St. Paul Lutheran School

The numbers are in! Thanks to organizer Jesse Rose Schultz, St. Paul’s 2015 Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart raised $2,350 for the American Heart Association.

St. Paul students will also help raise funds for the American Cancer Society’s upcoming Relay for Life in Shawano. Team Faith is headed by cancer survivor and seventh-grade teacher Peggy Buchholz. Students and teachers will be able to wear a hat at school the week before the relay, March 23-March 27, for a $1 donation each day. If you would like to donate to Team Faith, checks can be made out to the American Cancer Society and dropped off at the school office in care of Peggy Buchholz.

Students in grades 5-8 are putting the finishing touches on their science fair projects! Projects will be on display for the PTL meeting March 30.

St. Paul Lutheran School is accepting enrollment for all grades, 3-year-old preschool through eighth grade, for the 2015-16 school year. For more information or an enrollment form, call the school office at 715-758-8532.

Sacred Heart Catholic School

Based on discussions during the development of our school’s three-year plan, the annual eighth-grade trip will change. Beginning this year, the trip will be a service/mission trip. We are also making plans to include team building and sightseeing within the trip. We are very excited to be offering this opportunity to our eighth-graders before they graduate. There will be an informational meeting at 5 p.m. Friday, and all eighth-grade families are asked to attend with their child. Trip details and fundraising information will be shared.

Ask and you shall receive. Have you ever lost something and asked God or maybe St. Anthony to help you locate it? Were you able to find it? Sometimes we have to be patient and wait. Father Luke Ferris shared a fish story today with us. One day as James was fishing with his father, he found a pocket knife, but while helping his dad pull in a 6-pound rainbow trout, he lost the knife. He asked St. Anthony to help him find it with no luck. While cleaning the fish, the knife was found. The fish had swallowed it!

Our Home and School Association is sponsoring a family Lenten Scavenger Hunt. The original information stated that the registration closed on March 12, but we have extended the deadline. Please return your registration form or notify the school office by Friday to receive a copy of the rules and instructions. There will be some great prizes. First place is a $250 gift card; second place, four passes to Tundra Lodge Waterpark; third place, a family bowling package from Lakeshore Lanes. This appears to be a great way to hunt your way through the activities going on in our parish this Lenten season.

We had several families join us Wednesday morning for our Winter Walk to School Day. We thank God for the beautiful winter weather.

Each Thursday at 10:30 a.m. we have an opportunity for all children to come to the Sacred Heart Catholic School library for storytime. This activity is offered free of charge and is open to all.

Our development director, Autumn Gee, is looking for more participants in the Community Talent Show. The show is scheduled for April 29. Your talent could be as an individual or as a group. We all have God-given talents. Please consider sharing yours with others in our community. A sign-up sheet is available in the school office.

St. James Lutheran School

They’re going out to eat! Congratulations to Aidan Miesbauer (4) and to Elijah Passehl (2) who have completed their Accelerated Reader goals and were recognized in this week’s chapel service. Also, congratulations to Lily Felckowski, who has completed her AR goal for the second time this year. Way to keep reading, Lily. Looks like there will be six going out to eat at Pizza Hut with Principal Susan Longmire. Always a lot of fun.

Bonduel Elementary School

The competition is heating up as the fifth grade is again participating in the National Inspirer program, which connects reading maps with learning about the different resources that each state produces. The students from each class are broken up into groups of seven. They compete against each other and the other class in order to win the traveling trophy. Our teams this year are extremely close in talent. For example, in the first three weeks we have had three different teams win. It has been truly fun and exciting to watch our students help each other and compete while learning a vital part of our social studies curriculum at the same time.

Gresham Community School

We hosted a family game night on March 10. A parent who attended said, “The kids got to meet Fang, the Timber Rattlers mascot, and received an autograph and a picture. They provided pizza that was sponsored by the 21st Century grant. We then went into the library and played games that Gnome Games from Green Bay brought. At the end they gave out prizes. We all had a great and fun time!”

On Wednesday, Quiz Bowl had a meet in Marion. The B-Team lost, 109-104. The A-Team lost.

The Pennies for Patients fundraiser continued throughout the week. Also, the junior class had a fundraiser for prom. They sold phone passes for $2.

On Thursday, everyone wore green to support lymphoma.

Also, at 7 p.m. the drama club presented its musical, “Honk.” SoHappy Davids said, “The musical was very good, and you can tell the kids worked really hard!”

On Friday, students attended the teen summit at the Menominee Casino. The students learned about substance abuse, gang prevention, dating violence and suicide awareness. The students said it was a great program, and they learned a lot.

At the FFA banquet on Monday, awards were presented to recognize members’ accomplishments. Also, the baseball and softball seasons started.

Tractors are a fairly common sight along Shawano County’s roads, but not the sort of vehicle one tends to find in the Shawano Community High School parking lot.

However, nine Shawano FFA members left their cars and trucks at home Wednesday in favor of their John Deeres, Kubotas and Case Internationals.

The students drove their tractors to school in observance of National Ag Day, which is a chance for farmers, agricultural associations, government agencies and other entities to put a spotlight on where people’s food comes from.

“We wanted to create more of an awareness about our farmers and what they do each and every day,” said Missy Braun, FFA adviser at SCHS.

The Shawano FFA had previously designated a day — usually in the late spring — for some of its members to bring their tractors to school as a reminder of the area’s agriculture heritage, but the tradition had been on hiatus for several years. The idea re-emerged when the local chapter started planning its National FFA Week festivities, which were in February.

“We’re seeing more students that are coming from the farms and becoming more involved in our FFA and our (agriculture) classes,” Braun said. “It was kind of cold in February, but we didn’t want to do that random drive your tractor to school day, so we looked ahead and I saw there was an ag day in March. It gave us another month to start warming up.”

The students took the lead in coordinating the event, making sure to get approval from school administrators and setting up rules, such as requiring slow-moving vehicle signs on the tractors and making sure they took up no more than two parking spaces.

Other students were also interested in participating but failed to sign up before the deadline, indicating to Braun that, if the FFA holds the event next year, it will be bigger.

Sophomore Kasey Kristof, one of the coordinators of the event, said having the tractors at the school helped enlighten his friends and classmates as to how many students come from farms and work daily on those farms. Kristof drove a 2010 John Deere from Belle Plaine to SCHS.

“My grandma and grandpa owned a farm, and it was passed on to my uncle, and I’m always there (on the farm),” Kristof said.

Freshman Brett Ainsworth, another student coordinator, said he remembered how his older brother, Dustin, participated in the tractor drive years ago and how Dustin was disappointed that it fell by the wayside in recent years. Ainsworth drove a 2008 John Deere to school Wednesday from his family’s farm in Waukechon.

“It was pretty fun,” Ainsworth said of the trip that started before sunrise. “I had a whole lot of cars behind me in the passing zone, but they wanted to stay behind me. They could have passed, but they didn’t.”

Senior Chase Henning did not have his own tractor, so he borrowed a John Deere from his friend, Adam Bartz, who rolled into the school on a Kubota.

“The FFA told us about it, and we had a couple of tractors, so we figured we’d just do it,” Bartz said.

For the past decade, Ankur Desai has been working with collaborators from across the country to study the uptake and emission of carbon in northern Wisconsin’s forests, wetlands and lakes.

When Desai measures greenhouse gases, he’s not just helping to illuminate how ecosystems modify climate. He’s also igniting the spark of scientific inquiry in local students.

Northern Wisconsin is home to a band of temperate hardwood forests and a significant accumulation of peat bogs.

“It’s a combination where you have a lot of carbon in the system and you have very productive organisms that can cycle carbon,” said Desai, an associate professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and affiliate of the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research.

His research combines observational and modeling techniques. He has placed a network of towers — ranging from 30 to 1,200 feet tall — throughout the region to capture continuous atmospheric measurements. By taking readings as many as 20 times per second, the towers infer the amount of carbon dioxide and methane — another important greenhouse gas — going in or out of the system.

Desai’s lab, which is a leader in the use of this technology, has discovered that the region is quite sensitive to climate extremes, though with lags in the system. For instance, the drought that affected much of Wisconsin in the summer of 2012 was delayed in reaching the northern part of the state. Once the drought hit, it shut off production in some of the forests in a way that was far stronger than expected.

Wisconsin forests are not typically limited by moisture, so they lack adaptation to long periods of drought.

“They turn out to be pretty sensitive,” Desai said.

Desai’s observations are helping to refine models of future climate feedbacks.

“If, as we suspect — and as projections indicate — Wisconsin is getting drier in the summer and warmer in the winter, then that has huge ecosystem implications for the productivity of forests,” he said.

