Science Team 2nd at State

Arrowhead high school

science team excels at state

Congratulations to the Arrowhead Science Team for taking Second in State at the Science Bowl January 26th! 

Team members are Max Strange, Griffin Tschurwald, Meridith Johnson, Zach Bednarke, and Alex Strange.

AHS Forensics Team

Arrowhead high school

Forensics team does well at Tournament

The Forensics Team had a great showing at the DeForest Forensics Tournament; AHS had 6 students bring home trophies and 3 won their events and a great showing by the rest of the team.  Congratulations to Mr. Steve Schmid, advisor, the entire Forensics team, as well as the following individuals: 

Shannon Johnson
1st Oral Interpretation of Literature

Morgan Smearon
1st Storytelling

Ian Cogswell
1st Duo Interpretation

Olivia Dellomodarme
1st Duo Interpretation

Rachel Feder
3rd Duo Interpretation

Kaileigh Pieroth
3rd Duo Interpretation

Amy Teske
2nd Oratory

Kathryn Osowski
3rd Special Occasion

AHS Students Reach Out to Africa

Arrowhead high school

Two Amazing students reach out to help

Young people in Africa

AHS Junior
Elle Lichte

Two Arrowhead students, Jessica Yost and Elle Lichte, started a charity called the 15:30 Project.  They began this charity after going to Africa and working with kids who desperately needed help getting an education.  Last year, Mrs. Whitehaus, AHS English teacher, convinced all her students in the class to support a charitable effort to help these young people in Africa, raising approximately $200.  

Well, this year, the two Arrowhead juniors contacted Mrs. Whitehaus and wanted to know if she would be interested in getting the word around about another fund raiser to make and sell chocolate pizzas.  Mrs. Whitehaus asked all of her classes and they responded, “Challenge accepted!”   Mrs. Whitehaus’ classes, as well as a few teachers, raised just over $1000!!!!  Mrs. Whitehaus response to this outpouring of support was, “That's a heck of a lot of chocolate!” 

Jessica shared that it costs about $2,000 to send a student there to high school for 4 years, so essentially Mrs. Whitehaus’ classes raised enough money to pay for 

half of an African student's high school education! Mrs. Whitehaus' responded, “That is so cool!”  

AHS Junior
Jessica Yost

“Over the past four years 15:30 has been fundraising, the success has been wonderful which is why we realize that we must take it to the next step and become a legal and tax exempted Non-Profit Organization.  Over this spring, I will be working on finding suitable board members as well as collaborating with volunteer seamstress to help me make the "For the Love of Ruth" line of pants as well as headbands and purses which we will hopefully launch our store online and perhaps sell in local small businesses.  As you can see, the 15:30 Project has been extremely successful and we could never have had this success without participants like you who truly believe in our efforts. The children of Open Arms are truly a part of my family and I am extremely grateful to have such a support system come from school and I hope more children can become impacted with the help from people like you.

Words cannot describe how blessed I feel to have a school-community member endorse 15:30 Project and I hope that we can continue to work together with the chocolate pizzas next year!” (email from Jessica Yost)

The following is a copy of the letter Jessica sent to Mrs. Whitehaus’ English classes as well as a picture of the entire Open Arms- Home for Children Family and a picture of the three children who had their first day of high school a few weeks ago.  Currently all funding of the 15:30 Project goes directly to the Open Arms children, which includes but not limited to medicine, school supplies, clothing, entertainment mediums, and our main focus of sending these children to high school. 

First Day of High School

December 19, 2012

Dear Mrs. Whitehaus and Students,

            Oh my goodness! Words cannot describe how truly thankful I am for your generosity of contributing to the 15:30 Project.  All proceeds from the chocolate pizzas will go directly towards a high school education fund I have created for the children of Open Arms- Home for Children in South Africa.  To give you a better visual of where your money is going, there is no better fitting story than the story of Ayabonga (I-O-BONE-GAH). 

Ayo is a boy a year younger than you who has had a troubled beginning to say the least.  He grew up in the slums of a town called Komga with this alcoholic-drug addict mother.  Due to his mother’s drug abuse, Ayabonga was abandoned and forced at the age of 8 to take care of not only himself, but also his younger brother and sister in a small hut.  Luckily, Open Arms found Ayabonga and his siblings and they all now live happily at Open Arms- Home for Children. 

