Students in Mrs. Povolo's Phy. Ed. classes at Northwoods Community Elementary School (NCES) recently raised $1,201.69 for the American Heart Association by participating in the Kids Heart Challenge. Students spent several weeks in PE building stronger hearts by learning and practicing jump roping skills. The classes also participated in a door decorating contest to encourage making heart healthy choices like daily exercise, drinking enough water, and being kind!

Recently, the Air Force recruiters' Air Force sponsored snocross team stopped by Rhinelander High School on their way to Eagle River. The students got to see the inside of the semi-trailer, look at the race sleds, learn about the technology that goes into racing at a high level, and talk to their racers before the race.

At the end of the tour, the team owner Steve Schuering made a $200 donation toward a welding student academic scholarship. Teacher Adam Schmidt will choose the senior at the end of the year to be awarded the scholarship.

Thank you to the Air Force teams and Steve Schuering for your generosity!

On Wednesday, March 24th, Minneapolis artists and entertainers Shari Aronson and Chris Griffith from Z Puppets Rosenschnoz led two groups of 2nd - 5th graders in a virtual Recycled Object Invention Lab. This was a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) experience that focused on the art of puppetry. 

The students had a blast with this open-ended, inquiry-based approach to puppet-making, with an emphasis on testing ideas in a creative process vs. finished product. Students cultivated a way of thinking and creating that they learned and practiced with the artists. They can take this knowledge on to further puppet (art) making.

This program was part of Culture Tap (an innovative partnership between the School District of Rhinelander, ArtStart, and Nicolet College) in partnership with COMPAS out of Minneapolis. It is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Culture Tap was launched in 2019.

From March 1st to the 13th, 12 Rhinelander High School students competed at the Wisconsin DECA State Career Development Conference which was held virtually this year. DECA is an organization that helps prepare students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA has events from Finance and Banking Systems to Sports and Entertainment Marketing and includes both team and individual events. For the virtual state competition, students had to take a 100 question test concerning the field their event is in. Also, they had to perform a role play in which the student is given a business situation and must act it out to resolve the issue with a judge. Some of the role plays were recorded then submitted; others participated in a “live” role play via Zoom with the judge. Medals were awarded to students for earning high scores in their tests, on their role play, and for placing in the top ten of their event.  

Nine Rhinelander students qualified to participate at the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC), which is to be held virtually (would have been held in Anaheim, CA) in late April. All 50 states and several countries including: Canada, Mexico, Germany, China, and Spain will be represented. Kaylee Brown, Mackenzie Denny, and Ashleigh Hull took third place in the Community Giving Project. Placing sixth in the Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making event were the team of Abbey Henrichs and Gwyn Lowry. Julia Burke, Diego Duarte, Brynlei Kuhn, and Joseph McGeshick were accepted into and will be participating in the Leadership Academy. Lilli Bishop also received a medal for her role play and placed ninth in the Retail Management event.

Rhinelander DECA was also recognized for their accomplishments as a whole this year. First, they received recognition for our Community Service Campaign which included Acts of Kindness, General Contributions to Charity, 100 Hours, MDA, and Trick or Can. Secondly, they were recognized for the Alumni Membership Campaign, Professional Membership Campaign, and Promotions Campaign. Overall Rhinelander DECA hopes to continue their involvement in the Rhinelander community for years to come.

First graders at Northwoods Community Elementary School learned about Wisconsin birds at CAVOC on March 18. First, the students began their day by using binoculars to locate a variety of birds on a walking trail. The students found photographs of a cardinal, woodpecker, chickadee, crow, turkey and an eagle.

Then the students made two different bird feeders using pinecones, peanut butter, cheerios and bird seed. After creating the bird feeders, the students strategically placed the feeders in the woods.

After learning about owls, the first graders dissected owl pellets. The students used an identification chart to find out what the owls had eaten. To the students’ surprise, most of their owl pellets contained bones from mice and voles. The students also made an owl craft.

Finally, the first graders identified a variety of seeds eaten by birds and played Bird Bingo. The bird activities were an extension of their current reading module Birds’ Amazing Bodies.

Back by popular demand, the School District of Rhinelander Community Education Program is offering a 100-mile “Get Out and Walk” Challenge for the community. 

The challenge was offered this past fall, and was very well-received. This will be the spring version of the program. Get out and enjoy the fresh air! Get some exercise in the beautiful Northwoods environment! We encourage you, your family, and friends to take part in this fun activity!

Here are the details…

• Walk 100 miles in seven weeks (April 19 — June 6)

• Your walking routes are your choice

• Keep track of your distance and log your miles

• After the seven weeks is up, email your completed log sheet to Mike Cheslock at cheslmik@rhinelander.k12.wi.us

• All who complete the challenge will be eligible for a random drawing for Chamber Bucks!