The work also has value outside of the state, as some of Desai’s measurements are being shared with global data networks to be used by ecologists and climate scientists from across the world.

“CCR is a research-oriented center, but we’ve been learning over time that our mission is useless if we’re not communicating that knowledge broadly and widely, and not just to experts in science,” Desai said.

“The Wisconsin Idea compels us to make sure our research and teaching benefits the entire state. For me, doing research in northern Wisconsin, it was important to work with people who live and study there.”

For years, Desai has coordinated with the College of Menominee Nation in Keshena to bring students into the field as climate researchers. He organized several multi-day courses supported by a five-year National Science Foundation grant that included an outreach component. The grant concluded in the summer of 2014.

While course participants contributed to Desai’s field observations, his larger goal was to expose the students to scientific careers. The project targeted community college and tribal high school students who might want to pursue advanced degrees in environmental science.

“The more you get students doing hands-on science, the more you pique their interest in potentially doing this as a career,” he says.

The important part of this outreach is that the students are in a community of other scholars, said Desai, and he routinely introduced Menominee students to graduate students from his lab.

“Every student has their own story about how they got into the field, what struggles they had, how their research is going,” he says. “For the Menominee students to learn those stories and for them to share their own, it really helps everyone get a better understanding of what’s going on there, which can undoubtedly improve research.”

Karelyn Malliet is preparing to defend her 2014 Badger State Spelling Bee title next week, and her chances of advancing to the Scripps National Spelling Bee have improved, courtesy of a new wrinkle.

Rather than only first-place winners, the top three spellers in Wisconsin will advance to the national bee this year.

Malliet, an eighth-grade student at Shawano Community Middle School, is taking nothing for granted as she prepares for the state bee with 47 other contestants March 28 in Madison.

“I am slightly nervous about it and I hope I am prepared for it,” said Malliet, who captured her third straight CESA 8 title Feb. 9 and school district title Jan. 21.

Malliet’s previous trips to Madison, which include an 11th-place finish as a sixth-grader, should help her, said Craig Ferch, school psychologist and district spelling bee coordinator.

“Just having that experience will probably ease some of that anxiousness, because she knows what it is like,” Ferch said. “She is ready.”

Malliet has spent months studying a list consisting of 450 words supplied by bee organizers, but other words might be needed, depending on the number rounds the competition takes.

“You don’t know what words you are going to end up getting in the final round, so you got to be ready with whatever they throw at you,” Malliet said. “The competitors are probably more prepared; everybody has memorized those lists leading up to the final round.”

Malliet captured the CESA 8 title with the word “easel.”

“I can pretty much guarantee she is not going to have an easy word like ‘easel’ at state or nationals,” Ferch said.

Malliet has various strategies to help her study. She has a notebook containing thousands of words, and she researches the origin of each word.

“I like knowing origins because it helps me figure out how the word could possibly be spelled,” Malliet said.

Malliet finished one point shy of advancing to the semifinals of the national bee last year, falling short on the computerized vocabulary portion.

The state vocabulary exam, which was introduced last year, consists of two words, with two multiple choice answers, for each.

“The state is easy enough because they don’t make the vocabulary words very hard,” Malliet said. “Someone else got ‘balcony’ last year, and that was not very hard.”

Neither the school district nor CESA 8 spelling bee has a vocabulary portion.

The Badger State Spelling Bee has been sponsored by the Wisconsin State Journal since 1949.

More than a dozen students at Bonduel High School are taking a bigger bite out of the education apple by reading and discussing an author who was born more than three centuries ago.

The students are reading “Confessions” by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a French writer, composer and philosopher. The book is part of the Great World Texts program facilitated by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for the Humanities.

This year is Bonduel’s second year in the program. Bonduel is the only Shawano County school district and one of only 35 in the state participating in Great World Texts, which provides more rigor and culture than typical high school English courses.

To show what they’ve learned, the students put together projects representing one or more aspects of what Rousseau discussed in his autobiography. They will travel Wednesday morning to UW-Madison to present their work and meet with other students participating in the program.

“They each got to create their own project based on their own interpretation of the novel,” said Hannah Fritsch, the Great World Texts teacher at BHS. “One student is making French cuisine and doing some kind of dish representing the culture of the book and then relating it to the symbolism of a character. Some of the guys who are really good in the tech ed classes are doing engravings and working with machinery.”

Race McClone created a project using a computer numerical control machine to engrave an unfinished city gate on a piece of wood. McClone said he left it unfinished intentionally as a symbol of Rousseau’s own aborted apprenticeship as an engraver.

“When he was in his apprenticeship, he got locked out of the city, and he decided to leave his apprenticeship and run away because he wasn’t being treated to well,” McClone said. “He decided not to finish.”

Kayla Beyersdorf used pages from older and worn out books to create a symbol of shame, one of many subjects addressed by Rousseau in his autobiography. She explained that she used the books to create a three-dimensional representation because Rousseau, whenever he experienced a crisis, turned to books.

“When his mother died, he started reading with his father, but he was also shameful. There was just a recurrence,” Beyersdorf said.

Fritsch said her personal niche is global integration, and she feels like preparing students for the real world requires giving them a diverse background. Great World Texts helps to provide a unique avenue of exploration, she said.

“I feel like sometimes, when you get into small, rural communities where ethnic and racial diversity is limited, students can get that (cultural) access through such programs by engaging in literacy and being part of programs that have more of a world view,” Fritsch said. “It builds their character along with meeting the standards of helping their reading and writing.”

In the course of studying Rousseau’s writings, the students discovered how relatable the author was to them, even though the text is centuries old. Among the themes are finding your own identity, fitting in with family dynamics and finding out who you are through relationships with others, among other things, Fritsch said.

“Texts that they would never pick up on their own, they’re being asked to read,” Fritsch said. “The first thing that they learned is how approachable a text can be, even when it’s written in another language and translated.”

For McClone, reading Rousseau’s work helps him to improve his own writing, he said, and it gives him a taste of college-level work.

“Some of the phrasing (in “Confessions”) is a little confusing. Since it is an older text, it’s not always the way we write in modern times,” McClone said.

Teachers participated in a two-day workshop before the class began. Fritsch said she learned strategies on how to openly engage the students who might have difficulty understanding Rousseau’s 17th-century writing style.

“We have a free space where they can explain what confuses them,” Fritsch said. “In the first five to 10 minutes of class, we do a different kind of vocabulary game with the words from the book. That helps them digest it more.”

Almost all of the reading is done outside of class, which gives students a chance to talk about what they read the next day at class.

“It really is beneficial so that, if they do have questions, then they can bring them, and we can discuss them in class,” Fritsch said.

Beyersdorf said she enjoyed the Great World Texts program because it exposed her to a book that she wouldn’t ordinarily pick up on her own. She said Tuesday that she was eager to present her project to a larger audience in Madison.

Sacred Heart Catholic School

The second- and third-grade students at Sacred Heart Catholic School will present Living Stations at 2 p.m. Thursday. Everyone is welcome.

Friday will be the last fish fry sponsored by our Home and School Association this school year. Please consider coming for the food, fun, raffle and community building.

Did you notice the new Lenten item? This week we added another candle, a white flickering one. We learned in the Gospel, “Whoever lives in the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” (John 3:21) One more week, and then it will be Palm Sunday.

The Rev. Luke Ferris will be blessing rice bowls Wednesday at the all-school Mass.

Please sign the registry in the school office if you would be interested in participating in a communitywide talent show here at Sacred Heart from 5:30-8 p.m. April 29. The talent show is in the early stages of organization, and we want to check the level of interest before proceeding. The talent show is not a competition and would give participants of all ages an opportunity to showcase an individual or group talent. If there is enough interest to proceed, registration forms will be available shortly. If interested, contact Autumne Gee, development director.

We have been busy taking registrations for the 2015-2016 school year. Spots are filling fast. We are excited to offer a new 3K program with the extended care option. We have opened enrollment to the community for grades 3K-8. If you would like more information, please stop in the school office between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays or give us a call at 715-526-5328. You can reach our admissions director by emailing creuter@sacredheartshawano.org.

Gresham Community School

These past two weeks at Gresham Community School, the student council has been collecting for “Pennies for Patients” and has raised over $900. The sixth-grade class took first place with $173.78. In second place was the fifth grade with $114.55. Since all of the elementary did such a great job raising money for leukemia and lymphoma, all the students will be rewarded with a pizza party next month.

Culture Club went on a field trip to tour the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and listen to guest speakers.

On Saturday, Christian Haffner went to Madison for a three-point contest and tied for fifth place.

The National Honor Society inducted members Tuesday night.

St. James Lutheran School

Congratulations to Elijah Passehl, Kyle Krueger and Abigail Bystol, who took first place at the Tri-Star Basketball competition this past Saturday.

