News

Thirty-three singers from Wisco Kids and One Accord (two co-curricular vocal ensembles at WLHS) participated in the WELS West Regional Choral Fest on November 15-17, at St. Croix Lutheran High School in Minnesota. Nearly 350 high school students from 13 WELS high schools across the country assembled to join their hearts and voices in song! Highlights of the weekend included Friday night's Pops Concert (click here for a recording link), a Sunday morning sing out at Bloomington Lutheran Church, and Sunday's Sacred Concert (click here for a recording link).

Small engines class, taught by Mr. Brent Bloomquist, learn the concepts of engines in the classroom and then disassemble and reassemble working engines. One of the benefits of breaking apart an engine is to see how pistons and valves function. For almost 15 years, the engines have been taken apart and put back together, and some of the parts no longer work or need replacement. Student Aaron Kwiatkowski ('26) and his dad, Tim, worked with Briggs and Stratton Corporation to provide 24 new engines for the class, ranging from 5 HP-24HP. We are grateful to the Kwiatkowski family for facilitating this arrangement and to Briggs and Stratton for generously providing these updates.

Wisco Kids Show Choir and One Accord will be performing at the 2024 WELS Regional Choral Fest held at St. Croix Lutheran Academy in West Saint Paul, Minn. WLHS joins with thirteen other WELS schools to make up the rest of the regional festival. Choirs will perform a Pops Concert on Friday, November 15, at 7:00 p.m. and a Sacred Concert on Sunday, November 17, at 2:00 p.m. Watch both events through livestream here.

Business and Personal Law students spent a class period to meet via Zoom with Wisco alum Faith Goede ('18). Faith is in her last year of law school at the University of St. Thomas and currently works as a student attorney at the Anoka County Public Defender's Office. Class discussion focused on the path to completing law school, the work of a public defender, and current legal issues within our communities. Faith shared how her experiences at Wisco, including roles in theatre productions, played a big part in preparing her for her future career.

For the first time ever WLHS students participated in the MathSci Bowl, which was held at Concordia University in Chicago. The all-day competition was a fast-paced question and answer tournament focusing on mathematics and science. There was tough competition, with schools coming from as far away as St. Louis. The students displayed great teamwork to capture third place! Our thanks to the teachers that recommended these students who in turn reflected Christ's love through the use of their God-given talents.

Students have been participating in some fall group activities. Art Club hosted a pumpkin decorating contest with prizes going to the best painted pumpkins. International students in Honey Creek Dorm enjoyed some outdoor fall fun at the Harvest Festival, a local fair with fall-themed activities like pumpkin bowling and scarecrow making, and lots of autumn treats to try. New international students and their American mentors decorated pumpkins and masks and enjoyed apple and pumpkin pies as their October activity. We love fall!

The Viking Marching Band delighted our conference grade school students with a performance at Zeitler Stadium on October 18. More than 300 of our LES grade schoolers attended the field show. An added bonus, the smiles and high fives from future Vikings!

Students in Hope Squad provided a tasty breakfast treat to support mental health. On October 23, pancakes were available for purchase with proceeds going towards the teen counseling fund with Christian Family Solutions so more teens can receive counseling services. Thanks to students and staff who supported this event.

Members of the Viking Christian Leaders Academy (VCLA), along with other area-WELS high schools, had a chance to participate in the 2024 Leadership Day at Wisconsin Lutheran College. The keynote speaker was former SEAL team member Chad Williams who gave an inspirational talk on the topic, "Forged by Adversity."

WLHS ProStart 1 and 2 student chefs entered into a virtual culinary competition against other high school ProStart programs throughout Wisconsin. Chefs were challenged to create an original beef burger that would include a vessel, a beef burger, and a homemade topping. Wisco had two student chefs place in the top ten! Serenity Conway ('26) created a Kimchi Portobello Burger topped with gouda cheese, a kimchi bacon jam, and mini cucumbers stuffed between two lightly roasted portobello mushrooms. The team of Brielle Lampkin ('25) and Lexi Tipton ('25) made a Maple Bacon Burger with American cheese and a donut bun topped with a maple bacon glaze. Congratulations to these up and coming culinary stars!

