#PointerNation News

Three cheers for our amazing #PointerNation Future Business Leaders of America at the State competition in Green Bay!

NATIONAL QUALIFIERS (Nationals will be held in Anaheim, CA June 29-July 2)

State 2nd Place - Organizational Leadership (Kalea Biddick)

State 4th Place - Intro to Programming (Anthony Buleje Cadena)

State 4th Place - Business Plan (Maci Muchow)

OTHER HONORS

State 4th Place - Who's Who in FBLA (Matthew Goninen). This award honors exemplary FBLA members who have made outstanding contributions to the association at the local, state, and national levels.

Lorraine Missling Scholarship (Matthew Goninen). One of only two recipients in the state.

A big congratulations to all of our State FBLA participants on a job well done and a fine season!

Hip hip hooray for our State Skills USA competitors in Madison last week!

NATIONAL QUALIFIER (Nationals will be held in Atlanta, GA June 23-27)

State 1st Place - Cosmetology (Addie Burris)

NATIONAL ALTERNATES

State 2nd Place - Cosmetology (Joss James)

State 2nd Place - Woodworking (Riley Sennhenn)

STATE BRONZE

State 3rd Place - TV Video Production (Izzy Dannenberg & Roni Thousand)

Also a big congratulations to all of our State Skills USA participants on a job well done and a fine season!

Kudos to our high school scholars for earning academic accolades during the third quarter! #PointerNation is proud of you and your commitment to excellence in the classroom! Read more: https://mineralpointschools.org/2025/04/mphs-3rd-quarter-honor-roll-10/

Kudos to our middle school scholars for earning academic accolades during the third quarter! #PointerNation is proud of you and your commitment to excellence in the classroom! Read more: https://mineralpointschools.org/2025/04/mpms-3rd-quarter-honor-roll-10/

We finally have all our District Forensics results (in-person and virtual) to share and are proud to report #PointerNation will take a large slate of events to State Forensics at UW-Madison Friday, April 11! Congrats to all on a job well done at Districts:

- Farrago: Kalea Biddick, Maci Muchow, Jadyn Swinehart

- Group Interpretative Reading: Eli Lindsey, Laci Lindsey, Jacob Phillips, Atley Potterton, and Jaxson Wendhausen; Drew Aschliman, Brett Bossert, Sadie Miller, Sophie Miller, and Ronica Thousand; Kate James, Chloe McVay, Kendyl Ruf, Jessica Schubert, and Kendall Wenger.

- Moments in History: Brynn Swenson

- Play Acting: Brooke Paynter, Finn Renwick, Taitin Riley, and Lila Thousand; Keyara Collins, Gabe Hook, Cooper McGuire, Shayna Sigg, and Suttyn Weinbrenner.

- Poetry: Anthony Luu, Violet Renwick, Faye Schuette

- Prose: Lilli Berget, Lily Fox, Carver Potterton, Jaycee Privett

- Public Address: Anthony Buleje Cadena

- Radio Speaking: Matthew Goninen, Stephanie Wallace

- Solo Acting Humorous: Madelyn Steffes

We are very excited to share that we have two Mineral Point FFA Chapter teams advancing to State in the Career Development Event competition! Regional placings:

2nd Place: Livestock

- Aiden Patterson

- Johnny Robinson

- Faye Schuette

- Riley Sennhenn

3rd Place: Floriculture

- Payton Heins

- Annie Robinson

- Ellie Robinson

- Kendyl Ruf

State will be held April 25 in Madison. Congrats and best wishes!

Great job by all our teams including:

6th Place: Ag Mechanics (just missing State by one spot)

- Christian Bigler

- Trent Culver

- Cameron Patterson

- Isaac Schute

16th Place: Dairy

- Izzy Dannenberg

- Leah Hoffman

- Cyntanah Nafzger

- Haylee Yager

33rd Place: Wildlife

- Harper Heins

- Kaylin Peterson

- Bre Tibbits

- Jaycee Tibbits

4th Graders have been busy at work caring for and growing our own salad greens! This Grow Tower was purchased through grant funds Mrs. Livia Doyle received from Biddick Inc. in Livingston. We have had so much fun this year learning how to grow food indoors!

The salad party was a huge success! Students harvested, prepared, and washed our school-grown lettuce greens. Students really enjoyed a healthy and delicious salad with their lunch!