With Ayabonga having to take on an extremely difficult job at such a young age, he never received a proper education and is 3 years behind in his schooling.  The high school fund that we, the 15:30 Project, created is specifically designed to help children like Ayo who would not normally have the opportunity to go to high school to receive a proper education.  Without an education, children in South Africa and all across the world will never be able to break the cycle of poverty.  If it weren’t for people like you, Ayabonga and other children would still be on the streets fighting to survive whether it is in gangs or drug dealing scandals.

The 15:30 Project has been very blessed to have raised approximately $14,000 which is enough to send 7 children to secondary schooling for all four years.  As Ayabonga continues to learn and his schooling improves, he will soon be the next Open Arms child to go to high school which we will proudly be contributing towards. I have had the privilege to not only getting to know Ayo, but also “growing up” with him and I can assure you he is the nicest, most responsible, and most thankful person I have ever met and I am proud to not only call him my best friend, but also my brother. On behalf of Ayabonga, I thank you all for your contributions.  

Once again, thank you all so much for your purchases of the chocolate pizzas. I can assure you they will not disappoint! It truly is the best feeling in the world to know that kids like you are willing to help other children in need.  We may not be able to save the world, but we can make a difference one child at a time. 

Jessica & Ayo

Merry Christmas!

Jessica Yost

15:30 Project Founder

Open Arms Family

Art Student's Work on Display

Arrowhead high school

AP studio art student's work on display

Delafield art center

The Fine Arts Club has set up a show of Arrowhead Student Art at the Delafield Art Center, which runs through January 31, 2013.  Works on display are from Mr. Luebke's Advanced Placement Studio Art students.

On Thursday January 16, an official opening reception was held at the Delafield Art Center, located at 803 Genesee Street (corner of Genesee Street and Milwaukee Street, around the corner from The Milwaukee Street Trader coffee shop).

The opening reception was well attended and exceeded expectations.  The Arrowhead art students, along with many parents, grandparents, aunts, siblings and friends came to view the art displays.  The student art will also be on display at a showing in Oconomowoc in mid-February.

Thanks to Matt Luebke, art teacher, his AP Studio Art students, Pat Downing, Fine Arts Club advisor, and the Delafield Art Center for organizing the showing of our student’s art work.

                     

Proposal to Change Graduation Requirements

AHS Graduation Requirements

The Board Personnel Committee has reviewed a proposal to modify the graduation requirements at AHS.  The proposal was approved and will advance to the full board for discussion and action to approve at the February 13^th board meeting.

Currently, students receiving alternative education options at Arrowhead Union High School earn an equivalency diploma upon completion of requirements. The transcript speaks to the “path” the student took to earn an Arrowhead diploma. The proposal recommends that students be awarded a regular diploma upon completion of requirements based upon the following criteria:

• Currently Arrowhead Union High School is the only school in Waukesha County utilizing the alternative (equivalency) diploma
• The Department of Public Instruction recommends a regular diploma
• Prior to current restructuring of services students were exiting with limited academic and employability skills
•  Increased motivator to complete requirements with the possibility to earn a regular diploma
• Parental “buy in” working towards regular diploma

The recommendation is based upon the restructuring of the Alternative Education services on-site in conjunction with off-site options providing structured academic and employment skill development.  A recommendation is proposed to change Board Policy to recognize students who successfully complete requirements based upon alternative paths to skill development.

The recommendation is to accept successful completion in:

• Arrowhead Alternative Education services,
• Second Chance Partners for Education, or
• Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy Program as a means to earn a regular Arrowhead Union High School Diploma.

AHS Band Going Goofy?

AHS Senior
Brianna Meyer

Arrowhead High School senior Brianna Meyer contributes monthly articles to the Lake Country Publications to be published in the Living Lake Country Sunday edition.   The following is Bri’s article, which will appear in the January 27^th publication:

Arrowhead Band Heads to Disney

Late last year, the band directors at Arrowhead announced that all five ensembles would be able to travel to Disney World from February 21-24, 2013. Now, with February 21 quickly approaching, directors Jacob Polancich and Stacey Zwirlein are putting the final touches on their group before they head to Disney to participate in the Disney Performing Arts concert and clinic.