Pulaski Community School District

The Pulaski Community School District is going to referendum on April 7 to ask for $685,000 each year for four years from taxpayers to fund a 1:1 technology initiative. District funds will cover $515,000 of the $1.2 million annual cost.

Classroom tours where area residents see a 1:1 classroom in action are being offered from 9:45-11 a.m. Thursday at Glenbrook Elementary School and 11:25 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. at Pulaski Community Middle School.

Olga Brener Intermediate School

On March 13, Opera for the Young came to Olga Brener Intermediate School. Opera for the Young is an opera company that specifically does children’s opera, introducing thousands of school children each year to the world of opera. This year’s production was based on Andre Gretry’s “Beauty and the Beast” in honor of the Opera for the Young’s 45th anniversary. Sixteen of our students performed, as children of beasts and a chorus of birds, alongside four professional opera singers. The waterfall was played by Hillcrest’s music teacher, Craig Pynenberg. A big thank-you to Lynn Johnson for organizing this production!

Upcoming: March 30-April 3, spring break; April 14, fourth-graders to Madison; April 21, fifth-grade concert; April 24, half day and Walk in My Shoes.

Bonduel Elementary School

The month of March so far has been filled with different fun activities for the kindergarten students at the Bonduel Elementary School.

The first week began with the celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The kindergarten children heard a large variety of stories written by one of their favorite authors, Dr. Seuss. We had a great time celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday throughout the week with a variety of literacy activities. To conclude the week the students wore their pajamas to school. They played a game of “Jeopardy” based on Dr. Seuss’s stories, graphed their favorite Dr. Seuss story, made turtles from his famous story “Yertle the Turtle,” and even got to eat some green eggs and ham! It was a great way to conclude the week.

During the second week, the children had the opportunity to see the program “Marvelous Mammals” sponsored by the Navarino Nature Center, courtesy of the Crawford Family Foundation. Tim Ewing and Jackie Wilbur presented the program to each kindergarten classroom. The students had the opportunity to learn about a large variety of different mammals from our wonderful state of Wisconsin. They could actually see and touch at least 20 different skins. The mammals included a black bear, a gray wolf, a deer, a skunk, a beaver and a red fox. The children were amazed by the presentation. They got to make a plaster animal track from their favorite state mammal.

Our month will be winding down with exciting St. Patrick’s Day activities, our yearly Child Development Day and the beginning of spring, which will be followed by more great math, science and literacy projects.

The children also have our upcoming field trip to the Building for Kids in Appleton to look forward to. The museum has many hands-on activities to keep them all actively engaged. They will be participating in a class exploring the five senses, which will address a unit in our science curriculum.

There is never a dull moment in kindergarten at the Bonduel Elementary School!

Gresham Community School exceeded its goal for its fifth annual Pennies for Patients fundraiser, which ended Friday, but not before one student donated $150 in loose change to the cause.

Addison Boucher, a sixth-grade student, did not know how much change was in the jars she brought to school, but it was the vast majority of what her grade brought in over two weeks — $198.78. Had it not been for Boucher’s large donation, the fifth grade would have been the top fundraiser.

Although the students donated primarily to help research and caregiving for blood cancers such as leukemia, Boucher had another goal in mind when she brought in her money.

“I just wanted my class to have a pizza party,” Boucher said, noting that was the reward for the grade that raised the most money.

Prior to announcing the 2015 campaign raised $1,025 (the goal was $800), senior Christian Haffner noted that the money will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Pennies for Patients has been a national fundraiser for the society since 1994.

“We’re working together to aid thousands of children and adults in the fight against blood cancers,” Haffner said. “Approximately every 3 minutes in the U.S., one person is diagnosed with blood cancer.”

Teacher and student council adviser Troy Kuhn applauded the elementary grades as a whole, as they consistently give the lion’s share in Gresham’s annual campaign.

“Maybe because the elementary worked so hard on this program, maybe you can get a pizza party someday,” Kuhn said, clarifying that he will need to get approval from school administrators.

Brianna Stehberger, student council president, said the school is always eager to show support for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A number of students wore blaze orange Friday to symbolize that support.

“They always donate a lot of money,” Stehberger said. “Around $700 or $800 we probably would have imagined this year, but we exceeded that.”

Bowler High School

The Bowler School District forensics team qualified for state competition to be held in Madison. Team members took part in the district level competition Saturday in Marinette. Team members qualified by earning a score of 20 or above out of 25 from at least two out of three performances in their areas of focus.

Juniors at Bowler High School participated in the school’s first mock interviews/soft skills panel Feb. 11 at the school. Each student participated in a mock interview and received immediate feedback. Then the group came back together and asked the panel questions about workplace etiquette. Members of the panel were Karla Bowman from North Star Casino, Tonia Lagunes from Shawano County Job Center, Laura Carlson from Gannett Press and Mary Windmiller from the College of the Menominee Nation. Bev Miller from the Stockbridge-Munsee Human Resources Department was unable to join us that day. The students were excited to receive their feedback and genuinely surprised at the high regard they received from the panel.

Sacred Heart Catholic School

The second- and third-graders did a wonderful job presenting the living stations to our students, staff and community members Thursday. They worked hard for many weeks to bring this blessed event to life for all of us. It was a wonderful depiction of an act of love done for all of us.

Resulting from the work of the 3-Year Plan Leadership Team, our eighth-grade class trip is transforming into a service/mission trip. This May, the Class of 2015 will travel to Chicago to do God’s work by serving the hungry at a soup kitchen. The students will also tour Chicago and complete a retreat at Loyola University’s Challenge Course.

Father Luke Ferris today shared with us that all things have a beginning and an end. As we celebrate the solemnity of the Annunciation, nine months before Christmas, we are aware of the beginning of Jesus’ earthly life. We know that on Good Friday we commemorate the end of his earthly life but on Easter Sunday we celebrate his everlasting life. We each have a beginning to our lives, and we know that we too will have an end. We look forward to our eternal life with Jesus in heaven.

Each student in grades 5K-8 has an account on RAZ Kids. Teachers monitor the accounts and give students access to online reading materials appropriate to each student’s independent level. Enjoying books online is a great way for students to practice their reading.

Please be sure to live your faith during this most important week of the Catholic year: Holy Thursday Mass 7 p.m., Good Friday service 12:30 p.m., Holy Saturday Easter Vigil 8:15 p.m., Easter Sunday Mass 7:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

St. Paul Lutheran

Several students from St. Paul Lutheran School, Bonduel, were part of the Bible Bowl held Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bonduel for junior/senior high youth groups. Five teams from Bonduel, Athens and Onalaska competed in questions covering the book of Luke. In the individual competition, Hannah Schmidt placed first, Logan Guenterberg placed fourth and Dan Schmidt tied for ninth place. Congratulations!

Not everyone who enters the Shawano Community High School auditorium next week will come out alive.

An estate home turned into a hotel, a terrible winter storm and a children’s rhyme about three blind mice will form a recipe for murder as the high school’s theater department performs “The Mousetrap,” a murder mystery written by famed author Agatha Christie, from April 9-11.

The play takes place at Monkswell Manor in the 1940s, where a young couple plans to operate a hotel from a late aunt’s home outside of London. As guests start to arrive, a snowstorm hits the area, rendering the roads impassable.

However, a police detective manages to make it through the storm on skis, and he reveals that the person who murdered a young woman named Maureen Lyon is believed to be at the manor. The unsettling news is confirmed to be true after a female guest is found dead in the main hall.

Each of the guests has a secret to hide, but which secret could lead to unmasking the killer? That is what audiences have to figure out.

“I’ve told students from day one, ‘Don’t reveal how it ends,’” director Alexander Konen said. “Some people took it so far that they won’t rehearse their lines with their parents because they want it to be a surprise on opening night.”

Konen said he wanted a murder mystery to be the school’s spring production, but he originally had his heart set on performing “Clue,” a show based on the popular board game. When he learned that the Box in the Wood Theatre Guild planned to perform the musical version this summer, he looked through other plays and came across “The Mousetrap.”

“I think a lot of people will relate to it, not only because it’s a classic and it does take place somewhat historically, but because it’s got that entire psychological level,” Konen said. “All those people that sit and watch their dramas at night, this should appeal to them because it’s got murder, it’s got mystery, and you don’t figure out who it is until the very end.”

The director will ask patrons during the show to not reveal who the killer is to others who might attend subsequent performances. Konen said that announcement will likely be made as the house rules of no video recordings and no flash photography are announced.

Konen is not having the actors speak in British accents.

“I said, ‘Let’s focus on the content of the words. What are they saying?’” Konen said. “My experience is no one would have the same British accent.”

