The September monthly meeting of the School Board of Fennimore Community Schools kicked off with a student presentation from five high school students, Sitlalli Acatzihua-Rodriguez, Lucerito Acatzihua-Rodriguez, Riley Horsfall, Peter Volz, and Ivanna Friemoth, along with their teacher, Teresa Stewart, who spent five days at the Morgridge Institute for Research Summer Science Camp at UW–Madison this past summer.
The camp included students from “rural size schools” as Stewart described it including, Fennimore, Monroe, Platteville, and Gresham High Schools, 25 students in all, which the Fennimore students helped everyone get to know each other during their time there.
During their five-day, four-night residential camp, students lived in the dorms, conducted hands-on laboratory experiments, toured the UW–Madison campus, and had the opportunity to dine and interact with Ph.D. researchers and graduate students while learning about careers in science and research.
Some of the highlights of their camp experience were seeing kin cells revert back to stem cells, learning about regenerative biology, having discussions about the using of AI and GMOs, and learning that Ozempic, a weight loss drug, is made from, as they described it, “lizard spit.”
The students repeatedly stated it was a “great week” and they were able to get a small dose of “experiencing college life.” Stewart also stated to the board that the “kids were very excited about it all week,” and she hoped Fennimore would be invited back soon. She also informed the board that the Morgridge Institute would be donating an incubator to the district for classroom use.
School year kicks off
The Sept. 16 board meeting was the first meeting of the new school year, and both Fennimore Elementary School and Middle/High School Principals Hillary Day and Boone Tollefson stated the “school year was off to a great start.”
Day stated that the beginning of the school year testing was completed, and gave kuddos to the elementary school teachers and staff for being ready and prepared for the school year.
Tollefson stated that it already “feels like we’ve been back for months,” with Pre-ACT testing done, fall sports well underway and practice for the upcoming school play has begun. Tollefson also stated that the annual sixth grade Washington D.C. trip begins Oct. 19 and this year, the high school will have five dual graduates (high school and Southwest Tech) matching their previous record student amount.
Tollefson also informed the board that in U.S. News and World Report’s new high school rankings Fennimore High School was ranked 61 out 616 Wisconsin high schools. Tollefson went on to state that the high school has consistently been in the top 75 since the rankings began.
Resignations and hirings
A number of resignations were announced by Fennimore District Administrator Jane Wonderling including:
- Brynn Montgomery and Dana Engel as food service dishwashers/servers
- Justin Tollefson as girls head wrestling coach
- Don Zdanczewicz as assistant wrestling coach
- Amy Boebel as an elementary school tutor
Four hirings were approved by the board including:
- Nicole Gerardy as food service director
- Marissa Hoehne and Jeanne Larsen as food service dishwashers/servers
- Anna Bonilla as an elementary school tutor
The next meeting of the School Board of Fennimore Community Schools is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m., in the cafeteria of Fennimore Elementary School.
