Grantsburg School District - Providing Excellence in Education

GHS Students Perform Well at Solo Ensemble On April 3, GHS band and choir students competed at the Solo Ensemble competition in St. Croix Falls. Impressively, all Grantsburg students who performed for a rating received the highest numerical score of “1,” with nine being awarded for exceptional performance with a state qualification annotation (*). To top off the successful day, Greta White was awarded “Best in Site” for her classical saxophone performance. What a great representation of the talent our student body holds! Congratulations to the following Solo Ensemble performers: Kelsey Handy Maddi Kramer Anika Lee Eve Covey* Augusta Downing* Erin Downing* Megan Harmon* Joshua Hartke* El Kammeyer* Ruby Rengo* Greta White* Kaiden Xurvein*

Students Display Art at Northwest Passage Gallery In celebration of Youth Art Month, 11 Grantsburg High School students represented the district at the annual Northwest Passage Gallery Student Art Show. The collection of original student work also featured artists from neighboring high schools. During the week-long exhibit, parents, students, and admiring community members were welcomed into the gallery to peruse the work. Methods and mediums featured were drawings, paintings, origami, sculpture, photography, stained glass, and pottery. The recurring event is organized and hosted by Cheryl Redman, Deb Norling, and the Burnett Area Arts Group. GHS artists featured in the gallery were Jolie Bremer, Erin Downing, Whitney Hanson, Aliya Henderson, Jordan Johnson, Madeline Kramer, Kaitlyn LaPierre, Carlese Ronning, Jahnua Sahr, Alexis Wedin, and Amber Wedin. If interested in staying updated on the local arts, taking art classes, applying for a scholarship, or becoming a BAAG member, visit https://www.burnettareaartsgroup.org.

Congratulations to Erin Downing for being selected to perform in the 2023 High School State Honors Music Project! Based on her exceptional audition performance in February, Erin stood out from the other 9th-11th grade students across Wisconsin. Students selected for the WSMA State Honors Music Project participated in an intensive and mandatory four-day summer camp in June to prepare for the group performance at the WSMA Conference in Madison this October. GHS Student Picked for Prestigious State Music Program “Congratulations to Erin on this fantastic achievement,” said Jesse Frozene, GHS Band Director. “The WSMA State Honors Music Project is nationally recognized as one of the finest opportunities for young people. Erin is one of only (approximately) seven tuba players selected!”

5th Graders Complete AODA Prevention Course Fifth-grade students from GMS completed the annual Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) prevention course presented by the Burnett County Health and Human Services department. The course is designed to help students avoid or minimize future problems related to alcohol and other drug use, while intervention programs are designed to help students who are already experiencing these issues. Students were especially excited for the informational visit from Grantsburg Police Chief Mitch Olson and Burnett County Deputy Sheriff Bailey Mangen—along with their K9s, Tracker and Croix! A special thank you goes to Amanda Leckel from Burnett County Health and Human Services for instructing the course.

7th & 8th Graders Enjoy a Day at St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Seventh- and eighth-grade students enjoyed an educational and fun day in nature at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Students worked through a cycle of stations, which ranged from fishing and river mucking to games of capture the flag and nine-square volleyball. Several special guests joined GMS to add additional enrichment opportunities. Adriana Addison led a survivalist station that included building temporary shelters. John Bosak presented “Sweets from Trees,” where students enjoyed maple root beer and maple creams while they enjoyed John’s discussion on maple syrup. A special thanks goes to the Crex Education Center for bringing owl pellets for students to dissect. The day was packed with engaging presentations and hands-on activities that kept students engaged in nature!

GES Students Witness the ‘Cycles of Nature’ Mrs. Polzine’s second-grade class welcomed six baby chicks into their classroom as their “Cycles of Nature” unit came to a close. The eggs were gifted to the class and nurtured through the hatching process by the group of curious and adoring students. The unit was led by Mrs. Polzine and student teacher Mrs. Nelson. Students were responsible for rotating the eggs in the incubator and tracked the life cycle by journaling their observations and predictions. Not wanting students to miss anything, a live stream was established for the hatching process that spanned several days. The students’ enthusiasm was spreading as other classrooms and friends tuned in to watch, too! “The excitement was contagious and the students were all in,” said Mrs. Polzine. “The daily trips in to care for the chicks over spring break were worth the energy for the experience it brought to the classroom.”

‘Parent Roundup’ Gets Families Involved at GES GES is proud to continue the tradition of providing family involvement opportunities. These open houses invite the school community into the building to learn about the curriculum and other programs, events, and resources GES provides. This year, second graders hosted a “Parent Roundup” to demonstrate their new knowledge of the westward expansion. Students led their families through making butter and constructed an updated version of a spinner toy. Students were able to play the board game version of the Oregon Trail and read a book together. These events are well attended and provide a great space for families to engage with one another!

1st & 2nd Graders Pair Up to Learn About Insects Grantsburg Elementary first and second graders paired up for a joint unit on insects. Using this unit to combine the two grades allows students to engage with others outside their immediate class and learn from each other. Students enjoyed creating fun bug hats, solving bug puzzles, and even playing educational bug games on their tablets!

3rd Graders Make Pizzas with New Knowledge of Fractions At Grantsburg Elementary School, 3rd graders recently applied their new knowledge of fractions to follow recipes and build their own pizzas. This fun exercise combined the math lesson with a life skill!

GMS Students Assist with Groundskeeping at Memory Lake Grantsburg Middle School 5th and 6th grade students participated in a community service effort under the guidance of the village groundskeeping crew. Students helped with spreading mulch and touching up paint at Memory Lake and the cemetery. They did a terrific job getting the park ready for a busy summer season!

GHS Independent Living Students Use MREs for Top Chef Competition Prior to graduation, the Grantsburg High School Independent Living class held a fun MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) Top Chef challenge, in partnership with the Wisconsin Army National Guard. Students received three MREs and had to use the contents as ingredients to make an appetizer, main dish, and a dessert. Brave staff members stood in as judges to name a Top Chef Champion!