#VanguardPride Wisconsin Heights Athletics
Week of September 11 - September 17
https://bit.ly/WisHeightsAthletics
Congratulations to our Optimists Club Summer Seminar attendees Violet B. and Keera P.!
Violet B. attended WILS 2022, the Wisconsin Leadership Seminar, June 10-12, at Carroll University in Waukesha. The mission of WILS is to identify outstanding high school sophomores throughout Wisconsin for being responsible citizens in their community and school and provide them with the opportunity and encouragement to recognize their leadership potential.
Keera P. attended WAS 2022, the World Affairs Seminar, June 18 through 24, also at Carroll University. This is a week-long international experience, bringing together students from around the world to learn international relations and develop skills in diplomacy, communications and cooperation. Young people from over 30 nations attended. The theme this year was, “Reimagining Global Health and Wellness: Contagious Ideas.”
They attended the Wisconsin Heights Optimists Club meeting last week and talked about their experiences and thoughts about the summer seminar they each attended. Both saw the seminar as a positive learning experience. The Optimists Club is pleased and proud to have sponsored these two outstanding students.
#VanguardPride
You are invited to the Celebration of our One Campus on Friday, September 30, 2022.
Join us for a tour or take a self tour through the buildings and see all the exciting enhancements and features! A ribbon cutting ceremony will begin at 5:00pm.
This will be an exciting evening since it will be held with the first Annual Homecoming Tailgate Party! The Tailgate Party will start after the 4:00pm parade in Black Earth and go until kick-off. Families can use the bleachers and/or bring camping chairs to set out on the softball outfield area. There will be several bean bag games, music, & lots of great food!
This wouldn't be possible without the wonderful support from the #VanguardPride community!
We hope to see you there!
Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new Administrative Assistant & Athletic Secretary, Brittney Wilkes!
Brittney is so excited to be a new part of the Vanguard family. She lives in Mazomanie with her husband and two daughters Kali Mae & Kaydance Marie. Kali Mae will be in 6th Grade and Kaydance in Kindergarten!
Brittney and her family just moved from LaCenter, Washington this summer after their wedding on June 25th 2022. She grew up back and forth between LaCenter, Washington and Wickenburg, Arizona. Brittney has a Bachelors Degree in Allied Health Administration with a focus in EMR/Medical Assisting. Previously she has been in the Healthcare field for the last 7 years and served in the US Army for 6 years prior to that as an Airborne Medic. She also spent many years coaching local youth including cheer/dance, volleyball, soccer, and track.
“I look forward to leaving my footprint in Vanguard Athletics and Activities.”
Welcome, Brittney!
The Wisconsin Heights School District is currently seeking candidates for the following positions within the District for the 2022-2023 school year:
-Administrative Assistant for Student Services/Special Education and Curriculum/Instruction/Assessment
-Substitute Teachers
-Substitute Educational Assistants
For more information or to apply, please visit WECAN at https://wecan.education.wisc.edu/#/
#VanguardPride
Mrs. Johnson’s #VanguardPride 6th grade Science classes participated in the Marshmallow Challenge. Students needed to construct the tallest freestanding structure using only spaghetti noodles, tape, string and a large marshmallow.
Students needed to use teamwork, communication and listening skills to complete the challenge.
What a fun experiment!!!
𝑪𝒖𝒑 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆!!!
#VanguardPride 6th and 7th graders had a fun math experiment. They worked in teams to build towers out of cups using only a rubber band and string to move the cups.
Pretty impressive!
It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, it's the not the holiday yet but close enough for us! It was the first day of #VanguardPride school last week!
For some, it was the first day of school - ever. For others, it was the first day at the new elementary school. Some of our students had their first day in the MS or in the HS.
Firsts can bring on all sorts of feelings. Nervous, scared, happy, reflief... whatever it was, one common factor was it was exciting!
We saw so many smiles and felt the excitement walking through the halls.
Welcome back Vanguards!!!!
Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new MS/HS Physical Education Teacher, Tyler Fuchs!
Tyler was born, raised, and still lives in Sauk Prairie. He graduated college at UW-Whitewater where he majored in Physical Education and minored in Health Education and Adapted Physical Education. Tyler also played rugby on their club team.