Physical education students at WLHS participate in a variety of net games, which include activities such as large ball volleyball, badminton, eclipse ball (a combination of volleyball, badminton, and tennis), and pickleball. These games focus on the skills of hand-eye coordination, teamwork, and strategy, offering students opportunities for both individual and team-based physical activity.

A rite of passage for every Honors Trigonometry student is learning the unit circle, radians, and numerous other trigonometric concepts. Along with understanding these important trigonometric concepts and skills is then the ability to graph the various trig functions. For many students, achieving this essential graphing skill requires hard work and perseverance.

Honors Trigonometry Instructor Mr. Brad Wetzel ('98) offers his students a bit more motivation. At the end of the graphing unit, he rewards his students with a special "Certified Graphing Expert" certification. These "certified" students receive a sticker for placement on calculators or notebooks as a reminder of their awesome accomplishment.

Members of the Fashion Club practiced their merchandising skills by creating displays of clothing for the WLHS Theatre Rummage Sale. They sorted through items slated for the sale and designed looks to encourage buyers to love thrifting and that it can be fashionable to invest in gently used clothing.

To commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM), our HHM planning committee has worked with teachers and students to provide glimpses into Hispanic culture. In Spanish classes students are learning about iconic Hispanic figures and gaining an understanding of the way God uses people from all nations and cultures to do his work on earth. The month-long celebration has included decorating our halls, a dinner with Hispanic trivia, paletero (vendor cart) with paleta (flavored popsicles), churro and concha sales, grito contest, and film studies. We will conclude with a schoolwide presentation on October 18.

Students in Honors Algebra 1 with instructor Mrs. Morgan Lautz took a different approach to learning about data collection. For some hands on learning, students conducted their own surveys among the class to review scatterplots, quantitative and qualitative data, and survey ethics. An added bonus was getting to know more about their peers.

The first Viking-2-Viking event for the 2024-25 school year was focused on healthcare careers. Viking-2-Viking brings together young alumni professionals with juniors and seniors to talk about life after graduation, career paths, and how to be productive, Christ-centered professionals. WLHS was excited to welcome back the following alumni:

• Bria Wigley ('20) - Registered Nurse at Froedtert Hospital

Honors Biology teacher Mr. McEachern ('99) gave his class the opportunity to test out forensic science. Students used different biochemical indicators to examine foods for the presence of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to match simulated stomach contents to discover what someone ate at a restaurant. Did the suspect eat pasta at Olive Garden, wings at Buffalo Wild Wings, or pizza at Rocky Rococo's? Stay tuned to find out!

New in the 2024-25 school year, students have the opportunity to join The Inklings, a creative writing club. Started by students, the club gives budding writers time together to share their work, offer each other feedback, and potentially publish a collection of the works. The group meets during flex in room 114 and is run by co-presidents Sydney Biebert ('25) and Hope Larabee ('25). Any interested students should contact English Department Coordinator Mrs. Goede, The Inklings advisor, at amy.goede@wlhs.org for more information.

AP Psychology teacher Mrs. Sarah Bauer taught a lesson on research methods and the importance of replication in experiments. To drive that idea home, students broke into groups and designed a LEGO creation, which they then had to write down instructions to see if another group could replicate their design. The students learned that details matter and how to create precise instructions.

Senior students and staff had the opportunity to grab a beverage from the Better Together Café coffee truck during lunch periods on Friday, September 6, hosted by the WLHS Alumni and Mission Advancement Team. They were able to choose from select coffees, chai teas, and refreshers. Thank you to the Plautz Fund for sponsoring this fun event and Better Together Café for providing the delicious drinks. Seniors had a great time taking a break from the normal school day to fuel their studying.

About 12 months ago, Oliva Hermanson ('24), at that time a student at WLHS, was wishing for a way that teens from across the country could meet around God's Word. While some young people have a variety of options for Bible study, Oliva realized that a lot of teens are isolated in their studies.  After discussions with Campus Pastor Phil Huebner ('99) and with the guidance of WELS ministries, the first National Online Teen Bible Study took place on September 9 with about 125 teens in live study!

