Newsletter - Independence School District

Transcription

Independence District
Newsletter
January/February, 2014
Famous Indee Artwork
IN THIS
ISSUE…
Vine Line...........p. 1
General Info….p. 1
Principal News .p. 3
Recent Events..p. 4
ES/MS News…..p. 6
All School News
…………………..P. 9
Sports…………p. 11
Clubs………....p. 13
Academics …p. 15
Scholarships…p. 18
Upcoming Events
…………………P. 22
Using Van Gogh’s Sunflowers as inspiration, first grade artists created sunflowers using warm colors: red, yellow, orange, pink, and gold. They added buttons to help represent sunflower seeds, along with different kinds of
lines and shapes to their stems and leaves. Great job First Grade Students!
MA I N OFFICE : (7 1 5 )9 8 5 - 3 17 2
C HEC K OU T OUR W E BS ITE ! WWW. IND PS . K1 2.W I. US
Superintendent News/General Information
Vine Line
Happy Holidays & Giving Thanks
As 2013 comes to a close and each of us attempts to balance the demands of family,
work, and celebrate the holidays, it is easy to
become a bit overwhelmed. Lately, many of
us in education occasionally experience those
same feelings of frustration, with some justification. The ongoing debate over implementation
of the common core as well as the increasing
financial strain from using public funds to pay
for private voucher schools at times feels overwhelming.
It is also at this time of the year, however,
that it seems appropriate to reflect on the past
year and thereby take the time to
acknowledge some accomplishments as well
as some of the efforts by staff and students to
make a difference for others. The United States
educational system is the envy of most nations
in the world.
During this past season of sharing and caring, our staff was busy providing the youth of
our community the opportunity to give back to
others. In these economic challenging times
Independence students and staff have demonstrated their concern for others through a variety of ways. In October the Stars for Tomorrow, a
high school co-curricular club partnered with
the Independence Lions Club to create a
“haunted house”. On Halloween after regular
trick or treating ended over 250 students and
parents attended this free Halloween event. In
November the high school student council organized the annual “Holiday Gifts for Kids”.
Families experiencing financial hardships are
given gifts to ensure all of our kids have something special under their tree.
In addition, the Independence community
and parents have demonstrated its commitment to our children by actively participating in
our volunteer program. This program provides
parents and community members the opportunity to give back and work with students.
Independence Public School
Page 1
I continue to be impressed by our students
desire to help others. We are blessed with
many caring students and staff, who understand that well rounded citizens do well in the
academics AND give back to their community
and help others in need.
There is little doubt, 2014 and the years
ahead will be filled with many challenges.
However, it is my sincere belief we have much
to be thankful for. At this time, I hope each of
you will take time to appreciate the positive accomplishments of the past year. May 2014 be
a year of joy, peace, good health, and prosperity for each of you.
NEEDED
Gently used snow pants (sizes 4-10), snow
boots (kids 11-4), and mittens or gloves (prefer
heavier snow mittens or gloves). We DO NOT
need any hats at this time.
Believe it or not, the economy has made it
tight for everybody, and
you may not think about it,
but there are plenty of
needy students around
here, and we try to do our
share to help them.
These items can be
dropped off at the Public
School Office. Students will
be a lot warmer thanks to
your generosity.
Website: www.indps.k12.wi.us
General Information
Check out our Website
www.indps.k12.wi.us is the web address for
our dynamic website which is changing and
evolving. Our Web Master, Pam Lehmeier is
hoping to make our website a 1 stop place
where parents find information on school,
school events, forms, the school calendar,
lunch menu, and more. Where students find
resources. And where anyone can go to find
information on our district, where you can access our community link and find information on
our Indee Booster Club, the Fitness Center, a
link to our Volunteer page, current and past
newsletters, School Board minutes and videos,
and more.
School Closing Information
A reminder that it is that time of year when
bad weather can suddenly cause school to
close. We urge you to discuss emergency procedures with your children so they know what
to do when we close early or start late.
We will again use the Alert Now system to
inform parents of any school closings, delays or
late starts. You will receive a computerized
phone call on your child's main contact phone
number with a recorded message.
Also for your convenience, we have listed
below the radio and TV stations that will be notified of our closing, early dismissal or late
start. Thank you for your understanding and assistance should we need to change our normal
routine.
WQOW – Channel 18 ABC—Eau Claire
WLAX/WEUX Fox 25/48—Eau Claire
WHTL 102.3 FM—Whitehall
Z-100 100.7 FM—Eau Claire
WAXX 104.5 FM, WAYY 790 AM, I-94 94.1 FM,
WECL 92.9 FM, WWIS Radio
WEAU TV – Channel 13—Eau Claire
WKBT - La Crosse
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Did you Know?
Did you ever find yourself not being able
to attend a concert or event that one of
your family members are a part of? Well,
don’t miss another event! Many of the
events, including concerts, special presentations and graduation, are live streamed
using the school’s Polycom camera. On
the day of the event, log into the school’s
website (www.indps.k12.wi.us) and on the
left side of the page there is a link called
Indee TV Live. If you are not available to
watch it live, you can also click on the link
Indee TV and there are archived events
listed.
