The Clipper Connection • Sturgeon Bay Spring Newsletter

THE CLIPPER CONNECTION

STURGEON BAY HIGH SCHOOL

A Showcase of Talent and Creativity Theater Arts Program Produced Footloose

BY JENNA AUGUSTON

Sturgeon Bay High School’s theater arts program presented an electrifying rendition of the Broadway classic, Footloose, with performances on April 25, 26 and 27 at the Sturgeon Bay High School Auditorium. The Theater Arts program is offered as three separate class sections in the same period; students can choose to be in the Set Design section with Tech teacher Zach Albers, the Costume Design section with Family & Consumer Sciences teacher Emily Orns, or in the Music section with Avery Burns, the 6-12 Choir and Theater Director. Burns reflected on the experience, “When needed, the teachers can bring their classes together so the performers and backstage members can work out some of the elements of live performance that we are all working on (movement of set pieces between each scene, trying on costumes, quick-changes, hair and makeup, props, etc). The greatest amount of collaboration happens at the beginning and the end of the process. Teachers meet at the beginning of the production run to make sure they all agree on a vision and communicate it to our classes. Each class then works independently to perfect their element of theater, and then we all come together in the last few pieces to put on a show - it takes an army! All students are involved, on our off stage, during performance week in making the show possible.”

Mr. Albers, the Theater Arts Set Design Teacher, emphasizes the significance of this hands-on approach, stating that theater arts set design allows students to create projects that are immediately utilized in the production, enhancing the

audience’s immersion in the show while gaining valuable skills for their future endeavors. However, this journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Mr. Albers notes the diverse range of skills among students and the constraint of limited stage space as significant obstacles. To overcome these hurdles, students were paired up to collaborate and support each other, ensuring that every aspect of the production, from set design to execution, meets the desired standards. In the costume design segment of the theater arts program, led by Theater Arts Costume Design Teacher Emily Orns, students delve into the intricacies of character research and costume creation. By gathering clothing from local thrift stores, the program fosters sustainability in sourcing materials.

Avery Burns, the 6-12 Choir and Theater Director, emphasizes the educational value of theater productions from fostering collaboration and time management skills to instilling confidence in public speaking and performance. Justin Guiterriez, Elijah Klug, Ellie Starr, Eva Leiberg, Eli Schuster, and Henry Lokken star in Footloose. The performance featured a live pit orchestra comprised of Sturgeon Bay staff, students, and community members. It was a hit! In an exclusive interview, Avery Burns shared, “The most impactful part of the show is the way it truly encapsulated the raw emotions of the human experience. Each character in Footloose is a survivor, someone who has experienced true grief and is trying to cope with it. Sturgeon Bay High School students brought this heart-pounding story to life.”

SBHS “By the Numbers”

MATH TEAM HAD ITS 23RD CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIP WIN FOR THE PACKERLAND CONFERENCE

MOCK TRIAL PLACED 3RD AT REGIONALS

118 SENIORS

41 NUMBER OF NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY MEMBERS

14 NEW NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY MEMBERS

Stocks Club Fosters Financial Literacy

BY JENNA AUGUSTSON

At SBHS, a recently formed Stocks Club driven by the passion of its advisor, Brock Blahnik, and senior Ben Stephens is gaining momentum. Stephens, planning to study finance/economics after graduation, brought the idea of the Stocks Club to Blahnik. Blahnik loved the idea, stating, “I want students to become financially fit to become financially free.” The club’s weekly meetings revolve around exploring the world of investing, from setting up stock simulation accounts to discussing companies students are researching. The club hopes to bring in guest speakers to offer invaluable insights from professionals in the field. While the club faces logistical challenges in creating a club stock account, its overarching goal remains clear: to empower students with financial literacy skills and encourage them to invest in their futures.*

Choirs Enjoyed Spectacular NYC Trip thanks to Community Fundraising Efforts

BY JENNA AUGUSTON

In a testament to dedication and community support, 39 SBHS choir students diligently raised funds for an extraordinary trip to New York City. The Sturgeon Bay Choirs typically take this trip every four years, but the last trip was canceled due to the pandemic. Students were eager to see all that is possible in the world of music and visit the Big Apple! With the guidance of their choir director, Avery Burns, the students embarked on a fundraising journey. You may have seen SBHS choir students managing parking at Egg Harbor’s Pumpkin Patch event, running a rest station at the Fall 50, bagging groceries at Tadych’s Marketplace, running food at Culver’s, washing cars in Egg Harbor, selling Sonny’s frozen pizza, and at their annual Vocal Showcase concert, where groups and soloists perform jazz and musi-

cal theater selections over dinner.

