Eleven Students Qualify for State DECA

Neenah High School had 11 students qualify for the state DECA championships after finishing third or higher in their categories during the district competition last weekend.

 

A total of 39 Neenah students competed in the virtual event with 22 students earning medalist honors. Five students received first place awards and will compete at the virtual state competition in late March. First place winners were Carson Clark and Matthew Whitmer in Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making, Clara Padgham in Apparel and Accessories Marketing, Ian Cowell in Principles of Finance and Hannah Sabel in Principles of Hospitality and Tourism.

 

Second and third place finishers also advance to the state meet. Second place finishers were Sophia Hodek and Kaitlyn Dietz in Hospitality Services Team Decision Making, Emma Rundquist and Isabel Yoblonski in Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making and Abigail Wise in Automotive Services Marketing. Anabelle Hodges placed third in Principles of Hospitality and Tourism.

 

Students who earned individual medalist honors were Sophia Paape, Nicolas Boyer and Jennifer Murphy. Team medalist awards went to Victor Guerra and J.J. Paider, Bruce Argall and Nolan Kubiak, Mia Kinayman and Bella Wilgreen, and Sage Kirklewski and Quinn Marnocha.

 

For the past 75 years, DECA has prepared emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

Neenah Debate Excels at State Meet

Neenah High School senior Megan O'Keefe earned the top speaker award in the Lincoln-Douglas division and was one of three state scholarship winners at the recent Wisconsin State Debate Tournament. Additionally, assistant coach Kaija Snyder was named the Wisconsin State Coach of the Year. This year's event was held in a virtual format with 26 schools competing.

 

O'Keefe finished third overall in the Lincoln-Douglas Division and totaled 175 out of a possible 180 speaker points. She also won a scholarship from the Wisconsin Debate Coaches Association for her dedication and success in debate over the last four years.

 

Snyder is a 2015 Neenah High School graduate and has been an assistant coach with the program since 2017 as a student at UW-Oshkosh. She has been instrumental in recruiting students to the program and having a direct result in the team's success.

 

Neenah also received an eighth place finish from junior Isabel Hoffman in the Lincoln-Douglas division. She finished second behind O'Keefe in the top speaker category with 173 points.

 

Senior Arin Pitzrik and sophomore Alex Fahrenkrug teamed to place eighth in the Policy division. Pitzrik placed 12th overall in speaker points with 168.

 

Additionally, freshman Sarah Hoffman placed 15th in the junior varsity division. The team's head coach is Neenah High School math teacher Andie Peterson-Longmore.

Thompson Appointed to School Board Open Seat

Scott Thompson, a 15-year veteran of the Neenah Joint School District Board of Education, has been selected to fill a three-month appointment to the Board this spring.

 

Thompson will fill the seat currently held by Carol Hollar-Zwick, who will resign following the Jan. 19 meeting. Hollar-Zwick is moving to Madison with her husband, who recently accepted a new job. Thompson will be sworn in on Feb. 2 and will serve through April. Hollar-Zwick’s three-year term expires in April and the seat will be filled through the spring election.

 

Thompson recently concluded five three-year terms on the Board last April and did not seek re-election. He was one of three individuals to apply for the appointment, along with Kristian Sahr and David Williams. Interviews with all three applicants were conducted and Thompson was selected at a special Board meeting on Jan. 12. Sahr and Williams are among four candidates for three seats in the April election, joining Tamara Hasz and incumbent Brian Epley. Incumbent Betsy Ellenberger is not seeking re-election.

 

Thompson served as Board president from 2006-16. 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 was completed in July 2020. Thompson was also a key figure in the District’s referendum process the past two years and currently serves on the Core Planning Team for design of the new Neenah High School.

Joch Named Chief Financial Officer

A restructuring of the Neenah Joint School District business office will result in Jon Joch assuming the role of Chief Financial Officer as the District searches for a Director of Business Services.