Mr. Christopher Bartsch is serving in the role as PK-8 Curriculum Coordinator for the WLHS Conference. This position is funded by our conference schools as well as Wisco. Prior to WLHS, Mr. Bartsch served in various roles at Atonement Lutheran School from 2016-2024 including a social studies teacher, English teacher, dean of academics, assistant principal, and most recently, as principal. He also served at Siloah Lutheran School from 2011-2016 as an instructor and interim principal. Mr. Bartsch is a graduate of Martin Luther College and earned his master's degree from Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC). Currently he is enrolled in a Curriculum and Instruction licensure program at WLC. Mr. Bartsch is married to Megan, and they have two children, Malachi (3) and Gideon (1). The Bartsch family worships at Atonement Lutheran Church.

Exciting changes to senior religion elective classes are happening for the 2024-25 school year! First, elective courses will now be semester-long instead of just a quarter. This new format allows our students to dive deeper into the subjects they are passionate about and foster stronger relationships between students and teachers. Additionally, new classes are being offered and previous classes have been reworked to meet these changes. The current selection of classes includes:

Mr. Landwehr has joined WLHS as Honey Creek Hall dorm supervisor and Latin teacher. He attended Martin Luther College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Seminary Studies in 2022 after which he attended Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary to become a pastor. Mr. Landwehr enjoys hunting, fishing, playing basketball, and reading. He and his wife Molly worship at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Milwaukee.

Mr. and Mrs. Skorenkyi are Honey Creek Hall dorm supervisors. Mrs. Abby Skorenkyi is a Bethany Lutheran College graduate and majored in studio art and art education. She is teaching art at Shoreland Lutheran High School and is passionate about painting. Mr. Kostia Skorenkyi is originally from Ukraine. He comes to us from St. Croix Lutheran Academy where he taught religion and coached soccer and wrestling. Mr. Skorenkyi attends Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and is looking forward to his time serving as a pastor. He enjoys weightlifting, snowboarding, skiing, hiking, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Mr. and Mrs. Skorenkyi are members at St. John's Redwood Falls, Minn. Mr. Skorenkyi will be assigned to a church for his Early Field Training.

Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) is historically one of the more difficult of AP classes. Last year, a record number of 70 Wisco students signed up for this challenging course. Students worked extremely hard to prepare for the final exam. APUSH teacher Mr. Moldenhauer agreed to a challenge that if the class could surpass the national pass rate significantly, he would shave his beard. Nationally, 72% of students enrolled in APUSH passed the final exam last year.

Ms. Alicia Mengel graduated from WLHS in 2019 and is a recent Martin Luther College graduate. She majored in elementary education and instrumental music education. Ms. Mengel was assigned to WLHS to serve as a grade school band director. Aside from making music, she enjoys playing games, outdoor activities, and doing puzzles. Ms. Mengel is a member at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Waukesha.

Our new International Admissions Director, Mr. Nate King, is looking forward to forming relationships with families world-wide. He is a member at Morrison Zion Lutheran Church in Greenleaf, Wis., and will be transferring his membership to a local church in the near future. Mr. King was the international program director at Manitowoc Lutheran High School from 2016-2024, and prior to that served as an evangelist for Friends of China (now Friends Network) from 2009-2016. Mr. King has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Metropolitan State University of Denver and completed his ministry certification through Martin Luther College. Mr. King enjoys rock climbing, camping, traveling, running, and biking during his free time.

As our new art instructor, Ms. Candace Greupink will be teaching drawing, introduction to 2D art and design, graphic arts, and video production. She is in charge of the yearbook and is excited for this role. Ms. Greupink brings extensive knowledge as she served in the Pewaukee School District as an art teacher from 2012-2024. She is a graduate of UW-Milwaukee with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. Ms. Greupink loves everything that has to do with the outdoors including volleyball, gardening, hiking, and camping, among many other activities. She worships at Living Word Lutheran Church, Waukesha.