• An official mileage log sheet is available on the School District’s website at https://www.rhinelander.k12.wi.us/.../communityeducation.cfm

• ALL WHO COMPLETE THE CHALLENGE WILL RECEIVE A T-SHIRT!

PLEASE REGISTER BY APRIL 18, 2021. The fee to participate is $10 per person. You can register online and pay with a debit or credit card at the School District's website, or you can print off a form and register by mail or drop off.

Questions should be directed to Mike Cheslock at 715-365-9745 or cheslmik@rhinelander.k12.wi.us.

The challenge: donate coins to earn your class period points - the class with the most points after five days wins. Penny Wars is an annual activity that is done between Ms. Fryar’s and Mr. Kubeny’s business classes at the high school. The event has been going on for seven years and is sponsored by RHS FBLA/DECA. This year was a record breaking year bringing in a total of $1,064.21 over the five days. The proceeds will be split between The March of Dimes and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (FBLA and DECA’s national charities). This year’s winners were Mr. Kubeny’s 5th hour Accounting II class.

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and DECA are both national organizations that Rhinelander High School has combined into one club. The club’s focuses are on building business skills, giving new opportunities to students, competition, and serving the Rhinelander community and other charities. For more information about either of the two groups, visit the chapter’s web page: http://rhsfbladeca.weebly.com/.

Everyday we are all faced with challenges, both personal and professional. In directly taking these obstacles on, we learn what the Buffalo knows instinctively. Buffaloes charge forward into a storm. When we address our challenges directly, the perceived obstacles are often less than we imagined. We don’t always get to choose whether or not we have storms. The only choices we have is how and when we respond to the storms.

We recently honored our third round of buffalo recipients at Central School. Our second herd of buffalo recognized staff who they observed living the motto: Be the Buffalo-Charge Forward Optimistically. We are building a culture of collective efficacy as we charge forward in making Central School a place where everyone belongs, learns, and improves.

Mrs. Schoone is a positive, supportive, encouraging teacher assistant! I have observed how Tammy uses kind, reassuring words when speaking with virtual students. She is sensitive and helpful when guiding those students to complete assignments. She cares about all staff members at Central and strives to be the best she can be everyday. Tammy demonstrates this by greeting students and staff members at the start of the day as well as successfully  working with individual students throughout the day till the end of her assigned tasks. Tammy, thank you for being an awesome staff member at Central!

As the school custodian, I get to observe student and staff interactions from a different lens. When I see Ms. Kitzerow supervising and interacting with students during transitions, she effectively ensures that students follow the expectations. She is quick to defuse students straying outside the boundaries and redirecting them using shared expectations and routines taught. Ms. Kitzerow shows poise and a quiet strength when interacting with students.  

I chose Michelle Harder to be a fellow Buffalo Gal! For years Michelle and her family owned and ran a local business in our community, so Michelle is no stranger to facing challenges head on when dealing with people. Which is a valuable quality that she brings to our school family. Michelle has proven herself to be very flexible when it comes to serving our kids, whether it’s being in the basement for half of the day with virtual students and trying to learn and navigate many different new programs or serving on our guiding coalition leadership team to represent her fellow teacher assistants. She always wears her “positive pants” to school and is great to work alongside!

Jeanne VerHagen is a compassionate, dedicated special education teacher. She cares deeply for each of her students and advocates for them daily. I came to Central School with very little experience with special education students and Jeanne has patiently guided me through the ups and downs. She has also generously shared her expertise with me in supporting some of my other students who struggle in the classroom, but are not a part of her caseload. She and the entire special education staff at Central School are amazing people whom I not only appreciate, but greatly admire.

Ms. Mary is an intricate and irreplaceable member of our class. From the first day of school, Mary has been an incredible and supportive partner. Our working relationship has allowed for many moments of laughter in and out of the classroom. She lights up our room with her contagious positive attitude and humor that the students have come to look forward to, along with her impressive skills in our class favorite game “4 corners.”  She is always willing to help me try to contain my classroom mess and is a diligent deep cleaner on Wednesdays, something I cannot overstate how much I appreciate. Mary welcomed me to Central with open arms on day one and I cannot thank her enough!

Jered – I know for a fact that there are going to be people upset that I chose this person… Because You wanted to choose him. He makes such a positive impact on our climate and culture. We are blessed to have him. I am nominating Jered “the musky slayer” Dickman to be the buffalo and charging forward. He was one of the first people I made a connection with [work and play (fishing)] and is always willing to help. Not every day is someone willing to take time and explain how to post grades, write up behavioral issues, technology support, etc., but Jered always has been. He has been a positive guide for my successes so far in my long career. Jered is always ready for a good laugh, even in stressful situations. Charging into the rain is something he enjoys doing for his students and our school, because he knows the grass is only greener where you water it. Thank you Jered for all you have done for me already and thank you in advance for what you will do for us in the future!