Two years ago, Arrowhead assembled a group to go to Washington D.C. and play in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The band explored the city, toured the Smithsonian, and ate on roof of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Although the D.C. trip was impressive, this year’s Disney trip aims to top it. 

“Combining the music with the founding history of our country had a resounding effect on me,” says Arrowhead junior Sam Yellick of the D.C. band trip. “But I’m really looking forward to experiencing the music in a more lighthearted way at Disney World.”

The Disney Performing Arts experience gives kids of all ages and skill levels the opportunity to play classical Disney music in front of an international audience. Arrowhead will be participating in the Performing Arts OnStage concert and the You’re Instrumental Workshop. The concert includes a performance on Downtown Disney’s Waterside stage on the Disney World grounds, and the clinic gives kids the chance to play classic Disney songs in front of the movie scenes they appear in.

The workshop is designed for students in instrumental music programs of all levels and provides a “studio recording environment.” Arrowhead already sent in a recording of their music to qualify for this opportunity.

 “We needed to send in a video recording of the group in order to have our Disney Park performance approved,” says Zwirlein. “The Disney music committee has strict requirements about performing on the park grounds, so we wanted to make sure we were prepared and had a good video to submit for our performance. Successfully enough, we were selected to perform.”

Eighty three students spanning through all skill and grade levels, Arrowhead’s Disney band has been rehearsing since November of 2012. According to Polancich, they have had “limited rehearsals, but should be in good shape for a successful performance.”

For their stage concert, the set includes tunes like Blue Goose Rag and Stars and Stripes Forever, as well as pops songs like Pirates of the Caribbean and Aladdin.

“Music selection is always very important in every situation because it represents what you're trying to communicate musically,” says Polancich. “In this case, we needed to select music that would be appropriate for a Disney venue and audience. They only allow thirty minutes of music, so we needed to be mindful of the length as well as the difficulty level.”

In addition to the band, Arrowhead will also be taking a small group of their Chamber String players on the trip to perform on the Give the Kids the World grounds—a park where kids with life-threatening illnesses can go on weeklong vacations with their families. 

Students will depart on Thursday, February 21 on an AirTran flight bound for Orlando—a small change from the overnight bus ride to D.C. Students will then have four days to explore the Disney World grounds and participate in the concert and workshop.

 “I’m really excited for the workshop,” says Arrowhead senior Annika van Ryzin. “I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to play on a movie soundtrack, and this trip sounds like the perfect opportunity to experience that and more.”

The group is lined up to play in the workshop, but they plan to spend some time at the Disney park while they are there. Some of the attractions: Disney Hollywood Studios, Epcot Center, and the Disney Animal Kingdom.  

“I’m really looking forward to spending four whole days with my band friends in such an iconic place. It’s going to be so much fun,” says Arrowhead sophomore Olivia Dellamodarme.

Polancich agrees with her. “Being able to provide opportunities like this for kids is the reason I do this job. Disney holds a special place in my heart because I used to go with my family as a kid,” he says.

 “Our hope is to bring these exciting and musically rewarding opportunities to the Arrowhead music students for years to come,” says Zwirlein. “Sharing these musical experiences creates memories that will last students well into their adult years.”
                

Traffic & Pedestrian Issues Being Addressed

Generous Private Donation 

Allows AHS to Begin Improving Campus 

Pedestrian and Traffic Issues

In October, 2010 a group of community members tasked by the Board of Education met for approximately 7 months to develop facility recommendations.  The group was called the Facility Community Task Force (FCT).  The FCT identified a wide spectrum of facility-related needs and possible solutions.  

One of the areas identified was "Logistics, People, and Parking."  The FCT identified that Arrowhead needs to improve traffic flow on campus of both people and vehicles:  "Vehicular and pedestrian flow in and around the Arrowhead campus concerns FCT members, as does the safety of students, staff, and community on roadways, in parking lots, and on crosswalks. Currently the campus area experiences a high level of congestion."

The FCT also, as part of their recommendation, asked that the Board of Education take into consideration, when making decisions based on the FCT findings, the "tax and fiscal environment."  The direction was, as finances were available begin addressing the areas identified.  

Recently, a private donor has come forward offering to finance improvements at the Mullett Ice Center to include walkway, lighting, and parking renovations, which begins to address the priority recommendations from the FCT report.  The anticipated time frame for this improvement project is April to June, 2013.