Teachers/Canoe Club

Spring Spotlight

Over the years, many teachers and staff have influenced students over the course of its 119 years. Here are interviews of 5 teachers and staff members to find out more about their thoughts, hobbies, and backgrounds. Interviews were collected by the editors of The Pilot.

Ms. Rasmussen

“Avengers! Assemble? No, I will do you one better. Alumni! Assemble!” The 2021-2022 school year has seen the return of many alumni from recent years such as Mrs. Uttech from the class of 1994, Mr. Fink from the class of 2015, and Ms. Leverence from 2016. Ms. Abby Rasmussen is one of many alumni on that list. In fact, Ms. Rasmussen graduated from Wisco in 2012, so our high school culture is nothing new for her. During an interview, she said that she likes to work in a Christian surrounded environment such as Wisco. Ms. Rasmussen joined the WLHS Mission Advancement Team in September 2020, but before working at WLHS, Ms. Rasmussen worked as a digital marketer for Kohl’s Corporation in Wisconsin. Also, she has been the choreographer for Wisco Kids since 2018. Many people could say that she knows Wisco inside and out. Ms. Rasmussen has a bullmastiff named Frank, and in the future, she wants to visit Italy for the wonderful cuisine and beautiful attractions. Just like Ms. Rasmussen and Mr. Fink, Wisco will always open its door to welcome alumni who will want to train the next generation.

Mr. Zeitler

Wisco’s strength and conditioning coach, Mr. Zeitler was raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin and attended Mt. Calvary Grade School. He is a returning Wisco alumni as he graduated in 2014. At Wisco, Mr. Zeitler enjoys forming friendly relationships with the students and helping them achieve their athletic goals. According to Mr. Zeitler, his first semester here at Wisco “could not have gone better.” Additionally, Mr. Zeitler explained that in his free time, he likes to lift stones and pull trains when he can.

Mrs. Hanson

Mrs. Hanson grew up in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin and attended St. John’s in Lannon throughout grade school. After, she spent her high school years at Wisco and would later return to serve the school once more; however, 2022 is not the first year Mrs. Hanson has been working at Wisco. Ever since October of 2020, Mrs. Hanson, has been working as Wisco’s Graphic Design and Digital Media Specialist within the Communications Department in Mission Advancement. Her first semester at Wisco, although busy creating lots of graphics, was still very exciting. She did not need much time to adjust to the environment since she had graduated from the school in the years prior. In her free time, Mrs. Hanson enjoys spending time with friends and family, hiking, dancing, and taking photos.

Mrs. Livingston

Mrs. Livingston, a 2005 Wisco alumni, was also very excited to come back to her high school to serve the students and staff. Mrs. Livingston attended North Trinity Lutheran Grade School and currently attends church at St. Lucas in Kewaskum. For her, the first semester, though busy, gave her a chance to start a different approach to teaching in a practical arts class. When outside of school, Mrs. Livingston likes to play sports, go kayaking, and camping. At her home, she enjoys reading, cooking, and painting her house that is around 100 years old.

Mrs. Lautz

Mrs. Lautz grew up going to St. Pauls in Howards Grove and then Manitowoc Lutheran for High School. She enjoys playing and watching different sports, and likes to cook. Besides her love for spending time with her family, Mrs. Lautz describes relationships here as “just a family feel among students and staff.” Her first semester went well, and she mentions how great it was getting to know all of her students and seeing the different events and activities that take place. One of Mrs. Lautz’s favorite characteristics about Wisco is the “Christ Centered Mentality,” something that we all strive for.

Ms. Rasmussen Mr. Zeitler Mrs. Hanson Mrs. Livingston Mrs. Lautz

Wisco’s Canoe Club

by Hope Larabee

Each year, new organizations at Wisco have been formed such as the Kindness Crew and the Wisco Trap and Skeet Team. In addition, the Canoe Club is another recently-founded club that has already been meeting and working on their projects together. What exactly does this club entail? The members within the club, led by Mr. Ricke, all work together to build a canoe from scratch while learning many new skills as they do so. The process of building a canoe includes crafting the two halves, combining them, and then coating each part with fiberglass. The process may appear to be only for the advanced, but Nathan Kugler (‘25) has something different to say about that. “Canoe Club is a club anyone can join. You don’t need that much experience because we have some club members that can teach you as we work on it.” The club has benefits besides learning how to build canoes. When working around others who share similar interests, people start to form friendships. “When I first started [in the Canoe Club] I had one friend there, and then it went from two, three, four until the entire club got to know each other. That’s the best part of any club; you get some new friends. Everyone in the Canoe Club always has a good laugh no matter what,” says Kugler.

Moreover, the club has helped members develop better thinking skills as well. “They have learned to problem solve and adjust planning to fit unique situations outside their realm of experience. Most of all, they are learning that if you are willing to work you can accomplish some pretty cool goals along with being proud of what you have done. The work is not perfect, but the finished project will be praiseworthy, says Mr. Ricke. Some of the biggest accomplishments made by the club members is having completed a 20’ long cedar and redwood canoe. “It will be easy to get to Portage because it breaks down into two halves and will accommodate 6 paddlers,” describes Mr. Ricke. When asked what the slogan of the club would be if it had one, Mr. Ricke responded by saying, “It’s not a church,” meaning that you don’t have to be perfect within every single step of the woodworking process. In spring, when the canoe is finished, every member will have the chance to go down to the Wisconsin River on May 20 and 21 with their canoe in order to test it out on the water as a reward for their hard work.

If you are interested in joining the club, contact markricke@wlhs.org.