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Alice in Dairyland takes over Twitter
Ripps social media accounts have more than 1,000 followers
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UW–Platteville alumna Rochelle Ripp, the current Alice in Dairyland, is taking over the UW System @uwpowersme Twitter feed this week.

Ripp is Wisconsin’s 65th Alice in Dairyland, serving as the state’s agriculture ambassador. She educates audiences statewide about the $59 billion economic impact the agriculture industry has in Wisconsin. Ripp is well versed in social media, as both her Facebook and Twitter accounts have more than 1,000 followers.

“We’re so proud to call Rochelle a Pioneer, and to have her as the first alumni voice on the @uwpowersme account is special,” said Sarah Miller, UW–Platteville’s director of social community. “She has done an outstanding job as an ambassador for agriculture in her role as the 2012-13 Alice in Dairyland, and I have no doubt she’ll do the same this week as a representative of UW–Platteville.”

Knowledge Powers Wisconsin is a UW System initiative that promotes the 13 four-year and 13 two-year educational institutions and their successful impacts on stronger workforces, businesses and communities. UW–Platteville has been a leader in the new website and the @uwpowersme Twitter feed. Student Jamie Procarione was the first user of the Twitter feed.

“The account has grown by leaps and bounds since it began in late January,” said Miller. “If you take a look at the followers of the account, it’s a list that’s really representative of the concept as a whole: there are people from every part of Wisconsin; students, faculty and staff and alumni from all over, whose lives and careers have been impacted and powered by their UW education. And that’s the point: we all have this in common. We share something special.”

Ripp is a 2009 graduate of UW–Platteville, where she earned an agribusiness degree in communications. The Lodi native was the commencement speaker at UW–Platteville’s December 2012 ceremonies.

Boland retires from Seneca
After decades
Seneca School District

Seneca School District Administrator David Boland’s resignation from his position was accepted by the Seneca School Board at their meeting on Monday, following a closed session discussion.

David Boland has had a long career at the school including serving as a teacher, athletic coach, principal and district administrator. Boland will formally retire from his current administrator position effective June 30, 2025.

During the public input portion of the meeting, Seneca Director of Food Service Michelle Updike requested that the board consider a change to graduation. She proposed letting staff members hand diplomas to students at graduation. Updike is also the parent of a high school student.

Updike explained that staff members could be chosen by individual students because of a special impact that staff member may have had on that student.

The current policy is to have designated school board members hand out the diplomas at graduation.

Seneca teacher and parent Shelly Davidson agreed with Updike’s idea. She added that the staff member need not be a high school teacher, but could even be a kindergarten teacher.

Board member Britany Joy asked if coaches could be included as eligible to hand out the diplomas as staff members.

Seneca School District Administrator Dave Boland said if the designation was staff members, it would include not only teachers, but paraprofessionals, coaches and anyone else who works for the district.

Updike told the board that she would poll the senior class to see if they favored having staff members, as well as school board members, be eligible to hand out their diplomas.

Boland emphasized that if the change was made it would include a list on the back of the program denoting what person was giving a diploma to each student. To accomplish this, the board would have to decide by April, so that information could be gathered in a timely fashion for inclusion in the program.

The next item discussed impacted the date of the next meeting. The third Monday next month is April 21. However, because of spring break and family plans, four board members indicated they could not make the meeting. After some discussion, it was agreed that the next Seneca School Board meeting would be held on Monday, April 14.

The school calendar was explained and discussed. Phy ed teacher and volleyball coach Shelly Davidson asked if the parent-teacher conferences could be changed, because the date chosen means she can never attend a parent-teacher conference, because they are held on the same dates as the state high school  volleyball tournament, which she attends every year.

In a discussion, the board considered moving the date of conferences back two weeks. The calendar approval was tabled for more study.

The senior class trip expenses were also discussed. Teacher and senior class advisor Michele  Updike said that the senior class funds are used to pay for the substitute teacher for class advisors, who are often teachers. The cost can range from $700 to $900 if both class advisors are teachers. Updike pointed out that can be close to 10 percent of the funds raised by the senior class, which are often around $10,000.

Updike asked that school district to consider paying for the substitute teachers when needed, to replace teachers acting as class advisors on the school trip, creating more funds for the senior class to use.

Shelly Davidson asked if it would be possible to use professional development funds from the missing teachers to pay for the subs.

District administrator Dave Boland explained switching those funds would not be possible.

School board member Crisse Reynolds suggested that perhaps the district could share the cost of the substitutes with the class.

After more discussion, Seneca School Board president Shawn Lenzendorf said she had no problem with the cost of the substitutes being paid by the district. Lenzendorf moved to pay costs of any substitute teachers hired to replace teachers because they were acting as class advisors on the senior class trip. The motion was seconded by Adam Green and passed unanimously by the board.

During the discussion, Green had said he was shocked when he learned the senior class was paying for substitute teachers for the class advisors going on the trip.

In other business, the Seneca Area School District:

• approved the 2025 CESA #3 contract to provide specialized services to the district with a 2.5% increase that was well explained by the agency’s director Jamie Nutter

• learned that the district had chosen a Skyward automated time sheet program that was less expensive than the alternative and fit with other Skyward programs already in use by the district

• learned roof leaks around drains in some previous heavy rains were fixed under warranty

The Seneca Area School District’s Monthly Recognition Award was given to the Royals’ boys and girls basketball teams and to the North Crawford Seneca Wrestling Team’s Seneca wrestlers; Jaren Grimsled, Thomas Sprosty and Sawyer Swiggum for wrestling in the sectional and to Grimsled and Swiggum for wrestling the WIAA State Wrestling Tournament.