Montello Points of Pride 2015-2016
Moving Montello Forward!
What Makes The Montello School District Great!
Table of Contents
Montello School District - Points of Pride
District Level Highlights
Montello Junior High School
Montello Senior High School
High Marq Environmental Charter School
Performing Arts
Art
Athletics
Student Life
Montello Robotics Club
Athletics Participation
High Marq Next Generation School Symposium
District Level Highlights
Community Partnerships
2015-2016 Partnerships
- CESA 6 - Framework for Intentional Teaching
- Chamber of Commerce
- Howard and Betty
- READ Dogs
- Montello Endowment for Education
- Healthy Children Healthy Youth
- Robotics Club - Contributions from a variety of businesses
- Poynette School District - Google Hangouts, Site-based visits, and Grading for Learning
1:1 School District
Grading For Learning - Standards-Based Learning
Grants
2015-2016 Grants
- Granite Peak Performance - CLC Grant $75,000
- Peer Review and Mentoring Grant - $7,000
- Embedded STEM - $24,000
High Quality Professional Development
MAP Testing Scores - Trending Upwards
New School Website - Saving Thousands of Dollars Annually!
Strategic Planning - Montello Forward 2020 - Community Visioning
Community Visioning
Forest Lane Community School
FLCS Summer Reading Club
Operation Backpack FLCS 2016-2017
Interactive Read-Alouds
International Dinner
National Kindergarten Day!
Student-Centered Learning
Fang Reading Program
Writing Celebrations
Family Events
Granite Peak Performance Program
Montello Junior High
Isle Royale
Washington D.C.
This past school year, our Jr. High traveled to Washington D.C. to visit many of the historic landmarks and sites that make D.C. a great place to visit. On the trip students were able to do many things and gain valuable insight into the history of our great nation. Below is a list of activities and sites that students were able to visit.
National Zoo
Capitol Tour
Holocaust Memorial Museum
Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum
Lincoln Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Nurses Memorial
White House
Air and Space Museum
National History Museum
Arlington National Cemetery
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
MLK Jr. Memorial
Ford’s Theater
Mount Vernon
Writing Club
Watching Writing Grow at Montello Jr. High
After creating the JH Writing Club at Montello, I have seen all of its members grow in their passion, creativity, and in their writing skills. At each meeting, we help each other get inspired about a new or current story idea, critique one another's writing, create book cover graphics, and experiment with all sorts of genres of writing, from fan-fiction to poetry. All of its members consistently publish their creative stories and poems on popular online platforms, such as blogs and Wattpad. A few celebrations are that many of our members attended a Young Author's Festival at Marian University and were able to participate in a multi-art show for Portage Center of the Arts. Four of our writers participated in their Art that Blooms show, some of whom will be performing and reading their poems at its opening on June 3!
Montello Senior High
Academic and Career Planning - Pilot School
Framework for Intentional Teaching
The five elements of a FIT teaching focus provides teachers with the tools and skills they need to ensure that high quality teaching and learning takes place in every classroom.
5 Elements of FIT Teaching
- Planning with Purpose (Common Curriculum Lesson Planning Tool)
- Cultivate a Learning Climate (Welcoming Classroom Environment)
- Instruct with Intent (Cooperative Grouping, Guided Instruction, Independent Learning)
- Assess with a System (Grading for Learning
- Impact Student Learning (Structured Professional Learning Communities)
Post Graduate Success
- 73% of 2016 graduates accepted into two and four year colleges
- 5% enlisted in military
- 21% joining the workforce
Unique Opportunities
Author Visit - Pat Tomlinson
Robotics Club
The 2015-16 MHS robotics club had an impressive inaugural year in the VEX robotics competition called “Nothing but Net”. The 15 students built and modified two robots which they named Spunky Monkey and Junk Yard competing in Berlin, Somerset, Appleton and Fond du lac. Spunky Monkey qualified for the VEX state robotics competition held in Appleton. The competitions were more than robots battling each other involving intense 2 minute competitions. During competitions students also had to have their robots inspected, they were interviewed by a panel of judges, kept an engineering notebook and judged throughout the day on their interactions with other teams, teammates, judges, volunteers, and referees.
The mission of the MHS Robotics club is to promote student involvement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics incorporating higher order and critical thinking skills to design, build and program mechanical robots for participation in the VEX robotics program. The program is built on teamwork, self-confidence, professionalism, and leadership. The MHS/JH Robotics Club provides a place where all students, especially those with an inclination for technology, can thrive. We hope to inspire students who never thought they could do this kind of work, and to encourage students to explore career alternatives.
