that support governance, curriculum and instruction, data collection and analysis, professional learning, and student and parent outreach to promote improved academic performance for all students.

Leadership: School leadership sets the vision and tone to promote college readiness and high expectations for all students in the school.

Culture: The school’s beliefs and behaviors reflect and demonstrate an increase in the number of students meeting college readiness benchmarks.

The AVID Elective course is offered to students in grades 9-12. Students who are selected and recruited for participation in the AVID Elective class have aspirations to attend college and possess the individual determination to work hard to achieve their goals. The AVID Elective class provides students with academic tools, access to resources, and the structure to thrive with their rigorous coursework, leading to success in any postsecondary endeavor.

The Business department at Homestead High School helps to prepare students for a wide range of highly skilled, highly relevant career paths to pursue once their high school journey has ended. We offer cohesive, personalized learning environments that integrate curriculum and instructional activities around specific career areas such as accounting, business, and more.

Exposure to computer science is critical considering its significance in all aspects of life. Thus, the department’s mission is to spark student interest, create lifelong learners, and equip students to be future problem solvers in an ever-changing digital world. The HHS CS curriculum includes eleven courses and an opportunity to pursue independent study alongside a faculty mentor. Even if students do not plan on majoring in Computer Science, our course offerings will enable them to explore different pathways within the field. 

Homestead's English Department considers reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills fundamental to all learning. We strive to equip emerging scholars with these skills by promoting continual personal growth. Our curriculum is rich in opportunities for students to develop their vocabulary, become versatile in their control of sentence structure, interact with nonfiction and fiction texts of increasing complexity, and write in a variety of styles for a variety of purposes. Every year, students also engage in the research process and have opportunities to develop their critical thinking skills. Part of Homestead's mission is to empower young people with transferable skills; therefore, we see our work as English teachers as magnified in importance since reading and writing occur across the curriculum in every discipline. We strive to motivate students by asking them to make choices about their own learning, devise meaningful questions, develop and defend their own interpretation, and set individualized goals. As a result of participating in four years of English courses, we intend for students to enter the next phase of their lives as skillful readers, insightful, versatile writers, true listeners, and confident speakers. Above all, we want our students to think deeply about the ideas of others and share their own ideas in effective ways.

The Homestead Fine Arts Department is comprised of five different areas: Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater, and Visual Arts. Through exposure to the arts, we strive to cultivate an environment where our students can grow into successful, confident adults. Artists can select from courses in acting, directing, technical theatre, concert band, string orchestra, Highlander Choir, metals, ceramics, digital art, painting, photography, AP Music Theory, AP Research, and much, much more.

A Homestead mathematics education encourages students to cultivate an in-depth understanding of why mathematical processes and applications work, as well as develop key skills including but not limited to inquiry, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. After embarking upon a four-year math journey at Homestead, every student will have the opportunity to experience all of the major components of math such as algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, and calculus. Each course offers varying levels that encourage students to develop their own path of success.

The Physical Education Department at Homestead High School educates all students by providing a safe and positive environment where there is opportunity through a diverse curriculum to acquire knowledge, improve physical and social skills, and develop fitness and positive attitudes that are essential to living a healthy lifestyle.

Students studying Social Studies at Homestead High School are encouraged to explore a diverse array of historical and contemporary topics. Offerings range from World Studies, AP Economics, and Sociology to Psychology, American Government, and Contemporary Issues.

The mission of the Special Education department is to collaborate effectively with families and colleagues in order to provide, and guide, instruction that best meets each student’s individual needs. We will increase community awareness, promote self-advocacy, and foster independence skills to prepare students for post-secondary options.

The mission of the Mequon-Thiensville School District World Language Program is to equip all students with transferable skills that encourage them to recognize, respect and respond to cultural perspectives while inspiring a passion to investigate the world as informed global citizens. The World Language Department embraces its mission statement and offers students the opportunity to learn three of the official languages used by the United Nations: Chinese, French, and Spanish, in addition to a time-honored classical language, Latin. In addition, the World Language Department offers an AP track in French and Spanish, and a dual credit opportunity in Latin with the University of Minnesota.

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