Pilot Winter 2016

Volume 22 Issue 2

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Teacher Issue 2016

Welcome Teachers God’s blessings to Wisco revealed through new faculty and staff.

By Delilah Trempala, Grace Albrecht and Sabrina Wocelka

Principal Leyrer This year Mr. Leyrer has taken the place of former principal, Mr. Goede. Mr. Leyrer is excited to work with the students and faculty at Wisconsin Lutheran High School.

Currently, Mr. Leyrer lives in Glendale with his wife, but he was born in Illinois, and then grew up in Wisconsin. He and his wife have four children, whom are adults now. Mr. Leyrer is grateful that all of them had the blessing of Christian education from pre-school on.

For a time, Mr. Leyrer considered journalism because he loved reading literature and writing. Some of his favorites types of literature are journalistic forms such as columns and editorials; however, he loves reading novels, too.

In the end Mr. Leyrer chose to prepare for the teaching ministry.

His family heavily influenced his decision because his father, grandfather, brothers, and many of his relatives had also entered the ministry. He believes that “working in the ministry is important.” Therefore, Mr. Leyrer was ready to start his new journey in the field of ministry.

He also attended UW Whitewater

for graduate school.

Before coming to serve as the principal of Wisco, Mr Leyrer served as the principal of Siloah Lutheran School. Mr. Leyrer says that he faced a difficult decision on whether or not to come to Wisco, “It took a lot of prayer and asking God for a sense of where I should serve.”

He says he had to trust in God to guide him. He has been in the ministry for 36 years as a teacher and a principal. He said that this year has been big learning curve for him, but he is thankful for “good, supportive patient people.”

Here at Wisco, Mr. Leyrer has important tasks to accomplish.

He works in administration where he must report school information to the school board and the government. However, he has some experience in this field since he has been on the Wisco School board in the past. Plus, he has much help from his fellow co-workers in the main office. In addition, he oversees the teachers and faculty. Even though he must be a leader among the faculty, he hopes to get to know each of them personally. However, he admits that “it is hard trying to remember the names of so many students and teachers.” For the present he says it will be his policy “to observe and listen, so that we can continually improve our school.”

Furthermore, Mr. Leyrer was quite impressed that Wisco

is so “Christ-centered” and diverse.

He loves the chapel services and the ministry of teaching and enriching the spiritual lives of the students.

Mr. Leyrer believes that “every place is important to God,” whether it be working or going to school. He believes “that every student should strive to be a discerning person,” and he is excited to see how Wisco will help students’ faiths to grow and help to prepare them for their next steps in life.

SPECIAL THANKS Photos by: Delilah Trempala, Chen Xu, and Diante Johnson Cover by: Sabrina Wocelka, Delilah Trempala, and Grace Albrecht

Teacher Issue 2016

Mr. Ricke “The Younger” As the Director of Residential Life, Mr. Ricke is coach to 26 international students and 6 House Parents (those who host the international students) in academic, social, and spiritual matters. He also teaches Introduction and Foundations to Christianity and Heritage of our Faith. One of his goals for the international program is to “offer a safe, comfortable, and structured living environment for students from around the world.” Another goal is to promote the sharing of American

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and foreign cultures, so that all students involved in the program are able to learn from exposure to new things.

Most of Wisco’s international students come from Asia. This is because families from Asia value an American education. However, Mrs. Goldschmidt, the Director of International Students, is currently working on attracting more students from other countries.

Mr. Ricke makes a considerable effort to expose the international students to American culture. Since he lived and taught in Beijing, China for four years, he has plenty of experience with

3 both cultures. The students are to required to participate in at least 16 fun activities, 6 volunteer activities, and 8 school-sponsored events. For example, in October the students spent a weekend at Camp Phillip.

Wisco is fortunate to have such a gifted and caring Director of Residential Life for the International students and the school!

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Mrs. Burroughs “When I was younger, I never expected I’d work at the same place as my parents,” says Mrs. Burroughs. “It’s been a huge blessing. I enjoy eating lunch with my mom and being able to stop and talk with my dad.” Mrs. Burroughs is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ross and, along with her father, is a returning teacher at Wisco.