Tyler spent the past 4 years teaching elementary physical education in Richland Center. He has been coaching sports for the past 10 years at the middle and high school level. He just started his 7th year as the JV Boys Soccer coach in Sauk Prairie and this winter will be his first year coaching the Girls Varsity Basketball team at Wisconsin Heights!
Tyler's hobbies include coaching, hiking, being on the water, slow pitch softball, basketball, volleyball, and spending time with his friends and family.
"I am excited to join the Wisconsin Heights family!"
Welcome, Tyler!
Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new Elementary School Counselor, Kerri Martinez Najera!
Kerri grew up in Illinois and attended college at Marquette University, majoring in Communication Studies and Elementary Education. A year after graduation, she moved to Las Vegas Nevada to begin her teaching career. Kerri taught for 10 years before transitioning to a school counselor position and she just completed her sixth year.
Kerri is thrilled to be back in the Midwest and part of the Wisconsin Heights community. She has a husband and three young sons. She spends her weekends doing activities as a family. She also loves to read, watch and play sports, and listen to podcasts.
Welcome, Kerri!
#VanguardPride Wisconsin Heights Athletics
Week of September 5 - September 10
https://bit.ly/WisHeightsAthletics
Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new MS/HS Band & Choir Teacher, Nick Lane!
Nick taught band and choir at Heights throughout the 21-22 school year as a long term substitute teacher. He is very grateful to accept the position full-time beginning this school year. He will continue to teach middle school band, high school band, middle school choir, high school choir, and a full schedule of small group instruction. Nick is also excited to produce both a play and a musical this coming school year.
Nick is proud to bring a wealth of diverse experience to the music department at Heights. After his enlistment in the US Army, Nick attended the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, double majoring in both instrumental and vocal music education. He holds lifetime licenses for both. Nick also attended Cardinal Stritch University and earned a Masters degree in Educational Leadership.
His employment experience includes being a school bus driver, a Certified Nursing Assistant, and serving seventeen years as a music educator. Throughout that time, Nick led a summer marching band which, including a brief build-up from 67 members to almost 150, dominated competition for eight years in the regional Mid-America Competing Band Directors Association. In 2016 the group transitioned to Drum Corps International and was promptly invited to Finals competition on a world stage. In his full-time high school instrumental education career, Nick started five new classes, many of the ensembles of which were invited to prestigious performance opportunities. His ensembles never received below the top Superior rating at any contest or festival.
Nick is husband to Megan, father to Merric, son to Lisa, Pat, and Ken, and thrives in a multigenerational household in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Merric is six years old and interested in everything from numbers to dinosaurs to vocabulary to cartoons. It is a joy and an honor to be his dad. Megan is a fifth grade teacher-leader in Oregon, Wisconsin, and loves to join Merric and Nick for an afternoon on the boat and dinner at a restaurant on the lake. In his free time, Nick can be found chasing the sunrise with Merric, embarking upon various family adventures, playing a video game, or working under the hood of his Challenger.
Welcome, Nick!
This month's District Newsletter is now ready to view!
Click on the link below.
https://bit.ly/WHSDNewsletter
#VanguardPride
Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new 7th grade math and high school personal finance teacher, Cassie Meinholz (Lawler)!
Although she is a new teacher to the district, Cassie has been a Vanguard since 1990 when she started kindergarten at Black Earth Elementary. Cassie graduated from Wisconsin Heights in 2003 with her husband Kevin, who she met on the first day of 6th grade in Mrs. Wagner’s homeroom and has dated him since she was a freshman. After graduating, Cassie attended UW-Eau Claire to major in mathematics and English education. Her heart was set on becoming a teacher since falling in love with teaching and learning in Mrs. Gullickson’s 4th grade classroom.
After graduating from UW-Eau Claire with her Bachelors in 2007, Kevin and Cassie married and settled in Eau Claire. Kevin accepted a job at UW-Eau Claire while she started teaching middle school and high school math in the School District of Arcadia.
In 2012, she earned a Masters in Professional Development from UW-Eau Claire and she started teaching middle and high school math in the School District of Fall Creek. Since then, Cassie became a mom to Hudson 8 and Rowan 6, built a house in Fall Creek, wrote a book about teaching and learning math, and raised and released over 250 Monarch butterflies!
