NORTH CRAWFORD - Katrina Johnson has been instrumental in driving the development, funding and implementation of the ‘Sources of Strength’ program at North Crawford, and other school districts throughout Southwest Wisconsin. At North Crawford, the evidence-based program for suicide prevention, bullying, mental health, sexual violence, and alcohol has just completed its eighth year.

Johnson and a team of students and staff provided an update to the North Crawford School Board at their May 20 meeting in the ‘District Showcase’ portion of the agenda.

“All aspects of the Sources of Strength program are grant-funded, and we have really passionate people keep it going,” Johnson shared. “Next fall, we hope to have a community kickoff that includes the board, and parents, and community members and business leaders, to learn what the kids interpret Sources of Strength as.”

Physical education teacher Lara Dudgeon is one of the staff members that has joined Johnson in promoting and implementing the program. Dudgeon told the board that she didn’t know about the program at the beginning of the school year, but had heard about other programs like it for promoting leadership and positive mental health.

“When they asked me to be a part of it, I being a health teacher and having that background, I was pretty much on board from when they asked me, and then we started promoting it,” Dudgeon shared. “We took a couple of local trainings in Gays Mills. Then, partway through the year, we had a few more kids really inquisitive about it, and we just kept encouraging them. In the middle school, we have 39 kids going tomorrow to a field trip that is the culmination of this year's program with money that Katrina got from a grant.”

“It's trying to raise up leaders and positive people, and to stand up for what is right in our school,” Dudgeon explained. “It puts words into their vocabulary that helped them to know what to do when somebody is putting somebody else down, and gives kids the skills to effectively respond.”

Johnson explained to the board that there’s a formula that goes with ‘Sources of Strength.’ That formula includes identifying trusted adults within the school community, but also uplifting the voices of youth through a diverse group of peer leaders. Teachers or other adults nominate the kids.

Two youth participants in the program – Charlie and Aubrey – talked about what the program had provided for them, and their school community.

“Every other Thursday we have a ‘Sources of Strength’ meeting, and we talk about what the program is, and what can help other kids when they’re feeling down,” Aubrey shared. “It really helps kids understand what they can do when kids are feeling that way.”

Aubrey explained that ‘Sources of Strength’ has eight key areas of focus that include mental health, family support, finding positive friends, finding mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality, and physical health.

“I just joined ‘Sources of Strength’ a few months ago, and I can already tell that my mental health and confidence has grown so much,” Aubrey told the board.

Johnson asked Charlie, who she described as a young man of few words, to talk about the regional training staff and students had attended in Lancaster.

“We got together with a bunch of other schools, and it was really fun,” Charlie reported. “I got to advance my communication skills with people that I didn't know, and we got to meet a lot of new friends.”

Administrative reports

North Crawford Elementary Principal Amanda Killeen started by speaking about their wildly successful ‘Space Night,’ put on by the Art Department and the Beyond the Bell program on May 6.

”Attendance vastly exceeded projections, with over 250 members of the community in attendance,” Killeen said. “Rural Virtual Academy provided a traveling planetarium experience, allowing families a hands-on opportunity to explore the stars and constellations, and student artwork was showcased in a ‘Starry Night’ glow gallery.”

Next, Killen reported that as of the meeting dates, 180 students had signed up for summer school, with some grade levels seeing more than 80% of students attending. The summer school program will run June 8-26, and during that time all students up to age 18 will be able to eat breakfast and lunch free of charge. This includes all youth in the community, not just those enrolled in summer school.

Killen also reported on the results of a family survey, with 67 families responding and 97 child experiences captured. She reported that the average recommendation score for the district among respondents was a 4.6 out of 5, and that 91% of people responding gave the district this rating.

“Some things that families celebrate about teachers were proactive communication, and meeting kids where they're at,” Killeen reported. “My favorite comment from a parent is, ‘my kids like going to school, and their teachers’ - that feels like a huge win, and 93% of families said that communication from the offices was sufficient, and the biggest one that I am just really pleased to celebrate is that 100% of families that filled this out, even families who are mad about one thing or another, said that they felt comfortable reaching out to a staff member.”

Killeen said that out of the survey, two areas that families would like the district to focus on emerged. Those two are more enrichment and hands-on learning such as art, and the other is a strong focus on academics.

Middle School/High School Principal Dr. Rob Sailer talked about the growth in the district’s Academic and Career Planning Initiative. He explained there were different approaches within the program to support kids with various post-graduation plans – those entering the workforce, those entering the trades, and those planning on further education at a two-year or four-year institution of higher learning.

“I’m really proud of the growth in numbers participating in this program for students in sixth through twelfth grades,” Sailer shared. “We’ve got it up to 60% participation, and our goal is 100%. For those entering the workforce after graduation, the career pathway they’ve identified, along with getting training and certifications while still in high school, is resulting in kids being offered employment right after graduation.”

North Crawford Superintendent Brandon Munson reported that participation in the school nutrition program continues to grow, with breakfast participation increasing by 15.4% in April compared to the prior year, and lunch participation increasing by 10.2%.

In other business

In other business, the North Crawford School Board:

• re-elected Terry O’Donnell president, Jerry Coleman as vice president, Cody Brockway as treasurer, and Judy Powell as clerk
• approved a first reading of school board policy updates as recommended by NEOLA
• approved a list of summer school teachers, support staff and recreation leaders
• approved the high school course handbook for the 2026-2027 school year
• approved the district’s Academic and Career Planning proposal for the 2026-2027 school year.