NIC OLET HIGH SCHO OL

Accelerating Achievement Every Student, Every Classroom, Every Day

A Newsletter for the Residents of the Nicolet School District

Spring 2014

NICOLET LAUNCHES CREATIVE NEW WEBSITE

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hen it comes to ease of use, uniqueness, and a quality appearance, Nicolet’s new state-of-the-art website really stands out from the pack. “Our old website was showing its age,” said Superintendent Robert Kobylski. “Our goal was to create a more pleasing user experience and in the process we ended up creating a different type of school website.” Although some school district websites utilize a few icons, Nicolet added a creative wrinkle by using numerous icons to serve as the new website’s navigation system. “People use icons on their phones, tablets, and computers all the time so we thought we should incorporate that into our website,” said Director of Technology John Reiels. “We wanted to make it easier for Nicolet parents, students, community members, and prospective students and their parents to find their way around the site.” The icon system keeps the home page clean and uncluttered while providing plenty of space to prominently feature highprofile Nicolet news items. “This new website is a great way for community members who don’t have kids at Nicolet to keep on top of all the extraordinary things happening here,” Kobylski said.

NICOLET VIDEO WINS TOP AWARD FOR SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS Nicolet High School’s “Why Nicolet?” video won the top honor for electronic media--the 2013 Spectrum Award of Excellence-from the Wisconsin School Public Relations Association (WSPRA) at their annual conference in November. Nicolet’s electronic newsletter for parents also received a Spectrum Award of Merit. Spectrum Awards recognize high-quality public relations efforts produced by or on behalf of Wisconsin school districts. “Spectrum Award winners exemplify the very best communications work in school districts across the state,” said WSPRA President Kit Dailey.

STUDENT NEWS Senior Wins $1,000 in National Science Competition Nicolet senior Bertrand Stone was recently named an Intel Science Talent Search 2014 Semifinalist, winning $1,000 for himself and $1,000 for Nicolet for excellence in teaching and student support. The Intel Science Talent Search (STS), a program of Society for Science & the Public, is the nation’s most prestigious pre-college science competition. Stone is the only Wisconsin student this year to have been selected both an Intel STS Semifinalist and a Siemens Competition Semifinalist. Last spring, Stone earned an esteemed full summer scholarship to do research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nicolet Student Receives 2014 Kohl Foundation Award Senior Jeremy Koritzinsky was awarded a $1,000 Excellence Scholarship from the Herb Kohl Foundation. Top Three Nicolet Science Fair Winners Advance to International Competition in Los Angeles. The top three winners of Nicolet’s science fair, the largest science fair in the state, have advanced to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) competition in Los Angeles May 11-16. Going to Los Angeles are Nicolet students (from first to third) Bertrand Stone, Grant Hussey, and Kara Conley. The ISEF competition in Los Angeles is the premier science fair in the world. Approximately 1,300 students from 50 countries will compete for awards, scholarships and prizes. Also noteworthy is that 30 students from the Nicolet science fair qualified for the state competition March 22 at UWMilwaukee.

Six Nicolet Students Earn Eleven Scholastic Writing Awards Six Nicolet students recently received eleven Scholastic Writing Awards in the Milwaukee regional competition. Winning Gold Key Awards for their essays were Alex Heuer, Sam Vuchetich, and Tommy Schneider. Schneider also won a Silver Key and an Honorable Mention. Also receiving Silver Keys were Rachel Heuer for two essays, and Evan Walsh. Taylor Slivinski received an Honorable Mention. In addition, Schneider and Vuchetich received American Visions & Voices Medals when their Gold Key essays were each judged to be one of the five “Best in Show” works for the region. All Gold Key and Silver Key winners will also be judged by a Scholastic Awards panel in New York City for the chance to receive a national Gold or Silver Medal. Nicolet Students Win 37 Scholastic Art Awards Nicolet art students recently received 37 recognitions, a record for the school, in the 2014 Wisconsin Scholastic Art Awards competition. Nicolet artists earned 24 top Gold Key Awards: 12 individual Gold Keys and 12 of the 48 Gold-Key-winning senior portfolios. Those Gold Key pieces and portfolios advanced to the National Scholastic Art Awards competition. The national awards ceremony will be held in June at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Nicolet Student Wins $500 in National Art Competition Senior Sarah Murphy’s photography portfolio recently earned an Honorable Mention award and $500 from the National Young Arts Foundation.