A big congrats to Ellie Robinson! The Wisconsin State Indoor Track & Field Championship was held on Saturday at UW-Whitewater. Ellie was a Dodge-Point Top Ten finisher, placing 7th in the 1600, with runners in her event from schools of all sizes. Annie Robinson placed 16th in the same event.

Kudos also to our other Pointers competing in various events: Kit Finley, Ethan Hook, Gavin Houtakker, Johnny Robinson, and Olivia Wilson.

In order to be invited to the event, athletes had to have a qualifying mark or time in their event to get in and all divisions compete against each other.

#PointerNation is very excited to welcome Heather (Crawford) Schimmers, MPHS Class of 1990, as this year's National Honor Society Alumni Speaker! Thanks to Mineral Point Kiwanis for sponsorship of this event and selecting the speaker.

The ceremony will be held this Wednesday, April 9 at 6:30 pm at MPHS. All are welcome. We look forward to celebrating our students committed to scholarship, service, leadership, and character!

Heather Schimmers, MBA, RN is an experienced clinical and administrative leader who serves Emplify Health’s patients, staff and community partners as Gundersen Region President in La Crosse. Heather is responsible for all operational and strategic efforts in the region and connection to the same in Emplify Health’s Bellin Region.

Heather has led strategic projects at the local and national level; developed multidisciplinary practice councils to bring stakeholders together to improve care; and she has been a key clinical leader working with clinicians, clinical staff, and fellow executives to drive success.

Prior to bringing two decades of healthcare leadership experience to what was then Gundersen Health System in 2021, Heather served as Chief Nursing Officer for Ascension Wisconsin. Heather also served as the Vice President of Patient Care Services for St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, and has deep experience with nursing practice, specialty care services, patient experience best practices, and building corporate culture.

Heather leads to make sure voices are heard and that staff are exceptional and compassionate as they care for patients. She also strives to be inclusive in gathering a broad range of perspectives and data to make decisions. Heather has been honored for this work as a Corporate Woman of Excellence by Insight Magazine and with an Athena International Leadership award.

Heather also understands the importance of engaging with partners to ensure health and well-being for patients, their families, and neighbors in the communities in Emplify Health’s care. Heather makes certain that the time she spends engaging with other organizations aligns to her values, an example being her board seat with Special Olympics of Wisconsin. You will also see Heather regularly engaging with local and regional public and private partners to pursue opportunities for great care and experience.

March 14 aka 3.14 is the annual Pi Day fundraiser we started in 2014 for MPHS Key Club scholarships, supported by the Mineral Point Kiwanis! This year's Pi recitation contest was impressive with 8th Grader Sophia Erickson taking 1st place (and defending her title from last year) with 101 digits and 7th Grader Kinley Swenson 2nd with 56 digits. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Roll film! Congrats to our 5th Graders on an outstanding Film Festival at the Mineral Point Opera House! Students did an outstanding job showcasing their digital media talents.

Thanks to all family and friends who attended to support. If you'd like to check out their creative videos, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb4AnFx7md8JPpBBHrcGWit0Pxw7uOExs

Mrs. Sigg's 5th Graders were busy making boats to save the tea from the Boston Tea Party, putting their STEM skills to good use!

Pointers never stop learning! Katelyn Dunham (1st Grade Teacher), Kaelyn Martin (3rd Grade Teacher), and Angie Klein (Pupil Services Director) participated in the Teacher Leaders: Planning with the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, held at CESA 3 in Fennimore.

The workshop was designed to build capacity around using the English Language Development Standards to plan instruction at the unit level so we can better support our multilingual learners!

Our #PointerNation Middle Schoolers had a blast hitting the slopes recently! Lots of laughs, smiles, and memories made!

Pointer Media will be trying out livestreaming our home Varsity Baseball games this season at https://www.youtube.com/@mptvpointers -- as with anything new, there might be some glitches, so we appreciate your patience while the kinks are worked out!

Kudos to our #PointerNation Girls Basketball team members who earned All-Area honors from The Dodgeville Chronicle!

- Tri Player of the Year: Laci Lindsey

- First Team: Laci Lindsey, Maddy Kabat, Ella Kroll

- Honorable Mention: Eliza Ingwell, Sophie Miller, Jadyn Schultz

Kudos to our #PointerNation Boys Basketball team members who earned All-Area honors from The Dodgeville Chronicle!

