Pickup Service Offered for Summer Lunches

Free lunches and breakfasts will continue to be available during the summer through a drive-through, pick-up service. When considering recommendations for enhanced safety protocols, social distancing, staffing, as well as product on hand, the lunches will transition to a drive-through, pick-up operation. This transition will allow for hot menu options, including kid-favorites such as pizza and chicken nuggets.

 

Meals will be offered Monday-Thursday from 11-11:30 a.m. beginning Monday, June 8. Meals will be served at Tullar, Taft, Wilson and Roosevelt Elementary Schools through August 20, and at Clayton Elementary School through June 30.

 

During operation hours, parents/guardians will be able to drive to the school pick-up site and notify staff of how many meals are needed for children 18 years and younger. Breakfast will also be distributed daily. Friday meals will be distributed with Thursday’s pick up.

 

The last day of the food delivery service will be Thursday, June 4. There will be no lunch and breakfast delivery on Friday, June 5, but two lunches and breakfasts will be delivered on June 4.

Sunset Hill Pottery Donates Clay to Neenah Students

Students at three Neenah elementary schools will have the opportunity to create works of clay as part of an enrichment assignment following a generous donation by Sunset Hill Pottery in Neenah.

 

Over 500 hockey-puck-sized pieces of clay were distributed on the lunch buses to students on the routes for Hoover, Taft and Wilson Elementary Schools on Thursday.

 

Students are encouraged to create their favorite animal out of clay and draw a background for where their animal will live. They will then take a picture and write a story or make a video to send to their art teacher. Students and parents are also encouraged to post photos of their work online with the hashtag #myclaycreation.

 

The project is not a school assignment and rather an activity for those who wish to participate. Sunset Hill is a Neenah-based company founded in 1998 that creates mugs, steins, coasters and other clay products. With production down due to COVID-19, the company found itself with extra clay available and has generously offered them to school children for a hands-on art activity with school closed.

Hintz Selected as Director of Human Resources

With nearly 20 years of experience in the field of human resources, Jami Hintz has been hired as the Neenah Joint School District Director of Human Resources.

 

Hintz spent nearly six years as the Director of Human Resources for the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) school system. She replaces Vicky Holt, who is retiring after 31 years in the District and 21 in the human resources position. 

 

In Green Bay, Hintz supported 350-400 employees early in the formation of the system that combined nine different Catholic schools. Prior to her stint with GRACE, she worked 12 years as the Manager of Human Resources for the non-profit Family Service, Inc. in Madison. A Pulaski native, Hintz is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and earned a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from Lakeland College. She is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR).

 

“Jami’s experience in different places will serve as a great foundation in this important position,” said Superintendent Dr. Mary Pfeiffer. “She has a caring personality and a desire to connect with employees to understand their wants and needs.”

 

Holt is retiring from her career in the District that began as a special education teacher at Shattuck Middle School. She also served as principal at Horace Mann Middle School before her current role.

 

“Vicky has been a stabilizing force in our District through many challenging times over the past 31 years,” Pfeiffer said. “One of her biggest strengths was her hiring as she brought in so many of our wonderful staff members. She leaves a tremendous legacy in our District.”

Thompson and Swardenski Depart School Board

Two individuals who have combined to serve as president of the Neenah Joint School District Board of Education for the past 14 years both participated in their final meeting on April 21.

 

Scott Thompson, a 15-year veteran of the Board, and Michelle Swardenski, a seven-year Board member, chose not to seek re-election following the completion of their most recent term. Swardenski was president for the past four years after succeeding Thompson, who presided over the Board for 10 years.

 

“The contributions Scott and Michelle made to our District are monumental,” said Superintendent Dr. Mary Pfeiffer. “Their dedication to our community and our children has been immense. Both were great leaders and brought our District to a new level. They will be greatly missed as part of our Board.”

 

Thompson served five three-year terms and took over as president in his second year in 2006. He guided the Board through challenging times early in his tenure with significant budget cuts at the end of the decade and Wisconsin Act 10 that withdrew employees’ union rights under Governor Scott Walker in 2011. He was instrumental in developing a financial plan to fund a pre-existing $100 million liability for post-retirement benefits that will be completed in July 2020.

 

“I’ve always tried to respect everyone’s opinion and make the best decisions for this District,” Thompson remarked in his final meeting. “The folks we have on the Board right now are awesome. The culture is improving and that’s important for the community to see and for the staff to see. This group is by far the hardest-working Board group I’ve been a part of in my 15 years.”