Nicolet Students Make History Almost all Nicolet students participating in the National History Day regional March 2 at UWM advanced to the state competition in Madison May 3. 21 Nicolet Students Recognized By National Merit Scholarship Program Fourteen Nicolet seniors are semifinalists in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program competition; seven other seniors were named Commended Students by the Program. Nicolet German Students Rule at Regional Pronunciation Contest Ninety-two percent of Nicolet German students qualified for state Feb. 22 at the Southeastern Wisconsin German Pronunciation Contest held at Rufus King High School. Sports Shorts Four-year girls volleyball varsity starter Angie Morello, who led Nicolet to a North Shore Conference crown this season, was named the 2013 Conference Player of the Year. Nicolet’s state qualifiers so far include: Girls golf: Emily Murphy Girls swimming: Libby Geboy, Jamie Kloehn, Grace Wilkie, Gwen Worlton, and Sarah Zelazoski. Boys swimming: Michael Hangsterfer, Michael Mills, Jeremy Moser, Collin Siverhus, and Ricky Romersi. Girls tennis: Josie Docalavich, Nina Gerard, Michelle Margolies, Sara Miller, Emily Mone, and Erin Wathen. Ski team: Mikey Caruth, Charlie Dickson, John Jaekels, Charlie Rosmann, Sam Shields, Sam Wiegers, and George Wilson. Wrestling: Jack Kalloch

FACULTY & STAFF NEWS Educators apply for participation in the AAA Program with a partner. Gustavson’s fellow educator and flight mate is Jean Creighton, Director of UWM’s Manfred Olson Planetarium. Nicolet’s Astronomy Club, led by Gustavson, partners with UWM. “To be chosen to be part of NASA is kind of cool,” Gustavson said. This is no joy ride, however. Each educator team will take two 10-hour flights aboard SOFIA to assist SOFIA’s scientists collect data about the universe. And there’s preflight preparation as well. Gustavson must participate in several months of online training, and then undergo onsite training at SOFIA’s base at NASA’s Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. (about an hour north of Los Angeles).

Nicolet Teacher Named Wisconsin’s Outstanding Biology Teacher for 2013 Nicolet teacher John Rhude (right) was named Wisconsin’s Outstanding Biology Teacher for 2013 by the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT). Every year, the NABT recognizes an outstanding biology educator in each of the 50 states. Rhude was nominated by Nicolet colleagues and received letters of recommendation from students and parents. Kevin Niemi (left) from the UW-Madison Institute for Biology Education and a representative of the NABT, presented Rhude with his certificate (Rhude received his actual award at the NABT’s national convention in November). Science teacher Kathy Gustavson will travel over 40,000 feet into the stratosphere aboard a NASA aircraft this spring. Gustavson was one of 12 educators from 10 states selected to participate in the Airborne Astronomy Ambassador (AAA) Program, a development program aimed at improving science teaching. The highlight of the program for educators will be flights aboard SOFIA, NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. SOFIA, a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, is an extensively modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that conducts research missions several nights a week. SOFIA captures some exotic stuff—such as how stars form in our Milky Way galaxy versus other galaxies—that cannot be observed by ground-based observatories or even the Hubble Space Telescope.

The goal of the program is for teachers to implement classroom lessons based on their experiences during their weeklong stay in California. Teachers Robert Rinka (special education) and John Rhude (science) are 2014 Herb Kohl Foundation Fellowship award recipients. Each teacher will receive a $1,000 grant, and Nicolet will receive $2,000 in grant money in their honor. Spanish teacher Maria Wallis won the 2013 Intercultural Student Experience (ISE) Language Matters Award. According to the ISE, the award “is given to a high school teacher who has achieved outstanding success in getting his/her students to speak a world language by providing authentic immersion experiences outside the classroom.” Art teacher Patty Leeson was named to the 2013-14 Educator Advisory Group for the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the national nonprofit that presents the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Girls volleyball head coach Dann Jacobson was named the 2013 North Shore Conference Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season and seventh time overall. Special education teacher Travis Tuttle was inducted Oct. 5 into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Tuttle averaged 35.7 points a game in his three-year career at Argyle High School, fifth all-time nationally. He led the state in scoring as a junior and senior, averaging 40.8 and 41.8 points a game, respectively, and once made 17 three-pointers in a game. Guidance counselor Michael McKenna was inducted into the Menomonee Falls High School Hall of Fame. McKenna (class of ’93) was first team all-conference in cross country, but cycling is where he excelled. He was named the best all-around 16-year-old cycler in the country. He went on to became a four-time national cycling champion, and is the 2,000-meter and 200-meter national record holder. He currently races for Hollander Benelux Racing.