In New York City, students experienced music in a new light, performing at the One World Observatory, and watching Broadway productions of Hamilton and Hadestown. The choir got a feel for what a true Broadway rehearsal is like by attending a Broadway workshop to learn the vocals, staging, and choreography for a scene from Hamilton from a performer who is currently on Broadway. Students got insight into the day-to-day life of a music performance career and made similar paths seem possible. The Choir also visited historic sites, art museums, Broadway shows, and cultural hubs like China Town and Little Italy, Times Square, the Chelsea Market, and Central Park.

What’s Next for our High School Valedictorians and Salutatorian?

BY KEITH NERBY

Three students tied for valedictorian for Sturgeon Bay High School: Mercedes Hanley, Natalia Michalski, and Jade Tomberlin. Hanley plans to pursue a degree in Art Education. She says she will miss the dance team the most from high school. Michalski plans to enter the field of medicine. Tomberlin plans to pursue a degree in microbiology.

The salutatorian for the class of 2024 is Benton Stephens. When asked what he will miss about SBHS, Stephens responded, “I am mostly going to miss my friends and the teachers. They are the ones that make high school fun, even when doing difficult or stressful things.” He plans to attend Washington University in St. Louis to study finance/economics.

SBHS National Merit Scholarship Recognition

BY KEITH NERBY

Sturgeon Bay High School Senior, Jade Tomberlin, has been recognized as a National Merit Scholarship Program Finalist for the 2024 school year. This means that Jade finished in the top 1% of all students who participated in the SAT. Jade is also one of our valedictorians for the graduating class. We congratulate Jade on her outstanding achievement!

In addition, Sturgeon Bay High School is proud to announce that two students have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program as Semi-Finalists. Meaning they scored in the top 3.5% of all students who participated in the SAT Exam. Congratulations to Juniors, Julia Michalski and Luke Selle on this honor!

TJ WALKER MIDDLE SCHOOL

Band Students Earn Top Honors at Solo & Ensemble

BY NOAH VANDERLOOP

Middle School students competed at Sturgeon Bay’s Solo & Ensemble Festival February 20th. Twenty one band students participated and twenty earned top honors scoring the highest mark.

There has been a lot to be excited about regarding the middle school band at TJ Walker MS over the past two months. From solo-ensemble events and concerts such as Jazz Festival, Pops Con-

cert, and the Artist Showcase, middle school musicians at Sturgeon Bay have been busy making music and performing in the community.

Jazz Band Performance at the Artist Showcase

BY NOAH VANDERLOOP

In addition to performances by the jazz band, many 7th and 8th grade band students participated in solo-ensemble events in February. Solo-ensemble festivals were held at Gibraltar High School on February 10th and Sturgeon Bay High School on February 20th. At these festivals, 24 students from TJ Walker Middle School participated in instrumental solos and/or small ensembles. All students that participated, performed for a WSMA (Wisconsin State Music Association) clinician and received comments and a rating on a scale of one to five. This year, every TJ Walker Middle School participant scored in the top two rating categories for their music class with 21 of the 24 receiving the highest rating category possible! The following is a list of the 7th and 8th grade band students from TJ Walker that participated in a solo-ensemble this year.1

Students Place 2nd at State-wide Battle of the Books Competition

BY HOLLY SELLE

TJ Walker Middle School placed 2nd out of 166 middle school teams in the 2023-2024 state-wide Battle of the Books reading competition. Battle of the Books requires students to read from a list of 20 books and “battle” through questions about the book characters, author, setting, and story details. The booklist for the upcoming school year comes out in June, and some students take that opportunity to start reading the book selections over the summer. In January and February, students compete in practice battles and even take on a teacher team before competing against other student teams to determine a school winner to represent TJ Walker at the state competition held online the last week of February. This year’s state team, known as “The Bibliophiles,” consisted of 8th graders Hannah Kiekhaefer and Megan Selle,

7th graders Scarlet Tomberlin and Elliessa Andropolis, and 7th grade alternate Milo Back.