While she loved living and teaching in Fall Creek, Wisconsin Heights is incredibly special to her. It is where she fell in love with teaching, math, and her husband. "I am who I am because of Wisconsin Heights – a teacher, wife, and mom. I am so excited to give back to the district and community that gave so much to me, and I am so proud that my sons get to be Vanguards like my husband and me. There is no place like home!"
Welcome back, Cassie!
Happy first day of school!!! 💚
Share with us your pictures of your child/children on their first day today! DROP YOUR PHOTO IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!!! 🔽
"You're off to great places, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!" ~ Dr. Seuss
#VanguardPride
Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new Speech and Language Pathologist, Abby Cabrera!
Abby is so grateful to begin working at The Wisconsin Heights School District. She has been a Speech and Language Pathologist for 8 years. Abby is a resident of Black Earth. She has two daughters with her husband; Nora, who is 3 years-old, and Mila, who is 1 year-old. They also have a cockapoo, Odie.
Abby earned her Bachelor and Master Degrees at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. In 2012, she graduated with her Bachelors Degree in Communicative Disorders and in 2014 she earned her Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Go Pointers! Abby was a Speech-Language Pathologist for the Reedsburg School District for 6 years and the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District for 2 years.
Abby enjoys running, swimming, and biking. Her husband, Juan, was born and raised in Peru, where she has been fortunate to visit a couple of times. Abby grew up in Plymouth, Wisconsin and her favorite food is peanut butter.
Welcome, Abby!
Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new 4K Teacher, Lisa Stenner!
Lisa lives in Mt. Horeb with her husband, Jamie, and two daughters, Megan and Paige. Megan is a senior this year and Paige is in 8th grade. They also have a very "adventurous" yellow lab, named Izzy. Lisa tends to get her class giggling by sharing many "Izzy" stories with them.
Lisa grew up on a beef farm in Belmont, WI. She spent a lot of time helping with the daily chores. She also really enjoyed spending time with the baby kittens. It always seemed like they had a litter of kittens at all times. Lisa has always liked the warm and friendly feeling of growing up in a smaller community and she already feels that "at home" feeling here in the Wisconsin Heights School District.
Lisa graduated from Edgewood College with a degree in Early Childhood/Exceptional Needs Education/Pre-K-3rd grade.
For the last 20 years, Lisa has taught 4K at the UW-Madison Preschool Lab, as well as within the Verona Area School District, and most recently with the Middleton Cross-Plains Area School District. Her true passion is teaching our youngest learners. "Everyday they are so happy to share a special story with you. The excitement and energy they give daily is contagious. I have found a perfect fit in teaching 4K!"
Lisa enjoys walking, boating, reading, and cheering on her girls' during their sporting events; especially Cross Country in the fall and Track in the spring.
Welcome, Lisa!
The first day of school is quickly approaching!🥰
Don't forget to snap a picture and share it with us and show your #Vanguardpride! 💚
We'll have a "Share your first day photos with us!" post for you to add your pictures on Thursday morning. 📸
Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new high school science teacher, Tom Mably!
Tom has been a resident of Waunakee for the last 14 years and is very excited and happy to join the Wisconsin Heights HS family for the 2022-2023 school year. He grew up in Springfield, IL, received his BS in Pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy in St. Louis, MO and his PhD in Pharmacology from UW Madison. He then enjoyed a career as a research scientist in preclinical safety in the pharmaceutical industry, moving his family from Madison, WI to New York and later to Evansville, IN, before moving back to the Madison area and retiring from the pharmaceutical industry.
He has been married to his wife, Mary (an oncology pharmacist at UW Health) for over 38 years and they have a grown daughter, Beth, who lives and works in New York City. Two cute cats, George and Violet, are also part of their family.
In order to share his love of science, Tom studied and obtained his secondary teaching licenses in general science, biology, and chemistry, and has taught as a long-term substitute teacher in Lodi and Sun Prairie school districts in the last several years.
Outside of school, Tom enjoys reading non-fiction and classical literature, traveling, cooking, music, and movies—as well as spending time with his family.
Welcome, Tom!
And here we thought our #VanguardPride students would be the first 🦌to use the new playground!😂🥰