In the first full week of August, WLHS faculty met for inservice as departments and as a whole. Topics presented included: technology updates, new grading and schedule changes, school safety, course syllabi, grading, and more. Professor Alan Uher from Martin Luther College led a Bible study about intentionalizing God's word in every subject. Additional Bible studies were presented by Campus Pastor Phil Huebner ('99) and Principal Landon Zacharyasz. We are grateful to teach at a school that incorporates God's Word in every class and are excited to share it with our students daily. WLHS is ready for the new year to begin!

The 2023-24 Boys Basketball Team commemorated their state championship win with team rings, which arrived last week. The boys ended their season with a perfect 30-0 record, only the second team in state history to do so. The rings feature the Viking logo, players' jersey numbers, and their 30-0 record. The word "Gratitude" appears on the side as a reminder that all thanks and glory be to God.

Before the start of the school year, cross country teams gather together for their annual camping trip at Peninsula State Park in beautiful Door County. 28 runners spent five days in the great outdoors with some outstanding weather. Besides the activities of running, swimming, sand volleyball, and camp fires, the runners also competed in a series of camp challenges to encourage team building. The 2024-25 school year is the 30th year that Coach Lueck ('87) has hosted this special event for the cross country teams in preparation for the upcoming season.

Summer 2024 mission trips have returned home! On 14 mission trips, a total of 116 students shared the love of Jesus. Students on the Los Angeles mission trip served King of Kings in Garden Grove, California. Students worked at a local food pantry, assisted in citizenship and English classes, and helped with canvassing. Another group of students helped Our Savior Lutheran Church in San Antonio with a basketball camp. The team promoted the camp through canvassing and took part in daily devotions with the campers. Exploring the sites and food at each location is always a fun way for our teams to enjoy their downtime.

International mission trips are wrapping up these last few weeks of summer. Near and far, students let their lights shine and shared the love of Christ. The mission trip to Antigua assisted St. John's Church and School with Vacation Bible School (VBS). The mission trip to Grenada taught creative writing and swimming lessons at Grace Lutheran Church. Students headed to Toronto and helped Hope Lutheran Church with a music camp. Finally, the mission trip to the Philippines worked with Law and Gospel Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Center to do mission outreach.

WLHS mission teams continue to travel around the world and continental U.S. helping share the love of Jesus with our mission churches. A team traveled to Navarre, Florida to help Risen Savior Lutheran share the word about their Jesus Cares program for anyone with special needs or cognitive impairments, as well as a soccer Vacation Bible School (VBS).

In only its second year of existence, the WLHS Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) placed 32 students in the top five of their respective categories at state competition. Top three finishers were then allowed to travel to Orlando, Florida from June 29-July 2 to compete at Nationals. Junior Mason Ware attended and competed in Introduction to Marketing Concepts. Congratulations to Mason, the first FBLA national competitor from WLHS.

Several of our domestic mission trips are also underway. WLHS students traveled to Christ Lutheran Church in Juneau, Alaska, and ran a Vacation Bible School (VBS) where they led games, songs, and shared Bible stories. Another group went to Living Savior Lutheran Church in Littleton, Colorado where they ran a soccer and disc golf camp in support of a sports themed VBS outreach. Students traveled to Cross Life Lutheran Church in Pflugerville, Texas to help this mission-minded congregation run their VBS program.

A unique opportunity that students have at Wisco is to participate in gospel outreach efforts on mission trips at a variety of domestic and international sites. On these trips, students often provide support for Vacation Bible School, sports camps, and other outreach efforts for mission groups. The first two international trips traveled to Thailand to assist Promise Lutheran Church and the Thai Village, and to Brazil to support an after school program.

Viking Summer Explorer Camps are in full swing. WLHS offers a wide-range of adult-supervised activities to our grade schoolers from sports to fine arts to tech. Our Viking Explorers recently enjoyed the following camps: football, girls basketball, wrestling, theater, volleyball, art, and steelband. Viking Summer Explorer camps continue into July.

WLHS Fine Arts Department held an art contest this spring for children up through 8th grade. For the first time ever, art contest submissions were also included in the Spring Art Show that was held May 17-19. Congratulations to our grade school artists and the selected winners in each grade level:

Spanish 3, 4, and AP levels took a field trip to visit the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. A Spanish-speaking docent led their tour. Afterward, students enjoyed a beautiful day walking the Pilsen neighborhood and taking in many murals depicting Hispanic culture and history in the U.S. The trip concluded with lunch at Taqueria Los Comales.