Sacred Heart Catholic School

Are you good at singing, dancing, making people laugh, playing an instrument, showcasing your culture through a dance or song, reading and writing poetry, cheerleading, or doing tricks with a basketball? If so, please sign up for the Sacred Heart Parish Community Talent Show on Wednesday, April 29! The event kicks off with a taco bar potluck from 5:30-6:15 p.m., followed by the talent show and an ice cream social from 6:30-7:15 p.m. Registration forms are available in the Sacred Heart Catholic School office and in the church gathering space.

Students from Wolf River Lutheran High School visited our eighth-grade students and extended an invitation for them to come to their shadow day.

Adam Piantek performed in the solo and ensemble festival at Shawano Community High School on March 26. Adam received a first for his piano solo. Great job, Adam!

Parishioners Betty Kadletz and Elizabeth Luecht made prayer books for the second- and third-graders to pray with during adoration.

Bonduel Elementary School

Do you know what mammal faints when it is scared? Third-graders at Bonduel Elementary found out. It is an opossum! That is just one fact they learned when Navarino Nature Center came into their classrooms for a field trip on Wisconsin mammals. Naturalist Tim Ewing and assistant Jackie Wilber brought in furs from the squirrel, rodent, weasel, cat and dog families, just to name a few. Students guessed the animal families and whether each animal was a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore. Besides the opossum fainting, the students learned some other great facts, such as opossum babies, when they are born, are hairless and can fit in a soup spoon; a skunk will stomp its feet when it is warning you to move away; you need a type of acid to get rid of skunk spray; fishers will push or move porcupines off tree branches and then eat them when they fall to the ground; and cottontail rabbit families can make lots of babies. Besides the Wisconsin mammal discussion, students also made a mold of a Wisconsin mammal paw print. The third-grade teachers and their students would like to thank the Crawford Family Foundation for sponsoring the scholarship for this classroom field trip.

Gresham Community School

Gresham School just came back from spring break. On Sunday, the Easter Bunny came to visit all the kids and took pictures with them.

This week the Scholastic book fair started. Books will be sold through this whole week.

On Thursday, Gresham is having the third-quarter teacher-parent conferences from 3:45-7:15 p.m.

The week before spring break, Gresham’s National Honor Society had a banquet to induct and welcome new members.

Kris Going, reading coach at Hillcrest Primary School, introduced New York Times bestselling author Eric Litwin as a “guitar strumming, book writing, harmonica blowing, song singing, folksy, fun type of guy” when he visited the school Thursday.

Litwin had a less wordy description of himself — recovering teacher.

Formerly an elementary school teacher, Litwin now spends his days traveling to schools to share his books with young children and get them pumped about reading. He said he wanted to create children’s books that had more substance and were not decoding books or phonetically based books.

Litwin was a welcome visitor to the school, as Hillcrest students are big fans of the “Pete the Cat” picture books. Litwin wrote the first four books out of more than 20 in the series, and he is working on another series of books featuring “The Nuts.”

“I became an overnight success — after almost 20 years,” Litwin said, noting that he has sold more than 5 million books.

Litwin, with the help of assorted Hillcrest staff and his trusty guitar, read two of his published works and one of “The Nuts” books that has not yet been published. He engaged the students to sing and dance in some places, joking at one point that he has no professional dance experience but occasionally channels Paula Abdul when he presents to school audiences.

In addition to three presentations during the day, Litwin joined almost 400 students and parents at a family night Wednesday, using his guitar and his words to entertain.

Litwin’s visit was funded from money raised by the students through the school’s annual Knowledge-a-thon. This is the fourth year Hillcrest has held the Knowledge-a-thon in order to raise funds for special school activities.

“‘Pete the Cat’ is one of the favorite books of the little kids because they have rhythm, rhyme, singsong — they just love them,” Going said. “They take them right off the bookshelves.”

Going noted that the kids were so entranced by Litwin’s performances that the school plans to try and get him back again. Booking Litwin usually requires planning two years in advance, but the school hopes to win a video contest based on a Litwin book that is coming out in the fall.

“We’re going to have a flash mob of polka dot pants,” Going said with a laugh. “We’ve had local authors who were wonderful, but really the kids pick up the ‘Pete the Cat’ books and read them.”

Olga Brener Intermediate School

Our fourth-grade after-school wall climbing club recently finished. Together they learned wall climbing can prepare them for the challenges in their lives. The following students were selected by their peers for showing good sportsmanship during after school wall climbing: Sarah Carroll, Aubrey Christian, Alexander Paque, Acacia Rancier and Marie Blake.

The following students were chosen by their teachers for demonstrating the Hawk Trait of Responsibility: Natalie Ahlers, Andon Chelberg, Courtney Dillenburg, Markus Koehler, Kylee Boda, Robert Schroth, Macayon Bosetski, Jamison Johnson, Evian Matchapatow, Emily Westphal, Bailey Parsons, Rachael cooper, Ashton Henning, Deacon Carroll, Ariana Albert, Cordell Mendez, Makaila Blanke, Abrielle Schmidt, Tagen Miles, Jakobe Baumgartner, Evelyn Schmidt, Chad Norton, Brayden Koenig, Cole Wesener, Noah fike, Ava Scheffler, Ashton Richards, Allison Langlois, Kersten Stueck, Austin Weckler, Ruby Phillips-Levin, Jacob Polzin, Angelina Steinhoff, Braden Eiden, Grace Beyer, Ethan Schwitzer, Faith Lammers and Leo Liu. Thank you for Learning, Living and Leading the Hawk Way!

Upcoming: April 21, fifth-grade concert; April 24, half day; April 24, Walk in My Shoes Day; April 30, Good to Go Walk.

Sacred Heart Catholic School

Top walkers for the month: 4K, Dacey Webster; 5K, Isabella Martens; first grade, Alexia LaTender; second grade, Hannah Yeager (top walker); third grade, Dugan Webster; fourth grade, McKenzie Kaquatosh; fifth grade, Dakota Miller; sixth grade, Paul Meisner; seventh grade, Demetrius Kaquatosh; eighth grade, Kaleigh Smith.

Adam Piantek did a fantastic job on his piano solo at the solo and ensemble festival. Adam received a first, which is the highest possible rating at the festival, and will receive a gold medal as well. We are proud of Adam’s accomplishment and congratulate him. Thank you to members of our staff for their support of Adam during his competition.

Christopher West is best known for his comments on “Theology of the Body.” We will be hosting the best-selling author, who will speak about his new book “Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing,” from 7-9 p.m. April 24 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. In 2004, West helped establish the Theology of the Body Institute near Philadelphia, where he is a senior lecturer of theology and Christian anthropology. West has written several books, audio and video programs, and lectured across the world. The program will also include musical guests Mike Mangione and Jason Clark. This event is partially funded by the Bishop’s Appeal. All middle school parents are encouraged to attend.

The total our school collected in our rice bowls was $335.20. Thank you for thinking of others during the season of Lent. Good job!

Our top sellers of Seroogy’s chocolate and coffee were Isabella Martens and Cora Flaig. Thank you to everyone for supporting our Catholic school with your fundraising efforts.

Bonduel Elementary School

A quick glance inside the Bonduel Elementary Art Room:

As we finally move away from the dark days of winter, Bonduel Elementary students have been making sure that the hallways stay bright as always. Each grade has been working hard and creating works that they should be proud of.

In kindergarten, students finished up learning all about ocean creatures after reading “My Visit to the Aquarium” by Akili Brandenburg and creating their very own ocean aquarium with fish, sand and seashells! Now, as Earth Day approaches on April 22, students are learning all about the story “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss and how they can help take care of the Earth. They are learning all about the term “landscape” and how art can be made of recycled objects. They even get to use leftover Easter grass to create crazy trees that the silly old Lorax can protect.

In first grade, students are continuing their unit learning all about improvising objects in art. Before spring break, they got into spring fever by creating dandelion flowers using paint and forks! Now they got to sing along to the song “Sly the Dragonfly” and learn the differences between warm and cool colors. They’re using coffee filters, markers and water to get the tie-dye effect and water color to create the background that their dragonflies will be flying over.

Community is important to any person, and second grade is starting to learn what makes up a good community. Using the idea of background, middle ground and foreground, students are creating a three-dimensional image using construction paper and foam. By gaining a basic understanding of architecture and how it takes up space, students will create a community that you won’t be able to help but want to explore.

This is just a small snapshot of what some of the younger grades are doing in art. Keep an open eye for what third-, fourth- and fifth-graders have been creating in a future article.

