Full Week of Homecoming Activities Set for Sept. 23-28
Neenah schools will have a full week of homecoming activities for all ages during the week of Sept. 23-28.
The week starts on Monday, Sept. 23 with a student trivia contest in the high school library at 6 p.m. and continues with a family outdoor movie night on Tuesday, Sept. 24 on the new video board in Rocket Stadium. The movie night begins at 6 p.m. with a showing of “Horton Hears a Who” that will include interaction with characters from the upcoming high school musical “Seussical the Musical.” At 7:30 p.m., there will be a showing of “Wreck-It-Ralph,” including a special video introduction from Neenah alum and Oscar winner Phil Johnston who wrote the screenplay for the movie and will be inducted into the District Hall of Fame later in the week.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 features the annual Powder Puff football game in Rocket Stadium at 6 p.m. and on Thursday, Sept. 26 there will be home girls volleyball and boys soccer games against Kaukauna at 7 p.m. The boys soccer game will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a ceremony to name the field after longtime coach Harry Kelderman.
The annual homecoming parade takes place on Friday, Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. beginning at city pool on Park Ave. and running west down Wisconsin Ave. to Church St. The parade will be followed by a tailgate party near the cafeteria at Neenah High School from 5:45-7 p.m. Meals will be $5 per person and all of this year’s Neenah Hall of Fame inductees will be present. Meals include a burger or brat, chips, water and a cookie. The homecoming football game against Oshkosh North follows at 7 p.m. in Rocket Stadium.
The fifth annual Hall of Fame induction banquet takes place on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 11:30 a.m. at Best Western Premier Bridgewood Hotel. This year’s inductees include Johnston, Dr. Kerri Blobaum, Kris Kelderman, Tami Whitlinger, Teri Whitlinger, Gary Parker and Jim Vine. Tickets are $25 and on sale at the administration building through Sept. 20.
Jewelers Mutual Provides Backpacks to Taft and Hoover Students
Every Taft and Hoover Elementary student is receiving a new backpack filled with school supplies thanks to a generous donation by Neenah-based Jewelers Mutual Insurance and the Kids in Need Foundation.
Students received 20 different items, including pencils, pencil pouches, notebooks, crayons and markers. The backpacks also contained motivational hand-written notes from Jewelers Mutal employees. Schools were selected based on the percentage of the student population who take part in free or reduced lunches.
Taft students in grades 3-5 received their backpacks on Sept. 5 during a special assembly. Students in grades K-2 received theirs in the classroom. Hoover students received theirs on Sept. 6 and 9.
"We are so grateful to Jewelers Mutual for providing these donations to schools in their own backyard," said superintendent Dr. Mary Pfeiffer. "It's a great relief to many of our families and seeing the faces of our kids after receiving the backpacks was priceless."
Student-Led Convocation Welcomes Back NJSD Staff
Senior Wesley Blashka and a show choir comprised of regular and special education students welcomed back the Neenah Joint School District staff with a student-led convocation for the 10th straight year.
The group “Abilities in Harmony” opened the event with a performance that was choreographed throughout the summer. They were joined for their second number by a choir of elementary and middle school students.
Blashka served as Master of Ceremonies and offered a message of gratitude to his teachers and challenged the staff to live the slogan “Neenah With Pride.” Blashka is the son of Scott and Cassandra Blashka and is a regular on stage in Neenah drama and musical productions.
Superintendent Dr. Mary Pfeiffer followed with more discussion about the Neenah With Pride theme and its importance as the District considers another possible referendum in April.
The event featured nearly $6,000 in door prizes for randomly-selected staff members provided by several Neenah businesses and District business partners. Included in the prizes were an autographed Aaron Rodgers football and helmet, Packer tickets, contribution to a retirement account, wellness items, technology items, Neenah clothing and numerous gift cards to local businesses. Ten days off were also distributed where one of the District Administrators will sub for a teacher or non-certified staff member. The staff member may choose any day during the school year for the administrative sub.
Staff members were clad in red and white and made contributions to local charities. A total of 1,060 pounds of food was collected and donated to Ruth’s Pantry in the annual Bob Melzer Food Drive, while contributions of school supplies were collected for the Educator’s Closet. A wellness expo with various local organizations and businesses followed in the fieldhouse.
Bath Selected as Principal at Roosevelt/Alliance
Ashley Bath has been chosen as the new principal at Neenah's Roosevelt Elementary and Alliance Charter Schools, pending approval by the Board of Education at its September 3 meeting.
Bath has spent the last 10 years in the Appleton Area School District, including nearly five years as the District's Response to Intervention (RtI) coordinator. In that position, she worked collaboratively with numerous staff members to create academic plans to assist students in achieving success. She previously spent two years as a school counselor and three years as a teacher of students with autism at Huntley Elementary School.
"After meeting with parents and teachers during the interview process, I came to realize the close-knit community at Roosevelt and Alliance," Bath said. "It gave me such a great feeling and made me want to be a part of Doty Island so much more. I am excited to get started."
Bath recently completed coursework for a Ph.D in educational leadership from Edgewood College. She also earned a bachelor's degree from UW-Oshkosh and a master's degree in school counseling from Concordia University-Mequon.
Bath was honored this past school year as an "Illuminator of the Year" by Illuminate Education for her work in supporting staff with the implementation of the data management tool eduCLIMBER.
"Ashley's experience in RtI, her desire to take that next step as a principal and her academic achievements lead us to believe she will be an excellent fit at Roosevelt and Alliance," said superintendent Dr. Mary Pfeiffer. "Her ability to provide different approaches to learning is very complementary to the needs at Roosevelt and Alliance."
Bath replaces Diane Luft, who guided Roosevelt and Alliance the past three years and will assume principal duties this fall at Spring Road Elementary.
NJSD Hall of Fame Tickets Now Available
Tickets for the 2019 Neenah Joint School District Hall of Fame induction banquet are now on sale to the general public at the District Administration Building.
Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased in person at 410 S. Commercial St. from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until Sept. 20. Tickets may also be ordered through a form on the Neenah Joint School District website or by contacting Jon Joch in the Business Office at 751-6800 ext. 10105 or jjoch@neenah.k12.wi.us. The banquet will be held on Sat., Sept. 28 at the Bridgewood Resort in Neenah. A social hour begins at 10:30 a.m. followed by a luncheon and program at 11:30 a.m.
For the second straight year, the program will consist of an interview format where each inductee or representative will participate in a conversational interview rather than giving a formal speech.
Table sponsorships are available for $300 each. Sponsorships include eight tickets at a reserved table indicated by a sponsorship sign. Sponsors will also be announced at the banquet and recognized with all of the sponsors in the event program and on a sign in the banquet hall. Table sponsorships may be purchased through the Business Office.
The 2019 induction class consists of Dr. Kerri Blobaum, Philip Johnston, Kris Kelderman, Gary Parker, Jim Vine, Tami (Whitlinger) Jones and Teri (Whitlinger) Boynton.
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