Ms. Gina Radue's and Mr. Chad Biesterfeld’s math classes took a field trip to American Family Field on Wednesday, May 15. Students had the opportunity to watch the Brewers game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, compile data from the game, and then plot the data they had collected. Students compute how pitch speeds affect the number of hits, runs, etc. What a fun way to apply what the students have learned in class.

Seventeen WLHS students attended and participated in a "Bridge and Build: Sports with a Bigger Purpose" youth summit at Lambeau Field on May 6. Sports unite Wisconsinites — and this event brought together students from public, charter, and private schools along with political leaders from all over Wisconsin. The day involved stories of learning, leading, earning, sharing — and courage as students' stories were shared. Mr. Mark Murphy, the Packers CEO, also spoke. Students from Beloit, Milwaukee, Neenah, and Kenosha reported on mental health education and community service from the “Bringing Lambeau Home” theme of their 2022 event. Three WLHS students served as journalists doing video interviews to understand the views of those attending and explore the power of youth voice. The WLHS varsity Step Team performed a salute to the students from Beloit Memorial HS who had shared stories of their personal challenges and courage to step up against violence.

The Hunger Task Force supplies food to families in the Milwaukee area who are not able to provide food for themselves. The Milwaukee Police Department and U.S. Army asked Wisco to partner with them in donating non-perishable food items to the Hunger Task Force. Wisco students and staff generously filled the donation box provided and then some. We thank God for allowing us the opportunity to share our blessings with others.

WLHS Band Director Mr. Quinten Petersen and Grade School Band Director Mr. Danny Hafenstein were featured guest artists at the Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) Spring Band Concert. They played a percussion duet on a fun piece titled "Run to the Light." Quinten and Danny are both WLC alumni. What a great way to use their God-given gifts in the community!

The Viking Claybreakers are 2-1 in their conference season. This past weekend, the team shot a 100-clay tournament in rainy, cold, and windy conditions. They took 4th place out of 10 conference teams, missing third place by just 4 clays, and second by 13 (out of 500). Top shots this week go to Owen Dusseau ('25) (who broke 92 clays and took 4th place overall), Justus Bauer ('24) with 88, Aaron Sun ('25) for 87, Andrew Piontek ('24) for 86, and Alejandro Gutierrez ('25) with 85. On Junior Varsity, Star Smith ('27) came in 8th place in her category with a respectable 67 clays.

Sometimes the best way to understand something is by physically seeing it in action. That's why students in Mrs. Morgan Lautz's math class reached for their M&Ms! Students used these chocolate color coated candies to test theoretical and experimental probability. After the learning activity was completed, guess where the M & Ms ended up?

During April, National Poetry Month, our WLHS library is offering many ways for students to explore the use of language to inspire, beautify, and celebrate. Students can make poetry from magnets, book spines, and blackout sheets. The library is offering a poem reading challenge. Students can check out and read a book of poetry or a book-in-verse and be entered to win a gift card. Click here to see some of the books in verse on hand in the Wisco library.

2023-24 was the inaugural year for the WLHS rock climbing club under the direction of Ms. Rachel Rosenberg, Mr. Tim Meister, and Mrs. Bekah & Mr. Mical Schaffer. The club had a total of 26 climbers. In its first year, Wisco took eleven rock climbers to State to compete in both top rope and bouldering at the Downtown Adventure Rock. Four climbers made it to the final five in their divisions including Oliver Saugstad ('27), Caden Schaffer ('27), Mina Schaffer ('27), and Talia Meister ('26).

In only its second year of competition, the WLHS Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) sent 13 qualified students to State competition in Green Bay, Wis. on April 8-9. Students had opportunities to grow through workshops, networking sessions, and college exploration. They also competed in a variety of events, from coding and computer programming, to marketing, accounting, investments, and more. Top performers qualify for the National Conference in Orlando.