St. James Lutheran School

Many thanks to the family of alumnus Eric Herrmann for the saxophone in his memory. This is an important addition to the inventory of the St. James Elementary School band. Since the tenor saxophone is a somewhat large instrument, most fifth-grade students do not start on it as beginners. Now we are able to transfer students to this instrument as they grow larger and taller. Thank you!

Congratulations to second-grader Trevor Schwartz, who met his accelerated reader goal of 75 points. Great job, Trevor! It looks like it’s time for another trip to Pizza Hut with Principal Susan Longmire. Keep up the good work!

This year’s Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser at St. James was a huge success. We raised $2,040 for the American Heart Association. Samantha Richter was our top fundraiser with $370 in donations. Thank you to all those who helped with the event. We couldn’t have done it without you. Way to go, St. James students!

Gresham Community School

On Thursday, a representative from the University of Wisconsin-Stout came to Gresham to talk to high school students about attending the school and a free summer camp.

Students went on a business trip to Shawano to Farm Inn on Main, Body Essentials and ANew to view the entrepreneur side of each business.

On Friday, juniors set up the gym for the prom, which was held Saturday. The theme was “Midnight Masquerade.” Students wore masks, and a great time was had by all. River Otradovec and Beau Hoffman were the queen and king.

Pulaski Community Middle School

The fourth annual Run for Your Mother 5K run/walk will be held May 9 at the Pulaski Community Middle School. The run is an event that benefits the PCMS garden and environmental education initiatives. The run will start and end at the middle school, and the course goes all around Pulaski.

A kids race, which is a 1/8-mile run around the track at PCMS, is free and open to ages 2-9. They can register the morning of the event. After the race, the children will help plant flowers in the garden at the middle school.

The second race will be the 5K, which begins immediately after the kids’ race at 9 a.m. Registration is $20, which includes registration fees and a T-shirt, or $10, which includes registration fees only. Participants can register from 7:30-8:30 a.m. the day of the event or at https://sites.google.com/a/pulaskischools.org/run-for-your-mother/.

Awards will be given for the top three places in each age division.

The Wolf River Homeschoolers have resorted to robbing the rich, but they do it with a song on their lips.

The Christian homeschooling group is performing “Robin Hood: Tales of Ye Merry Woode” for its 11th annual musical. The show will debut Thursday at Clintonville High School’s auditorium.

The tale is a musical version of the timeless story of Robin Hood, a bandit who robs the rich with the aid of his Merry Men and gives what he steals to the poor. In this show, audience members will see several instances of Robin’s thievery, including one where he and his crew swipe a roast and all the trimmings from the tyrannical Prince John and replace it with a skunk.

The plot thickens when Prince John and his evil sisters plot to have the prince marry Maid Marian in order to gain her riches and land. The plan is to use the pending nuptials as an opportunity to capture Robin Hood when he tries to rescue Marian.

“Robin Hood: Tales of Ye Merry Woode” was chosen for the homeschoolers’ show for its familiar story and its ability to accommodate a large cast, according to director Char Stuewer. The show boasts a cast of 74 from ages 6-18.

“It has some fun musical numbers, dancing and swordfights,” Stuewer said. “We have a merry band, a widow’s family. We have ladies in waiting, royalty. There’s just a broad range of characters for our students.”

The actors in the swordfighting scenes did not receive any special training for the show, but they have been researching on their own by watching YouTube videos and practicing outside the regular rehearsals.

The home-taught students have gathered once or twice each week since November to prepare for the show, which will be performed free for the public.

Elena Kowalkowski, who plays Maid Marian, has participated in the WRH musicals since the first one. This will be her last year performing with the group as she will get her high school diploma soon and head off to college in pursuit of a business management degree.

“It’s always been a pleasure. I really look forward to it every year,” Kowalkowski said. “I’m definitely going to miss it. I love theater and I’ll always be interested in doing it, but now this is my last year. I’m looking at my horizons and thinking about what I’m going to do with my time.”

Kowalkowski said she might get involved with other Christian theater activities in the future but doesn’t plan to pursue acting professionally. She likes acting because of the opportunity to play a role different from her.

“Sometimes it’s not your personality. I like the challenge of it and performing … something out of the ordinary,” Kowalkowski said.

Ethan Fregien, playing the title role, said acting gives him a high. As the show draws nearer, that feeling is becoming more intense, he said.

“I feel alive when I’m up there,” Fregien said. “I’m very much alive, more so than when I deal with my daily business. I’ve always loved that, and I’m very excited for that now.”

Fregien said that this year’s show is setting a very high bar compared to what has come before. In his third year performing with the homeschoolers, he has acted in “Willow Blues” and “Anne of Green Gables.”

“I’m very excited for what’s going on,” Fregien said. “I think it could very well be the best one this group is ever going to do because the way it’s going to make the audience feel — it’s going to blow them away. We haven’t done something like this with a tree and arrows and a lot more action.”

Bowler Elementary School

The Science Fair winners were announced recently at an assembly at Bowler Elementary: Joe Cardish, third grade, first place; Gavin Klose, third grade, second place; Ethan Boyd, third grade, third place; Bailey Grosskopf, fourth grade, first place; Tristan Thiex, fourth grade, second place; Brady Strassburg, fourth grade, third place; Logan Blum, fifth grade, first place; Beau Hartwig, fifth grade, second place; Selina Thiex, fifth grade, third place; Adin Brei, sixth grade, first place; Skye Breitrick, sixth grade, second place; Kaitlyn Pingel, sixth grade, third place. The coordinator of the event was fifth/sixth-grade teacher Thomas Bagnall.

Sacred Heart Catholic School

We “berry” much appreciate our volunteers. We honored 11 special volunteers with baskets of strawberries for Volunteer Appreciation Week. Please take time to thank great volunteers when you see them in action. They help make our school a great place to be. Thank you to the Library Ladies: Michelle Siegfried, Sue Dietz, Alyssa Hammen, Linda Meisner, Amy Ghent and Michelle Bunker. Thank you to Barb Lichtensteiger for helping with the kitchen and math tutoring. Thank you to Amy Piantek, our SCRIP coordinator. Thank you to Dr. Carrie Verkuilen for volunteering in the office and the classroom. Thank you to Jeanne Boyd for her work with our Transform Wisconsin walking program. Thank you to Jenni Onesti for her help in the office, kitchen and cleaning in the library.

The eighth grade has raised $3,500 in two weeks for their service trip to Chicago in May. They are having a stock sale for $25 per share. Families or community members who wish to purchase a share of stock can do so by sending their $25 donation to the school office marked “stock sale.” Silver sponsorships of $250 are also available for any business wishing to support the trip. So far, Council of Catholic Women has sponsored $1,000 and Luigi’s has sponsored $500. Thank you!

Lelo Garcia, a seventh-grader at Sacred Heart Catholic School, has won first place and $30 for his piece of art that he submitted to the Shawano Women’s Club Art Contest. Way to go, Lelo.

While the Rev. Luke Ferris is rediscovering his heritage in Slovenia, the Rev. David McElroy came to celebrate our weekly Mass with us. We are very lucky to have Father McElroy join the students from his home parishes that attend our school. He spoke to our students about obeying. He had the students, staff and parishioners clapping and laughing as he delivered his message. Thank you to Father McElroy for joining us.

The Shawano community is invited to purchase items from our indoor rummage sale to be held in the school gym from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. Donations of items for the sale will be accepted at the school door No. 2 (back parking lot) starting on Wednesday if you are doing some spring cleaning.

This school year we are blessed to be enriching the lives of 86 students. We have enrolled number 88 and 89 today! Do you or someone you know want to be number 90? Contact Carolyn Reuter at creuter@sacredheartshawano.org or call the school office at 715-526-5328.

St. Paul Lutheran School

Under the direction of Deb Guenterberg, the third week of Prevea’s “Love to Run” program is nearly complete. The goal for last week was to run about 12 to 15 minutes without stopping, and this week we increased the time slightly. The weather has been perfect and warm for running! St. Paul has been participating in this program since 2013. It gives students of all ages the opportunity to learn the basics of a lifelong sport. Two after-school sessions each week include a warm-up, stretching session, a game and a period of running. Each day ends with a cool-down period and snack. Students and parents have the opportunity to put their running skills to work at the Cellcom 5K race in Green Bay for a reduced rate. It takes about 30 minutes to run a 5K, so we are slowly building toward maintaining a 30-minute run without stopping. Our goal is to run the Cellcom 5K on May 16 at 9 a.m. as a St. Paul team.

This week is midquarter of the fourth quarter! The warm weather and sun have been a nice transition to some new activities. Students in first grade are busy growing bean plants in containers on their windowsills, and this week their caterpillars arrive! They will await the transformation to butterflies and seed to plant as part of their science unit.