To learn more about the analogy Be the Buffalo, this short video link provides a nice overview of the concept.

The Rhinelander High School Student Services e-news can be found online.

The School District of Rhinelander offers classes and programs for the community! Topics include Arts & Crafts, Fitness, Food & Cooking, Home & Hobbies, Outdoor Recreation and Safety, and MUCH MORE!

The community is our classroom!

Discover something new with lifelong learning by visiting the Community Education webpage.

Forms and flyers from community organizations are posted on the School District of Rhinelander website.

In an effort to support families experiencing transitions and/or difficulties, the School District of Rhinelander has put together a list of area resources, including a link to our Free/Reduced Lunch application. If a family experiences a change in their financial situation, the application can be completed at any time during the year. The list of resources can be found on the District's website.

The Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom (CAVOC) is not only the School District's outdoor learning center for its teachers and students, but it is also available to the community for various activities!

Stop by CAVOC and enjoy hiking, jogging, and skiing on the recently updated trail system. Or, reserve the facility for an outdoor or indoor wedding, baby-shower, birthday, or other activity! Help your group build trust and confidence by taking part in the Challenge by Choice Ropes Course!

CAVOC reservations can be made by calling 715-365-9714 (we are not currently taking public reservations due to Covid).

Visit CAVOC's website or view the CAVOC brochure for more information! School Forest Education Liaison Mike Cheslock can be reached at 715-365-9745.

The Hodag Dome is the largest air-supported high school dome in the nation! It offers 128,000+ square feet of space to be used by our students, our student athletes, our community, and visitors to our area. Visit the Hodag Dome website for more information.

Due to Covid-19, community hours have been put on hold until further notice.

Typically, the Hodag Fab Lab, located in Rhinelander High School, is open to the community on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:00 - 7:00 pm.

Come check out the Fab Lab for FREE! If you like it and want to continue, memberships are for one year. The fee is only $75/family, $50/single, and free for SDR students.

Learn more by visiting the Hodag Fab Lab Facebook Page or by calling Mike Wojtusik at Rhinelander High School at 715-365-9500.

Dream it, design it, and build it at the Hodag Fab Lab!

Get involved! Help link our schools to the business community. Learn more about

We are truly part of a community that takes care of their own.

This resource is available for use by all members of our school community. The School District of Rhinelander is committed to all of our students, families, and community members and this resource can help reduce an item of worry for families and will allow for time to focus on other things. Hodags helping Hodags! That is what we do and who we are!

Tracy Hoffhein can be reached at 715-365-9737.

Mary Rudis can be reached at 715-365-9771.

For more information about SDR's Community Closet, visit the School Distrct's website.

Child Find Screenings in the School District of Rhinelander are for children ages 3 years, 0 months to 5 years, 11 months.

We conduct screenings for children ages 3-5 who are not enrolled in a District elementary school, and also for 4K and kindergarten students who are enrolled in a District elementary school.

To schedule a screening, parents should contact:

Michaela Johnson, School Psychologist, at 715-365-9120 ext. 3212 or johnsmic@rhinelander.k12.wi.us if the child is not currently attending an SDR elementary school or if the child attends Crescent Elementary School or Northwoods Community Elementary School (NCES).

Kari Volk, School Psychologist, at 715-365-9160 ext. 4150 or volkkar@rhinelander.k12.wi.us if the child attends Central Elementary School or Pelican Elementary School.

For more information, view this letter from the School Psychologists.

Information about RHS and JWMS athletics and activities, including schedules, calendars, and forms, can be found on the School District's website.

Attend an event and cheer on your Hodags!

Hodag Connections offers individual learning opportunities within the School District of Rhinelander. It gives students in 4K through grade 12 the opportunity for flexible schedules along with curriculum choices.

* Hodag Tracks

* Learning Lab

* GEDO#2

* Adult Learners

For more information contact:

Tracy Hoffhein

Hodag Connections Coordinator

715-365-9500 ext. 8008

This freshly designed fitness center, located in Rhinelander High School, is offered FREE to the community. Paperwork and sign-in is required. ACFC houses free weights, weight machines, treadmills, bikes, and other equipment.

For more information about the Aspirus Community Fitness Center, including hours of operation, please visit the School District of Rhinelander website.

Or, call Rhinelander High School at 715-365-9745.

Due to Covid-19, the Aspirus Community Fitness Center is closed to the community until further notice.

The Heck Family Community Pool, located in Rhinelander High School, is generally open free to community members on Sundays during the school-year from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm.

Due to Covid-19, the Heck Family Community Pool is closed to the community until further notice.

Open swim consists of lap swim, water basketball, family time, and more. A certified lifeguard is on duty during this time. The locker rooms are open for use. Swimming is free. Sign-in is required when you arrive.

For more information, please visit the School District of Rhinelander website, or call 715-365-9745.