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Dialogue
Neenah Joint School District Newsletter - March 2024
Champions Abound Across Neenah Activities in 2023-24
It's been quite a past month for students involved in sports and activities at Neenah High School with numerous championships and successes. Even better, we're not finished yet and there's hopefully more to come!
Herm Caps Undefeated Wrestling Season with State Title
Junior Jacob Herm capped an undefeated season and became Neenah's 10th WIAA state individual wrestling champion by pinning Cole Sarbacker of Stoughton in the second period of the 144-pound state title match in Madison. Herm finished the season 47-0 and avenged losses in the state finals each of the past two years.
Sophomore Declan Koch finished runner-up at 138 pounds, dropping a 5-1 decision to Tyson Peach of Milton in the final. He ended the season with a 45-3 record. (photo courtesy of Neenah wrestling)
Fishing Team's Big Haul Nets a Second State Title
Neenah High School’s fishing team captured its second Wisconsin Interscholastic Fishing Association state championship and first since 2018.
Neenah totaled 554.75 inches of fish to edge second place Appleton North by 4.25 inches. A total of 59 Wisconsin high schools participated in this year’s event.
Neenah was the 2018 state champion and placed runner-up in 2017. Neenah caught the largest fish of this year’s tournament with a 20.5-inch bass. Neenah also had the highest total of bass caught with 97.5 inches.
Powerlifting Wins Two More State Titles
The powerlifting teams placed in the top three in all six divisions and captured two state titles at the Wisconsin High School Powerlifting Association state meet.
The girls' equipped and combined equipped teams both won state titles, giving Neenah 25 state titles all-time in powerlifting. The boys' equipped, girls' raw and combined raw teams were runner-up, while the boys' raw team placed third.
Five girls captured state titles in their respective divisions: Rylee Ehlke (97-raw), Bri Anderson (114-equipped), Ava Meyer (165-equipped), Carson Harwood (181-raw) and Myah Wenzel (198-raw). Evan Cardoza (123-equipped) and Liam Rennert (123-raw) took home boys' state titles.
Girls Basketball Heading to State Tournament
The Neenah girls basketball team is competing in the WIAA state tournament for the first time since 2009 as the Rockets take on Hartford in the state semifinals on Friday, March 8 at 8:15 p.m. at the Resch Center in Green Bay. The title game is Saturday at 8:15 p.m. All of the tournament games are televised live on CW Channel 14 and streamed through the Fox 11 website.
The Rockets are 23-5 and advanced with an 82-72 win over rival Hortonville in the sectional final. The team has eight seniors, including Allie Ziebell, who was recently named Miss Basketball as the state's Player of the Year.
Robotics Takes Middle and Elementary Titles
Neenah's robotics teams won state championships at the elementary and middle school levels and will send three teams to the world championships in Dallas.
The middle school team of Sam Bontorno, Joseph Buttron, and Nolan Manteufel won a state championship and earned a world championship berth. The team of Elliott Seidling, Nolan Morrow, Hugo Goethel, Graham Engelhardt, and Noah Sabatke placed second overall. Neenah had an elementary team competing for the first time and the team of Hudson Hendries, Ben Bontorno, Gus Goethel, and Greyson McCulloch took home the state title and a world championship berth.
In the high school competition, Neenah had three of the final eight teams, while no other school qualified more than one team. The team of Asher Brotherton, Nate Brotherton, Aidan Colby, Jace Ostermeier, and Connor McNulty won the Judges Award and qualified for the world championships.
Boys Basketball One Win Away From State
It's a familiar spot for the Neenah boys basketball team, which is one game away from another berth in the state tournament. The Rockets are in the sectional final for the fifth time in six years and seeking their third straight trip to the state tournament. Neenah plays Marshfield on Saturday, March 9 at 3 p.m. in Stevens Point for the sectional title.
The Rockets began the season 4-6 overall, but have gone 16-1 since January 5 to bring a 20-7 overall record into Saturday's game. Neenah defeated Stevens Point 68-50 in the sectional semifinals.
DECA Students Reach International Event
Neenah High School had eight DECA students participate in the Wisconsin State Career Development Conference with two advancing to the International Career Development Conference April 27-30 in Anaheim, Calif.
Allie Bradshaw was the runner-up in the Entrepreneurship Individual Series Event and Harrison Flint was fourth in Individual Selling. Both students qualified for the international conference.