Lunch Account Information
Parents may receive lunch account statements via email instead of mailed home. If interested,
contact
Leslie
at
[email protected]
Independence School District
Newsletter Copy Editor:
Tracy Halama
Production Editor:
Jennifer Steinke
Editorial Administrator:
Dr. Paul Vine
Phone: (715) 985-3172
FAX: (715) 985-2303
Principal News
Technology and Education
I hate to age myself, but for any student today I’m sure they would find it hard to imagine
not having a computer in school. But that was
the case when I went to high school. I’m sure
many students today would find it hard to imagine going to school without a cell phone or
an Ipod. Yet, 10-15 years ago that was the
norm.
Yes, technology is a very valuable tool in education and to keep up with it is always a challenge. Here at Independence, as at most
schools, we continue to incorporate technology into the curriculum. This requires constant
maintenance of the infrastructure required to
accommodate this technology and along with
that comes expense for hardware, software,
and training. To offset this expense, and to accommodate some of the wishes of our students
and parents, Independence does allow students to bring and use personal wireless electronic devices (such as cell phones, Ipods, labtops, etc.) at school. It should be noted,
though, that is a privilege for the students and
not a right. In fact, School Board policy states:
“Students are prohibited from using or possessing an electronic paging or 2-way communication device while on premises owned or
rented by or under the control of a public
school under state statute 118.258” and “The
rules may allow for the use or possession of such
a device by a pupil if the school board or its
designee determines that the device is used or
possessed for a medical, school, educational,
vocational or other legitimate use.” Therefore
the state statute gives Districts the flexibility to
either prohibit the use of two-way communication devices or develop rules and procedures
for productive use of these devices. With the
cost of technology hardware, it only seems
practical that our school district incorporate as
much use of personal electronic devices for educational purposes. You may have heard of
this philosophy as a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. Independence is not completely
at that point as we try to supply all our students
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with the technology they need, but personal
devices does help subsidized our shortage of
sufficient devices at times.
With this flexibility comes the responsibility of
educating our students on the proper and ethical use of wireless technology and internet use.
All of our students and their parents or guardians are required to sign a personal wireless
electronic device (WED) policy and an internet
acceptable use policy (AUP) before they can
bring a device to school or use our internet resources. Misuse of these devices, the internet,
or intent to damage the districts infrastructure,
hardware, or software are taken seriously and
consequences involve loss of privileges or possibly criminal charges.
To summarize, the use of technology in our
schools is essential to efficiently educate our
students and prepare them for the skills they
need in the 21st century. But with that comes
the responsibility to effectively manage the
technology and its cost, while at the same time
teaching students how to use it ethically and
productively. As indicated, the advancement
of technology increases at astonishing rates, so
to keep up with the issues of using that technology we must continually review our policies and
adjust as needed. It is something our staff and
students work very hard at addressing to ensure
we continue to be the “Best School Ever.”
Bärry Schmitt
6-12 Principal
Recent Events
Oratorical Scholarship Contest
L to R): Mitchell Warner, Sophie Woychik,
Katie Marsolek
The Annual American Legion Oratorical
Scholarship Contest was held Monday, December 2nd. This contest is open to any high school
student each year of high school who must
write an 8-10 minute speech on a part of the US
Constitution. This year there were five contestants: Jonathon Warner, Drew Christianson, Sophie Woychik, Katie Marsolek and Mitchell
Warner.
 1st place and $1000 award was earned
by Sophie Woychik
 2nd place and $500 awards was earned by
Mitchell Warner
 3rd place and a $300 award was earned by
Katie Marsolek
Page 4
Writer’s Workshop
It was cold and dark on December 5th when
three Independence students and their teachers started their drive to UW Stevens Point to attend a Writer’s Workshop. All three students
had submitted writing in the form of stories or
essays in October. In late November, they received an invitation stating they were three of
one hundred students who would be sharing
the day with published authors and university
professors.
Their day began with an address from the
University President which was followed by a
presentation by English students telling about
their experience on campus. Break-out groups
followed. Students either met with their author
critic, attended a University Ballet class, went
on a campus tour, or participated in a percussion and poetry class.
Dakotah Bork was one of the students attending; the only student so far to be invited
twice. This is how she summarized the day. “I
liked this opportunity because it gave me a
chance to read other writing and learn about
my own writing.
This year I was able to interact more with other members of my group
which made the experience more meaningful.”
Lexie Huff, Drew Christianson and Dakotah
Bork represented Independence.
Linda
McConnell coordinated the event and Sarah David chaperoned.
Patty Pumpkin Visits
On Halloween the second grade students
had a very special visitor. Patty Pumpkin came
back to check on the pumpkin seeds she gave
them in the spring of first grade. Many of the
students had stories to share about their special
pumpkins. Patty also shared the story “Marley
and the Run Away Pumpkin”. Some of the students were called up to help Patty Pumpkin
read the story. Second grade would like to
thank Patty for coming to visit us once again
this year!
Recent Events
Legislative Lunch
On Wednesday, November 13, 2013 five students: Mitchell Warner, Katie Marsolek, Emily
Olson, Samantha Glaunert, and Hillary Halama
met with School Board President Joe Bragger
and Farm Bureau Representative Steve Boe to
prepare for a very important meeting regarding
the USDA lunch regulations on food service and
portion size.