 

Swardenski, a 1997 Neenah graduate, brought an attorney background to the position and began with a one-year appointment in 2013. She won her first of two three-year terms the following year and was elected Board president in 2016. She was a driving force behind the District’s emphasis on mental health and improved graduation rate. Swardenski led the Board through a facilities study that began in December 2016 and culminated with a successful $114.9 million referendum in April 2020.

 

“From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful to have been able to do this,” Swardenski said at the meeting. “I always tried to look out for the kids who were overlooked. This service has always been about the ‘other’ kids that we wanted to make sure were okay.

 

“I also want to thank all of the staff who took time to call me, write me and stop me in the grocery store. I can’t thank you enough for all you do.”

 

Tom Hanby and Amy Morrissey were elected to three-year terms to replace Thompson and Swardenski. They will be sworn in on April 27. A new president will be selected at the next regular meeting on May 5.

Neenah Voters Approve $114.9 Referendum

Students in the Neenah Joint School District will attend a new high school and have expanded space and facilities for all students in the fall of 2023 after voters supported the District’s first successful facilities referendum in over 25 years.

 

With the $114.9 million amount as well as $47 million of borrowing from the District budget, the District will build a new high school on a 225-acre parcel currently located in the Town of Neenah. The existing high school will be converted into a middle school for grades 7-8 and an intermediate school for grades 5-6. The plan will close 92-year-old Shattuck Middle School in the fall of 2023 and move fifth graders out of elementary schools. Safety and security upgrades that are part of the plan will begin already this summer.

 

The election was held on April 7 and results were released on April 13. A federal judge ruled that municipalities must allow until April 13 for absentee ballots to arrive before providing a final count.

 

“This is an historic day for the children of the Neenah Joint School District and our entire community,” said Superintendent Dr. Mary Pfeiffer. “This was a plan that was driven through community input and we are so thankful to be in such a forward-thinking community.”

 

The passed referendum comes one year following a failed $129.58 million referendum that would have built a new middle school to replace Shattuck. The passed referendum comes at a significantly lower tax impact than the previous year. Residents will see an impact of $99 per $100,000 of property value over 20 years, compared to $167 per $100,000 of property value in 2019.

 

“Last year’s defeat was difficult, but our community helped us shape an even better plan,” Pfeiffer said. “This is a plan that addresses a great majority of our needs in less than four years. We still have work to do at our elementary level, but this plan gives us the flexibility to potentially address those needs without another referendum.”

 

Pfeiffer added that the tax impact will not be felt until the District begins borrowing money for the project and that it will likely be even less than the $99 that was projected due to historically-low interest rates.

 

“We are sensitive that the timing of this referendum is challenging for some in our community,” she said. “We hope to take advantage of extremely low interest rates to minimize the impact on our residents. This will hopefully bring our community together as we overcome these difficult times.”

 

Neenah’s last successful facilities referendum was Feb. 21, 1995 with a $15 million referendum to build the link at the high school and make upgrades at other schools. The District’s buildings are all over 50 years old and average over 70 years old.

Roosevelt and Wilson Earn School Recognition Awards

Roosevelt and Wilson Elementary Schools have been honored as 2019-20 Wisconsin Title I School of Recognition Award recipients by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

 

Roosevelt was chosen in the “High-Progress School” category and Wilson was selected as a “Beating-the-Odds School.” It is the third time in four years Roosevelt has earned an award, collecting the High-Progress honor in 2017 and 2018. Wilson was selected for an award for the first time in the program’s 18-year history.

 

Roosevelt was one of 23 schools statewide in the High-Progress category. The award honors schools that fall within the top 10 percent of schools experiencing student growth in reading and mathematics and have achievement gaps that are less than three percentage points between student groups.

 

Wilson’s award as a “Beating-the-Odds School” honors schools that are in the top 25 percent of high-poverty schools in the state and have above-average student achievement in reading and mathematics when compared to schools from similarly sized districts, schools, grade configurations and poverty levels. Wilson was one of 77 schools statewide in the Beating-the-Odds category.

 

Both schools achieved “Significantly Exceeds Expectations” ratings on the Wisconsin School Report Cards for 2018-19. Wilson scored a 90.5 and Roosevelt scored at 89.2 to land the highest-possible rating on the report card.

 

All Wisconsin Title I Schools of Recognition receive federal Title I aid to provide services to high numbers or high percentages of economically disadvantaged children. All Schools of Recognition also meet the state’s test participation, attendance and dropout goals. Data to determine the awards is from the 2018-19 school year. Each school will receive a commemorative plaque.

