Congratulations to Watertown High School seniors Jacob Johnson and Addison Schuch for being named Herb Kohl Educational Foundation award recipients!
The Herb Kohl Educational Foundation recently announced 304 Wisconsin students, teachers, and administrators are the recipients of the organization’s 2024 Student Excellence and Initiative, Teacher Fellowship and Principal Leadership awards. Student Excellence and Initiative Scholarships of $10,000 will be awarded to 187 graduating high school students who have demonstrated academic excellence and initiative and have displayed a broad range of activity and leadership in their community.
The Kohl Foundation award program was established by Herb Kohl, former U.S. senator, philanthropist, and businessman who died December 27, 2023. Since 1990, the foundation has awarded nearly $38 million to Wisconsin educators, principals, students, and schools.
For the 12th year running, the Watertown High School Music Department has earned a spot among the Best Communities in Music Education from the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. The NAMM Foundation works to advance active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. So many #WatertownWay accomplishments to be proud of!
A new initiative at Watertown High School designed to recognize students and staff who exemplify their Gosling spirit by going above and beyond to be good citizens has been given wings. The first Gosling Flight Feathers were awarded Monday by WHS Associate Principal Jennifer Bault to five worthy students. Last week, a total of 16 students and five teachers were nominated to receive a Gosling Flight Feather. Each week, all nominees will be included in a raffle with five names drawn to win a certificate and prizes. The Gosling Flight Feather first prize drawing winners were Ximena Ruiz, Andre Lejia, Oliver Geraths and Samantha Yelk. Not pictured: Jack Daniels.
A new initiative at Watertown High School designed to recognize students and staff who exemplify their Gosling spirit by going above and beyond to be good citizens has been given wings. The first Gosling Flight Feathers were awarded Monday by WHS Associate Principal Jennifer Bault to five worthy students. Last week, a total of 16 students and five teachers were nominated to receive a Gosling Flight Feather. Each week, all nominees will be included in a raffle with five names drawn to win a certificate and prizes. The first Gosling Flight Feather recipients include Ximena Ruiz, Andre Lejia, Oliver Geraths and Samantha Yelk. Not pictured: Jack Daniels.
The Watertown Unified School District Board of Education has hired Plunkett Raysich Architects (PRA) of Milwaukee to conduct a facilities master planning study to determine the current and future needs of public school buildings in Watertown. Representatives from PRA were in Watertown on Friday to walk both Schurz Elementary School and Watertown High School with district staff. Key areas that will be studied include the condition of roofing, mechanicals, windows, building safety – both interior and perimeter, internal building layout, and best practices for evolving classroom space needs.
The Visual Arts Classic Team from Watertown High School competed in State at UW Madison last month and took 3rd Place out of 62 teams. The team brought home 14 Gold medals in individual art making categories and also took 3rd Place in Team Art History Quiz Bowl. Team members include Evan Rodriguez, Brylnee Simon, Dayanara Sanchez, Annie Van der Linden, Ava Lueck, Payton West, Ryley Wolfe, Danielle Krahn, Rae Heier, Kaylee Roberts, Lyle VanGundy, Olivia Sorenson, Isaac Van Buren, and Onyx Elkins. Congratulations! #WatertownWay
The WHS Academic Decathlon team recently competed in the Wisconsin Academic Decathlon State Championships in Green Bay. Our Gosling decathletes won the WIAD Division I State Championships for a remarkable sixth time in program history, bringing home 13 team and individual medals!
The championship team consists of William Wrolstad, Sophie Sullivan, Rae Heier, Abby Bartz, Amelia Boer, Braden Holleman, Emily Page, Gavin Stivarius, Bradley Vick, John Klinger, Alex Helmke, and Erin Peterson.
Way to go, Goslings!
Today is Paraprofessional Appreciation Day! Thank you to the many amazing paraprofessionals working within the Watertown Unified School District for all they do for our students and teachers!
Watertown High School seniors Rae Heier, Graeson Milhalko and Ava Roberts have been selected as Watertown Rotary Club students for the month of April.
Heier, Milhalko and Roberts are being recognized for their academic achievements, participation in athletics and school organizations, and their contributions to the Watertown community. The students are invited to join the Rotary Club each Monday at its weekly luncheon meetings.