Mrs. Burroughs has returned to Wisco as the Commons supervisor; however, when she served here before, she was a tutor in the Extended Learning

graders.

Mrs. Burroughs says that Wisco is a great place to work. She believes the best thing about Wisco is that “God is constantly providing for and blessing the school in many ways.”

Her favorite Bible passage is also her confirmation verse--Romans 8:28. She finds it very encouraging because it tells her that she does not have to worry about anything, God will give her strength. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Mr. Ross Center (ELC). Mrs. Burroughs loves helping others succeed; therefore, if assistance is needed for homework, Mrs. Burroughs is a good source to go to for help. Other than being an optimistic person, Mrs. Burroughs enjoys music, eating at different restaurants, art, and is a good seamstress. Also, she loves to travel. One of her most memorable and impressionable trips was when she went to China for a year to teach English to first

Mr. Ross has also returned to supervise our student body. He is officially a retired teacher, but he thinks of his time at Wisco to be like a part-time job. Mr. Ross serves as a supervisor in the Steward’s Lab, study hall, and the Extended Learning Center.

Mr. Ross was born in Minnesota and lived there until he was 11 years old. Although he was born in a different state, he is still a proud

Teacher Issue 2016

Packers and Brewers fan; Wisconsin pride all the way! He is married to Mrs. Ross, and they have six children, two of which (the oldest and the youngest) graduated from Wisco. He is also a member at Mt. Lebanon Lutheran Church. For 9 years, Mr. Ross was a full time teacher at Wisco. He taught math, and coached basketball and track, and now he is back to supervise. He also likes helping with basketball games by doing things like working the scoreboard. He simply cannot think of a passage of the Bible that he likes best because there are so many meaningful passages.

Mr. Ross loves seeing the students involved in so many activities. He also loves the fact that the students at Wisco are getting a Christian education and that both teachers and students are able to share and teach Jesus’ love. “It’s a big privilege that we have,” said Mr. Ross.

The Wisco family thanks Mr. Ross and Mrs. Burroughs for the time, dedication, and passion they have given Wisco over the past years. Their contributions and impact on this school make it what it is today, and for that, the student body also gives their thanks.

Teacher Issue 2016

Mr. Lindner Mr. Lindner is no stranger to Wisco, in fact, he is a WLHS alumni.

He graduated from Wisco in 2011 and was involved in NHS, football, basketball, and Student Council during his high school career. He is now attending Martin Luther College where he will soon graduate; however, he has been called to Wisco for a one year emergency call. He loves all types of sports; especially basketball, of which he played for three years in college. As an only child, Mr. Lindner spent a lot of time with friends. Today he enjoys catching up with friends who are also Wisco graduates.

Mr. Lindner says that the reason he wants to become a teacher is to “make a difference in students lives. There is no greater feeling than being able to tell kids how much God loves them.” Mr. Lindner also says that his eighth grade teacher and Pastor were big influences in his career choice and he has wanted to become a teacher since grade school. During the summer, he helped with Wisco’s Summer Academy Program which helps incoming freshmen get prepared for high school. Because of his experience, he was asked to serve at Wisco for a one year emergency call because of the large freshman class. He is very excited to be here now, but he will go back to finish up his final year at MLC after this school year is over.

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Mr. Lindner teaches freshmen Religion and English. “I want to make my classes enjoyable for the students. I love to have fun and joke around,” he says, thinking of his own good memories from high school. He expected most of Wisco to be the same from when he was a student and says that “Not too much has changed.”

His days of being a student here have influenced Mr. Lindner in many ways. For example, he used to play sports here, and now he coached freshmen football and is currently coaching girl’s basketball after school. When asked to share some friendly advice with the student body, Mr. Lindner gladly obliged saying, “Enjoy your time here; take advantage of all the amazing people. Get involved and don’t be afraid to take a chance!”

Mr. Lindner shares that “At first, it was difficult because of my age, since some people thought I was a student. But now, everything is going well, and I love being here.”

He also shares that he used to be very nervous about talking in front of people, but that has changed now with experience and practice. He admits that the biggest challenge he faces is managing his time, and he “didn’t realize how much effort all of my teachers here had put in.” Even though at times it has been difficult, Mr. Lindner says,“I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.”

