REEL REEL

In the fall, Eisenhower sophomore Jack Bretzmann scored one goal in the state semifinals against Wisconsin Dells and one in the Division 3 finale against Notre Dame as the Lions earned a pair of 1-0 state tournament victories and claimed the first boys soccer title in school history.

A few weeks earlier, Faith Wehrman became the first runner in New Berlin schools history to win a WIAA cross country state championship. The Eisenhower sophomore finished the Division 2 run in 18 minutes, 14.8 seconds, 10 seconds better than the runner-up, capping an historic season.

Eisenhower’s Ava Meyer and Maia Samuelson notched an historic victory at the WIAA Division 2 State Tennis Tournament. Making their third straight state tournament appearance, the pair of seniors improved to 33-2 on the season with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph in the title match. Previously, no other SDNB tennis player – boys or girls – had ever won the state tournament.

But that’s not all. New Berlin West fell one win shy of playing in the state football championship game but not before rattling off three thrilling playoff victories to advance further in the postseason than any other Vikings team since 1988.

This winter, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay basketball recruit and West senior Meghan Schultz set two school records; she now sits atop West’s career scoring and rebounding leaderboard.

And last month, the Eisenhower dance team claimed its fourth consecutive dual state championship, winning the Division 2 Jazz and Division 4 pom competitions at the Wisconsin Association of Cheer/Pom Coaches state meet in La Crosse.

“Everyone is talking about it and thinking about it and realizing its importance,” said Dr. Kellie Sanders, the SDNB’s chief academic officer. “We are all learning and growing together. It’s a big change for our teachers, but they have our support and we all believe we’re doing the right thing.” There are short-term wins worth celebrating. The knowledge-based reading curriculum has elementary students learning - and reading! - about new and exciting things. For example, kindergarteners have had units on plants, farms and Native Americans, and are using “giant vocabulary words they are so excited about,” said Mrs. Hurab, the Poplar Creek kindergarten teacher.

“The learning and engagement is much higher,” said Elmwood’s Mrs. Call. “And I’m better able to understand if they are struggling with the knowledge or the reading skill. Overall, it’s going really well.” And she should know. Her class alone saw a 75 percent growth in reading from the fall to the winter. That’s understandably a small sample size and just one example, but it highlights what is possible moving forward. (Note: administration was to share winter testing updates with the School Board after this publication’s deadline).

“It’s not always easy to admit when something isn’t working the way you want it to, and change can be difficult,” said Garza. “But we’ve jumped headfirst into these new reading strategies because our students, families and community expect and deserve better.”