From the President

From the President

WSST President, Kristin Michalski

We definitely accomplished “Capitol-izing on Innovation” at this year’s WSST Conference at the Monona Terrace in Madison. Thank you to Patrick Mootz and Corinne Michor for your efforts in creating a transformative experience for our members. You led an outstanding team of individuals and I thank the conference committee for their efforts as well. Hopefully you felt welcome the moment you arrived at Monona Terrace; we definitely wanted to touch base with all of you in one way or another. There were almost 200 sessions/events at this year’s conference. The success of the conference depends on individuals willing to share their expertise. Thank you to all of the presenters! Next year, please consider presenting especially if you are an elementary level teacher or a chemistry or physics teacher. Thank you to our exhibitors and Rod Dymesich for all the work you do in the background to make the vendor hall an invaluable resource for all. Remember you can still access materials indefinitely from the conference app at https://wsstconference2023.sched.com/

One of the major highlights of the social events was the tailgate party on Thursday night. It was great to see so many members getting into the spirit of the bags competition and interacting with each other. The social committee outdid themselves this year to make a fun and safe space for networking with our fellow colleagues. The sense of community between members was strong at each event.

Congratulations to this year’s award winners and essay contest winners. There were also several Front and Center Grants awarded at the conference; congratula- tions and we hope you will share your project successes at next year’s conference in La Crosse.

We have some new leadership coming in this year. I would like to welcome Jayne Ryczkowksi, former secretary, to the new position of District 3 Director, Tom Davies as the new District 2 Director, and finally, Dennis Rohr as President-Elect. WSST is grateful for your willingness to volunteer your time and expertise to our organization. We are stronger for it. Your District Directors are looking to plan future events so be on the lookout for these in the coming months. These opportunities will come through your email as part of our Impact newsletters or as a separate message. Let us know if you have an idea for an event. If you would like to volunteer your time to the organization, please email me at president@wsst.org. As I have said before, WSST is a volunteer organization and is only as good as its volunteers. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank COO, Tammy Dymesich and past president, Matt Lindsey for all their help and guidance as I maneuvered into the new position as president. They have been indispensable to my transition.