Former Sturgeon Bay School District librarian Mary Ann Blahnik began the TJ Walker Battle of the Books program in 1990, hosting in-person competitions between area school districts throughout the 90’s. She assisted in organizing the first state-wide Battle of the Books reading competition in 2001 as a program of the Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association (WEMTA). TJ Walker received a 2nd place plaque for their Battle of the Books achievement at the annual WEMTA Conference held on March 4th. The Battle of the Books program is coached by 6th grade English teacher Kasee Jandrin and District Librarian Holly Selle.

The Clipper Connection is brought to you by the Sturgeon Bay Schools Newsletter Committee: Allison Haus, Rachel Maurer, Lauren Meacham, Jenna Auguston, Mandy Shoeneman, Kasee Jandrin, Miranda Eytcheson, Stephen Jacobson, Katy Devillers, Katie Smullen, Mark Smullen, Keith Nerby, Jen Paye-Weber, Lindsay Ferry, Ann DeMeuse, Dan Tjernagel

Contributors: Jenna Auguston, Bobby Deggendorf, Miranda Eytcheson, Anne Herring, Keith Nerby, Aaron Pairolero, Jenny Rabas, Christel Ruddy, Holly Selle, Mark Smullen, Noan Vanderloop, Madeline Woldt

Sponsored by: Peninsula Pulse

Students Attend Packers Leadership Summit

BY MARK SMULLEN

The Green Bay Packers invited middle school students throughout the state to attend “Empower”, a leadership event aimed at inspiring students to be positive leaders, on Jan. 18, 2024.

The event took place at the Resch Center and included a variety of leadership activities and programs encouraging sixth through eighth grade students to be their best selves and create positive changes in their communities.

Orlando Bowen was the keynote speaker who shared his personal story and inspired students to make a difference in their communities. His message, “One Voice, One Team” taught the importance of resilience, leadership, and teamwork.

Students met with other students throughout the state and shared stories about resilience, working together, and taking the lead within their school community. In the afternoon session, students worked in teams of 10 to pack meals for Rise Against Hunger. Students packed over 70,000 meals to feed people across the globe.

TJ Walker Middle School sent ten students to attend the conference. Attendees included: 8th Grade: Brie Flanigan, Allonie Hall, Hannah Kiekhaefer, Evan Perez, Megan Selle, Wesley Whitley. 7th Grade: Kaitlin Kratcha, Sam Lien, and Caleb Nault.

TJ Walker MS Band Solo-Ensemble Participants. Front row (left to right): Amy Turner, Atticus Haus, Blake Stephani, Deacon Haus, Wesley Whitley, Scarlet Tomberlin, Jericha Reynolds, Kennedy Hoernke, and Cora Herbst. Back row (left to right): Lyric Pollack, Lillian Price, Jhonatan Wienke. Kenton Kobilca, Garet Meleen, Alex Anderson, Reen Walker, Hannah Kiekhafer, Megan Selle, Julian Longley, and Sophia Madden.

Battle of the Books participants top row left to right: Keegan Hoernke, Sawyer Hanson, Avery Hanson, Milo Back, Hannah Kiekhafer, Megan Selle. Bottom row left to right:

Maureen DePrey, Abigail Matson, Zayda Patza, Elliessa Andropolis, Scarlet Tomberlin.

Rubix Cube Art

JENNY RABAS, 4TH GRADE TEACHER

A group of six 4th graders at Sunrise Elementary School worked to complete the

SUNRISE ELEMENTARY

Sturgeon Bay Clipper logo out of 306 Rubix Cubes. At the start of the project, only 2 of the 6 students knew how to solve a Rubix Cube. Through lots of hard work and patience, the other four students not only learned how to solve a cube, but became very proficient and speedy solvers. As a group, we came up with our idea and used a site to generate a prototype to follow. From there, the boys would solve each cube accordingly. Our first draft did not turn out as we had hoped and we completely started over. Finally, after weeks and weeks of work, the picture was complete. We glued everything together and sent it to be framed. Now, this work of art will be a piece of Sunrise School for years and years to come.