The mentor for this season was Janene Perkins. We would like to thank our sponsors for the 2015-16 season:
MHS Jr/Sr High Governence Council
MEE Montello Endowment for Education
Brakebush Brothers
Penda Corporation
TW Design
Next year the competition is called VEX STARSTRUCK where teams will throw large Jacks and blocks over a fence to score points against the competition. Next year we will be expanding to have 4 high school teams and 2 middle school teams. The sponsors for the 2016-2017 season are
MEE Montello Endowment for Education
Cardinal Glass
Montello Kwik Trip
Montello Lions Club
Montello Tru Value
Ripon/Wautoma Ace Hardware
Shopko Foundation
National Exchange Bank
Smart Motor Toyota
Fastenal
Walmart Community Grants
Northside Automotive
- US Cellular Adams-Columbia Electric Company
- Montello Robotics Club - Recipient of a $1000 Walmart Community Grant
School Restaurant
Food Service Course
Over the past two years, we have been able to be open on Tuesdays, from 8:30-11:00 am, which provides a nice long open time to have customers be able to sit and enjoy their meal.
The students do all the planning of the menu and entrees, name the cafe and plan the entree names around the theme, learn all the front and back of the house responsibilities, test out and acquire a sanitation licence from the Tri-County Environmental Health Consortium, and be able to understand how a " real life " cafe operates.
The students are in charge of all duties and rotate those positions every two weeks. The students do get paid a very small hourly wage ( .40 cents ) and get approximately 40 % of the tips that are collected. The tips are equally divided among all workers.
The rest of the profit goes into an activity account for scholarships that the seniors that participate in the food service class can apply for their senior year.
It is a great opportunity to participate in a program that teaches life skills and school-to-work skills that can be useful in their future.
We have provided this opportunity for students over thirty years and it is a great activity to be able to bring the community into our school to see the students provide a service to them.. I know the students and staff appreciate it too.
High Marq Environmental Charter School
High Marq Highlights
High Marq Highlights for 2015-16
High Marq’s 2015-16 has been a mix of transitions and traditions, blending the old and the new. We spent the summer packing up the space that was our home for three years and moving into our new rooms on Forest Lane. The move was not without its challenges, but the many hands of current, former, and incoming students as well as their families made light work of it in the end.
As we settled in for the fall, we started our plans for the school garden and spent field days canoeing and learning how to rescue tipped canoers, which is a skill we hope they never have to use. At our Fall Presentation Night, ten students--including three brand new ones--gave live presentations on topics ranging from “Photography” to “The Sarcastic Fringehead.” In October, Ms. Bolan, Mr. Primm, and a handful of students and alumni shared the story of High Marq at the Midwest Environmental Education Conference in Madison.
Winter weather couldn’t keep us inside, as we traveled to the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo to learn about Leopold’s life and legacy; planned and constructed a demonstration eagle nest at the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center in Poynette; and developed plans for a major overhaul of the Nature Center at Pine Lake Camp in Westfield. Between field experiences, students still found time to complete projects, with nine of them shared live at our Winter Presentation Night. This was our first time using the big stage in the Community Room, and students gave TED Talk style presentations on topics such as “Prop Making” and “The Human Immune System.”
As winter turned to spring, Ms. Bolan, Mr. Primm, and another group of students and alumni presented on High Marq at the Next Generation Schools Symposium in Fond du Lac. The students took over this one, leaving Ms. Bolan and Mr. Primm little to do but watch on with pride. Later, field teams put their survival skills to the test at our annual Survival Day in the Hungry Hills School Forest. Just before Spring Break, students spent two days and one night at the Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center in Wisconsin Dells, where they gained direct experience with the natural history of this beautiful area.
The months since Spring Break have been a bit of a blur, but we finished the year strong. Six of our students shared presentations at the Wisconsin Green Schools Network Youth Summit at UW-Stevens Point, and there were nine live presentations at our Spring Presentation Night, including “Nuclear Power” and “American Sign Language,” which was given simultaneously in words and signs. In the field, we focused our energies on tilling, weeding, and planting vegetables and flowers in the school garden, and ended the year with visioning for its future.
Just last week, we graduated our Class of 2016. Brandon, Dylan, Joseph, and Tessa all came to High Marq at different times and for different reasons, and they are all heading in different directions, but they are leaving us united under our school’s social pillars of Respect, Initiative, and Positivity. Now we are turning our eyes to next fall in anticipation of our incoming students and the start of their journeys.
