Dialogue

Neenah High School opened its doors to the community on August 13 with a public open house and dedication ceremony. Nearly 6,000 people are estimated to have attended the event. Thank you to everyone who attended and our entire community for making this beautiful school a reality. Those who have not visited the school yet are encouraged to attend any of our numerous athletics and fine arts events throughout the school year to see the new building.

The first day of school was held on Tuesday, September 5. Some projects are still being completed, including work to achieve long-term performance characteristics of the natural grass athletic fields. The work will involve three fields (competition soccer and two practice football) this fall, with the remaining five fields (two softball, two baseball, and one practice soccer) to be completed in the summer/fall of 2024 in coordination with the District and its athletic programs. This work is being completed under the terms of the contract with no additional expense to the District.

Growth is the centerpiece of the Neenah Joint School District’s Plan for Success for the 2023-24 school year. The plan was adopted after several workshops involving the Board of Education and District administration during the previous school year.

Growth will be publicly measured by the District report card issued by the state in November and in other ways at each of the schools. Four anchors to achieve growth were identified: Engagement, Collaboration, Responsibility and Well-Being. District staff and students will focus on these anchors throughout the school year.

Eight individuals and one team of staff members have been recognized as the Neenah Joint School District’s Employees of the Year for the 2022-23 school year. The group represents one individual from each of the District’s employment categories. They were selected from the nearly 800 total employees of the Neenah Joint School District and were nominated by colleagues, parents and students.

Three teachers were selected, including Kayla Plante from the elementary level, Wil Krautkramer from the middle school level and Molly Brown from the high school level. Elementary counselor Stephanie Levine-Rankin was honored from the special services area. High School educational assistant Cheryl Lehl was selected as the Educational Assistant of the Year.

The District underwent a significant change over the past year with the opening of a new high school and additional transitions at the elementary and middle school levels. Employees with significant roles in the moves were honored as Facilities Director Cale Pulczinski was named the Administrator of the Year, Facilities Administrative Assistant Angela Zanto was selected as the Administrative Assistant of the Year and Betsy Tesch, the custodian at now-closed Roosevelt Elementary School and newly-opened Alliance Charter School, is the the Operations/Maintenance Employee of the Year.

The Team of the Year honor was awarded to the entire operations and maintenance staff for their contributions over the past year in providing a smooth transition with the changes.

The Neenah Joint School District Board of Education accepted a purchase offer for the Shattuck property from Neenah-based Investment Creations, LLC on August 15.

Investment Creations is owned by Neenah resident Umer Sheikh and has renovated local landmark buildings such as the Marketplace in Downtown Neenah and the Equitable Reserve Building (Lion’s Tail Brewing). Investment Creations offered $500,001 and plans 34-48 apartments in the building, along with 50-60 single family dwellings on the property. It also plans to keep the Health and Wellness Center and use the gymnasium for city recreational programs.

Sheikh needs to get rezoning for the building to convert it into apartments, however, the rezoning is not a contingency of the sale. The only contingency on this offer is that the city needs to rezone the section of Shattuck that has housed the district health clinic since 2016.

Additionally, the Board will be considering an offer of $500,000 for a property on Jacobsen Road in the Village of Fox Crossing. Good Faith Funding, LLC plans to establish a single-family residential subdivision on the property. A vote is expected on the sale on October 3.

Individuals looking for part-time or full-time employment and the chance to work with the children in our community have plenty of opportunities in a number of different support areas. Of greatest need are bus drivers, food service employees, substitute teachers and support staff at all grade levels.

Anyone interested in becoming a bus driver should contact Kobussen Buses at 920-722-8572. Those interested in food service positions can contact Chartwells at 920-751-6800, ext. 10152.

Licensed teachers can earn $130 per day as a substitute, while educational and administrative assistants can earn $90-$105 per day with no licensure needed. Part-time openings are also available as elementary playground supervisors throughout the Neenah Joint School District. These positions all require a background check and offer rewarding experiences. For information about any of the teaching or assistant positions, contact the human resources office at 920-751-6800, ext. 10109.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul visited Neenah High School on Sept. 12 and lauded Neenah's efforts in the state's Speak Up, Speak Out program. The program was created by the Office of School Safety through the state's Department of Justice for students to anonymously report any concerns in keeping their schools safe. Neenah has been one of the leaders in the program and this is the second straight year Kaul visited the District to hold a press conference supporting the effort. This year's event also included representatives from the Village of Fox Crossing Police Department. For more information on the program visit: https://speakup.widoj.gov/

(Pictured: NJSD Superintendent Dr. Mary Pfeiffer, NJSD Mental Health Coordinator Dr. Mike Altekruse, NHS Associate Principal Kyle Popp, Wisconsin Office of School Safety Director Trish Kilpin, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, Fox Crossing Police Chief Scott Blashka, Fox Crossing Police Investigations Lieutenant Tim Callan, NHS/Fox Crossing Police Liaison Officer Clay Davis and NHS Principal Brian Wunderlich)

Neenah High School will host five shows of Mamma Mia! for its annual fall musical on October 18-22. Shows will be Wednesday, October 18 through Saturday, October 21 at 7 p.m. each night. There will be a matinee on Sunday, October 22 at 2 p.m. Shows will be held in the new Neenah High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale in late September. There will be a link to purchase tickets on the main page of the Neenah Joint School District website.

Additionally, the cast of Mamma Mia! will participate in a disco roller skating night on Friday, September 29 from 5-8 p.m. at the Neenah Plaza. The event will feature an opportunity to learn choreography from the show, roller skate and purchase themed drinks from Globe Coffee. Free tickets to the production of Mamma Mia! will be raffled off. The community is encouraged to come out in their best disco outfits.

The annual Neenah High School homecoming festivities are set for October 6-7. The weekend gets underway on Friday, October 6 with the parade in its traditional location in downtown Neenah. The parade begins at 5 p.m. at the city pool. The parade proceeds north on Park Ave. to Riverside Park and then turns west down Wisconsin Ave. to Church St.

The Neenah football team will host Fond du Lac in the homecoming game on Friday, October 6 at 7 p.m. at Rocket Stadium at the new high school. The weekend concludes with the annual Hall of Fame banquet on Saturday, October 7 at 11:30 a.m. at the high school.

Tickets for the eighth annual Neenah Joint School District Hall of Fame induction banquet are on sale at the Administration building. The event will be held on Saturday, October 7 at 11:30 a.m. For the first time this fall, the banquet will take place at the new Neenah High School. The event is an annual part of the District’s homecoming festivities. Tickets are $30 per person and will be sold through Monday, October 2. Tables and sponsorship opportunities are also available by contacting Amy Gunderson at the Administration building.

Those inducted will be Jack Ankerson (class of 1960), Byron Bell (class of 1932), Tori Bohannon (class of 2003), Andrew Coan (class of 1995) and Marty Robinson (class of 1987). The group brings the total members of the Hall of Fame to 49.

The Dialogue is published monthly in an online version to provide for more current and frequent updates. Please click on the photos to get a closer look at them. Some images are courtesy of Graham Images and Network Photography. If you know of others who would like to be added to the mailing list, please click here to sign up.