With the help of Steve Boe, the students
worked together to prepare an informational
one-page document to be distributed at the
official
meeting
with
Kerri
Jackelin
(representative from Congressman Ron Kind’s
office
in
La
Crosse),
Chris
Danou
(representative from the State Assembly),
school board members, Dr. Vine, and Food Service Director Julie Pronschinske. To beef up the
document, the students conducted a survey.
The students went around to each advisory
time group and asked a few questions including: “How many students feel hungry during
school after lunch?” and “How many students
have had trouble focusing in their afternoon
classes because of hunger?” The shocking results include 8 out of every 10 students feeling
hungry after lunch and 55% of students having
trouble focusing during their afternoon classes
because of hunger. After looking over the results of the survey, they were included in the
one-page document that focused on the negative effects of the new school lunch portion
size rules implemented by the USDA.
The official meeting with the representatives
took place on November 18, 2013 during the
high school lunch hour. At the meeting, the students explained how they are affected by the
new portion sizes. Their main argument was
that 80% of the students surveyed were involved in some sort of afterschool activity and
do not expect their next meal until about seven
hours after lunch has been served. After the
students expressed their concerns, Julie
Pronschinske explained her struggles with the
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new portion regulations. She showed multiple
documents that she uses as guidelines for preparing the school breakfast and lunch. She
said the regulations are very strict and result in
students feeling very hungry. The representatives agreed with Pronschinske that the portions
seem much too small. The meeting concluded
with the students asking what they can do to
help the situation.
Although no immediate changes in school
lunches have been made, the meeting helped
raise awareness. The meeting was a great experience for the students who were involved,
and they are in the process of brainstorming
ways to follow up with the representatives who
attended the meeting.
L to R): Representative, Chris Danou, Katie Marsolek, Samantha Glaunert, Hillary Halama, Representative Kerri Jackelin, Mitchell Warner, Emily Olson
Elementary/Middle School News
Page 6
7th Graders participate in MVGTN
High Quiz Bowl Tournament
Independence 3rd Graders
Attend Problem Solving Fair
Seventh grade quiz bowlers had a chance
to test their knowledge and quick recall on October 29th when they participated in a Quiz
Bowl Tournament sponsored by Mississippi Valley Gifted and Talented Network. A total of
fourteen teams from ten schools competed at
the United Methodist Church in Black River Falls.
Independence students went up against Lincoln, Holy Family, Blair-Taylor, and Mondovi during the preliminary matches. With three wins
and one loss they were seeded against undefeated Melrose-Mindoro in the Championship
match. Although Independence took an early
lead, the speed round proved to be a challenge that tipped the scales in favor of MelroseMindoro. This made M-M the champions in the
small school division and Independence the
second place winners.
This activity is sponsored through the G-T Program at our school and is coached by Linda
McConnell who summed up the day as follows.
“These tournaments are always fun and a great
way for our students to meet other strong students.”
What does problem solving mean to third graders? Most of the time it means solving Math problems. This was not the case on November 19th, when
seven Independence students joined other third
graders from ten area schools to pool their ideas
and solve problems that looked a lot more like science problems than math problems. About one
hundred students gathered at the Blair-Taylor Elementary School where they were randomly put into
groups of five to six students. Each group had a
member of the Blair-Taylor National Honor Society
for a leader. Various problems were posed to the
groups who worked within a time frame and with
limited materials to solve the problems. They then
shared the results with all the students.
After solving four problems and a picnic style
lunch on the gym floor, the High School students
took the stage. They were first divided into three
groups. Each group was given the same supplies
and asked to create a product from those supplies
that could be sold to third graders. The results were
both creative and entertaining.
Max Marsolek summed up the day with this: “It
was a fun day. I hope the third graders next year
will have a fun time also. I love science and the experiments were fun.”
Students attending this event include Gavin Bragger, Carson Rajkowski, Cora Sonsalla, Rhianna
Theisen, Rhiannon Prudlick, and Max Marsolek .
These students represented Independence at
the tournament:
L to R): Jorgiann Gierok, Alyssa Kulig, Ashley
Lundgren, Aaron Hunter (Captain), Dawson Gerow,
Gabe Rombalski, Amy Lien
L to R): Cora Sonsalla, Gavin Bragger, Rhiannon
Prudlick, Max Marsolek, Rhianna Theisen,
Carson Rajkowski
Page 7
Elementary School Perfect Attendance 1st Quarter
4K
Danika Ekern
Emily Hovey
Dalton Jasin
Emmalee Jasin
Mason Przybylla
3rd Grade
Gavin Bragger
Benjamin Fonstad
Andrea Laehn
Dylan Przybilla
Kiley Przybilla
Carson Rajkowski
Bryce Schorbahn
Rheanna Steinke
Kindergarten
Kaelyn Dittner
Nayeli Ortiz Hernandez
Brennan Steinke
5th Grade
Breanne Brown
Johnathon Fonstad
Hunter Knutson
Ethan Konter
Gabriel Rombalski
Miguel Tomas Pascual
Dael Valdo Lopez
Hailey Witte
4th Grade
Chloe Cooper
Weston Gamroth
Alan Hernandez Garcia
Lleymi Hernandez
Breanna Kulig
Jaiden Lambright
Sydney Matheny
Avery Pape
Alex Przybilla
Ryan Serrano
1st Grade
Andrew Bragger
Dilan Dallman
Maria Hernandez Garcia
Kendra Klimek
Britany Montalvo Sanchez
2nd Grade
Perla Garcia Acosta
Wesley Pfaff
PBIS INDEE PRIDE WINNERS
2013-2014 First Quarter
This year the Elementary School has started an Indee Pride initiative for K-5 students. Each quarter a student
from each classroom is selected to receive a certificate and Indee Pride sign for making improvements in
Reading, Math, or behavior. Listed below, and on the next few pages, are the winners for the first quarter.