“Purposeful learning using our local community to impact our global community.”
Our Vision
- Give students and parents another choice in education
- Provide a safe and supportive classroom community
- Maintain a 16:1 student-teacher ratio
- Take a real-world approach to learning with hands-on experiences
- Raise achievement in core subject areas through independent project-based learning
- Teach the 4 C's of 21st Century Skills:
- Critical Thinking
- Collaboration
- Community
- Creativity
Family Events
November
Fall Presentation Night
January
Winter Presentation Night
March
A Sand County Almanac Reading
May
Helping with Fish-N-Fun
Spring Presentation Night
Family Adventure Day
High Marq Students
- Become active citizens and self-directed, empowered learners
- Develop an active environmental literacy
- Master the learning process and become lifelong learners
- Manage time, resources, and responsibilities
- Communicate effectively in writing and verbally
- Build positive attitudes and problem-solving abilities
Field Days
Presentation Nights
Activities
Forensics
The Montello forensics team did a great job of building on last year's success. Last year's team members were key ambassadors, helping to recruit new members. We also welcomed students from Hi Marq who became valuable members of the team. For the first time in many years, Montello had enough participants at the Trailways Conference meet to qualify and compete for team awards, instead of just a collection of individual entries. We had students compete in several new categories this year as well, including Alexis Radaj who got first place in the Storytelling category at the Conference meet. This year we had seven students advance to district level competition, and six advance from there to the State Speech Festival. At the state competition, Sarah Faltz (gold) and Chase Barthel (bronze) received medals for the Radio category. Becca Thill (silver) placed for her prose entry. In the poetry category, all three Montello entrants were awarded medals - Hannah Arbeiter (bronze), Elijah Williams (silver), and DeeDee Drew (gold)
Performing Arts
Tommy Award Winners
Leading Performer and Scenic Design Recipients
Laker Anne ThrasherRon Anderson
Linda Metoxen
Sports
Art
Student Life
Homecoming 2015
National Honor Society
Snowball 2016
Prom 2016
Montello FFA
The Montello FFA Chapter - Continuing to grow students
The Montello FFA Chapter has a long tradition of good student membership, chapter activities, community outreach, and state and national award recognition. This year the Montello FFA Chapter registered 101 members at the state level. The Montello/Westfield FFA Alumni graciously pays for the state membership affiliation fee, which means that all students enrolled in an Agricultural Education class are automatically an FFA member. Most of what we do in FFA activities directly relates to what is done in the classroom, so this increases the participation opportunities for all of our students.
Our chapter activities range from participation in student development, chapter development, and community development activities. The FFA looks to get our members involved in as many community service projects as possible. Some of the activities that took place this last year include:
Attending State and National FFA Conventions
Father Marquette Day parade
Marquette County Fair
Ag in the classroom/Day on the farm
World Dairy Expo
Career Development Event Judging
Harrisville Trap Shoot assistant
Local FFA Alumni Wildlife Banquet
Lions Haunted Hayride
FFA Fire Conference
FFA 212/360 Conference
FFA Sectional Leadership Workshop
Fruit sale Fundraiser
District, Sectional and State Speaking contest
Community organization presentations
Farm Bureau Game Night and other volunteer opportunities
One major accomplishment is that the Montello FFA Chapter is home to the 2015 American Star in Agricultural Placement, Eric Coddington. Eric worked for his parents on their farm his entire life. His accurate record keeping, diverse work responsibilities, and running trial research plots allowed him to have a top notch proficiency program which allowed him to accomplish this huge honor. Other students look up to Eric’s work and are striving to have the program and goals that Eric did.
The Montello FFA chapter will have 9 officers to lead them in the 2015-2016 school year. Planning will begin in the summer to expand our current activities and offerings through FFA so that we can reach out and try to involve more students. Please like the Montello FFA Chapter on Facebook to keep up with the awesome activities and accomplishments that our students are achieving.
Volunteerism
Pennies for Patients: Giving back to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
High Marq has worked on numerous community projects, including improvements to the park in Packwaukee, raking lawns, and installing a beaver baffle at John Muir County Park to keep the water level stable at Ennis Lake.
Montello School District
Website: www.montelloschools.org
Location: 222 Forest Lane, Montello, WI, United States
Phone: 608-297-7617
Twitter: @MontelloSD247