 

Joch essentially fills the position previously held by Andrew Thorson, who was the District’s Deputy Superintendent of Business Services before passing away in August. Dr. Jack Stoskopf filled the role on an interim basis during the fall to finalize  the 2020-21 District budget and to secure the levy. Joch has worked in the business office for the past 10 years as the Director of Revenue Enhancements & Business Services Support. His position will be filled by a Director of Business Services position that is now posted and the District is accepting applicants. The restructuring was approved by the Board of Education at its December 15 meeting.

 

In Joch’s previous role, he  was the District’s point of contact for alumni functions, grant writing, financial gifts and donations, including all corporate sponsorships and scholarships.  He was responsible for the District’s banking and investment services as well as monitoring the District’s cash flow. Joch was the District’s Administrator of the Year in 2014.

 

A Neenah High School graduate, Joch served three years as Neenah High School Activities Director from 2007-10 and also worked as the high school bookkeeper following his graduation with a business administration and economics degree from UW-Stevens Point. From 1999-2007, Joch served as Business Manager and Activities Director for the Twin Cities Catholic Educational System (now St. Mary’s Catholic Schools). He also completed a teaching certification in Business Education from Concordia University (Wis.).

 

“Jon is not only the right person, but the best person to continue and enhance the outstanding work being done in our business office,” said Superintendent Dr. Mary Pfeiffer. “We are fortunate to have such a dedicated and loyal person with the background and experience necessary to fill this important role.”

 

Joch will oversee an office responsible for managing a $105.7 million budget, marking the first nine-digit budget in District history. The primary reason for the increase is the passing of a $114.9 million referendum last April. Joch is a member of the Core Planning Team for the construction of the new Neenah High School and co-chairs the new high school’s athletics and recreation facilities committee.

 

In June, the District became one of the few school districts in the state to fully fund its post-retirement benefits liability. The payments toward the liability opened up over $5 million in the annual operating budget that will be used towards the facilities upgrade, reducing the size of the referendum amount. The District projects  providing 2.5 percent salary increases for all staff members. District staff members have received increases for over a decade, resulting in one of the highest staff retention rates in the Fox Valley.

District Tax Levy Comes in Below Projection

Neenah Joint School District residents will see a property tax increase of 98 cents per $1,000 of property value in 2021, which is one cent lower than projected following the passage of a referendum in April. The tax levy was certified by the Board of Education at a special meeting on October 27.

 

The total mill rate will be $7.84 per $1,000 of property value, which is still below the rate from 2017 when residents paid $8.05. Included in the tax levy is over $1.5 million toward private school student vouchers. Without including these vouchers and measuring only funds going directly to the Neenah Joint School District, the mill rate would be 33 cents lower at $7.51. Despite the increase, District residents will still pay among the lowest school district taxes in the Fox Valley.

 

The overall increase follows a successful $114.9 million referendum in April 2020 that will build a new high school, renovate the existing high school into intermediate and middle schools for grades 5-8, create more space for elementary students and enhance District-wide safety and security. Outside of referendum dollars, the District will also be updating all buildings with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) enhancements. Construction on the new high school will begin in the spring of 2021 with the school scheduled to open in the fall of 2023.

 

Part of the reason the District was able to keep the tax increase lower for property owners was by fully spending last year’s budget and receiving an increase in state aid. One of the biggest expenditures was the purchase of a 220-acre property for the new high school for $3,405,000 without needing to borrow. The District used only $483,747 of its fund balance for the purchase.

 

In June, the District became one of the few school districts in the state to fully fund its post-retirement benefits liability. The payments over the past eight years toward the $100 million liability opened up over $5 million in the annual operating budget that will be used towards the facilities upgrade, reducing the size of the referendum amount. The District will also be providing 2.5 percent salary increases for all staff members. District staff members have received increases for over a decade, resulting in one of the highest staff retention rates in the Fox Valley.

 

The full budget presentation may be viewed by clicking here

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.

 

Update: The 2020 Hall of Fame banquet has been cancelled. The inductees will be inducted during the 2021 event on October 9, 2021.

 

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.