Neenah Joint School District
Connections
Community and Staff Newsletter - June 2014
Another school year has
flown by and our students
have raced out the door to
their summer activities.
For many, that means
time for vacations, picnics and other summer
events. Hopefully our staff
also finds time for all those activities and many
more, but most of them will still be working hard
throughout the summer.
The list of activities taking place throughout the
summer is lengthy. Teachers are teaching summer school, attending workshops and working
on additional projects to prepare for next school
year. Maintenance staff needs this time to give
our buildings a thorough cleaning and it’s also
the time of year for major facility projects. Our
technology staff is busy getting teachers and
students set with laptops and iPads for the upcoming year, while administrators are conducting
interviews one-by-one to fill open positions with
the best possible candidates.
Administrative assistants continue to work hard
during summer school while also preparing for
registration weeks. Coaches are holding summer camps and workouts, and teachers in art
and engineering are holding summer academies
for young students. The School Board meetings
also don’t stop, nor do important decisions that
guide our District.
It’s often thought that schools are open for nine
months and closed for summer. That’s true as
far as most students are concerned, but it’s far
from the case for much of our staff. Thanks to all
of you for your hard work during the summer to
make Neenah Schools ready to be off and running on the Tuesday after Labor Day.
Here’s hoping everyone has a safe and relaxing
summer and don’t work TOO hard!
Dr. Mary Pfeiffer
Superintendent of Schools
Neenah High School Celebrates
2014 Senior Class Graduation
Neenah High School celebrated the graduation of 447 seniors at commencement
ceremonies on June 5 in the Ron Einerson Fieldhouse. Nathan Cho and Nicole Hurley represented the senior class as commencement speakers. School Board members
Jeff Spoehr, Michelle Swardenski and Scott Thompson presented diplomas along
with Superintendent Mary Pfeiffer and Principal Brian Wunderlich.
Also, for the 78th consecutive year, the post-graduation party was held at Riverside
Park. Numerous senior class parents volunteered throughout the night to provide
the seniors a safe event following the graduation event.
3200 Meter Relay Completes 4-Peat
Neenah High School’s
4x800 meter relay team
of Jennifer Parker, Jessica Laabs, Jessica
Parker and Morgan
McClone captured the
school’s fourth straight
state title in the event
at the state track meet
in La Crosse on June
6. The team posted a
time of 9:10.97 to win
by nearly six seconds.
Around the District
Lakeview Students Take
Reading Home for Summer
Selected students from Lakeview Elementary are participating
in a unique reading program to maintain reading skills over the
summer months.
The program, called Try Reading a Variety of Exciting Literature
(TRAVEL), provides each of the over 30 participating students
with a backpack for the summer. Students selected books based
on their interests to be placed in their bags. Along with the books,
each TRAVEL backpack holds a special stuffed reading buddy to
help make their summer reading adventure more fun.
Students who participate in the program will have the opportunity to make reading an enjoyable and meaningful part of the
summer while strengthening skills. The purchase of the books,
buddies and bags was made possible through generous grants
from the Educational Foundation of Neenah (EFN) and Shopko.
The program was organized by Lakeview’s Instructional Leadership team to address the common slips in reading over the summer months.
Neenah Athletes Shine at
Special Olympics State Games
Neenah had four first place finishes as all 10 students who
participated at the Special Olympics State Games in Stevens
Point on June 6-7 finished among the top four in their respective events.
In track, Corey Ehrgott won the mini javelin, while Tre
Swinford and Nathaniel Tillman each won their division in the
100-meter run. In swimming, Jonah Tillman won the 25-meter
freestyle.
Matthew LaBelle added second place finishes in the
25-meter backstroke and 25-meter freestyle in swimming and
Ryan Young had a runner-up finish in the 50-meter track run.
Young and Swinford also posted third place finishes in
their division in the shot put. Ehrgott and Nathaniel Tillman
joined Andrew Sell and Isaac Tillman for a third place finish in
the 4x100-meter relay. Isaac Tillman was third in the 100-meter
run and Sell was third in the mini javelin. Sam Moder added a
fourth place in the shot put, while Marcus LaBelle had a third
place finish in swimming in the 25-meter freestyle and a fourth
place in the 25-meter backstroke.
Over 36 different acts and
76 students performed in the
Hoover Elementary Talent
Show. Performances included
dancers, singers, instrumental
soloists, comedians and magicians. Students jumped rope,
performed hula hoop routines
and put on puppet shows. The
event also featured a performance of “The Three Little
Pig Blues” by Mrs. Frierdich’s
second grade class.
NHS Graduation
Keepsakes
Families can
remember the 2014 Neenah High
School Graduation with DVD’s for $5
each by contacting the High School
office. Professional photos from this
year’s ceremony and all NJSD events
are available at the Network Photo
Store at:
www.networkphoto.net/store.
School-by-School
Alliance celebrated its 10-year anniversary with an open house and a picnic on May 30. Teachers were
available to give tours of the classrooms, while grilled items and beverages were sold with music provided by
the Murphy Family Band. Alliance families also participated in their end-of-year picnic on June 3 as family
members brought food from home and enjoyed lunch on the playground together.