About the students:
Rae Heier is the daughter of Josh and Stacie Heier. Rae has been a member of the Girls Varsity Swim Team and Varsity Track and Field Team for her four years of high school. Rae has also been involved in the following: National Art Honor Society (President), Spanish Honor Society (President), National Honor Society, INTERACT (Vice President), and Ecology Club (Vice President). Rae is also a member of the Academic Decathlon Team and the Visual Arts Classic Team. Recently, Rae was honored for her work receiving “Best in Show” at this year’s Wisconsin Youth Art Month Show. In her free time, Rae is a barista at Latte Donate and is planning on attending a four-year university next year.
Graeson Mihalko is the son of Katy Mihalko and Ron Mihalko. Graeson has been a member of the Boys Golf team for four years. He has also been involved in Spanish Honor Society and HOSA-Future Health Professionals. Graeson has also been a volunteer at Cornerstone of Grace. He is currently working at Milford Hills and plans on attending a four-year university.
Ava Roberts is the daughter of Stephen Roberts and Kristen Roberts. Ava has been a four-year member of the Watertown Blue Revue Varsity Dance Team (Captain) and National Art Honor Society. She has also been involved in National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society (Secretary). Ava is currently working as a physical therapy tech and a lifeguard. After high school, Ava plans on attending UW-Madison to study Kinesiology and Spanish.
Watertown High School seniors Rae Heier, Graeson Mihalko and Ava Roberts have been selected as Watertown Rotary Club students for the month of April.
Heier, Mihalko and Roberts are being recognized for their academic achievements, participation in athletics and school organizations, and their contributions to the Watertown community. The students are invited to join the Rotary Club each Monday at its weekly luncheon meetings.
About the students:
Rae Heier is the daughter of Josh and Stacie Heier. Rae has been a member of the Girls Varsity Swim Team and Varsity Track and Field Team for her four years of high school. Rae has also been involved in the following: National Art Honor Society (President), Spanish Honor Society (President), National Honor Society, INTERACT (Vice President), and Ecology Club (Vice President). Rae is also a member of the Academic Decathlon Team and the Visual Arts Classic Team. Recently, Rae was honored for her work receiving “Best in Show” at this year’s Wisconsin Youth Art Month Show. In her free time, Rae is a barista at Latte Donate and is planning on attending a four-year university next year.
Graeson Mihalko is the son of Katy Mihalko and Ron Mihalko. Graeson has been a member of the Boys Golf team for four years. He has also been involved in Spanish Honor Society and HOSA-Future Health Professionals. Graeson has also been a volunteer at Cornerstone of Grace. He is currently working at Milford Hills and plans on attending a four-year university.
Ava Roberts is the daughter of Stephen Roberts and Kristen Roberts. Ava has been a four-year member of the Watertown Blue Revue Varsity Dance Team (Captain) and National Art Honor Society. She has also been involved in National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society (Secretary). Ava is currently working as a physical therapy tech and a lifeguard. After high school, Ava plans on attending UW-Madison to study Kinesiology and Spanish.
The WHS Varsity Baseball team is off to a 1-0 start to the season…kicking things off in Florida during Spring Break!
Congratulations to our Endeavor Charter School students who made Honor Roll during Trimester 2! To qualify for Honor Roll in Endeavor, students must earn a 3.2 or higher. It's the #WatertownWay!
The WUSD Student Services team recently toured the newly-opened Matz Center located on Milford Street in Watertown. The Matz Center is a youth crisis stabilization facility for children aged 10-17 in need of residential short-term mental health programming in a supportive and structured environment. During the tour, the student services team held a collaborative discussion regarding youth mental health and resources for parents and guardians. In addition, they discussed the different responsibilities of student service educators, mental health professionals, and parents/guardians in meeting the needs of children.
Wednesday morning our WHS student athletes got to hear from Mayor McFarland. She spoke to the student athletes about the development of her own leadership skills and the coaches and experiences that got her to where she is today.
Today was the the 6th Annual Career Fair at the WHS, put together in coordination with the Watertown Chamber of Commerce and WHS. The goal of the event is to bring students and employers together from the Watertown area. The purpose is to provide connections and conversations with opportunities post-graduation for students. This year, there were 81 area employers who took time out of their busy schedules to be a part of this event.