Fourth-graders are getting ready to identify minerals in a science lab, and seventh- and eighth-graders are enjoying the opportunity to rake leaves. Helping out people in need of assistance with yard work also helps them earn money toward their Washington, D.C. trip in May. Grades 5-8 are enjoying the nice weather to begin practice for Track & Field Day, coming up on May 15.

Softball practices have already begun, as well.

Eighth-graders are also busy working on their Confirmation stoles and writing their Statement of Faith. This year’s Witness Service is on April 29, with Confirmation on May 3.

St. Paul Lutheran School continues to accept enrollment for all grades, 3-year-old preschool through eighth grade, for the 2015-16 school year. We ask if you are considering St. Paul for your children, contact the office for a tour and registration papers. To schedule a tour or have questions answered, call 715-758-8532.

St. James Lutheran School

The fourth-graders had a moooving experience at the Krueger’s Farm last week. Adding to their study of Wisconsin, the fourth-graders are participating in Adventure in Dairyland. The students are learning the many different products that come from farms, specifically dairy farms. While visiting Krueger’s Farm, the students saw cows being milked, baby calves, calves that like to suck on our hands, tractors and two milk houses. The students also had the opportunity to visit Charlie’s County Market. They took a tour of the different departments at the store, paying close attention to all the products that are related to dairy. They are having a great time learning about this important industry in Wisconsin.

This week the third-graders reached a milestone. They completed reading the New Testament in their own Bibles, which they received from the congregation last fall. In order to accomplish this task, they have read two chapters every day since the beginning of school in September. They also highlighted verses that they found interesting or important. The class would like to thank St. James congregation again for their Bibles. They appreciate them even more after this accomplishment.

On Wednesday, the preschool held a special night for the children to bring their dads to school. They were able to play in their classrooms and in the gym. The evening ended with the large parachute and the children singing “Four Hugs a Day.” The evening was a success as fun was had by all.

Bonduel Elementary School

A quick glance inside the Bonduel Elementary Art Room.

As we saw in weeks prior, art is a continuous process at Bonduel Elementary. However, we cannot forget to take a look at what some of the other grades have been doing to broaden their artistic abilities.

Third grade just finished up learning about the concept of camouflage and color for animal survival and created ceramic insects living in a three-dimensional habitat. Now they are moving on to a more intrapersonal project. They were reminded of the definition of adjectives and asked to come up with 10 adjectives and 10 hobbies relating to themselves. These 20 items would make up the silhouette of a self-portrait in the form of images, written words and, of course, color! As they learn the anatomy of the human face, they will be learning all about portraits in a nontraditional sense of the term.

The idea of the fourth grade’s current project sprouted when a student asked how to mix gray paint for a different project. Because this is an important skill for all students to have, they are now creating a cityscape using this very idea. Students are learning all about tints and shadows and how mixing black into white in gradual amounts will give the effect of buildings getting closer from the distance. To help with this effect, each section of cityscape becomes darker than the one it overlaps until the closest set of buildings is completely black. Not to mention, even with something as simple as cityscapes, students have found incredibly creative ways to decorate the tops of their buildings to really make them stand out.

The last group to be creating artwork to be proud of would be the fifth-graders. After learning about the Carnival of Venice and the intricate masks that are involved, students got to delve into the world of mask making. Using plaster strips and powder, students created their masks using a mold, and then let them dry. Then came the decorating! Masks from the Carnival of Venice are often brightly colored with paint, glitter and ribbon. None of this was spared as students were able to creatively decorate their masks.

Students at Bonduel Elementary have been hard at work ensuring that quality artwork floods the halls, and it’s exciting to anticipate what they will create next!

Gresham Community School

Three girls went to Madison for forensics Friday. Shyann Moreno received a bronze medal.

Citizens of the month for March were Mykalynn Williams, Morgan Shawanokasic, K Jameson Paiser, Ciara Bugler, Andre Creapeau, Ellamay Martin, Wanbli Spotted War Bonnett, Ayianna Hill, Nathan Webster and Jack Haffner.

On Monday evening, Culture Club bundled tobacco for the powwow that will be held at 12:30 p.m. May 1.

Olga Brener Intermediate School

The fourth-graders have been busy learning about their state this year, how it came about, the state symbols, Wisconsin Native American tribes, etc. In conjunction with their curriculum, the entire fourth grade went on a field trip to Madison. The students sold fruit to help fund this great experience. They toured the state Capitol, Wisconsin Historical Museum and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.

Local musician Wade Fernandez recently worked with some of our fifth-grade students on playing Native American flutes. Wade did a school presentation on April 15 about the type of music he plays and how he got into it. Fifth-grade students performed in front of the rest of the student body, demonstrating what they had learned while working with him. They also performed at the fifth-grade concert held Tuesday.

Upcoming: Friday, half day and Walk in My Shoes Day; April 30, Good to Go Run.

St. Paul Lutheran School

Under the direction of Deb Guenterberg, the third week of Prevea’s “Love to Run” program is nearly complete. The goal for last week was to run about 12 to 15 minutes without stopping, and this week we increased the time slightly. The weather has been perfect and warm for running! St. Paul has been participating in this program since 2013. It gives students of all ages the opportunity to learn the basics of a lifelong sport. Two after-school sessions each week include a warm-up, stretching session, a game and a period of running. Each day ends with a cool-down period and snack. Students and parents have the opportunity to put their running skills to work at the Cellcom 5K race in Green Bay for a reduced rate. It takes about 30 minutes to run a 5K, so we are slowly building toward maintaining a 30-minute run without stopping. Our goal is to run the Cellcom 5K on May 16 at 9 a.m. as a St. Paul team.

This week is midquarter of the fourth quarter! The warm weather and sun have been a nice transition to some new activities. Students in first grade are busy growing bean plants in containers on their windowsills, and this week their caterpillars arrive! They will await the transformation to butterflies and seed to plant as part of their science unit.

Fourth-graders are getting ready to identify minerals in a science lab, and seventh- and eighth-graders are enjoying the opportunity to rake leaves. Helping out people in need of assistance with yard work also helps them earn money toward their Washington, D.C. trip in May. Grades 5-8 are enjoying the nice weather to begin practice for Track & Field Day, coming up on May 15.

Softball practices have already begun, as well.

Eighth-graders are also busy working on their Confirmation stoles and writing their Statement of Faith. This year’s Witness Service is on April 29, with Confirmation on May 3.

St. Paul Lutheran School continues to accept enrollment for all grades, 3-year-old preschool through eighth grade, for the 2015-16 school year. We ask if you are considering St. Paul for your children, contact the office for a tour and registration papers. To schedule a tour or have questions answered, call 715-758-8532.

St. James Lutheran School

The fourth-graders had a moooving experience at the Krueger’s Farm last week. Adding to their study of Wisconsin, the fourth-graders are participating in Adventure in Dairyland. The students are learning the many different products that come from farms, specifically dairy farms. While visiting Krueger’s Farm, the students saw cows being milked, baby calves, calves that like to suck on our hands, tractors and two milk houses. The students also had the opportunity to visit Charlie’s County Market. They took a tour of the different departments at the store, paying close attention to all the products that are related to dairy. They are having a great time learning about this important industry in Wisconsin.

This week the third-graders reached a milestone. They completed reading the New Testament in their own Bibles, which they received from the congregation last fall. In order to accomplish this task, they have read two chapters every day since the beginning of school in September. They also highlighted verses that they found interesting or important. The class would like to thank St. James congregation again for their Bibles. They appreciate them even more after this accomplishment.

On Wednesday, the preschool held a special night for the children to bring their dads to school. They were able to play in their classrooms and in the gym. The evening ended with the large parachute and the children singing “Four Hugs a Day.” The evening was a success as fun was had by all.

Gresham Community School

Three girls went to Madison for forensics Friday. Shyann Moreno received a bronze medal.

Citizens of the month for March were Mykalynn Williams, Morgan Shawanokasic, K Jameson Paiser, Ciara Bugler, Andre Creapeau, Ellamay Martin, Wanbli Spotted War Bonnett, Ayianna Hill, Nathan Webster and Jack Haffner.

On Monday evening, Culture Club bundled tobacco for the powwow that will be held at 12:30 p.m. May 1.

Olga Brener Intermediate School

On Friday, third-grade students at Olga Brener Intermediate School experienced a special hands-on program called “Come Walk in My Shoes.” This program is designed to have the students and staff members explore the world of individuals who in their day-to-day lives also live with physical and or developmental challenges. Students attended eight stations that simulated what it might feel like to have an impairment. The stations were hearing and visual impairment, physical disabilities, learning challenges, communication challenges, fine motor challenges, autism, language learners and sensory challenges. In addition, our school guidance counselor has been teaching the students about differences in specific people who have disabilities. Students engaged in activities that show we are more alike than different. The main focus was on how our differences make us all special and unique. The goal for presenting the “Come Walk in My Shoes” program is to see the person first rather than the disability. We hope students have gathered a better understanding of many of the challenges others face and as a school we will have unity.