Congratulations to the following students who are now national qualifiers:

On March 22, after a snowy start to the day, Viking Steel was still able to hold its spring concert. WLHS is one of only a few high schools in Wisconsin that offers steel pan, and one of the few co-curriculars at WLHS with 60+ members. Enjoy some more facts about Viking Steel:

WLHS hosted ten students and one adult chaperone from Ecuador for a two-week spring camp. Some of the many activities they experienced have included a tour of the city of Milwaukee, an Admirals hockey game, Easter party with our dorm students, Wisconsin dairy farm experience, Milwaukee Art and Public Museums, Sky Zone trampoline park, Great Wolf Lodge waterpark, and much more.

Spanish teachers Mrs. Cheryl Belott ('98) and Mrs. Kaitlin Hernández spent three days in Minneapolis last weekend at the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. They attended workshops and presentations with passionate language teachers from all over the midwest and beyond, and they returned excited to share new ideas with our language students at Wisco.

Fifteen schools and 82 high school students put their culinary and management skills to the test in the ProStart Invitational at Madison College on March 14. Wisco sent four students to compete as a team in the culinary competition. They prepared a three course meal and were judged by foodservice industry professionals and college educators on teamwork, presentation, cooking procedures, knife skills, and sanitation. Click here to see the delicious menus prepared by talented students.

For nearly 40 years, March has been designated as Music In Our Schools Month®. Music has a positive impact in the lives of our students and lasts a lifetime. This month alone WLHS has many opportunities to showcase the musical talents of our students including: the spring musical The Little Mermaid, the spring band concert (pictured), the sacred choral concert, and Viking Steel spring concert. Our thanks to the hardworking teachers in our fine arts music department!

Can the #2 Forest Elephant outlast the #15 Honey Bee? Who will survive and advance in the #8 vs #9 matchup between the Himalayan Monal and the Nicobar Pigeon? Mr. Tim McEachern's ('99) Biology classes are joining students from around the world in the 2024 March Mammal Madness Tournament (MMM). Since 2013, MMM asks the question “Who Would Win?” when two animals encounter each other in an absurdly complex and wonderfully nerdy way . . . a simulated tournament within a structured game universe! Fill out your own bracket here to play along.

Wisco seniors learned important lessons about finances at the Reality Store on March 12. After receiving an assigned life situation (marital status, children, debt, etc.), along with a "paycheck" based on the job they were assigned and hope to have as an adult, students stopped at various stations to create a budget. Along the way, students "run into" real life expenses such as car repairs, medical bills, vet expenses or child care. Thank you to all our volunteers who helped to make this event valuable for our students!

Students in Mr. Sam Wallace's World Geography classes had a chance to learn from Milwaukee Alderwoman Larresa Taylor about food deserts. Food deserts are areas where people have limited access to a variety of healthful foods. This may be due to having a limited income or living far away from sources of healthful and affordable food. Grace Raymond ('24) said of the presentation, "It really put things into perspective how food deserts are a local problem. Alderwoman Taylor represents Milwaukee District 9, and has been instrumental in building new grocery stores as well as redeveloping the old Northridge Mall area to bring in better businesses."

Students in Mrs. Bauer's Modern World History classes were tasked with discovering a topic that interested them during World War I and creating a poster to describe their topic. Some topics chosen included Rags the Dog, The Unknown British Soldier, Henry Johnson, Aileen Cole Stewart as well as some better known characters like U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Union Leader Vladimir Lenin or Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin. With our library as a resource, these historians uncovered the value of untold stories.

Cree Myles is a professional reader, social media influencer, and inaugural editor and curator of a black literature podcast through Penguin Random House. Ms. Myles spoke to students in Mrs. Shakirah Cousin's African American studies class. She broke down ways to reach reading goals, emphasized the importance of reading, and gave pointers on how the class can successfully complete an upcoming assignment on podcasts for their book reviews.

Cool Beans, a barbershop quartet with the Sweet Adelines International organization, stopped by to deliver a singing Valentine to the Freshman Choir. These ladies are also members of the Crosstown Harmony Chorus, a local regional chapter of Sweet Adelines. Member Rochelle Hackmann ('86) (pictured right) is a WLHS graduate and a member at St. Jacobi Lutheran Church in Greenfield. We thank the ladies for their performance and for inspiring the Freshman Choir with their four-part barbershop harmonies!