KINDERGARTEN
WINNER
AREA
TEACHER
Gunner Nelson
Reading
Evenson
Kevin Guzman
Reading
Evenson
Makiyah Scow
Reading
Falkner
Gavin Konter
Reading
Falkner
Brett Schorbahn
Reading
Falkner
Page 8
First Grade
WINNER
AREA
TEACHER
Savanna Conner
Math
Pyka
Dilan Dallman
Math
Pyka
Kendra Klimek
Math
Hicks
Britany Montalvo Sanchez
Math
Hicks
Henry Esteban Diaz
Math
Hicks
Second Grade
WINNER
AREA
TEACHER
Evan Daniel Vasquez Aguilar
Math
Suchla
Xavier Santillan
Reading
Suchla
Grace Fonstad
Reading
Suchla
Tayler Lambright
Reading
Susa
Jayden Matchey
Reading
Susa
Jasmine Montalvo
Math
Susa
AREA
TEACHER
Math
Pape
Cora Sonsalla
Reading
Pape
Rhiannon Prudlick
Reading
Tauer
Noah Heiden
Behavior
Tauer
Math
Tauer
Third Grade
WINNER
Luis Esteban Diaz
Ben Fonstad (missing from
photo)
Independence Public
School
Elementary/Middle School News/All School
Page 9
Fourth Grade
WINNER
AREA
TEACHER
Christopher Tuma
Reading
Matejka
Avery Pape
Reading
Matejka
Breanna Kulig
Math
Matejka
Melinda Aguilar
Math
Matejka
Brayden Crebo
Behavior
Matejka
Alan Hernandez Sandoval
Behavior
Matejka
Fifth Grade
WINNER
AREA
TEACHER
Kole Phillipson
Reading
Sonsalla
Bowen Prudlick
Reading
Sonsalla
Juana Esteban Diaz
Math
Sonsalla
Abagail Hicks
Math
Larson
Johnathon Fonstad
Math
Larson
Reading
Larson
Gabe Rombalski
EQUAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
NONDISCRIMINATION
The School District of Independence is committed and
dedicated to the task of providing the best education
possible for every child in the District for as long as the student can benefit from attendance, and the student’s
conduct is compatible with the welfare of the entire student body.
The right of a student to be admitted to school and to
participate fully in curricular, extra-curricular, student services, recreational or other programs or activities shall not
be abridged or denied or impaired because of a student’s sex, race, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, or
mental, physical, emotional or learning disability.
Nondiscrimination policies shall be printed in the student handbooks, teacher handbooks, and published annually in August in the Newsletter of the District and/or the
official newspaper of the District.
Concerns regarding alleged violations of policies affecting equal opportunity shall be referred to the following:
Title VI…………….District Administrator
Title IX…………….District Administrator
Section 504…………Exceptional Education
Coordinator or District Administrator
WANTED: Yearbook Pictures
The yearbook is in need of your help. If
you have fantastic pictures of our Indee
students playing a sport, having fun
cheering at a game, or just plain fun candid pictures, please submit them to Jennifer Steinke so that we have a lot of pictures to choose from for the yearbook this
year. We are looking for all ages 4KSeniors. Please remember that all high
school pictures will be considered for the
high school yearbook and all elementary
and middle school pictures will be considered for elementary/middle school yearbook. Please take and send pictures
throughout the school year. Please call
Jennifer Steinke if you have questions at
715-985-3172, ext 118 or via e-mail at
All School News
Western Dairyland RSVP Volunteers are taking on a new project devoted to providing
weekend food for children in need. Focusing
on our young people, we will provide lunches,
at no cost, for students to eat on non-school
days, such as weekends and holidays. Children
in the Independence School district and Independence Head Start locations will be participating in this project. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) recognizes the National
School Lunch program as the most efficient
and effective method of eliminating childhood
hunger and urges you to apply if your student
would benefit from free or reduced price
school meals. If your child would benefit from
receiving supplemental food for non-school
times, we welcome you to enroll in our RSVP
Weekend FOOD 4 KIDS Project. Enrollment
forms are available at all schools and at the
Western Dairyland RSVP office. This project is
available to all students up to 19 years of age.
There are no income guidelines to receive
weekend lunches, all children are eligible. General household information collected will remain confidential and be used for statistical
purposes only.
Food will be sent home with students on
Thursdays and can include food for all children
within the home. We deliver to all Independence schools and the Independence Head
Start Center which serves families from Arcadia,
Independence, Whitehall and Pigeon Falls.
Lunches vary each week, but a typical RSVP
Weekend FOOD 4 KIDS bag will include easy to
prepare meals, fruits, vegetables, string cheese,
trail mix or a granola bars.