STUDENT SERVICES Nicolet Counselors Adapt to Challenging Needs of Today’s High School Students “We’re not your mother’s and father’s guidance counselors anymore,” Nicolet counselor and leader of the Student Services department, Nader Raad, explained when describing how the role of counselors has changed over the years.

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Nicolet counselors still provide the same student assistance they did back in the day: helping with career and college choices and preparing high school transcripts. But the needs of today’s high school students require that counselors do much more than just college prep. Real-world prep is what’s necessary now. “We sit down and connect with every student and work with them on how to be successful as a student, as a person, as a community leader while at Nicolet,” Raad said. Keeping tabs on students is key to helping students succeed. “If counselors notice a student struggling academically in a class, we work collectively as a team and collaborate and consult with teachers to figure out the best course of action to help a student be successful,” Raad said.

“When we communicate to families coming in we describe ourselves as their resource,” counselor Olivia Carter said. “If you’re not sure on where to go to for anything, you can always start with us and we’ll make sure we get you plugged in to what you need.” Nicolet counselors host college admission counselors, attend college updates held locally, monitor student college eligibility, promote and advertise scholarship opportunities, help students apply for scholarships and financial aid (more than one-fifth of Nicolet graduates receive a scholarship or financial award), help students with college applications and college essays, and write 20-30 letters of recommendation apiece.

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We all love what we do here for the students and families at Nicolet.

However, monitoring student behavior has become more important than monitoring student grades nowadays. “The biggest change in our roles the last 15 years has been in the area of mental health and how much we’re dealing with students in short-term crisis situations,” Raad said. “I think we prevent a lot of problems for kids because we’re so hands on,” said Barbara Bornstein, school psychologist. Bornstein is a nationally certified school psychologist and is licensed as both a psychologist and school psychologist. Nicolet counselors get acquainted with many students before they ever set foot in the school. They meet with eighth graders at the district feeder schools and they also organize and host a scheduling/Q&A night for eighth graders and their parents. When school starts for the incoming freshman, the student services staff helps them transition into high school life, begins to develop individual learning plans for them, and helps them set goals. As sophomores, parents are invited to sit down with their student and the counselor to start talking about how to reach those goals and the steps involved in planning for the transition from high school. When those freshmen get to the college selection stage of their lives, all the counselors’ college prep work pays off.

All Nicolet counselors are members of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Wisconsin Association for College Admission Counseling, and they work at building relationships with colleges, recruiters, and admission counselors. The connections they make and the familiarity they gain with colleges allows them to make recommendations to students about what colleges would be a good fit.

“We are constantly advocating for our students, trying to put Nicolet and the students in the best light possible to help them get into their first-choice college,” Raad said. Raad and counselor Mike McKenna are co-chairs for the NACAC college fair, held each fall in Milwaukee, which draws over 200 colleges nationally. All Nicolet counselors take time out of their weekend to volunteer at the college fair. “It’s such a great feeling when we work with a college and help get a student into that school,” said counselor Jeff Artero. Committed, involved, and busy would be apt descriptors for the current counseling team, which has been together for 14 years. They coach, run clubs, work with other departments and organizations, assist with foreign exchange students, organize military visits, deal with issues regarding at-risk students, attend meetings with students returning to school from suspensions, run school testing--not only for Nicolet students but for other Milwaukee area students as well--and coordinate Senior Awards Night. “It’s never a dull day,” Raad said. “I’ve never seen anybody from this staff not happy to be at work. We all love what we do here for the students and families at Nicolet.”