- Co Large School Players of the Year: Eli Lindsey and Jaxson Wendhausen

- First Team: Eli Lindsey, Jaxson Wendhausen, Drew Aschliman

- Honorable Mention: Keaton Dempsey, Jake Phillips, Atley Potterton

- Coach of the Year: Dan Burreson

We have another NCAA Division 1 collegiate athletic announcement to share! #PointerNation's Kade Rule has committed to Chattanooga to continue his academic and athletic career as a Moc Wrestler! Some accolades on the mat for Kade include:

-- 2025: Team State Champion, Individual State Champion, Sectional Champion, Regional Champion, CLASH Conference Champion, First Team All-Conference, 150 wins achieved

-- 2024: Individual State Champion, Sectional Champion, Regional Champion, CLASH Conference Champion, First Team All-Conference

-- 2023: Individual State 3rd Place, Sectional Champion, Regional Runner-Up, CLASH Conference Runner-Up, Second Team All-Conference

-- 2022: Individual State Qualifier, Sectional Champion, Regional Champion, CLASH Conference Champion, Honorable Mention Academic All-State

Congrats and best wishes, Kade!

Many of our young Pointer student-athletes had a very fine showing at the Youth Folkstyle State Wrestling Championships in Madison last weekend! A special congrats to placewinners:

2nd: Abbey Finley and Lily Heisner

5th: Kruz Burke

6th: Audrina Kammerud

This week's Throwback Thursday #TBT is dedicated to Mrs. Nancy Gorder. #PointerNation is forever grateful for her impact on generations of students, and her amazing elementary music programs will long be remembered. Deepest sympathy to her family and friends. Obituary: https://www.gorgenfh.com/obituaries/nancy-gorder/#!/Obituary

Results are in from the School Board election.

Incumbents Will Harris and Christie Johnston have been elected to new three-year terms. Thank you to all of our candidates -- your willingness to serve our district is very much appreciated.

More info here: https://mineralpointschools.org/2025/04/school-board-election-results-3/

The Mineral Point Unified School District is hiring for the 2025-26 school year. Come join the great place that is #PointerNation where our mission is educating and inspiring our students for a bright future in a big world!

-- Full time Speech and Language Pathologist: https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/230562

-- Part time ESL Teacher: https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/230563

-- Full time 7th/8th Grade Science Teacher:

https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/230117

-- See why blue would look good on you:

https://youtu.be/SrT50dA9M_w?si=oEUuJiWmzXWCWP2K

💙 We are looking for dedicated and caring volunteers to help with lunch and recess supervision at Mineral Point Elementary! This is a great opportunity to support our students, staff, and school community in creating a safe and positive environment.

Volunteer Details:

✅ Time Commitment: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm (flexible schedule - you can volunteer as often as you’re available!)

✅ Responsibilities:

- Supervising students during lunch and recess

- Encouraging positive behavior and safe play

- Assisting staff with transitions to and from lunch/recess areas

✅ Requirements:

- All volunteers must complete a background check

- Mr. Tom Ingwell (Elementary Principal) will setup a meeting to go over expectations and guidelines

If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out to Mr. Ingwell at tom.ingwell@mp.k12.wi.us or call 608-987-0710 for more information.

Your support makes a big difference in the daily lives of our students! Thank you for helping us create a safe, fun, and structured environment for all.

Tuesday, April 8 is a Virtual Day for 11th & 12th Graders as 9th & 10th Graders are taking the Pre-ACT/Forward exam. Good luck, students!

Some of our Mineral Point Middle & High Schoolers who have qualified for the State Solo & Ensemble competition will be performing a recital at the Mineral Point Opera House Thursday, April 10 beginning at 7 pm free of charge. Come on out and support these talented musicians: Josie Dunn, Lily Fox, Cooper McGuire, Lilly Murn, and Taitin Riley.

1st graders are super excited to perform their Spring Concert! The event will begin at 2:30 pm Thursday, April 17 in the elementary gym. All are welcome.

A reminder: 4K Registration letters for the 2025-26 school year were sent and the deadline to register is April 18 for MP district residents! If you have any questions, please contact Shelby Sporle at 608-987-0710 or shelby.sporle@mp.k12.wi.us -- we look forward to welcoming you!