This wonderful project is made possible by
RSVP volunteers and community donations. If
you’re interested in learning more about how
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you can become involved with the RSVP Weekend FOOD 4 KIDS Project please call. Volunteers are needed 1 to 2 hours per week on
Thursdays. We welcome and encourage you to
volunteer. Please contact our RSVP Volunteer
Coordinator at [email protected]
or
call
715-985-2391
ext.
205
[email protected] or call 715-985
-2391 ext. 232
Application Forms for the Weekend Food 4 Kids Program are available…
 On the school website under the community tab
 From your child’s teacher
 From student services
 From the main office
Mrs. Pyka sorting
through the food donations.
Public School Open Enrollment
for School Year 2014-15
The School District of Independence, in accordance with the Wisconsin open enrollment
law in sections 118.51 and 118.52 of the state
statutes, as created by 1997 Wisconsin Act 27,
will conduct an open enrollment process for
students wishing to attend school in a public
school district other than where they reside.
Certain limitations apply, definite time limits are
imposed, and certain rules must be followed in
the application process. The district office of
the School District of Independence has the instructions for parents in completing the application process, plus information and forms on the
application for transportation aid for which
some families will qualify if they are taking part
All School News/Sports
in the open enrollment process.
Again this year, the recommended means of
applying for Open Enrollment is through the online process at http://sms.dpi.wi.gov/sms_/
psctoc. The on-line application form will be
available from midnight February 3, 20143, until
4:00 p.m. on April 30, 2014. Paper applications
will not be accepted. It is recommended that
if you need help accessing the on-line Open
Enrollment application you call the school to
which you are enrolling and ask for assistance.
Any student attending a non-resident school
district under a “Tuition Waiver Due to a Move”
must apply for open enrollment in order to attend the nonresident district in the 2014-2015
school year.
Important dates relative to the process in
2014 are as follows:
 February 3 - April 30, 2014: Parents must apply online or get assistance at the nonresident school district in making the on-line application.
 June 6, 2014: Non resident school districts
must mail notification to parents about acceptance or rejection of their application.
Parents may appeal a rejection within 30
days of receiving the notice of denial.
 June 13, 2014: Resident school districts must
mail notification to parents if application is
denied. If the application is denied, parents
have 30 days to file an appeal.
 June 27, 2014: On or before this date, parents of the accepted applicants must notify
the nonresident school district whether the
student will attend that nonresident district
in the 2014-15 school year. If this notification
is not made, the student may not participate in open enrollment.
Contact information: Independence School
District main office: Marita Halama, Open Enrollment Contact for the School District of Independence, or Dr. Paul Vine, District Administrator,
23786 Indee Blvd, Independence, WI
54747 Phone number is(715) 985-3172 Ext 102.
Questions can also be directed to: the Department of Public Instruction: Mary Jo Cleaver,
Public School Open Enrollment Coordinator,
Page 11
PO Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841 (888-245
-2732.
Fall Awards Night 2013
*Bold letters are the Letter Winners
Football






Freshmen: Andrew Grulkowski, Dakota
Waletzko, Josh Conrad, Jonathan Warner,
Austin Matchey, Aaron Gierok, Blane Olson,
Bryan Morales, Nick Bangiorno, Hunter
Fedie, and Cody Blaha.
Sophomores: Cameron Bauer, Dylan Boland, Brennan Christianson, Steven Gamroth, Justin Gierok, Alex Grulkowski, and
Henry Pfaff
Juniors: Dylan Benish, John Bragger, Desmond Davis, Weston Gumbert, Nick Halama,
Dayton Keenan, Nick Koval, Cole Smieja,
Ace Whitwam, Austen Whitwam, Weston
Wierlein, Ben Woychik, and Alec Wozney
Seniors: Taylor Allen, Gunner Baldrige,
Mitchell Boland, Collin Koval , Jake Pientok,
Christian Ramos, Tyler Shay, and Cameron
Zeller
Most Improved: Weston Gumbert, Nick Koval
Most Valuable: Austen Whitwam
All Conference Team
Offense
 2nd Team All-Conference: Taylor Allen, Cameron Zeller, Ace Whitwam, and Mitchell Boland
 1st team All-Conference: Nick Koval and
Austen Whitwam
Defense
 Honorable Mention: Mitchell Boland
 2nd Team All-Conference: Taylor Allen and
Ace Whitwam
Sports
Page 12
Volleyball






Freshmen: Jackie Amador, Bailie Bautch,
Tayea Campbell, Olivia Conrad, Hannah
Halama, Sara Marsolek, Jazmin Nielsen,
Chelsea Rachal, Elizabeth Rivera, Hailey
Skroch, Darby Smieja, Barbara Suchla, and
Susan Thoma
Sophomores: Leslie Flores, Gina Gamroth,
Lupita Madrigal, Anna Skroch, and Morgan
Speltz
Juniors: Ana Esteban, Lacey Filla, Sara Filla,
Lizbeth Gonzalez, Emily Guza, Hillary Halama, and Kaitlynn Tuschner
Seniors: Andi Baecker, Caitlin Gamroth,
Emily Olson, and Erika Suchla
Most Improved: Lacey Filla, Erika Suchla
All Conference Team
Honorable Mention: Erika Suchla, Andi
Baecker, Emily Guza
Cross Country






Freshmen: Colton Bork
Sophomores: Tessa Bragger, Caitlyn
Cooper, Dustin Marsolek, Anna Schmidt,
Jordan Speltz, Nathan Warner, and Sophie
Woychik
Juniors: Desmond Nielsen and Chris Warner
Seniors: Matt Boland, Dakotah Bork, Drew
Christianson, Dalton Gamroth, Samantha
Glaunert, Katie Marsolek, and Mitchell
Warner
Most Improved: Nathan Warner, Sophie
Woychik
Most Valuable: Mitchell Warner, Christopher
Warner, Dakotah Bork
Cheerleading



Freshmen: Jackie Amador, Brittny Brown,
Olivia Conrad, Yulisma Garcia, Jaydin Guza,
Hannah Halama, Darby Smieja, Miranda
Stegerwald, and Susan Thoma
Sophomores: Tessa Bragger, Page Lieberman, Abby Przybilla, MaKayla Richards, Anna Schmidt, and Sophie Woychik
Seniors: Briana Richards
Cross Country Season Update
This 2013 Cross Country season started out
strong back in August, with a total of 16 runners
lacing up their shoes. The runners put in more
than 300 miles by the time our most important
meets came around at the end of October.