Olson Places Runner-up at State Bowling
Senior Zach Olson placed second in the boys singles competition at the Wisconsin High School Bowling Club state championships.
Olson was one of five bowlers among the 107 competitors in the field to reach the final round. He defeated fifth-seeded Dalton Zeman of Sheboygan Lutheran 219-217 in the semifinal round to advance to the state championship match where he lost to Dayden Koback of Stevens Point 209-184.
Debate Team Has State Tournament Success
Eight Neenah students advanced through the opening round of the state debate tournament. Caroline Hodges (pictured) placed second in the junior varsity Lincoln-Douglas competition. In the varsity Lincoln-Douglas event, Nina Bhattacharjee and Aiden Lischer were semifinalists.
The team also had 14 students travel to Cambridge, Mass. following numerous fundraising efforts to compete in the Harvard National Forensics Tournament. Hodges placed again second in the junior varsity Lincoln-Douglas tournament to earn the traditional "bowl" trophy.
Hoover to Close Following School Year; Boundaries Revised
Hoover Elementary School will close following the 2023-24 school year and the elementary boundaries primarily on the south side of the District have been revised beginning next fall.
The Neenah Joint School District Board of Education approved the changes at its February 20 meeting. The change is part of the long-term plan that the District began five years ago to begin to move toward elementary schools with three and four classes per grade level to create better efficiencies for staffing and programming.
The process began with community meetings in October and December that solicited feedback to help guide the final boundary proposal. It is the first extensive revision of the District boundaries since 2007. Lakeview Elementary is currently over capacity, while Coolidge Elementary and Horace Mann Elementary are both under capacity. Many of the Hoover students will be transitioned to Horace Mann with others moving to Coolidge. Some Tullar students will also move in the plan. Horace Mann will host four classes at each grade level, while Coolidge and Lakeview will each have three classes per grade level.
All Hoover staff members would be assured of positions in the District at their same job classification for 2024-25. The closure of the school is estimated to save between about $473,398 and $613,398 annually in staffing costs and about $45,350 annually in building maintenance costs. The building will be retained for potential future use.
A boundary exemption window is open until March 15 for all students to apply. Students entering fourth grade are guaranteed of receiving a boundary exemption to remain at their current school for 2024-25, though busing is not provided. Boundary exemptions will still be accepted after March 15, but in the order they are received.
For more information on the boundary changes, including the new maps, please check out the boundary revisions page on the District website.
Superintendent Finalists to Be Selected Soon
The search for a new Neenah Joint School District superintendent continues as the Board of Education will begin conducting first interviews during the week of March 11. Finalists will be selected and invited to meet the staff and community during the week of March 18. A final decision is expected to be approved by the Board at its April 23 meeting.
The position is open due to Dr. Mary Pfeiffer's announcement in November that she will be retiring on June 30 after 15 years as superintendent.
Human Growth and Development Committee Takes Shape
Volunteers are needed for the District's Human Growth and Development Advisory Committee that is set to begin work during the spring of 2024. The main focus of this committee’s work is to review the District’s current human growth and development learning objectives, K-12, and to recommend revisions (additions, deletions, revisions) that will promote the optimal health and well-being of NJSD students. The learning objectives for the human growth and development curriculum, grades kindergarten through 12, are a subset of the broader K-12 health curriculum.
The committee's purpose is to review the human growth and development curriculum, K-12 and to advise the school board on the design and implementation of the human growth and development curriculum, K-12. Parents, staff and community members are needed for the committee.
Questions about the Human Growth and Development Curriculum Advisory Committee should be submitted to Tim Kachur, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment by email at tkachur@neenah.k12.wi.us or by phone at 920-751-6800 x 10115. Those interested in serving on the committee may click here to complete a survey by April 1, 2024.
4K and Kindergarten Registration Open for 2024-25
Enrollment is open in the Neenah Joint School District four-year-old kindergarten program. Students must be four years old on or before Sept. 1, 2024 and door-to-door bussing is available to those who qualify, including bussing to daycare centers within the NJSD boundaries. Slots are available in both the half-day AM and PM sessions.
Additionally, registration is open for five-year-old kindergarten. The 5K program is full-day instruction. Those children already in the 4K program are automatically enrolled for 5K. For more information on all of the programs and to enroll, visit the enrollment page on the District website.