A reminder there will be no classes in #PointerNation Friday, April 18. Enjoy the long weekend!

Hop on Over – It’s Time for the Annual Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt!

Join us as we kick off Easter weekend with a morning full of giggles, goodies, and great memories!

When: Saturday, April 19 at 10 am SHARP

Where: Mineral Point Health Services (109 N. Iowa St.)

Kiwanis loves teaming up with our amazing High School Key Club members to bring this event to life for the kids in our community!

A huge THANK YOU to Dodgeville Walmart for donating all the sweet treats and to the wonderful residents of Mineral Point Health Services for helping the Easter Bunny by stuffing eggs! Your generosity and kindness help make this tradition so special for our community!

On Friday, May 9, Mineral Point High School students will be partaking in the annual Key Club Community Service Day in which students go around cleaning up the town and working on service projects throughout the morning. The Key Club and Mineral Point High School students love to help individuals, so we are asking for any names and addresses of people in need in our community who would like some help raking leaves, cleaning yards, etc. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else, please fill out the Google Form: https://forms.gle/e4z9Em1CyGGSWmPFA

If people don't have internet access, they are welcome to call the high school office at 608-987-0730 to get on the list.

A few things to note:

- Deadline to sign up is Friday, April 25. Please contact Key Club Advisor Mrs. Erin Gomanne with any questions at erin.gomanne@mp.k12.wi.us.

- Confirmation letters will be sent to individuals with final information the week of April 28.

- We ask someone to be at the residence all morning on Friday, May 9.

Our MPHS Key Club is the proud sponsor of the upcoming Mineral Point Blood Drive Friday, April 25 at St. Mary's/St. Paul's Church from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. Give hope this spring! If 52 people donate, our Key Club will receive $1000!

Our MPHS Drama Department is getting excited to present its spring play, William Shakespeare’s "Twelfth Night" coming up April 25-27! Grab your tickets to see our talented students in action: https://mineralpointoperahouse.org/events/event/6060/

The Mineral Point High School Junior Class is proud to present Prom 2025 Saturday, May 3! This year's theme is "Meet Me at Midnight." Doors will open at 8 pm with Grand March at 8:30 pm. Make plans to attend and see our Juniors in their finest attire!

#PointerNation events coming up this week -- join us! (Please note these schedules are always subject to change)

Monday, April 7
-- POSTPONED to MAY 6: Softball vs. Cuba City

Tuesday, April 8
-- Virtual Day for 11th & 12th Grades (9th & 10th Grades are taking the Pre-ACT/Forward exam)
-- Girls Soccer vs. Galena, IL (Varsity 5 pm, JV to follow). Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/c/DodgevilleSchoolDistrict
-- Varsity Baseball at Cuba City 4:30 pm. Radio: 106.1 fm. Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@queenbradiosports
-- JV Baseball vs. Cuba City 4:30 pm

Wednesday, April 9
-- Early Release 2 pm (every Wednesday)
-- National Honor Society ceremony 6:30 pm in gym

Thursday, April 10
-- Regional Civics Games
-- State Solo & Ensemble Recital at Opera House 7 pm
-- Softball at Boscobel (Varsity 4:30 pm, JV to follow)
-- Varsity Baseball at Platteville 5 pm
-- Track & Field at Lancaster 4 pm
-- Girls Soccer at River Valley (JV 5 pm, Varsity to follow). Livestream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/spring-green/organization/618/river-valley-high-school
-- JV Baseball vs. Platteville 4:30 pm

Friday, April 11
-- State Forensics at UW-Madison
-- Track & Field at McFarland 4 pm
-- MS Track & Field at Boscobel 4 pm

Saturday, April 12
-- Varsity Girls Soccer at Big Foot 9 am

Please be aware of other companies claiming to livestream our games, especially if there are links different than posted above and ask for credit card and personal information -- these are scams. We will update this pinned post as available livestream information is relayed to us.

"Grounded by our history as one of the oldest publicly supported schools in Wisconsin, Mineral Point Unified School District is the heart of a small community that educates and inspires our students for a bright future in a big world."

Email: joelle.doye@mp.k12.wi.us
Website: mineralpointschools.org
Location: 705 Ross Street, Mineral Point, WI, USA
Phone: (608) 987-0740
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MineralPointSchoolDistrict