We had many new faces to the program,
which gives the team great hopes for the following seasons as we build a deeper roster.
Losing two senior girl runners, we were fortunate
to gain three new runners, which gave a us a
solid girls team that was able to score each
meet. We lost some great senior boy runners,
but we were able to add a few new faces, but
also bring back most of our varsity runners from
2012.
Both the girls and boys team were able to
score 4th in the Dairyland Conference this season. Although we had a very strong showing
throughout the season, unfortunately our season came to an end at Sectionals in Westby,
WI. Many of the runners had seasonal best
times or finishes, but none of our runners qualified for state. Chris Warner was the single runner that had his personal best performance at
Westby, and narrowly missed qualifying for
State by six places. This gives us even more motivation to work hard in the off seasons and prepare for the 2014 season.
In November, we had out Annual Fall Sports
Banquet to honor all the athletes and to recognize outstanding athletes from each team. This
year Dakotah Bork was the girls’ MVP runner because of her continued dedication and leadership throughout the season. Mitchell Warner
and Christopher Warner were nominated as Co
-MVP’s for the season because of the leadership, accountability and outstanding performances on the course. Christopher was the
top varsity runner for the Independence team
and one of the top runners in the Dairyland
Conference this season. Our Most Improved
Runners were Sophie Woychik and Nathan
Warner for their diligence to achieve their best
Sports/Clubs
performance each meet and remain dedicated to their running throughout the season.
Finally, thank you to the Independence
School District for their support in hosting the
program this season. Thank you to the office
staff and athletic director for all the behind the
scenes work this season. Lastly, thank you to
the parents and athletes for your continued
support this season! We look forward to the
2014 season!
Page 13
the highest score in music, and Hailey Skroch
achieved the highest score in art. It was a balanced attack from the team with everyone
contributing to our overall score. Congratulations to the team and thank you for all your
hard work and efforts this fall.
Darin M. Gray
Academic Decathlon Advisor
L to R): Back Row: Mitchell Speltz, Mitchell Warner,
Ben Woychik, Dustin Marsolek, Hailey Skroch
Front: Dayton Keenan, Christopher Warner,
Alex Truog
Academic Decathlon
Competition
After ten weeks of preparation, the Academic Decathlon team traveled to MelroseMindoro High School on November 12th for
their local competition.
They competed
against four other teams: two teams from Sparta and two teams from Melrose-Mindoro. The
team completed examinations in the subjects
of math, social science, language & literature,
art, music, and economics. Team members included: Mitchell Warner, Mitchell Speltz, Christopher Warner, Ben Woychik, Dayton Keenan,
Alex Truog, Dustin Marsolek, and Hailey Skroch.
Mitchell Warner was the top scorer on the
team, acquiring the team-high scores in the
subjects of language & literature and economics. Alex Truog tallied the team’s highest score
in social science while Dustin Marsolek scored
the highest in math. Dayton Keenan recorded
National Honor Society
In the fall of each school year the Independence National Honor Society chapter
selects its’ new members for the current school
year. The students who are eligible based on
grade point average of 10.0 receive a letter
inviting them to apply to become a member of
the Independence National Honor Society for
the current school year. In order to apply the
students need to complete an application form
that is based upon the following aspects
“Scholarship, Leadership, Character, and Service,” which are the main pillars of the National
Honor Society. The application consists of the
following tasks: describing their leadership positions in both the school and outside community, volunteer/service work they have participated in, extracurricular activities that they belong
to, and a written description describing why
they feel they should be a member of the
Club
National Honor Society here at Independence
High School.
Once students have finished their application the teaching staff at the Independence
High School assesses each application. The
teaching staff assesses the applications based
on the students’ “Scholarship, Leadership, Character, and Service” as the applicants need to
score high in each category. Once the staff
members have completed this there is an all
staff meeting in which the final members are
selected. The students are then notified of their
acceptance verbally.