A big thanks to Bay Marine, the DePrey Family and the Raibrook Foundation for helping us get the funds and cubes we needed to complete this project.

Therapy Dogs

Making a Difference

Sunrise Elementary has three regular canine visitors, Sarge, Ellie, and Mitzy. Not only do they brighten the day for students and staff, the dogs do important work in the building.

“I feel happy when the therapy dogs are here. I like to pet them when they visit, it makes me feel calm,” says Gael Rivera Gonzalez.

Along with their partners, these pups listen to students read or watch them write, building confidence in their skills. They snuggle close when someone is sad and just needs a quiet moment. If a student is angry or upset, the chance to pet a dog and whisper troubles in their ear is both calming and opens lines of communication. The dogs and their partners are an important part of the Sunrise learning community, and we are so grateful to have them!

“When a therapy dog comes to visit, l feel happy because it reminds me of my dog ,” says Dylan Kirwen.

If you are interested in becoming involved with the Door County Therapy Dog Teams, please email TherapydogsDC@yahoo.com.

Sunrise Steam Night

AARON PAIROLERO, 5TH GRADE TEACHER

Each spring, Sunrise Elementary hosts an evening of exploration, community, and fun. Our “Sunrise STEAM Night” allows families to learn more about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) in a variety of forms. Over 20 businesses, organizations, and individuals collaborate to create stations that kids and adults can enjoy throughout the evening. Last year, over 200 participants learned about astronomy, robots, Rubik’s Cube, shipwrecks, boat design, and so much more. With partners like TTX, Jason Feldman Landscapes, Bay Engineering, Gnome Games, Sturgeon Bay Utilities, Door County Hardware Co, and Crossroads, Sunrise STEAM Night 2024 is shaping up to be the best one yet! For more information about this event, or to get involved, contact Sunrise Elementary at 746-2814.

Bon Voyage Mrs. Berg!

IVY BERG , 5TH GRADE TEACHER

STEAM - Sawyer Forest Clean Up

BOBBY DEGGENDORF, STEAM TEACHER AND INTERVENTIONIST

The fifth grade classes at Sunrise made a visit to their old stomping grounds at Sawyer this month. As part of a forest ecology unit in their STEAM class, they visited Sawyer’s forest to clean it up and explore how to increase its use as a resource for our district. In addition to the city lot that hosts the Sawyer Nature Trail, the district owns almost 3 acres of forest that lies between the school and South Lansing Avenue. This means that there are over 10 acres of forest that the district has access to

on the Sawyer school grounds. This forest has an open understory making it ideal as an outdoor classroom. Sawyer Creek flows through this patch of woods and the track of many animals can be seen on its banks. There are many mature sugar maples with smaller populations of basswood, birch, pine, hemlock, walnut, and oak. The fifth graders are looking forward to more exploration, study, and stewardship of the Sawyer Forest.

PLAYGROUND FUNDRAISING UPDATE:

Special thanks to everyone who has supported the Sawyer and Sunrise playground efforts. If you are interested in supporting the Sawyer playground effort now that the Sunrise project will move forward in early fall, please contact Principal Katy DeVillers at Sawyer. Thank you!!

My husband, Rudy, and I took a year-long honeymoon sailing our Watkins 27 sailboat from Bayfield, Wisconsin to The Bahamas in 2019-2020. The route we took was the rivers portion of “America’s Great Loop” (https://www.greatloop.org/) from the Great Lakes to Chicago to Mobile and then around the coast of Florida and then crossing to Bimini, The Bahamas. Here is our blog from the first half of the Loop: ruvygoldberg. home.blog. Now we are leaving in late July/ early August to finish the other half of the Great Loop. We plan to travel through Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Ontario to the Erie Canal to the Hudson River and then south on the ICW to Florida where we will cross to The Bahamas. We plan to “cross our wake” in Blackpoint or somewhere in the Exuma Islands. This second half will be done on our sailboat #2 a Tartan 33 with our salty dog, Jasper the almost 8 labradoodle. Follow our adventure on youtube: www. youtube.com/@jasperatsea8322 or through our Facebook Page: Honeymoonin’

Pictured left to right: Graham Hanson, Jonathan Sigl, Rusty Austad, Johnathan DePrey, and Kaden Pairolero.

