Schools

Gresham Community School

We had our annual Cystic Fibrosis Walk on May 12. Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common chronic lung diseases in children and young adults. It is a life-threatening disorder. Cody Pluger, a charismatic member of Gresham community, lost his battle to this deadly disease at the age of 17. He was a loving son, brother and friend. We sold T-shirts and raised around $1,500.

We had our elementary and high school spring concert for choir and band May 11.

The FFA also had a clean-up day May 12.

The seniors had a garbage pickup day May 13 at the North Star Casino for the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe.

The Culture Club went on its end-of-the-year trip to the Milwaukee County Zoo on May 17. They got to tour the zoo and visit the animals. Many of them got the chance to ride the Sky Safari and the Safari Train. Afterward, they stopped in Appleton and walked around the mall.

The 3-year-old preschool class at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Shawano recently painted and implemented a St. Teresa of Calcutta Blessing Box as a community service project.

Led by teacher Stacy Dickmann, the students painted the box with the help of parent volunteer Chris Marcks. The box was built and donated by Crossroads Custom Cabinetry of Shawano.

The class took their inspiration from the newly canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta, a Roman Catholic nun and missionary who helped the poorest of the poor.

The Blessing Box contains items that people in need can take. Students have filled the box several times with items such as toothpaste, diapers, canned food, bubbles and soap. The items are donated by parish families.

The educator who presided over all previous commencement ceremonies at the College of Menominee Nation returns May 27 in a new role.

S. Verna Fowler retired as CMN’s president in June 2016, shortly after CMN’s last graduation celebration. This year, she attends as the guest speaker.

Ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. in the Five Clans Ballroom of the Menominee Casino Resort Conference Center, Keshena.

Bonduel Elementary School

The Bonduel Elementary first-graders have been working on “Wizard of Oz”-themed activities such as characters, setting, vocabulary, math word problems, compare/contrast, fairy tales and graphing. This is in preparation for their production of the mini musical, “The Wizard of Oz.”

They have been practicing their songs and parts since the beginning of March and are very excited to show off their hard work. They will perform at 1:30 p.m. May 19 at Bonduel High School in Sousa Hall. Community members are welcome to come and enjoy the presentation.

The children also make digital pictures of themselves in costume, which is shown at the conclusion when they are introduced. Each year we add more to the performance to make it better than before. Mark your calendars and make sure you come early to get a good seat. You won’t want to miss it! Refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the presentation.

Seniors in the Shawano Community High School music program have been waiting four years to step into the spotlight, and they’ll have their chance this week at the annual Last Dance.

The school’s jazz band and Showstoppers choir will perform more than two hours of beloved classics and some modern tunes as guests dine on stage on desserts provided by Fannita’s Bakery.

This year’s show is expected to be one of the best since the Last Dance debuted in 2005, according to band director Christopher Kent. One reason is that the selection of music includes some heavy hitters, including songs from Chicago, Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington.

“We have Earth, Wind and Fire tossed in there with ‘September,’” Kent said. “I don’t think I’ve ever done multiple Chicago tunes with Earth, Wind and Fire in the same set, never mind three Glenn Miller tunes, two Duke Ellington tunes and, oh, just for fun I’ll throw ‘Free Bird’ (by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant) in.”

Shawano Community High School sent 92 students to the state solo and ensemble competition Saturday in Stevens Point. The students performed 35 different individual and group music pieces.

A story of holding on to one’s faith in the face of oppression and a changing world will be presented to local audiences next week.

The Wolf River Homeschoolers will present “Fiddler on the Roof” as its annual musical from May 12-14. Almost 60 children will sing, dance and become the characters of a small Jewish village in the early 20th century.

The beloved musical, turned into a 1971 film and adapted from the story “Tevye and his Daughters” by Sholem Aleichem, focuses on a Jewish milkman and his five daughters. Tevye must contend with his three eldest daughters wanting to marry for love, even though each marriage could draw them further away from their faith, and with an edict of the Russian tsar demanding the Jews be removed from their village.

Director Sue Kluge said she had been eager to do “Fiddler on the Roof” and was excited when the home-school group voted to do the show.

Five Shawano schools will participate in Bike to School Day on Wednesday. They are Hillcrest Primary, Olga Brener Intermediate, St. James Lutheran, Sacred Heart Catholic and Shawano Community Middle School.

This is the third year local schools have participated in the program. Youngsters will receive a participation incentive, and members of Shawano Pathways will assist principals at the schools.

The first National Bike to School Day took place in 2012 in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Month. The event builds on the popularity of Walk to School Day, which is celebrated across the country – and the world – each October.

Bike Safety Month reminds students and parents of the simple joy of biking to school. It also serves as an opportunity to focus on the importance of physical activity, safety, air quality, and building bicycle and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods.

Shawano Community High School is sending 92 students to the state solo and ensemble competition Saturday in Stevens Point. The students will perform 35 different individual and group music pieces.

Gresham Community School

There was an assembly April 28 to congratulate the state solo and ensemble and state forensics participants. The forensics team received a perfect score at state. State solo and ensemble is Saturday.

Special congratulations to Fiona Hoffman on placing first, second and third in a writing competition.

Junior prom was Saturday.

Freshmen and sophomores had ACT Aspire testing all this week.

There is a powwow sponsored by the Gresham Culture Club on Friday.

The Cystic Fibrosis Walk is May 12.

Bonduel Elementary School