Clayton held its annual Spring Carnival on May 16. The event featured numerous fun family events as well
as a basket raffle that serves as one of the school’s primary fundraisers for the year. The event helps support
field trips and other PTO activities during the school year. Also, fourth graders took a field trip to Madison
on June 2 to learn more about the state government.
Throughout the year, students at Coolidge have strived to meet 80 percent proficiency on the Yearly
Progress Pro test. In celebration of their hard work, students who met the goal, or another personalized math
goal, were able to participate in a “Math Picnic” on May 15. Students enjoyed a hot dog, a trail mix snack and
extra recess time.
Nine members of the Neenah High School STRIVE program received $1,000 scholarships from Neenah
Rotary. The scholarships are renewable for an additional year. Recipients were: Alexis Bodway, Nathan Cho,
Joshua Schueler, Kayln Brown, Flor de Maria Rothe, Allison Rohloff, Krystina Hlavacek, Allison Byam and
Jacob Muthig.
Hoover students and staff participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk to
Cure Diabetes on May 23 at Hoover. The event raised money for the foundation and brought awareness to students about what it means to live with the disease. Hoover’s event was separate from the city-wide JDRF walk
that also took place in May.
Horace Mann teachers Mary Greene, Jeff Leopold and Stephanie DeMenter have been invited to attend the
NFL Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisor Training Camp hosted by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board on
August 19 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The Neenah teachers also attended last year and were invited for
being among the most active program advisors in the state.
For the last sixth grade math unit, students worked on problem solving, probability and chance. They
were given the task of developing carnival games that favor the math class, but look “winnable” to the potential customer. They needed to write out the game’s rules for the inspector, test the probabilities for profit vs.
payout and calculate the mathematical expectation of the game.
Roosevelt students hosted an appreciation luncheon on May 30 for Theda Clark and Children’s Hospital
staff members involved in the Backyard Buddies program. Students wore their Backyard Buddies t-shirts and
sat with their mentors during lunch. Prior to lunch on that same day, Roosevelt held its annual talent show
and welcomed families to watch.
Holocaust survivor Henry Golde told of his incredible experiences to Shattuck Middle School students
on May 27. The seventh grade students were captivated and made connections after spending weeks learning
about the Holocaust. Golde is an annual visitor to Shattuck. He ended his story with a very important message
about tolerance, acceptance, and love: “Hate is nothing, love is everything.”
Spring Road held its year-end activity day on June 5. Students and staff participated in a variety of events
throughout the morning to celebrate the end of the school year. Also, several Spring Road students began
their running program and will continue running throughout the summer to prepare for the Fox Cities Marathon 5K race, which takes place Sept. 20 at Riverside Park.
Taft students made several trips during the final weeks of school as the Early Childhood and Title 1
students visited a farm on May 28 and went to the zoo on June 2. The kindergarten classes also held their field
day on June 5 and held a celebration on the final day of school on June 6. It was the final year for Early Childhood students and staff at Taft as the program moves to Washington Elementary next fall.
Tullar kindergarteners visited Mulberry Farm on May 23 and first graders made a trip to the N.E.W. Zoo in
Green Bay on May 27. Also, the fifth graders had a full day of year-end activities on June 5 with a pizza party
followed by their year-end celebration and an awards presentation.
Wilson will be installing three new pieces of playground equipment this summer as the school will be
replacing the small set of monkey bars and the climbing structure. Also, Wilson volunteers were treated to
treats from the staff on June 2 for their dedication to the school and the Wilson Field Day was held the same
day during the afternoon.
What’s Happening
Fitness Challenge Gets Staff
Exercising Wellness Activities
ntown Campus recently
Students from Neenah High School’s Dow
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The recently completed Staff Fitness Challenge resulted in
over 164,000 minutes of exercise. Staff were encouraged to exercise at least 120 or 150 minutes per week for six weeks to be
eligible for prizes. Over 200 staff members participated in the
challenge and 44 staff members took part in the weight loss challenge, combining to drop 246 pounds.
The District has more wellness activities ahead this summer
with a grocery store healthy foods tour on June 18 and a financial wellness seminar on June 25 and August 28. A two-day session titled “Energize Your Mind, Body and Spirit” will be held
July 30 and August 4.
Staff can sign up for any of the programs on the NJSD Healthy
You website.
Mayor’s Golf Outing Will
Benefit Rocket Stadium
The Neenah High School Rocket Stadium project has been
designated as one of the beneficiaries for the 12th annual City of
Neenah Mayor’s Golf Outing.
The event is open to the public and will be held Monday,
August 4 at Bridgewood Golf Course. For $50, each participant
will receive nine holes of golf with cart, lunch and a soda. There
will also be a number of competitions, including a hole-in-one
contest with prizes of a trip to Hawaii and $100,000, and a 50foot putting contest for $2,500.
Golfers can participate in a 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. round. Lunch will
be served at noon. The Boys and Girls Brigade will also benefit
from this year’s outing.
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It was all fun and games
on the last day of school at
Shattuck Middle School on
June 6 as students
participated in several
games during an all-school
assembly. The school’s
retiring teachers were also
honored on their final day.