St. Paul Lutheran School

Under the direction of Deb Guenterberg, the third week of Prevea’s “Love to Run” program is nearly complete. The goal for last week was to run about 12 to 15 minutes without stopping, and this week we increased the time slightly. The weather has been perfect and warm for running. St. Paul has been participating in this program since 2013. It gives students of all ages the opportunity to learn the basics of a lifelong sport. Two after-school sessions each week include a warm-up, stretching, game and running. Each day ends with a cool-down and snack time. Students and parents will have the opportunity to use their running skills at the Cellcom 5K race in Green Bay for a reduced rate. It takes about 30 minutes to run a 5K, so we are slowly building toward maintaining a 30-minute run without stopping. Our overall end goal is to run the Cellcom 5K on May 16 at 9 a.m. as a St. Paul team.

This week is midquarter of the fourth quarter. The warm weather and sun have been a nice transition to some new activities.

Students in first grade are busy growing bean plants in their windowsills and this week their caterpillars arrive. They will await the transformation to butterflies and seed-to-plant as part of their science unit.

Fourth-graders are getting ready to identify minerals in a science lab.

Seventh- and eighth-graders are enjoying the opportunity to rake leaves. Helping out people in need of assistance with yard work also helps them earn money toward their class trip to Washington, D.C., in May.

Grades 5-8 are enjoying the nice weather to begin practice for Track & Field Day, coming up on May 15.

Eighth-graders are also busy working on their confirmation stoles and writing their statements of faith. This year’s witness service is Wednesday, with Confirmation Sunday on May 3.

St. Paul Lutheran School continues to accept enrollment for all grades, 3-year-old preschool through eighth-grade for the 2015-16 school year. We ask if you are considering St. Paul for your children, contact the office for a tour and registration papers. To schedule a tour or have questions answered, phone 715-758-8532.

St. James Lutheran School

The final forensics ribbon meet was held here at St. James on Monday. St. James had 16 students participating in the program this year in five different categories. All of the hard work and practice paid off as our students won ribbons: first place, play acting, Kyra Klement, Sophie Horsens, Bailey Hansen, Kate Andrada; second place, play acting, Julia Klemen, Lindsey Roloff, Abi Vomastic, Grace Licausi; third place, play acting, Emelie Horsens, Hannah Marien; third place, poetry, Elizabeth Dillenburg; first place, radio, Chris Parker; third place, poetry, Austin Andrada; first place, demonstration, Kyle Krueger; third place, demonstration: Courtney Parker.

Congratulations to sixth-graders Hannah Marien, who received her St. James letter this week in chapel, and to Emelie Horsens, who received her first star. Letters are awarded to students who have accumulated 20 praise certificates. Students then receive a star for every additional 10 certificates that they receive. Congratulations to both of these great girls.

Gresham Community School

Gresham junior high students recently started their Smart Balance testing, which continues throughout the next few weeks.

On Friday we also had a fantastic caring community meeting. Later that night, we had our annual spring band concert.

This week, we have dress-up days leading up to our powwow on Friday.

Tigerton High School

The Tigerton Junior Prom was held from 8 p.m. to midnight April 18 at the Tigerton Elementary School gym. The theme for this year’s prom was “Boardwalk,” and the prom song was “Beat this Summer” by Brad Paisley. Crowned this year’s king and queen were Dexter Block and Summer Kopitzke. The other candidates included prince Hayden Harris and princess Ashley Knaup. The rest of the court includes Forrest Kernan and Abby Knaup, Logan Moderson and Abby Knaup. The miniature king and queen were Gavin Kielblock and Grace Laatch. Last year’s king and queen were Austin Zychowicz and Kelsey Berg. The gym was beautiful, and everyone had a terrific time.

Bonduel Elementary School

Thursday was a special day at Bonduel Elementary School. More than 150 students participated in the Walk to School Day this past fall and Thursday received their reward: a bike stunt show provided through the Safe Routes for Schools program. Students were entertained by professional stunt bike rider Rich Weber, of Minneapolis, who talked to the kids about all of the benefits of riding bike and how to do it safely.

A great point he made was that bikes don’t give off exhaust and that they provide great exercise. Several times throughout the presentation, he mentioned to always wear a helmet when out riding your bike. He reminded the kids that wearing a helmet helps to protect the brain from injury and that it is cool to wear a helmet.

During the show he did many stunts as students cheered and clapped. At one point he chose a student from the audience to help him with a quick way to check your bike over to see that it is safe to ride. First, put your helmet on correctly, then do the basic bike check: be sure brakes are working, squeeze tires to see that they have enough air, and make sure the seat is on tight, handlebars are tight, chain is oiled and in working condition, and that your shoe laces are tied.

As a treat for being such a wonderful audience, Weber did a special trick. He had teachers Suanne Prestby and Tonia join him. They laid down on the floor and after several warm ups he backed up his bike and rode toward the teachers and jumped over them. The crowd went wild!

He ended his show by reminding the audience to do the right thing, believe in yourself, and stay healthy. If you would like to learn more about Weber, check out his website at www.bicyclestuntshow.com.

Delivering their best performance of the season, Shawano Community High School students wowed the crowd April 18 en route to winning the 48th annual University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Jazz Festival.

Shawano’s jazz band played an extremely difficult three-chart program that required skill from its four segments – trumpet, saxophone, trombone and rhythm. Judges lauded the band on its technical excellence and its ability to perform a challenging and diverse program.

More than 60 high school bands competed in the 48th annual event. The Hawks finished first in Class B.

“Frankly, I was blown away,’’ band director Christopher Kent said. “These kids did everything I asked and much more – their performances, both individually and as a band, were outstanding. We were what the judges were looking for.’’

Kent’s bands focus on showmanship, and this year’s UW-Eau Claire performance was a prime example. The Hawks opened with the Latin chart “Emergency Stopping Only,’’ featuring sophomore trombonist Emily Jones, junior trumpeter Landan Holtz and senior drummer Mitch Micik. A flugel ballad, “Blue,’’ featuring juniors Teddy Myers and Holtz, displayed the group’s ability to play with control and emotion. Its closer, “Give It One,’’ a Maynard Ferguson tune, demanded precise performances by each section, as well as high-impact solos by junior Nick Schwitzer on bari-sax and Mitch Micik on set.

“They nailed it,’’ Kent said. “The judges loved that we emulated different jazz styles with each selection, and our improvising was strong throughout. This was in part due to summer music camp participation in previous years, which has been generously provided by the Shawano Jazz Foundation and its partners.’’

The UW-Eau Claire fest was the final festival performance for a band that has achieved more than any group in Shawano High history, including championships at three of the Midwest’s most competitive jazz festivals — Pudure, Rolling Meadows (seventh consecutive year) and Eau Claire.

“The kids made history this weekend,” Kent said. “This is Shawano’s first ever win at the Eau Claire jazz festival, and I could not be prouder of them. They played their best.”

Shawano’s Jazz II also played on Saturday and had an excellent performance. They opened with the Latin tune “Los Changos Volando” (The Flying Monkeys) with solos by freshman trumpeter Hunter Krolow and sophomore drummer Isaiah Moesch, followed by a trumpet ballad “A Moment Like This,” featuring freshman trumpeter Harrison Sturycz. The Hawks closed with the “Q.C. Shuffle” with freshman alto sax Britney Angeli and sophomore tenor sax Grace Jones.

The Hawks’ second band was not rated on Saturday but received its best scores of the year.

The Hawks’ final performance will be the appropriately named “Last Dance’’ scheduled May 8 and 9 at Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B. Details will be available via The Shawano Leader, as well as posters around town.

For the second year in a row, the Shawano School District will send two squads to Destination Imagination’s Global Finals in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Destination Imagination’s goal is to teach students creative processes, including imagination and innovation, and how to apply those skills toward challenges in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and the arts.

Teams from Olga Brener Intermediate School, The Seven Wonders of Brener, and Shawano Community Middle School, Peace of the PI(E) Squared, qualified for the finals, which will be held from May 20-23 at the University of Tennessee, after placing second in their age brackets at the state competition April 18 in Stevens Point.

The Seven Wonders squad is the first from a Shawano elementary school to qualify for the finals in 19 years, when the competition was known as Odyssey of the Mind.

Hillcrest Primary School teacher Jane Krueger coaches the Olga Brener team, which includes fifth-graders Jackson Smits and Liam Krueger, and third-graders Josie Seay, Ava Bendtschneider, Lucas Reed and Owen Krueger.

