Workshops started this Monday and will run until January 19! Wait...what are workshops? Workshops, like Green Days, are a feature of HS^2 that helps students continue working on content, catch up on late work, get ahead in their classes, or explore other opportunities.

While students are still required to attend their Legacy classes during Workshops (following the campus blue/gold schedule), many HS^2 teachers do not require a student to take particular classes during this time, or will offer flexibility of which block they sign up for. When a class is not meeting, students have agency to still sign up for extra course work time, sign up for extra time in a class that wouldn't normally meet on that particular day, or sign up for unique classes such as crafts and coloring, outdoor games, online daily games, cake decorating, and more are offered by select teachers.

January 16 & January 23 - These dates are Campus wide Professional Development days for the staff. Students will have no school on these days.

January 20 - This is an HS^2 ONLY no school day. The HS^2 Staff will be meeting all day to work on school improvement and development. While HS^2 students will not have any HS^2 course expectations on this day, they still will be required to attend their Legacy courses.

Senior Ben E. is working on his own personalized outreach that focuses on his passion for music production. When Ben was 14 years old, he discovered his biggest musical inspiration, bass guitarist Jaco Pastorius. This new found adoration for jazz, and his learning of the bass guitar allowed for Ben to explore even more genres of music to become well-rounded in many aspects. This eventually lead to his love for music production, which he has been doing for about 2 years.

For his personalized outreach credit, Ben spends time producing music and experimenting with different genres and sounds. Ben creates all of his own music with some guidance and consultation from his older brother (who has a professional career in the music industry). He specifically works with Organic House which features more unconventional textures in a house/dance music style. He is simultaneously enrolled in AP Music Theory, which helps to broaden his knowledge of composition and arrangement.

Written by Alyssa S., HS^2 Sophomore

ProHealth Care is hosting a career exploration series using the online platform, WebEx. These 30-minute sessions aim to educate high school students about the wide range of careers in healthcare. All of the highlighted professions in the virtual series are careers with a high demand for workers.

Online sessions are held on Wednesdays from 11:05 to 11:35 a.m. Dates and topics for the sessions are:

Registration is required. You will need to register for each date separately. The WebEx meeting link will be included in the confirmation email.

We got a lot of positive feedback about our first ever HS^2 Community Engagement Day. If you missed it, Community Engagement Day was coordinated to get HS^2 kids involved and giving back to the community. There were activities in and outside of the building such as tie blanket and holiday card making, bell ringing, volunteering at local organizations and businesses, and helping out at the other schools within the district. The students and staff found this experience to be positive and helpful for the community, and themselves. Some student feedback received was “I really felt like I contributed to the community, and it felt good to be able to help people.”, “It was successful because everyone got involved; it was very well organized and just overall a fun experience.”, and "It was a good experience and I would happily volunteer again". Additionally, 95% of the students indicated that they would love to do it more than once every year! Guess it's time to start planning our next event!

Know of an organization, business, cause that would be interested in participating in or that we should reach out to for our next HS^2 Community Engagement Day? Please contact Director, Mrs. Ladsten at [email protected].

Written by Lydia L., HS^2 Junior

What school district did you come from?

School District of Waukesha 

What was the easiest part of transitioning to HS^2?

The easiest part of coming to HS^2 was making new friends, because everyone is so welcoming. I also met some really cool people through volleyball. Teachers are helpful, supportive, and understanding, and the people around me also help when I ask for it. 

What was the biggest difference coming to HS^2?

The biggest difference was coming into high school, and HS^2 in general. High school is very different because of the workload, and HS^2 is unique because of the outreach. Learning how to manage it has been a little tricky, but teacher support has made it easier to adjust.

What do you do in your free time?

I like hanging out with my friends, art, listening to music, taking my dog on walks, and playing volleyball.

Why did you choose to come to HS^2?

I came because I have family that have attended HS^2, and they always talk highly of the school and the school's focus on outreach. I am also of thinking of going into a medical science based career, so this seemed like a natural fit.

What do you hope to do in the future?

In the upcoming years I would like to use the outreach opportunities to explore different careers, and find out what interests me and who I am as a person.

Written by Julie S., HS^2 Senior

In this issue of HS^2 Counseling News, you will find information about:

• Test Prep Opportunities
• Summer Enrichment Opportunities
• Mental Health Updates
• ... and more