A huge #WatertownWay shout out to the Watertown Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and WHS staff for the work and effort put in to make this a great event for our students!
There is nothing like international friendships! The Watertown-Heringen exchange program exists to help create friendships between students at WHS and our partner school in Germany. No knowledge of German is required—the program is open to all WHS students, including incoming freshmen. Open your home to a German student and experience the fun of introducing them to American culture! Travel to Germany and experience the excitement of discovering a new culture! Twenty German students will be here October 12-20 and WHS students will travel in June of 2025, traveling for a week and spending a week with a host family. Participants can host or travel or do both. See Frau Schneider in S274 or email schneiderk@mywusd.org to get information about being a part of the exchange.
On Tuesday, March 12th, WUSD hosted the first ever Multilingual Family Night. District EL staff partnered with the Watertown Chamber of Commerce to put on an event at the Watertown Public Library that connected multilingual families to community businesses and resources. Over 100 people attended the event along with 20 businesses and the Watertown Police and Fire Department. Members of the National Spanish Honor Society also participated and created art projects with the children in correlation with the story "The Dot." Both Watertown families and businesses felt that it was a wonderful opportunity to connect and strengthen relationships within the community.
Candidates running for a seat on the Watertown Unified School District Board of Education will have an opportunity to introduce themselves to the community at the Board’s next regular meeting on Monday, March 18, at 6 p.m. at the Educational Services Center, 111 Dodge St.
Presently, there are five candidates seeking three open seats on the board. The candidates include Julie Janowak, Tina Johnson (I), Dan Voeltner, Charity Chandler, and Samuel Ouweneel. Each candidate will be given three minutes toward the start of the Board meeting for introductions. The election will take place on Tuesday, April 2.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jarred Burke said he appreciates the willingness of Watertown area residents to run for a seat on the school board. He said the District is presently facing, and will continue to face, complex issues related to funding, staffing and enrollment.
“The Administration and Board are working hard to set the direction and vision of the district,” said Burke. “We are excited for the community to be able to learn more about the candidates’ skills and the new ideas they could bring to the table as board members.”
For those who cannot attend the board meeting in person, it may be viewed via Zoom by clicking the following link: https://mywusd-org.zoom.us/j/93338943075?pwd=OXViSDcyTGFxZGRhRHRHa0RpMGt2UT09
On Sunday, March 3, 40 students were inducted into the Spanish and German Honor Societies at Watertown High School. To garner an invitation to these Societies, students must be enrolled in high-level language classes, meet and maintain minimum GPA requirements, and commit to carrying out service to the community. Pictured are inductees to the Spanish Honor Society (standing) and the club officers & adviser (seated) and German National Honor Society inductees & adviser (standing) and club officers (seated).
WHS senior students are recognized for their academic achievements, participation in athletics, school organizations, and the contribution to the Watertown Community. Students will join the Watertown Rotary Club each Monday at their weekly meetings and luncheons.
The March Rotary students are:
Simeon Adrian is the son of Chad and Lisa Adrian. Simeon has been involved in Show Choir, WHS Carolers, and State Solo Ensemble the past four years at WHS. He has also participated in National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and the WHS Musicals . When not at WHS, Simeon can be found taking part in local community musicals. Simeon is planning to major in finance.
Kelsie Schuett is the daughter of Alan and Tamara Schuett. Kelsie has participated in the following while at WHS: Softball, National Honor Society, Academic Decathlon, Show Choir, and WHS Carolers. Kelsie is currently working at Pine Cone Restaurant and plans on attending University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.
Sophie Sullivan is the daughter of Sarah and Michael Sullivan. Sophie has been involved in multiple honor societies including National Honor Society (President), Tri-M Music Honor Society (President), and Spanish Honor Society (Treasurer). Sophie has also participated in Show Choir, WHS Carolers, Jazz Band, and the WHS Musical. She has also participated in Cross Country and Track and Field. Outside of school, Sophie can be found working as a finance intern at Marquardt. Sophie plans on attending University of Minnesota - Twin Cities to study Art History and Economics.