Five Selected to NJSD Hall of Fame

Five prominent alumni comprise the Neenah Joint School District’s sixth annual Hall of Fame class in 2020. Those inducted, pending Board of Education approval, are Dr. Gary Losse, Todd Patterson, Vern Wollerman, Marti (Schreier) Wronski and Robert Yablon. The group brings the total members of the Hall of Fame to 39.

 

The inductees were selected by a committee of 15 individuals that included former and current employees and alumni. The Board of Education will vote to formally approve the class at its March 3 meeting. The group will be honored at a banquet on Sat., Sept. 19 at 11:30 a.m. at Best Western Premier Bridgewood Resort Hotel and Conference Center in Neenah as part of the District’s homecoming festivities. Tickets will go on sale in early August.

 

Losse, a 1967 graduate, was an accomplished three-sport athlete and went on to a prestigious medical career as an orthopedic surgeon. Losse was an all-state quarterback on Neenah’s undefeated team in 1966 and an all-state guard in basketball. His junior year, he led the Rockets to a conference football championship, a state tournament appearance in basketball and a state title game in baseball as a shortstop and pitcher. Losse played two seasons of football at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before knee injuries ended his career. He earned his medical doctorate from UW-Madison and later spent 17 years as the team doctor for the San Diego Chargers. Losse performed one of the first outpatient anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgeries in California and also developed several innovative knee braces and surgical techniques. He died in 2018.

 

Patterson, a 1974 graduate, has a unique combination of success in athletics and fine arts. He captained the football and wrestling teams and was also active in choir and swing choir. Patterson was a four-year starter in football at Carthage College and earned his degree in biological science. He taught science at Wooster (Ohio) High School from 1978-2013 and coached football, wrestling, soccer and softball. Patterson produced and directed 34 productions of musical theatre and plays and was active in Wooster community performing arts productions. In 1998, he was one of five teachers selected from the U.S., Mexico, England and Bermuda to participate in the JASON Project Expedition IX in Monterey, Calif. Patterson resides in Wooster, Ohio.

 

Wollerman, a 1942 graduate, was a World War II veteran and returned to his hometown to serve as a longtime police officer and active community member. Wollerman joined the Neenah police force in 1946, serving as chief from 1973-86. He also started the city’s little league baseball program. Wollerman coached all levels of sports in the community and was a WIAA official for 37 years. He served on the Neenah Parks and Rec commission and was a member of Knights of Columbus, Elks Club, Neenah Club and Twin Cities VFW, while serving on the Board of Directors for the Appleton Foxes, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Neenah/Menasha YMCA. Wollerman helped Neenah to the semifinals of the 1942 state basketball tournament and led the Rockets in scoring at the tournament. He died in 1992.

 

Wronski, a 1990 graduate, serves as General Counsel and Senior Vice President-Administration for the Milwaukee Brewers. She graduated from St. Norbert College in 1994 and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in 1997. Wronski worked five years at a Milwaukee law firm and became an assistant professor at Marquette University Law School in 2002. In 2003, she joined the Brewers and still serves as an adjunct professor at Marquette. She gave the commencement address at St. Norbert in 2015 and was a member of the St. Norbert Board of Trustees. Wronski has been a board member for the Milwaukee Children’s Museum, Miracle League Milwaukee and Make-A-Wish Wisconsin. She and her family are known for adopting the Brewers’ newest mascot, Hank the Dog, which has expanded her charitable outreach. In high school, she participated in cheerleading, French Club and yearbook. Wronski resides in Bayside, Wis.

 

Yablon, a 1995 graduate, was a champion debate student and Rhodes Scholar. He graduated with high honors in 1999 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in political science and economics as one of the top four students in the College of Letters and Science. Yablon graduated from Yale Law School in 2006 and served as a clerk for U.S. Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. He worked at a law firm in San Francisco from 2010-14 and has served as a law professor at UW-Madison since 2015. He is active in the Madison community with several service organizations. As a senior, Yablon was valedictorian and helped Neenah become the first school in Wisconsin history to win all three state varsity debate titles in the same year. He resides in Madison.

 

Nominations for future Hall of Fame classes are accepted through the Neenah Joint School District website. Forms are also available at the District Office. Individuals need to be nominated by November 30 to be considered for the upcoming year. Once an individual is nominated, he or she will be considered every year.