Lena School Board Re-Elects Officers

At its annual re-organization meeting on Monday, April 17 Lena School board voted without dissent to have no change in its slate of officers or the 2023-2024 school year. Incumbent officers returned to the positions they had held were Board President Lori Dufek, Vice-President Ed Huberty, Clerk Charles Imig, and Treasurer David McNurlen.

Before that vote, Dufek was sworn in by District Administrator Ben Pytleski for a new three-year term on the board.

Present for the meeting were board members Dufek, Huberty, Imig, McNurlen, Timothy A. Goldschmidt, Pytleski, High School Principal Matt Hanson, and Student Representative Abbygale Garrigan.

Imig was chosen as the Wisconsin Association of School Boards delegate, with Lori Dufek as  alternate for Assembly, and McNurlen was selected to be the district’s CESA#8 Annual Meeting representative.

By unanimous votes, Associated Bank was again named official depository for school funds, Peshtigo Times was named the official school newspaper, and the date and time of the regular meetings will stay the same: first and third Mondays of each month and 6:30 p,m, time in the boardroom, with dates and times subject to change.

In regular business, the board approved a Baseball volunteer coaching contract for Tyler Schmit for the 2022-2023 school year and a food service position contract for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year for Emily Flint as presented.

After discussion from Bobbie Windus in regards to bringing some students to a trap shooting event in Denmark on Saturday, April 29, the board approved transportation and attendance for FFA/Lena students to participate in the Denmark event as presented. 

The board discussed two options to modify teaching staff compensation, and then voted without dissent to approve Option 2 for the 2023-2024 school year.

After some discussion with Hanson, the board agreed there will be a group organized to discuss possible future weighted grades for the high school. Hanson said there were eight schools looked at on what they do, and the one that is on the weighted grades are no longer going to do it.  It was agreed that once the group gets together, the options will be brought to the board.

In her Student Representative report Garrigan said spring sports of Softball, Baseball and Track have begun, and spring concerts and awards will be held in April and May. 

She said the High School Prom was a success, “everyone had a lot of fun and enjoyed the awesome prizes.  The Juniors want to thank all for that helped with the prom and after prom including the support from the community for making it a success.”

The Art Show will be held on Wednesday, April 26, and there were to be activities throughout the week of April 17 through April 21 for “Be Green/Not Mean Week.”

Hanson thanked the Junior class and the advisors for a great turn out for the Junior Prom.  He announced there was to be a “Kiss a Pig” for the Katie Zak Benefit, which was to be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 22 at the St. Anne’s Catholic Church Hall.

Hanson said Social Studies Curriculum ordering would be on Thursday, April 20; State Forensics would be on Saturday, April 22, and Trees for Tomorrow would be on Sunday, April 23.

Plans for the Senior Honors Banquet are underway and there will be over 20 students attending.

Hanson also shared some grade information, and said there has been a big improvement in the D’s and F’s percentages, with ranges of 26% to 80% down from last year.

Pytleski, who also serves as elementary principal, expressed a big thanks to a guest, Mr. Wentworth, who had come in for Science, and completed many Physics and Chemistry experiments for the classroom.

He also relayed an invitation to the board for Julie Aubry’s retirement party.

The board was told that students had been guests at WOCO on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.  The five students discussed the modifications to a car from last year and the two new cars made this year.

The board was reminded that the WASDA Spring Conference would be held from Wednesday,  April 26 through Friday, April 28, and Staff Appreciation Week is May 8 through 12.

Camp for the Fifth Graders was to start on Wednesday, April 19 and run through Friday, April 21.