Inside this edition:
March 2016
• Middle Schoolers Get A Taste of the Spotlight • Board of Education Candidate Profiles • Board of Education Candidate Forum • Author Visits Inspire Students & Staff • Kindergarten and Preschool Enrollment • Tom Juran Named Teacher of the Year • Engaged in Excellence!
Middle Schoolers Get A Taste of the Spotlight Over 250 middle school students performed to packed houses as Elmbrook’s renowned fine arts program showcased two musicals at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center this winter. Following months of rehearsals, Wisconsin Hills students performed Mulan Jr., while Pilgrim Park’s students presented Beauty and the Beast Jr. There are many middle schools who perform annual musicals, but few have the opportunity to perform in front of 600 people on a 2,000 square foot professional stage.
Above: WHMS Mulan Jr. At Left: PPMS Beauty and the Beast Jr.
First-year Pilgrim Park music teacher and Beauty and The Beast Jr. director, David Michels, said he was in awe of the work ethic and the amount of growth displayed by our students. “Knowing they would be performing at the Wilson Center elevated the intensity and commitment of the cast and crew during rehearsals, and I was extremely proud of their performances.” While for some students it was their first time performing in such a large production, others relied on their previous experience in elementary school. “By the time our students reach middle school,” said WHMS Principal Lisa Rettler, “they may have already performed three or four music concerts and a musical at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center during their Elmbrook elementary experience.” Rettler continued, “We are proud of our students’ interest and passion in musical and theater performance in collaboration with our parents. Our community’s support for the arts is truly second to none.”
Message from the Superintendent What does it mean to be engaged in excellence? To our students it means being recognized among the best in the Mark Hansen, Superintendent nation as Presidential Scholars, as state placewinners in Swimming, learning from award-winning authors, and performing on the professional stage of the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center. To our staff members, engaged in excellence represents service, commitment, and dedication which often leads to recognition by community and state organizations. To our school board it demands leadership in governance and service to the community, most recently demonstrated through the creation of the Enrollment Balancing Task Force and charge to address the surge in student enrollments at two of our elementary schools. Thank you to all who engage in excellence every day on behalf of our students. It is truly what makes our school district and community great!