CHRISTEL RUDDY, 3RD GRADE TEACHER

SAWYER ELEMENTARY

Sawyer Hosts Family Fun Night and Spring Into Reading Event

BY MADELINE WOLDT, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER

Sawyer School’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Family Engagement Committee hosts the “Spring Into Reading” event at the end of April each year. This event allows families to come after school to cozy up to a book, enjoy a snack, and spend time reading to one another. Sawyer students help prepare for this event by creating decorations during art class to hang in hallways and the gym. In addition to literacy, this year the committee is also shining light on other academic areas including math and STEAM at Family Fun Night! An estimated 100 people attended Family Fun Night to play minute-towin-it games, put together tangrams, solve puzzles, build pattern blocks, and make winter art activities. The Family Engagement Committee is thrilled to have had such a successful turn out and appreciated the involvement of families, parents, and guardians.

8th Grade Visits 2nd Graders

During their unit on “Matter”, Mr. Propsom’s 8th Grade science class made a special visit to Sawyer to collaborate with the 2nd Graders. 8th graders solidified their knowledge by designing labs to teach the 2nd graders about matter- which they’ve also been learning about. The 2nd graders benefit from the hands-on activities planned by their older peers. At first, Sawyer students were a tad shy, but they quickly transitioned into bonding with their older buddies. In addition to reading together from a book called Solid, Liquid, or Gas, activities included two science labs to make oobleck and blubber, and a QR -code scavenger hunt that required players to determine if an image was a solid, liquid, or gas. Here are a few quotes from 2nd Graders in Mr. Grooter’s Class:

Here are a few quotes from 2nd Graders in Mr. Grooter’s Class:

“I was happy when I worked with Andrew. He helped me when I was stuck.” -Tanner

“My eighth grade buddy, Audrey, was really funny.” -Keira Kailey and Charlotte described their buddy, Hannah, as “funny, smart, and she helped us when we got stuck.”

“His name was Wes. He was really nice. I knew him already from the DCY swim team.” -Brodie

Literacy Update:

BY ANNE HERRING, GRADE 2 TEACHER

I am absolutely thrilled about our new reading curriculum, CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts). Both as a teacher and parent, I have been blown away by student’s engagement and excitement with this new approach to literacy. CKLA’s interdisciplinary approach means that students are gaining valuable insights into history, science, and the arts on top of the literacy skills you associate with a reading curriculum. It has been so rewarding to see them make connections across different units, other subject areas, and in everyday life.

I have had a unique perspective as CKLA has been implemented as I am not only teaching it to my 2nd grade class but I am also hearing about it from my own child who is in kindergarten. I have been able to

BY MIRANDA EYTCHESON

4K-2ND GRADE STEAM, 4K/5K RELATED ARTS

see the foundations being built at this lower grade and how they connect to what they will be learning in the years ahead of them. My son comes home so excited to share what he has learned with anyone who will sit still long enough and I am hearing similar stories from the parents of my students.

One of the other things that has stood out to me this year both with my son and my students is their excitement and connection to the vocabulary covered in the lessons. I may not have a list of the kindergarten vocabulary covered in class but, my son remembers them all and lights up anytime he hears someone use them and delights in trying to use the “special words” he is learning at school. Similarly, when my students hear words we have covered, their

In 2020, Jane Stephen founded Friends of Sturgeon Bay Schools, a group established to help support Sturgeon Bay Schools and their efforts to offer and fund unique programming outside the regular school budget. This includes field trips, guest speakers, supplies, new projects or programming, etc. Friends of Sturgeon Bay hosted the second annual Rock the Dock fundraising event at the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club in early June. With over 250 attendees, Glas Hamr for entertainment, games for families, raffles, food for all, and opportunities for winning a Weber Grill, diamond earrings, an Orange Beach, Alabama vacation, and numerous baskets from generous Door County businesses, the committee exceeded their goal and raised over $15,000. Thank you to all our sponsors and to everyone who attended. We are already looking forward to next year!