Krueger said the team worked hard to finish second at state in the Creature Feature category.

“I think that is pretty amazing,” she said. “I was really proud of them.”

In the competition, the students build a creature capable of performing specific actions and present an adventure story about the creature. They utilize scientific principles of chemistry, electricity and physics in the process.

Craig Ferch, district psychologist and DI coordinator, coaches the SCMS team, which includes eighth-grader Raquel Riemer and seventh-graders Amy Quinn, Bailey Harkey, Kaitlynn Dobratz, Autumn VanDerLinden, Michaela Aschenbrenner and McKenah Fickel.

Peace of the PI(E) Squared will compete in the Brand Aid category, which requires students to identify, strategize, design and implement a project that address a community need. Students can use multimedia to convey their message.

Ferch and Krueger said one of the biggest hurdles in DI is getting the youngsters to work together.

“Destination Imagination is teamwork, it is sharing ideas, it is about listening to someone else’s ideas and not dismissing it,” Ferch said. “Instead, it is about taking any idea and making it work.”

“We talked about the idea of compromise,” Krueger said. “That is a new concept for little kids. How we can we respectively work together and get along?”

This year’s Global Finals, billed as the world’s largest celebration of creativity, will include 1,400 teams and more than 17,000 students and volunteers.

“It is a huge event, and when you see the pictures, it is like being at the Super Bowl,” Krueger said. “There are people from Honduras, there are people from Japan and Canadian provinces, too.”

Two teams became the first Shawano squads to advance to the Global Finals last year in 17 years, when it was previously called Odyssey of the Mind. The DIvergent Thinkers tied for 20th place among 72 schools in one category, and The Above and Beyond team was 36th of 38 schools in another challenge.

For some of the 16 Shawano Community High School seniors performing at “The Last Dance” May 8-9 in the school’s auditorium, it will mark the end of the chapter of their musical careers.

The 23rd annual program will feature nine seniors from the highly regarded jazz band and seven from the Showstoppers choir, along with about 30 other students, to deliver a wide range of song stylings.

The jazz band, which just returned from an award-winning performance at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, will have multiple music genres including contemporary and Latin tunes, along with a rock tune by Canadian musician Maynard Ferguson.

“It is going to be a great show, it always is, and I think it is underrated sometimes,” said senior trumpeter Frankie Rabas, who has been part of the band since she was a freshman.

Rabas and pianist Sara Arens anticipate utilizing tunes they captured the UW-Eau Claire festival. They played a flugel ballad, “Blue,’’ and Ferguson’s “Give It One.”

“We are going to play our competition tunes because it worked out really well,” Arens said.

Featured instrumentalists are Mitch Micik, drum set; Threse Van Dyck, alto sax; Mariah Ruehle, tenor sax; Myra MacMurray, baritone sax; Jacob Schoenike, bass trombone; Nate Wilson, trombone; Rabas, trumpet; Arens, piano; and Noah Kallies, bass.

The Showstoppers show choir is also making preparations for the annual event and has a mission to sing a diverse range, from Frank Sinatra’s “Blue Moon” and “All the Things You Are,” to present day Enrique Iglesias.

Jonathan Kent, choir director, also indicated there will be a Disney medley, and a dance performance from the movie “Spider Man.”

“It is a real wide range of stuff between what has been played long before us, and stuff that is presently out there right now,” Kent said.

Dakota Schimmel, one of seven seniors in the Showstoppers, looks forward to showcasing his talent to the audience and will play “Hero” by Iglesias.

“This year I get to perform a solo, which I don’t too often. Usually I always do things with the group,” said Schimmel. “It is a chance to show what I do.”

Taylor Genke, who is undecided about her solo, is excited to be a part of the performance for the second year, but this year carries a special meaning.

“I am really excited, because we are the big seniors, so it pretty much involves us,” Genke said. “But I am sad because I like choir and being a part of Showstoppers, but it is off to other things.”

Bonduel Elementary School

- Studying for a test can be fun? Really? It sure can! Our fifth-grade students are using SMART Notebook 11 to create games to help them study for tests. For example, when studying for their vocabulary test, they can create a multiple-choice game. They can also create a game that as they drag the letters up to spell the correct vocabulary word, they score a basket or kick a goal in soccer.

When they’ve completed a game, they show it to their teacher to make sure everything is good to go. Then students will e-mail it to their classmates for them to practice for their upcoming test. Additionally, their fifth-grade teachers have created games to help them study for their tests and will e-mail those to their students as well.

It sure has improved their test scores, and it makes studying for a test fun. Really!

- Fourth-graders have been doing many neat things in science this quarter. We have learned about sound, chemical reactions, simple machines and other fun topics. During our simple machines unit, we were able to use the LEGO Robotics kits to create some neat robots. The students then used the computer program WeDo to program their robots to move and make noise. The first robot each group made was Dancing Birds. After that, the groups were challenged to create Drumming Monkey. Each robot used different pulleys, gears and levers to operate. We are very lucky to have the LEGO Robotics kits available to us. It was a great learning experience for the kids.

Coming up in science, we will be doing more hands-on activities using electricity and magnets. This is an exciting time of year in fourth grade!

Bonduel Middle School

“When you’re down and troubled, and you need some loving care, and nothing, nothing is going right … I’ll be there. You’ve got a friend.”— “You’ve Got a Friend,” Carole King

Our United States employs thousands of migrant workers throughout the continental states. Many of these families are constantly on the move from season to season, which means that the children within each family must change schools often. That can be a rather scary thing, considering they oftentimes speak little, if any, English, and their parents might not be able to afford school supplies.

In view of our good fortune and stability, two homerooms of seventh- and eighth-graders have taken on a service project to let the children in migrant worker families know that we care about their well-being. We are making friendship boxes. The boxes are plastic school boxes, like the ones many elementary children have in their desks. Among the items we plan to include in the boxes are handmade dream catchers and friendship bracelets, pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, note pads, a few small toys and a personal note.

These friendship boxes will be sent to the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation program in Mexico, New York. We are sure they will be appreciated and, hopefully, we’ll each make a new friend.

Shawano High School

This year’s “Rustic Romance” junior prom was held at the Shawano County Park. Representing the junior class on the prom court were Sarah Dickmann and Adam Bartz, Miranda Friedrich and Simon Moesch, Kathryn Kugel and Jared Tavernier, Kelly Mastey and Dylan Enno, Allison Raddant and Tom Trinko, Hannah Zuiches and William Teetzen. Following the grand march, Jared Tavernier and Hannah Zuiches were named the 2015 prom king and queen. The theme song was “Mean to Me” by Brett Eldredge.

Sacred Heart Catholic School

- Father Dan Schuster joined us for Mass. He shared with us that some days we need strength, and he, as well as other adults, find that coffee helps them get through the day. He recommended another way to get strength is to pray. If we take just a few minutes during each day to pray, we will find strength in Jesus.

- The 3K and 4K student were busy studying the anatomy of worms. They were very interested in each of the many parts.

- The Spring Showcase starts at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 14, and includes art and science displays, an all-school concert and the eighth-grade play. Please help us congratulate the winner of the cover contest — Nicole Piantek!

- The 4K class with their sixth-grade buddies planted seeds as part of our Arbor Day prayer service.

- Our third-graders received compliments from the manager at Dairy Queen after their visit for a Junior Achievement activity. She commented that it was a joyful experience for her.

- On Monday, April 27, students in grades 4K-8 spent an educational day at Camp Tekakwitha. The trip was made possible by our Home & School Association. All families as members are asked to help raise funds to support these type of activities.

St. James Lutheran School

- Congratulations to our St. James band and choir! The fifth- to eighth-grade students performed this week at the Large Group Music Festival in Gillett. Performing in front of three judges, both groups received three firsts, with a combined score of first for each of the groups. Since 2008, our band has received a first place for eight consecutive years, and our choir has received one second place and seven first places. What a wonderful achievement for our school.

- First grade is learning about presidents. They took some center time to put together a president puzzle, look at president books and make their own book about the president.

- After two days of interviews, observations and reviewing the school’s accreditation documentation and evidence, the accreditation team gave its stamp of approval and is recommending our school for accreditation! Covering seven standards, as well as a complete self-study and goals for our school for the next five years, this was a tedious process for our entire staff. Everyone was involved in one way or another to ensure that our school performs to the highest standards. The process is designed to make sure that our school is doing all it should be doing to give your children the best faith-based education they can. In the next week we will be receiving the full report, which we will share with our staff, school families and the congregation — all those stakeholders who support our ministry in so many ways. Thank you for all your support and encouragement as we went through this process. It was a bit of a tough year, but we made it through it, and we are better for it!