For the current 2013-2014 school year the following students were accepted into the National Honor Society: Drew Christianson, Cody
Kabus, Dalton Gamroth, Hillary Halama, Sara
Filla, Chirstopher Warner, and Cameron Zeller.
L to R): Cameron Zeller, Drew Christianson,
Christopher Warner, Dalton Gamroth,
Hillary Halama, Sara Filla
They were welcomed by Katie Marsolek, Dakotah Bork, Mitchell Warner, and Emily Olson,
which were accepted in the 2012-2013 school
year. The members of National Honor Society
are required to attend monthly meetings in
which we discuss various aspects and service
work to be completed in the community. In
addition to the meetings the National Honor
Society members participate in a variety of service or volunteer projects within the community. Such service activities include: hosting the
lunch-in for the Veterans Day Ceremony, highway clean up, aiding at the choir holiday concert, volunteering at the reading outreach
night, and various other service projects
Page 14
throughout the year. Congratulations to all
new members of the 2013-2014 school year.
National FFA Convention
L to R): Ben Marsolek, Kaitlynn Tuschner,
Andrew Woychik, Matthew Boland, Sara Filla
The Independence FFA sent five delegates
to the 84th National FFA Convention held in Louisville, Kentucky. October 30 thru November
2nd. Andrew Woychik, Matt Boland, Kaitlynn
Tuschner, Sara Filla, and Ben Marsolek served as
chapter delegates. Black-River Falls, Arcadia,
Whitehall, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, Cochrane
-Fountain City, Alma Center, and Blair-Taylor
were local schools also sending chapter delegates.
Highlights for this year’s group included attending the nation’s 3rd Largest Career Show,
Rodeo, and Keynote speaker Rick Pitino, coach
of the 2013 Division 1 Basketball National
Champion team. The group also toured the
Louisville Slugger museum and factory, as well
as learned about geology and Earth formation
at Mammoth Cave. Senior Andrew Woychik
said it was a “trip of a lifetime…and glad I had
the opportunity to attend this experience.”
Clubs/Academic News
Page 15
ECO Big Buck Team Contest
Winners
District Begins Process To Revise
Long Term Goals
The Independence Environmental Conservation Organization (ECO) recently put on their
7th annual "Big Buck Team Contest". This year,
with a $2 entry fee, students were paired randomly with other contestants to compete for
"bragging rights" in the harvesting of a big
buck. Contestant's combined team score, according to Boone and Crocket gross scoring,
were recognized and any successful buck
hunter earned additional chances to win prizes
in a random participation drawing at the conclusion of the 9-day gun deer season. With
over $200 in donated prizes from local business,
most contestants walked away with a prize. I
would like to thank all of the local business listed
below that sponsored this event and congratulate Isaac Pape and Andrew Grulkowski as this
year's Big Buck Contest Winners.
In November and December the board of
education discussed next steps to revise and
update the long term goals for the District. At
the December 4th regular meeting the board
approved Carl Duley, Buffalo County UW Extension agricultural agent, to facilitate the process.
Mr. Duley is a member of the UW Extension
Strategic Planning teaching team. He has facilitated long range plans for the Cochrane Cooperative Telephone, Garden Valley Cooperative, Wisconsin Agri-Business Association, along
with many other profit and non-profit groups. In
exchange for his services the district has
agreed to make a donation, of not more than
$1500, to Mr. Duley’s professional development
fund through the UW Extension department.
The long range planning process will be a 612 month process involving community and
staff. The purpose will be to identify and plan
around fundamental long range issues that will
affect the mission, purpose, and values of the
organization.
The board will meet with Mr. Duley in early
January to develop a timeline for the process.
If interested in participating please contact
board president, Joe Bragger at 715-985-2314
or District administrator, Paul Vine at 715-9853172 Ext. 104.
Independence Lumber, Indee Mini Mart,
Bushy's Meat Market, Troy's Gas and Grub,
Pietrek's Service Station, Independence ECO,
Holtan's Sports Shop
Indee PTO 2006-2013
L to R): Andrew Grulkowski, Ben Marsolek, Nick
Halama, Ace Whitwam, Barbara Suchla, Caitlyn
Cooper, Austen Whitwam, Sara Filla, Steven Gamroth, Dakota Waletzko, Dayne Keenan
As school budgets tightened and special
programming that enhanced education were
lost a small group of Independence parents
formed a Parent Teacher Organization in 2006.
Their efforts along with the help of many contributions of time, materials, and money from district parents, teachers, and the elementary
principal paved the way for many opportunities
for our students.
Academic News
The PTO funded, facilitated, and supported
things such as:
 8 Children's Theater Productions
 $5000 donation for upgrades to the stage
sound system
 Afterschool enrichment classes
 Artist in Residency Projects
 Family Movie Nights
 Family Reading Nights
 Classroom Donations for instructional materials and field trips
 Playhouse
 Variety Show
Most important, however was not the monetary value of these things or events. It was the
power and positive impact on our children
when they see parent involvement and support
for their school. The PTO has given parents the
opportunity to be involved and contribute to
the betterment of their child's school. Many
parents did so by attending a meeting, making
a donation, or contributing their time.
