1/23/2020 Verona Press

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Verona Press The

Thursday, January 23, 2020 • Vol. 55, No. 36 • Verona, WI • Hometown USA • ConnectVerona.com • $1.25

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Each other’s ears

Verona Area School District

Verona girls bond over shared rare form of hearing loss NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

Photo by Kimberly Wethal

Jeanette Newberry, the first graduate of the high school Grow Your Own program, works with Abigail Beyler on her math assignment at Sugar Creek Elementary School earlier this month.

Grow where you’re planted ‘Grow Your Own’ program offers financial, moral support to educators KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

J

eanette Newberry knew teaching was the right career for her after she spent a semester in an adaptive physical education class at Verona Area High School. She mentored students with special needs in that class, something she had seen the value of first-hand as the younger sister of a person born with a disability. The 2015 graduate had always wanted to be a part of that for other children but wasn’t sure she could afford a college degree.

“You just grew to love the kids so much,” she said. “I just knew I wanted to keep doing this.” As the first graduate of the high school track of the Verona Area School District’s Grow Your Own partnership with Edgewood College, Newberry got her education for free. It was a bonus, she said, that the program is from the university she wanted to attend. Newberry graduated from Edgewood in December and finished her student teaching assignment at Sugar Creek Elementary School last Friday. The high school track allows up to two students from a graduating class to

attend Edgewood with all tuition costs covered by the district. In return, they agree to come back to teach for at least four years. It’s had nine students attend so far. The other track pays for tuition and books for current district staff to get their teaching licenses at any accredited college. It has had 32 participants across the district. The district started the Grow Your Own program as a way to “stop admiring the problem” of a lack of diversity in its teaching staff, district human resources coordinator Jason Olson said. The district has a higher percentage

Turn to Grow/Page 12

Two Verona girls, who first became friends as neighbors, have since had their bond solidified under remarkable circumstances – sharing the same rare form of hearing loss. Addie Hammes and Ellie Neuman are neighbors in the city, living just a few houses apart. Both girls’ families moved to Verona in 2017. One of the girls, Hammes, was born with unilateral hearing loss. Neuman later developed the condition after an illness. Now, the two girls share more than friendship. Both girls attend Core Knowledge Charter School, with Addie in third grade and Ellie in second grade.

Ellie was diagnosed with unilateral hearing loss in December 2018 after American Family Children’s Hospital doctors found a mass behind her ear bone, which caused nerve damage and ultimately left her without the ability to hear in that ear. At first, doctors told the Neuman family that Ellie’s hearing loss wasn’t permanent; however, after follow-up MRIs, a specialist told them that Ellie’s hearing would not return. Following Ellie’s diagnosis, her teachers began to use the Roger Focus microphone system, which works like an FM radio – sending her teachers’ voices directly into her good ear via a wireless receiver worn behind the ear. Addie had been the only user of the system previously. Teachers can also remove the wireless microphone and

Turn to Loss/Page 3

A second chance to star VACT to hold auditions for its first seniors-only production NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

People in their golden years will be able to steal the spotlight in an upcoming Verona Area Community Theater show. VACT will present its first seniors-only show, “ T h e M u s i c M a n S r. ,” May 15-17. The senior show will be a shortened version of the 1957 Tony

If You Go What: “Music Man Sr.” auditions When: 6-9 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 30 Where: Verona Area Community Theater Building, 103 Lincoln St. Info: Call 332-7991 award-winning Broadway classic musical and will feature a cast of performers ages 55 and older. Since its founding in 1992, VACT has produced

Turn to VACT/Page 5

City of Verona

Second fire chief search down to 2 Interim chief, candidate from Pennsylvania will hold public Q&A

And just as it did last director Mitch Weckerly time, the Police and Fire told the Press on TuesCommission has asked day, Jan. 21. both to give presentaMachotka has been with the department tions to the public, set for 6 p.m. Feb. 4, before since 2010, when it JIM FEROLIE holding panel interviews was still under the conVerona Press editor with them. trol of the Verona Joint Dan Machotka Fire District, and has The finalists are Vero- Matt Arnold Almost three months after a city comserved as VFD’s training na interim fire chief Dan mission rejected its first round of candi- Machotka and York (Pennsylvania) Area officer, a lieutenant and deputy chief. dates for the open fire chief position, it United Fire and Rescue EMT battalion has two new finalists. chief Matt Arnold, city human resources Turn to Chief/Page 3

The Brothers Four They have played thousands of college concerts, sung for U.S. Presidents, countless community concerts, and symphony orchestras. Truly “Americas Musical Ambassadors to the World.”

Saturday, February 15, 2020 7:30 pm Verona Area High School PAC

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The

Verona Press

Photo by Kimberly Wethal

From right, Jonas (Owen Seghal) learns what the color “red” is from The Giver (Donavon Armbruster) during the Verona Area Community Theater’s performance of “The Giver” on Saturday, April 6.

300 Richard St.

Verona Area Performing Arts Series

Tickets available at: www.vapas.org, State Bank of Cross Plains-Verona, Capitol Bank-Verona or 848-2787


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