On Ash Wednesday, February 14, Campus Pastor Phil Huebner ('99) led a special chapel service that brought a focus to the beginning of the Lenten season. The theme of our campus worship this Lent is The Places of the Passion. Each Wednesday we will contemplate a different location where Jesus stopped along his path to redeem us: Gethsemane, The High Priest’s Palace, Pilate’s Court, The Way of Sorrows, and Golgotha.

Scott Cousins II ('24) signed his letter of intent with the Biola University Division 2 Track & Field program. Scott has had a successful track & field career here at WLHS, and plans to continue throwing at Biola University, in La Mirada, Cal. Scott intends to pursue a major in Cinema and Media Arts with the goal to become a director.

On February 2, English Department Coordinator, Amy Goede ('94), attended a free online symposium offered by the University of Southern California entitled "The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models in the Writing Class." From sessions on the flaws and possibilities caused by the coding used to create AI generators to harnessing the power of Chat GPT in a writing class, this symposium provided a wealth of information and ideas on how to train our students to use this fast-growing technology in an ethical and productive way.

As part of a unit on fibers and fabrics, students in Fashion Tech Two experimented with the properties of cotton — absorbency and color-fastness — by tie dying t-shirts in class. Most of the students did traditional tie dye patterns, but Rhiannon Gantner ('24) tried the ice cube method of putting dry dye on ice cubes placed on top of her shirt. Once the ice melts, the colors blend into the shirt. Who says you can't have fun while learning!

Congratulations to English teacher Mrs. Stacy Bitter who received her doctorate from Alverno College with a degree in K-12 Leadership. Dr. Bitter defended her dissertation called "Young Adolescents' Perceptions of Reading Interventions" in December 2023. Motivated to better serve her students, Dr. Bitter completed her study in two and half years, no summers off, alongside her full time job at WLHS.

WLHS is excited to have another alumni, Miss Claire Leverence ('19), join our staff. She is serving in our English department teaching composition classes. Ms. Leverence is a recent graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran College and earned a degree in Secondary Education Broadfield Language Arts (English and Communication). Miss Leverence is a member at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee. In her free time, Miss Leverence likes to run, read, crochet, thrift, write, and enjoy outdoor activities.

In recent years, WLHS has developed a partnership with our WELS mission on the Caribbean island of Antigua. God has blessed St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church and School there with significant growth: 350 students attend their school and worship services on Sunday are at capacity. Each fall, WLHS holds a school-wide drive to collect resources for St. John's. Typically, five students and Pastor Huebner deliver the donation which this year was five computers, two projectors and 220 new Bibles.

All Algebra 1 students must go through testing called Measure of Academic Progress (MAP). MAP assessments are a computer adaptive achievement test which means that the computer adjusts the difficulty of the questions so that each student takes a unique test. The difficulty of each question is based on how well a student has answered previous questions. In the end, students receive a MAP RIT score which is norm-referenced to other students and represents a point on a continuous scale of learning.

New to our co-curricular clubs for the 2023-24 school year is Ski & Snowboard Club. This club offers our students a great way to get outside, meet new friends, learn a new sport or hone your skills, and enjoy the beautiful Wisconsin winters. Wisco's Ski & Snowboard Club has partnered with Little Switzerland in Slinger, Wis., to offer special pricing for lift tickets and rentals. In December, the club had its first event. More than 30 students attended!

The WLHS Dinner Auction will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2024. To join in the fun and receive information before the event, participants can participate and invite others to the private WLHS Auction Facebook group page here. For information about sponsorships and donating items, visit the auction web site here.

At WLHS, students have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of co-curricular activities and clubs geared to many different interests. This year, WLHS offers Rock Climbing Club for the first time. Through partnership with Adventure Rock, students explore and learn a new sport and even compete. In December, Wisco students competed with more than 300 students from around Wisconsin. Congratulations to Annalise Kuehn ('26) for placing first in Division 2 and Willamina Schaffer ('27) for placing second in Division 4.