ALUMNI NEWS Lanoria Duhart (class of 2013) was the starting prop as a freshman for the Winona State University Womens Rugby Team, which won the Division II Collegiate National Championship. Alexis Wilkinson (class of 2011) has become the first AfricanAmerican elected president of The Harvard Lampoon, the esteemed 137-year-old humor magazine.

J.J. Phillips (class of 2008) will be playing the role of Superman, Elyse Edelman (class of 2008) who is currently an intern with the Rep, will be in the ensemble and is an understudy, and Sarah Hoffmann (class of 1994) is a stage manager for the theater.

“So my mom is a computer engineer, my dad was a chemist and I applied as a biomedical engineering concentrator. And so now to be a funny girl, that’s definitely a little bit of a shake-up,” she told NPR in an interview. Abby Bar Lev (class of 2004) was interviewed for a feature article on mock trial programs in the December issue of “Wisconsin Lawyer” (the official publication of the State Bar of Wisconsin). “Mock trial was probably the most formative confidence-building experience of my young life,” said Bar-Lev, who participated in mock trial at Nicolet from 2002 to 2004 under teacher Phyllis Santacroce. Bar-Lev, who recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, is now a lawyer for a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. Samara Sodos (class of 1989) recently joined WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) as noon co-anchor and morning show reporter. Three former Nicolet theatre students are involved with the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s upcoming production of The History of Invulnerability, which will take place April 8-May 4 in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater.

Because of the Nicolet alums involvement with the play, the Rep is offering a discount on tickets for district residents. Use the code Nicolet when ordering tickets. The offer expires April 12. (The History of Invulnerability is recommended for ages 16 and up due to mature themes and brief, modest nudity.)

Nicolet’s Partnership With Microsoft Improves Employment Opportunities for Students and Community Members Nicolet students and community members have been taking advantage of Nicolet’s partnership with Microsoft Learning to differentiate themselves in today’s competitive job market. Nicolet became an authorized Microsoft Testing Center this past year (and is listed on Microsoft’s website) and offers 10 different Microsoft certifications including 365, Access, Excel, SharePoint, and Word. In Nicolet’s Microsoft Certification high school course, students can earn up to six college credits accepted at any of the 1,000+ colleges and universities within the ACE College Credit Network. Microsoft Office Specialist certification allows those who have their skills validated by Microsoft to use the Microsoft Certification logo on their resumes.

“Earning a Microsoft certification helps students and residents beef up their resumes, which broadens their employment opportunities and increases their earning potential,” said Nicolet teacher Michael Kania, who is a Microsoft Certified Trainer. To find out more about Microsoft certification, the public should contact Kania at 414-351-7591, or at [email protected].

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NIC OLET HIGH SCHO OL

Transforming knowledge into wisdom

6701 N. Jean Nicolet Road, Glendale, WI 53217 www.nicolet.us

Nicolet School Board Marilyn Franklin, President Morton Grodsky, Vice President Joseph Kasle, Clerk Ellen Redeker, Treasurer Elizabeth (Libby) Gutterman, Member

KNIGHT ON THE TOWN FUNDRAISER

A Major League Event The Nicolet High School Foundation’s Knight on the Town affair promises to be A Major League Event. This fantastic fundraiser will be held Friday, May 2, at the historic University Club of Milwaukee, 924 E Wells Street. Rick Schlesinger, Chief Operations Officer for the Milwaukee Brewers and a 1979 Nicolet grad, will be the evening’s special guest to talk baseball and Nicolet. Fellow alum, WTMJ radio’s Jeff Wagner (class of 1976), will serve as emcee. Knight on the Town, a benefit to support academics at Nicolet, will be a night of dining and dancing, with lots of fun thrown in. A special VIP reception with Schlesinger will kick off the event at 6:00 p.m. Cocktails and the silent auction begin at 6:30, followed by dinner at 7:30 and dancing at 9:00. Celebrate the successes of Nicolet High School and the Foundation with your friends and neighbors and help ensure that the tradition of academic enrichment and opportunity continues. For more information about the event and how to make a reservation, visit www.nicolet.us and the Knight on the Town – A Major League Event Facebook page, or contact co-chairs Susie Falk (414-232-2562) or Deb Binder (414-651-5500).

The Nicolet High School Foundation Presents:

Knight on the Town A Major League Event Friday, May 2, 2014 Presenting Sponsor: