Please watch today's daily announcement video to see our very special guest, Mrs. Markham, who works in our front office, sharing her own story about donating life!

Today we celebrate National Earth Day!

For the past 50 years, Earth Day has been celebrated by billions of people around the globe, annually every April 22, to join together in promoting awareness for the health of our environment.

You can celebrate Earth Day by planting a tree on Earth Day or just doing a simple thing every day like reusing your metal water bottle instead of buying a plastic bottle or a styrofoam coffee cup.

Do your part to make positive changes wherever you go, no matter how small, they are significant, and this is your chance to improve our world.

We’re excited to finish this week’s “Donate Life” topic by sharing a local story!

Late March, a Milwaukee radio host, Elizabeth Kay, donated her kidney to a stranger in an exchange that could save her mother-in-law Camille Hamme's life.

Mrs. Hamme was born with poor functioning kidneys and was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney failure near Christmas in 2019. A year later, through the Paired Kidney Exchange (PKE) program, Kay was able to give her kidney to someone in exchange for her mother-in-law to get a kidney donation. Just try not to cry when you watch this video of Kay giving Hamme a kidney bean in a box for Christmas!

Early in March, they got an update they’d been waiting a long time for. Their matches were found.

"Have you ever thought of saving a life through organ donation? Because this is something our family is now facing," Elizabeth Kay said to her listeners on the radio last month.

"I always say that Camille is everyone's mom. I feel like she's my second mom," said Kay.

Eight years since they met, Hamme is now also a grandma. Late in 2019, Elizabeth Kay's mother-in-law got a diagnosis she feared may happen at some point.

"That's when it became real to all of us that she was essentially dying of kidney failure," said Kay. "My thoughts were constantly I need to be a match for Camille. We hope we have a match for Camille."

Kay jumped at the chance to help out, but a test of her kidneys showed she wasn't a match.

"We were crushed, we were devastated. I immediately started crying because I thought oh my gosh, all this was for nothing. We're gonna have to start this process over," said Kay.

That's when Kay found the paired kidney exchange program on the National Kidney Registry.

She entered her name, and this month, the program found matches for both women. Kay feels extremely lucky, given statewide statistics.

"Fifty-one people were waiting for kidney transplants and lost their life and I don't forget about that as we go through this, how fortunate we are and we definitely don't take it for granted," said Kay.

Kay's kidney is being donated to someone in Kentucky, while Hamme's is coming from California.

All anonymous right now, but in the future, if all parties agree, they can get more information about the recipient and donor.

It turns out that Mrs. Hamme’s surgery was the week before Elizabeth Kay was in Madison for her surgery. The great news is, it appears both surgeries were successful!

If you are inspired by these stories and you want to get involved or maybe you want to be a living organ donor - visit donatelifewisconsin.org.

Want a little more inspiration? Check out these additional stories!

Mrs. Plum will be hosting GSA TODAY, April 22nd during Advisory. This meeting is open to all members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as their allies. This meeting will serve as a supportive, safe place to talk openly about current issues facing the LGBTQ community, both as a group and individually. Please send an email to plumamy@kmsd.edu with a brief description of why you'd like to be a part of this meet, and Mrs. Plum will provide you with an invite.

No School TOMORROW: This is just a reminder that there is NO SCHOOL TOMORROW. It is a professional development day for staff. Therefore, students across the district have the day off!

Good luck to KM’s FTC Robotics Team, “Laser Tech” as they compete at the State Tournament at MSOE this Saturday, April 24! Laser Tech is KM’s Robotics team which is comprised of freshmen and sophomores at KM.

Mark your calendars! KM Best Buddies is partnering with Culver’s for a Culver’s Cares night this coming Monday, April 26th from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm! A portion of the proceeds will go to KM Best Buddies.

If you aren't already familiar with Best Buddies, they create opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

If you would like to get involved, please reach out to Mrs. Vodenlich.

#KMKIND

Versiti has seen a drastic decrease in blood donations over the past month, and the need for blood is as urgent as ever. Due to the lack of donations, many vital blood types are down to a one-day supply.

Saturday, April 24 | 8:00 am – 1:00 pm | KMHS West Gym

Register to save a life today: Call 877-BE-A-HERO or click the button below!

Attention students signed up to take AP Exams. Exams run May 3rd - May 17.The schedule is posted around the school, has been shared with your AP teacher, and will be sent out in a message through Total Registration.

Please remember that any cancellation requests are done through Total Registration and there is a $4 cancellation fee. Please contact Mr. Rortvedt (rortvedp@kmsd.edu) with any questions you have.

Sophomores and Juniors - Are you interested in prep for the ACT college entrance exam? If so, sign up for a virtual ACT Prep course through Wisconsin Test Prep. The 7-week class will run from April 28 - June 5. Interested students can register at www.wisconsintestprep.com. Go to this LINK for additional test prep opportunities.

Our Superintendent Mr. Plum is celebrating his birthday on Saturday! Happy birthday Mr. Plum!

Attention all 9th, 10th, 11th grade boys and girls. Do you enjoy riding mountain bikes? Come join the Lake Country Mountain “Composite” bike team. We will be having a meeting on Tuesday, APRIL 27th at 5:30 pm at the Bicycle Doctor in Dousman. No experience is needed. We hope to see you there!

B JV Golf @ Nagawaukee 3:15 pm

B V Golf @ Meadow Valley 10:00 am

B V Golf @ Meadow Valley 9:30 am

B JV/V LAX vs Mukwonago 5:00 pm / 7:00 pm

B V reserve Golf @ Broadlands 9:00 am

We are not doing announcements tomorrow because students are OFF! So - here are our Earth Day-themed Friday trivia questions on Thursday!

Please make sure you are bringing your own masks to school, and wearing them properly!

Be sure to follow your classroom cleaning expectations to help us all stay as safe as possible!

Our bubblers are turned off, but the refill stations are still on. Remember to bring your reusable water bottles to stay hydrated!

Please remember to wear your student ID every day, and at all times while you are in school. It is very important that you use those IDs (examples: lunchroom, signing in and out, etc.) so we reduce any unnecessary contact.

Please stay 6 feet or more apart, and do NOT leave your Advisory to seek face-to-face help, instead, use google meet to work with your teachers.

Hold the delivered pickles, hold the lettuce, anything outside the school cafeteria or your home-prepared meal does upset us.

Parents/guardians and students are asked not to bring/deliver food or beverages from any outside commercially prepared eating establishments to school to be consumed by students during their regular mealtimes, or any school hours.

It is noted in the student handbook that food from area restaurants will not be accepted during the school day. In addition, in our August 14, 2020 campus welcome back letter, we mentioned “Special food deliveries will not be allowed during the school day. Special deliveries sent to the school will be sent back with the person delivering the food, and will not be accepted or delivered to the student. When a parent/guardian needs to drop off a delivery for a student, the parent/guardian must communicate that to the student. Students will not be called down to the office to pick up their delivery. They will be required to pick it up during passing time or during their lunch break. Students will be required to turn the product over to office staff for disposal upon entering the building and will then be sent to class.