If you would like to get involved with Rock the Dock or supporting any of the current fundraising efforts, please contact the District Office at 920-7462800, and we will help make a connection.

hands shoot up with excitement to share the connections they made. I have even seen an increased interest in the morphology section of our phonics curriculum as students see what they are learning show up in other places. I really thought some of them were going to fall off their chairs when we covered the word, aimlessly. It included not one but two suffixes stacked at the end that we had recently learned and they were able to use their knowledge to define the word on their own.

I couldn’t be more excited about the impact that CKLA is going to have on our students’ learning and growth. I can’t wait to see the incredible progress they’ll make both as readers and learners as they experience this new curriculum in the years to come.

Platinum Sponsors:

4 Anonymous Sponsors

Gold Sponsors:

BA Solutions & Patriot Motors Sturgeon Bay

Silver Sponsors:

The MMG Foundation | Waseda Farms

Just In Time Corporation | Hatco Corporation | Bayside Bargains

Steve Rabach - State Farm Insurance Agent

Bronze Sponsors: Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding | Bay MarketForce

Door County Medical Center

Max and Samara Stryker

Nicolet Bank | Chris and Shannon Stephen

N.E.W. Industries | Husby’s Food and Spirits

Peninsula Title | First Impressions Hair Studio

Door County Eye Associates

NEW HIRES

Lori Mellen

Joining the SBHS family was an easy decision for Mrs. Mellen as she sought a career aligning with her desire to work with the public and share the same schedule as her kids and husband, History Teacher Mr. Mellen. As an administrative assistant, the gratification of being able to help others is her favorite part of the role. However, what truly makes her days special is the opportunity to see her family throughout the day, creating cherished memories. The sense of community at SBHS is unparalleled; the students and staff are incredible. She considers herself exceptionally fortunate to be part of this welcoming and supportive environment.

Our newest addition to the SBHS Spanish team is Profesora Stenzel, an Elon University graduate with a diverse background spanning 14 years in Chile. In Chile, Profesora worked in administration at a Montessori school and successfully owned a bread business. Opting to transition to teaching, she found SBHS to be an ideal fit due to the alignment of her skills and teaching style with the school’s ethos. The students at SBHS are what she cherishes most, describing them as kind, energetic, and welcoming. She shares the wisdom she gained from her students: “If I create the right environment, their learning multiplies.” Adiós to a fantastic first year, and here’s to many más!

New Addition to the Special Education Team: Alexis Potvin

Alexis Potvin started her journey from Cameron High School to Grand Canyon University and is now, proudly in her first year of teaching at SBHS! Why SBHS? Ms. Potvin explained it was due to the school’s stellar reputation and the family ties–relatives who graduated and currently attend. Her favorite part? The joy of working with incredible students, guiding them to be the best versions of themselves. Ms. Potvin adopted a guinea pig, Phillip, to live in her classroom. He provides students with comfort. Sharing a classroom with Ms. Potvin, Special Education Teacher Jackie Herlache quickly fell in love with Phillip. She decided to adopt a guinea pig, Reggie, to expand their classroom family. The four of them happily share a classroom.

Summer School

After a successful 2023 summer school session, two sessions are planned for the 2024 Summer Learning Academy. Classes for K-12 will be hosted at both Sunrise and the secondary campus (TJ Walker Middle School & SBHS) between June 17 and July 18, 2024; classes are from 8:30-11:30 A.M. Monday - Thursday, with no classes the week of July 1-5. Grab and go lunch will be available upon dismissal as part of the community summer foods program. Kobussen can arrange optional transportation from east and west Sturgeon Bay to get to campus. Classes include a number of options from Cooking with Chemistry, to Building Rockets, to Beginning Spanish, to Lifting Weights and Sports Training, to Playing Ukuleles, Drums and Piano.

Hola, Soy la Profesora Stenzel!