Dialogue
Neenah Joint School District Newsletter - March 2023
Rekindle Roosevelt Memories on March 19
The public is invited to rekindle their memories and experiences at Roosevelt School with a walkthrough of the 100-year-old building on Sunday, March 19 from 1-3 p.m.
The event will feature an opportunity for the public to take a self-guided tour of the school that will close at the end of the 2022-23 school year. There will be photos and memorabilia posted around the building and current staff members will help answer questions and provide assistance. There is no need to register in advance and people are welcome to arrive anytime in the two-hour window.
Final "Milestone Moment" Tour Opportunity Scheduled for New Neenah High School on March 29
The public is invited to visit the new Neenah High School for an update on the construction progress on Wednesday, March 29 from 4-5 p.m. in the fourth and final “Milestone Moment” event.
Miron Construction staffers will lead visitors through an informative visit of the site with specific explanations about the stages of the construction. The event does not require hard hats, but visitors are advised to dress accordingly and wear closed-toe shoes. Visitors should also be prepared for muddy conditions on the site.
This will be the final “Milestone Moment” until the official dedication ceremonies take place in August. The latest images of the site are available on the District website.
Middle School Musical Set for March 9-12
The annual middle school musical is set for March 9-12 in Pickard Auditorium. Students from Shattuck and Horace Mann Middle Schools will present MTI's Broadway Junior Revue: Raise Your Voice. The show is a brand-new revue featuring songs from across MTI's Broadway Junior® collection, including classic titles such as Guys and Dolls and Oliver! to beloved Disney shows like Mary Poppins and High School Musical.
Performances will take place on Thursday, March 9 and Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 11 and Sunday, March 12 at Noon. Tickets are $7 and available in the Pickard lobby one hour prior to each performance. NJSD staff members are admitted free by showing their staff ID at the door.
What's Happening in Our Schools
Veterans Share Flags with First Graders
NJSD Reads Across America
Tullar Students Learn to Debate
Shattuck Students Celebrate Black History Month
Ziebell Named Gatorade State Girls Basketball Player of the Year
Neenah High School junior Allie Ziebell has been named the Gatorade Player of the Year for girls basketball in the state of Wisconsin.
Ziebell led the Rockets to a 26-2 overall record during the 2022-23 season and their first Fox Valley Association championship since 2010. She averaged 25.5 points per game and helped Neenah earn a berth in the sectional finals for the second straight year.
In just three years, Ziebell is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Fox Valley Association with 1,995 career points. The career total already ranks 35th among all players and 12th among Division 1 players in Wisconsin history. Ziebell will compete in the state three-point shooting contest for the second straight year on March 11 at the state tournament in Green Bay.
Ziebell is the fourth Neenah athlete to win a Gatorade State Player of the Year award in any sport with the others all coming in boys soccer. Kris Kelderman won in 1986, Stuart Grable won in 2007 and Adam Pohlman received the award in 2013.
Neenah High School Holds Inaugural Inclusion Week
Neenah High School concluded its inaugural "Inclusion Week" with a unified Special Olympics basketball game on March 3.
The week featured a variety of activities where students added quotes about including everyone to a banner in the hallway and students signed pledges to be inclusive of all. The week was capped by the basketball game that featured students with and without disabilities teaming up to face each other.
Neenah High School has made inclusion of all students one of its priorities and, in 2020, was recognized as the only Wisconsin school on the ESPN Special Olympics Honor Roll of 36 schools nationwide for its inclusion of students with and without disabilities and whole school engagement.
Summer School Enrichment Opens Soon
Registration for elementary and middle school summer enrichment courses will open Monday, March 27. The enrichment classes will take place in two sessions this summer. One three-week session will be held in June at Spring Road and the other will be held in July and August at Taft. Course information will be posted soon. Parents will receive an email when it is posted.
Teachers are currently communicating recommendations for reading and math summer academy during parent-teacher conferences. Personal sign-ups via email will be sent to families to sign up. Academy classes will take place from June 5-30 from 8-11 a.m. at all elementary buildings.
Middle school and high school classes will take place at the current high school. High school summer courses are already open for registration. The summer lunch program will be available at specific sites throughout the District as well.
Kleuskens Receives Shining Star Award
Kyle Kleuskens, a physical education teacher and head varsity wrestling coach at Neenah High School, has been named the recipient of an Excellence in Education Shining Star Award from the Fox Cities Chamber for Excellence in Extracurricular Activities.
The awards honor Fox Cities educators who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to supporting students in and outside of the classroom to enhance the educational experiences and outcomes for students. Kleuskens will be honored in an event on March 30 at the Grand Meridian in Appleton with winners in nine other categories.
Kleuskens is in his second year teaching adaptive physical education at Neenah High School after five years of teaching elementary physical education at Lakeview Elementary. He has been the head coach of the Neenah wrestling team for the past seven years and has coached 12 individual conference champions, 26 state qualifiers and two state champions.
Barthell Finalist for State Journalist Award
Neenah High School senior Robert Barthell was named one of three finalists for the 2023 Wisconsin Journalist of the Year by the Wisconsin Journalism Education Association.
Barthell is the assistant editor-in-chief of the Neenah High School school newspaper, The Satellite. He is also the creator, editor and producer of the school’s Rocket News that encompasses everything happening at Neenah High School and is shown in all classrooms at the start of each week. Barthell has never missed a week since starting the Rocket News in December of 2021. He has collected Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association awards for his work in the news video category.
4K Enrollment Now Open for 2023-24
Upcoming Events
March 9 - Boys Basketball, WIAA Sectional Semifinal vs. Hudson, 6 p.m. (at Stevens Point)
March 9-10 - Middle School Musical, "Raise Your Voice," 7 p.m. (Pickard Auditorium)
March 11-12 - Middle School Musical, "Raise Your Voice," Noon (Pickard Auditorium)
March 25 - Rocket Blast-Off 5K Run, 10 a.m. Click here for info and to register
March 31-April 7 - Spring Break