Its last contributions are being made to support current initiatives to better our school including:
 A donation to classrooms to support Positive
Behavior Supports
 Elementary Leadership/Indee Pride yard
signs
 Independence involvement in Mississippi
Valley Gifted and Talented Programming
 Post Prom
L to R): Linda McConnell, Jeff Ruhland, Leah Matchey,
Paul Vine, Sandy Susa
Page 16
Our students and our schools need parent
and community involvement like never before
and there are many ways to make a difference. Our PTO leadership members will continue to actively support our school
and we
hope all of our parents will seek out and create
opportunities to support their child’s education.
Never underestimate the power of a few
committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.-Margaret Mead
Satisfying Experiences of Hosting
an International Student
Hosting an International Exchange Student
offers you the opportunity to host a teenager
from another country for a semester or academic year. By opening your heart and home
you will take the first step towards helping to
build a more understanding global community.
In doing so you offer your family an unique experience which will positively impact your future. The benefits include:
 Cross-cultural experience, knowledge and
understanding of another culture and language
 A new family member; child, brother or sister
 A renewed look at the American life-style as
you share it with your new family member.
 The gift of loving a child from another country
What are your responsibilities?
 Room and board
 Some transportation
 Guidance and assistance to your new family member and helping them to adapt to
the American lifestyle
What is your student’s responsibility?
 Sufficient command of the English language
to succeed on the academic program
 Sound academic history in their home country
 A minimum of $250 a monthly spending
money
 Medical and accident insurance
Academic News/Ads
Page 17
Successful level of maturity to complete the
program
What is my responsibility as a coordinator?
 Attend trainings on how to assist you and
the student should any conflict arise
 Regular contact with you, the student and
the high school
 Available 24 hours a day for questions or
conflicts should they arise
Providing someone with the opportunity to
live and learn in another country is very special.
There are not enough things we can do which
have such a lifelong impact. I hope you will get
involved in bridging the world’s cultures, one
friendship at a time by hosting a student. For

NOTICE OF SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION
(§.120.06(6)(b), Wis. Stats.)
NOTICE IS HERBY GIVEN to qualified electors of the Independence School District that a School Board election
will be held on Tuesday, April 1, 2014, to elect school
board members to the seats currently held by Bob Guza
and Charles Walek for the at-large positions whose terms
expire in April 2014. The incumbents are eligible for reelection. The term of office of this School Board member is
three years, beginning May 7, 2014.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that any qualified elector
desiring to be a candidate for this position on the school
board shall file a Declaration of Candidacy at the Independence School District Office, 23786 Indee Blvd, Independence, WI not earlier than Monday, December 2,
2013 and not later than Tuesday, January 7, 2014 between
the hours of 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM Monday thru Friday. The
forms may be mailed to the address noted above or filed
personally with the school district clerk prior to 4:00 PM on
Tuesday, January 7, 2014.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that if a primary is necessary,
the primary will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2014.
A description of the school district boundaries can be
obtained from the district office.
Dated this 2nd day of November, 2013.
Leah Matchey, Clerk
We Appreciate Your Support!
Please continue collecting for our school. The money
earned goes towards field trips for students in grades
4K through eighth grade. We are also using the money right now to help supply those in need with winter
apparel. Items that you can collect and bring to
school include:










Box Tops
Milk Caps
Donuts to Dough
Computer Ink Cartridges
Target Take Charge of Education
Pop Tabs
Campbells Soup Labels
Office Depot Back to Schools Program
Our Town Receipts
Cans for Kids
Scholarships
Page 18
Scholarships
Page 19
Scholarships
Page 20
Upcoming Events
Page 22
Upcoming Events
Page 23
SCHOOL CLOSING DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
School District of Independence
2013-2014
**********************************************************************
School Closings will also be posted on the Independence School District webpage
and Facebook page, as well as a voicemail delivered to all families.
ANNOUNCEMENTS WILL BE MADE ON THE FOLLOWING STATIONS:
Whitehall
102.3 FM
Winona
KWNO 1230AM
KG Country 1380AM
KG-95.3FM
CD Country99.3FM
Soft Rock 101.1 FM
www.wlcr.com
Eau Claire
LaCrosse
CARP 99.9FM
WKTY 580AM
I-94 94.1FM
WIZM 1410AM
WAXX 104.5FM
Z93 93.3FM
WAYY 790AM
WKBT TV 8
COOL 92.9FM
WTRV 95.7 FM 89.9
Z-100 100.7FM
CC 106.3
WEAU TV 13
MAGIC 105 104.9
ESPN 1150AM
EAGLE 102.7
B-95 95.1 FM
Classic Rock 100.1
ROCK 92.1 FM
ESPN 105.5
News Talk 880 AM
WLFN 1490 AM
Sports Radio 1400 AM
WQOW TV 18
Moose Country 106.7 FM
The Mix 98.1 FM
www.CC1063.com
www.lacrosseradiogroup.net
The monthly newsletter of
Independence, WI 54747
Black River Falls
WWIS 99.7FM
Tomah
WZFR 94.5FM
WTMB 1490 AM
Eden Prairie, MN
KMSP 9
www.indps.k12.wi.us
Standard Mail
Non-Profit
Organization
US Postage
PAID
Independence, WI
54747
Boxholder
Independence, WI 54747
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Newsletter - Independence School District

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