While being a teacher is not an easy task, he explains that it is easier because of all the great people willing to help. “It’s definitely rewarding. There are so many teachers who have taken time out of their busy schedules to help me,” he ex-

plains. Also, he wants to thank the Wisco family for being so welcoming and providing so much help to him. He says, “It’s so awesome to be able to come back to my school and be in this culture again.” The student body welcomes Mr. Lindner to Wisco for what will be an amazing and exciting new year!

EDITORS Amber Perez Editor-in-Chief

Landon Lehr

Chief Layout Editor

Delilah Trempala Business Manager

Chen Xu

Layout Editor

Mia Walker Feature Editor

Grace Albrecht Feature Editor

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Teacher Issue 2016

The WLHS Pilot

Teacher Relationships Mr. & Mrs. Goede

How God Blessed them: “Allowing us to be married to our best friend.”

Pastor & Mrs. Becker

Mr. & Mrs. Festerling

Spending Time together: “We love spending time remodeling the house and doing things with family.”

How is he: “He is a humble man who loves Jesus with all his heart.

He loves his family greatly.”

Advice for students: “Pray about your relationships and keep God at Advice for students: “If you want to get married, find someone who the center.”

-- Mrs. Goede puts the LORD first and you do the same.”

Where they met: “We met in the -- Pastor Becker lower lobby of Wisco during our sophomore year. For the most part, Advice for students: “Put your Lord first in everything and be a we have been together ever since.” good listener and communicator.”

How God Blessed them: “We both Where they met: “We met at a get to come to the same school each day and do what we love to do party when we were in college.”

-- Mrs. Becker -- teach young Christians.”

-- Mr. Goede

Advice for students: “Stay close to Jesus. He won’t leave you, don’t leave him!”

-- Mrs. Festerling Most romantic thing she has done: “While engaged, she always drew these romantic cartoons of us.”

How God blessed them: “We have an absolute pure commitment to each other.”

-- Mr. Festerling

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mr. & Mrs. Ross ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“She will always have my spiritual condition as a priority, and she is ever forgiving.”

“God has provided for our salvation and kept our marriage and family strong.”

“He always remembers important occasions with flowers and cards.”