District Seeks Feedback on Communication Strategies
Two meetings have been set to help improve the District's Communication Plan and strategies. Parents, staff and community members are invited to a virtual meeting on Monday, March 18 at 1 p.m. and an in-person meeting in the District office board room on Wednesday, March 20 at 6 p.m.
The District is seeking input about its communication efforts, including the following:
- What information or topics you are not currently receiving that you would like to receive
- What specific communication channels you prefer or find most effective
- What aspects of our communications could be improved
- What barriers prevent you from engaging with our current communications
The link to the virtual meeting will be available on the main homepage of the District website at the time of the meeting. A form will also be available to submit written feedback. We look forward to your participation in these meetings!
What's Happening in Our Schools
Spring Road Holds All-School Inclusion Event
Spring Road students participated in an all-school inclusion event. This year's theme was "Unique, Beautiful You" based off of a book written by local author Kirsten Hopfensperger, who read the book to each class. Each classroom received copies of the book as well through a donation.
Students heard from a Special Olympics athlete and then rotated through a variety of activities to learn more about acceptance and respect.
Horace Mann Competes in Cereal Box Challenge
Horace Mann students, staff and families collected over 500 boxes of cereal over the past month as part of the Do Good Wisconsin Cereal Box Domino Challenge. All of the cereal will be donated to local food pantries.
Students and staff lined the hallways and celebrated their achievement with a domino event on the final day.
Middle School Students Get Uplifting Message
Neenah Middle School students were treated to an entertaining and thought-provoking assembly with national speaker Terrence Talley. Talley's simple message was that while some students feel alone at school, everyone has someone who "has your back" and is there for you. Talley also did a community presentation in the evening.
Middle School Musical Takes the Stage March 14-17
Neenah Middle School will host four shows of Disney's High School Musical JR from March 14-17 in Pickard Auditorium at the Shattuck Performing Arts Center.
Shows are set for March 14-15 at 7 p.m. and March 16-17 at 1 p.m. All tickets are $7 and available at rocketplayers.com. Over 75 students in grades 5-8 from Neenah Middle School and Alliance Charter School are part of the cast and crew.
The 60-minute show is based on the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie and subsequent national tour. It is an upbeat throwback to the ins and outs of high school drama and a nostalgic romp for young and old alike! The audition notice is posted for East High’s spring musical and superstar athlete Troy and science whiz Gabriella secretly want to try out. Will their dreams be thwarted as they navigate the cliques of East High? The show features an inspiring message of friendship, self-discovery and teamwork that will have audiences singing and cheering along.
Board of Education Election Set for April 2
Six individuals will be on the final ballot for three seats on the Neenah Board of Education on April 2. A primary election was held on February 20 to narrow the field to six candidates. Those on the final ballot include: Alex Corrigan, Brian Epley, Chari Long, Susan Garcia Franz, Jeb Pfeifle and Roxanne Schwandt-Knutson. Those elected will serve three-year terms.
The League of Women Voters will host a candidate forum on Wednesday, March 13 at Neenah City Hall at 7 p.m. The forum will be posted at https://sites.google.com/site/lwvwinnebago/. Profiles of each candidate also recently appeared in the Appleton Post-Crescent.
Literacy Tip of the Month
Book Reading: Before sharing a new book, talk about the title and the picture on the cover, and have a conversation about what might happen in the book.
You might start by offering your idea about what might happen based on what you see on the cover, and then ask the child what he/she thinks. There are no wrong answers and the possibilities are endless!
Upcoming Events at NJSD
Here's a sampling of some key events at Neenah schools over the next month:
March 8 - Girls Basketball, WIAA State Semifinals vs. Hartford, 8:15 p.m. (Resch Center, Green Bay)
March 9 - Boys Basketball, WIAA Sectional Final vs. Marshfield, 3 p.m. (at Stevens Point)
March 14-15 - Middle School Musical, "High School Musical JR," 7 p.m. (Pickard Auditorium)
March 16-17 - Middle School Musical, "High School Musical JR," 1 p.m. (Pickard Auditorium)
March 19 - Rocket City Jazz Festival, 4 p.m. (NHS Black Box)
March 21 - Classy Fiddles Concert, 7 p.m. (NHS Black Box)
March 23 - Percussion Panorama, 6 p.m. (NHS Black Box)
March 29-April 7 - Spring Break
Click here for a calendar of NJSD fine arts events