As parents of a DSHA grad, a current DSHA student, and (we hope) a future DSHA student, we're often asked why we chose DSHA for our daughters' education. Strange as it may (literally) sound, we often wind up talking about yelling.

DSHA Theatre Director Rhonda Schmidt shares why she is so excited to present Les Misérables School Edition to the DSHA community. A show that was chosen to highlight the "outrageously talented" and "powerhouse" young women of DSHA. 

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As Maddie Drezek, DSHA '18, heads to Fordham University on an Army ROTC Scholarship, she shares one last expression of gratitude to everyone who made her DSHA journey possible.

In her 20 years as President of DSHA, Ellen Bartel ushered in exciting innovations, groundbreaking initiatives, and an avalanche of opportunities for Milwaukee's best and brightest young women. Join her for a walk down DSHA memory lane.

On March 9, Paul Sanchez, father of Natalie, DSHA '18, passed away unexpectedly, and far too young. Read below to hear more from Natalie about the impact her father had on her life and many others, and how her DSHA and Dasher Soccer communities have rallied to support Natalie and her family over the past couple of months.  

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In January, President Ellen Bartel put pen to paper to reflect on her closing months at DSHA. As she enters the days leading up to her final DSHA graduation, and her last month as president of a school community, it seems fitting to share this reflection again with our greater school community. 

If you would like to join us in celebrating and expressing gratitude for Ellen and Mike Bartel, please join us for "The Last Handshake Party" on June 5th. Click here to learn more!


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How does a bookworm math teacher incorporate literature into her classroom??

Seven thirty a.m: I open the doors and the smell of egg bake and a musty basement welcomes me along with an overwhelming amount of “good mornings” from fellow volunteers. The shelves are stocked and the coffee is brewing.

Sarah Duffy, DSHA 13; Gaby Nuñez, DSHA '10; and Samantha Erchsen-Turner, DSHA ’05, share why they choose to give back to DSHA. 

President-Elect Katie Brown Konieczny, DSHA '92, reflects on her 25th class reunion, celebrated at DSHA this past October.

On Thursday, November 9, Dr. Katie Weiss, DSHA '97, returned to DSHA to speak to current students about her remarkable two decades of work in the STEM field. Dashers learned she was the first woman to graduate from Marquette University with a degree in computer engineering; that MIT was an amazing experience for a woman to pursue doctoral degrees in astronautics and aeronautics; and what it was like to turn a childhood passion for space exploration into playing a lead role in writing the code that landed the Mars Curiosity Rover on the red planet in 2012. As the first female flight software lead at at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Weiss also shared stories of how she dealt with discrimination as female in this male-driven field. 

The following day, Dr. Weiss was the keynote speaker at the Milwaukee Business Journal's Women of Influence "SOAR" event, and DSHA senior Tatyana Lynn introduced her to a crowd of 600+ women. The opportunity was significant for Tatyana and has inspired her in both her pursuit of a career in STEM, as well as persevering through the unforseen obstacles that life can bring.

Read Tatyana's reflection below.

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"God is calling us forth constantly in our lives: through experiences, through places, and especially through people. After I realized that all people, despite their age or disability, are fearfully and wonderfully made by our creator, I could confidently open my eyes and ears to God’s call to go forth."

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"Even though it was only two short weeks I knew that God is calling me to help and serve in the community. After this experience my desire to become a therapist and work with young adolescents who are struggling even stronger. I hope to create a supportive environment for kids and become the person that they can look up to, and help them realize that their circumstances do not define them, but God’s love, patience, and desire for their success does."

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"Vocare gave us the opportunity to learn about the importance of being passionate for other people, learn to appreciate the many blessings in our lives, and to see how God truly is present in every person regardless of whether they are different from us."

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When I graduated from DSHA I was convinced I was going to change the world. I went into college with strong principles about social justice and community activism that fueled my pursuit of a degree in Sociology. I graduated from St. Joseph’s University, a small Jesuit school in Philadelphia, with the intentions becoming a youth counselor, or social worker, or environmental activist, most definitely not a baker. I think a lot of people wind up in a career they never imagined but, for me, somehow it makes sense.

Currently a junior at the University of Dayton, Sam Windsor returned to DSHA on Friday, January 5th to share the following speech with the current senior class at the Vocare send-off assembly. Read below to learn more about the impact of Sam's Vocare experience, and her charge and challenge to the seniors – to embrace and be present in their service, and to consider loving others to be the most important of concerns.