“Keep Jesus Christ as the cornerstone for your life. Look for a spouse that is a believer.”

~~~~~~~~~~~ Mr. & Mrs. Greschner ~~~~~~~~~~~

“He would write silly poetry and notes during a class we shared.”

“I know when he is going to start crying during sad movies.”

“Choose wisely. Base a relationship on the love of Christ and be best friends first.”

“God’s blessings are many, and our relationship gets better with age.”

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Mrs. Curtis Wisco is happy to welcome back Mrs. Curtis. She has returned to Wisco after teaching Family and Consumer Education (FACE) classes at Greenfield High School. Here at Wisco Mrs. Curtis will continue to teach FACE classes, which she has been doing for 15 years.

Mrs. Curtis has been a teacher since 1980, but that was not always her plan. Her original plan when she started college was to become a Registered Nurse (RN). However, Mrs. Curtis explains, “That [RN] program proved too rigorous in relation to my Science classes that I took in high school.” When asked what influenced her to become a teacher, Mrs. Curtis explains that she enjoys “being with kids” and “learning about new things, so the teaching profession is a perfect fit.”

She certainly has proven that she enjoys to learn. It took Mrs. Curtis four years to achieve her degree, and she has continued to attend classes during the summer and the school year depending on her class load. She got her teaching degree at UW-Milwaukee and has been attending UW-Stout for add-on certification. On top of that, she is current-

ly attending WLC for her Masters.

The phrase “knowledge is power” certainly applies to Mrs. Curtis.

On a more personal note, Mrs. Curtis has three children, Jacob, William, and Virginia, all who are adults and have their own families. She also has three grandchildren, Jonas, six, Naomi, four, and Luke, a newborn. Some of her hobbies include riding her bike in the summer, walking her dog, and going to Xperience Fitness. She also loves reading and tries to read a book each week, but has to set aside time each day while teaching to do so.

Throughout her teaching career, Mrs. Curtis shares that she has learned quite a lot from her students, but says the most important thing she has learned is “that it is a blessing to be able to interact with them daily and to witness how they mature into wonderful adults.” Her advice to students on becoming more successful is: “read more-- set aside time each day for reading, and understand all you can about your saving faith, so you can be a light to others.”

When it comes to her teaching experience at Wisco, she reveals that her favorite thing is how the Gospel is in every aspect of it. Wisco has “the ability to infuse the saving message of God’s grace into all that we do.” Mrs. Curtis’ goals for the rest of this year are “to get to know more of the students that comprise our student body,” she says, adding, “we are blessed with a amaz-

Teacher Issue 2016

Mrs. Simon Imagine moving, now multiply that by five. That is what it feels like to move to a different country.

There are not only the normal tasks of moving like packing and unpacking, but a person may have to learn a different way of life-- a new culture, new laws, and maybe even a new language. Mrs. Simon is no stranger to this experience because she moved to the U.S. as a child.

Mrs. Simon works in the attendance office with Mrs. Cockroft.

She hopes that with her new position she will be able to help Spanish-speaking families enter school easier. She says, “I did not choose this job … this job chose me. Definitely sent by God.” She most certainly feels that God has blessed her immensely, and that she can do nothing but cherish all of it.

However, Mrs. Simon’s journey to where she is now was not an easy one. She is originally from the country of Venezuela which is located in South America. Her father moved their family to the United States during October of 1989 “due to an unstable country.” After moving to the U.S., Mrs. Simon faced challenges because of the language barrier, the cost of becoming an international student, and struggling to live life in a different way. Even with the struggles that she faced from moving here from Venezuela, she loves to talk about her eth-

Teacher Issue 2016

nic culture and heritage with those who are interested in learning more about it.

Despite these problems, Mrs. Simon worked tirelessly to get to where she is today. She has strived for success in everything she has done. She worked in the medical field for sixteen years and during that time, she worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (which means she did things to assist doc-

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tors such as draw blood and take vital signs). During her last three years in the medical field, she worked in the Emergency Room.

Later on, she got a full-time job at Divine Savior Lutheran Academy, where she served as a teacher’s aid, an ESL teacher, and a tutor for remedial students. She says that “the past 8 to 9 years of my life I have worked in a Christian environment … Best years of my life! Glad God found me and guided me here.”

During this time, she was also a student; in 2009, she completed an online program to get her Psychology Bachelor’s Degree. Not only did she earn her degree with a full time job, but she also had her husband and family to look after. Mrs. Simon hopes that during the upcoming years of her life she will be able to further her education and achieve

her dream of becoming a teacher.

Though she has had many obstacles in her journey so far, she truly demonstrates perseverance and dedication when it comes to being able to accomplish so much under such difficult circumstances.

Her advice to students is to “definitely continue with an education right after high school and always keep Jesus as [your] number one in life.” She wants to thank everyone for all they have done to welcome her to this school; she is also “very impressed on how people treat each other and how nice they are everyday.” We are glad to welcome Mrs. Simon to Wisco.

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Teacher Issue 2016

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Teaching Families Father/Son- The Seegers

What is it like to work with your dad?

“I enjoy it. My dad taught me at my grade school for awhile, and then taught here at WLHS while I was attending as a student, so being in the same school with my dad is something I’m used to and comfortable with.” - J. Seeger

Any special Wisco memories you enjoyed together while teachers?

“We got a chance to coach together and score track meets as well as work in the football booth at home games.”

-K. Seeger

Father/Son- The Rickes

What was it like when you were a student here and your dad was a teacher?

“It was mildly awkward...”

What made you want to become a teacher?

“One, my dad. Two, going on a mission trip to Ukraine (2005).”

- M. Ricke

Have you learned anything from your son?

Does he inspire you?

“Yes, to always be positive and love others.

His international skills and how he so comfortably gets around in other countries [also inspires me].”

-Sr. M. Ricke

Brothers- The Radues What is one of the nicest things your brother ever did for you?

He went “away to college so I had my own bedroom.”

What is your favorite memory involving your brother?

“His Packer parties were the best.” -J. Radue

What is your favorite memory involving your brother?

“As we were on our way to a game, we had to drive through a river because the bridge was out.”

-C. Radue

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