Westfield Area HS/MS February News

We are now in the second semester of the school year! The first semester flew by and we are proud of the great work our students and staff are doing in the classroom, on the field & court, on the stage, and in the community.

Throughout this newsletter, the following topics are discussed:

• Top Ten Announced
• ACT Exam Information
• Valedictorian & Salutatorian
• Hunter Peschel: Congressional Nominations
• Ice Cream Social Incentive
• Pennies for Patients Fundraiser

We hope you have a wonderful February!

Mr. Moody: Principal

Mr. Saloun: Vice Principal

The schools of the South Central Conference will hold their "16th Annual SCC Top Ten Banquet” at Westfield Area High School on April 16th. The top ten academically ranked seniors from each high school in the South Central Conference are recognized for their commitment to academic excellence throughout their educational careers. The evening is a celebration of academic excellence, and provides students the opportunity to meet other high-achieving seniors from the different SCC schools. After dinner and a guest speaker, students are each awarded an engraved plaque, and each school receives an engraved plate to add to the permanent plaques that list the yearly winners.

Congratulations to the Westfield Class of 2025 Top Ten

• Haile Barrera
• Madyson Bitsky
• Landan Escoto
• Natalie Grant
• Chloe Kerschner
• Robbie Moody
• Hunter Peschel
• Ronald Ryfkogel
• Haddie Showen
• Holly Swan

Our 11th grade students are working diligently to prepare for the upcoming ACT Exam. Since January 2nd, students have been engaging in a rigorous test prep program in order to maximize their ACT score. This eleven week prep program challenges students and is one of the main reasons Westfield Area High School consistently has the highest ACT scores in the conference.

We are excited that our students can feel very confident about this exam, as they will be highly prepared and ready to succeed. On March 25th, all 11th grade students will take the ACT Exam. It is critical that all 11th grade students attend school on March 25th, as this test is mandated by the State of Wisconsin as its main accountability measure for high schools. After the exam has concluded, students who are passing all of their classes and who have no missing assignments are allowed to sign out. Students with low grades or missing assignments will stay at school after the exam to improve their grades and catch up on missing assignments.

Please note, students in grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 do not attend school on March 25th. The only HS/MS students in attendance that day are students in 11th grade. We have students in the other grades stay home that day in order to create optimal testing conditions by testing students in small groups and utilizing two test supervisors per room. Students perform significantly better on tests when the tests are taken in small group settings. Since all high school/middle school staff assist with test administration on exam day, all other students in this school, besides juniors, are given the day off. Elementary school students report to schools as usual on March 25th.

We will return to our regular bell schedule on March 26th, the day after the ACT Exam. Under our regular bell schedule, classes start at 8:04 AM and end at 3:32 PM.

Congratulations to the Valedictorian and Salutatorian of Westfield Area High School's Class of 2025!

This year's Valedictorian is Robert Moody. Robbie will attend college at UW-Madison and will be studying to become a Computer Engineer. In school, Robbie is active in Band, Spanish Club, Study Abroad, National Spanish Honor Society, Student Council, National Honor Society, SCC Math Team, serves as the Class Treasurer, and served as the manager of the volleyball & softball teams.

This year's Salutatorian is Natalie Grant. Natalie will also attend college at UW-Madison and is planning for a career in business & finance. In school, Natalie is active in Band, Spanish Club, Student Council, National Honor Society, SCC Math Team, and is a three-sport athlete (Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball).

Hunter Peschel has long had goals of attending a United States Military Service Academy. These prestigious institutions are incredibly difficult to gain acceptance into. In order to attend a service academy, potential recruits must secure a Congressional Nomination from their United States Senator or United States Representative after a lengthy application and interview process.

Hunter has received SEVEN Congressional Nominations for the different service academies from the U.S. Senators and Representative. No student in Westfield history has ever received anything close to seven nominations for the service academies. In fact, securing one nomination is an enormous feat.

Hunter has received the following nominations from the following members of Congress:

• United States Military Academy at West Point: Senator Baldwin, Senator Johnson, Representative Grothman.
• United States Naval Academy: Congressman Grothman
• United States Air Force Academy: Senator Baldwin
• Merchant Marine Academy: Senator Baldwin, Congressman Grothman

Hunter is ultimately hoping to obtain admission to West Point, but is excited at the prospect of attending any of the service academies. Hunter plans on spending his career in the military with hopes of becoming a helicopter pilot.

Congratulations, Hunter. Our entire school and community are immensely proud of you!

Honor roll students at the High School/Middle School enjoyed their traditional "ice cream social" incentive. Staff members pre-scooped over 300 bowls of ice cream to reward the students who earned excellent grades during the first semester Students could top their sundaes with chocolate, caramel, Oreos, Reeses Pieces, Snickers, M&M's, strawberries, cookie crumbles, and whipped cream. High school students on the high honor roll also received their "Honors Passes," which allow them entry into the Honors Lounge during lunch or study hall. The Honors Lounge has futons, bean bag chairs, arcade games, foosball, air hockey, darts, and an X-Box. Congratulations to our hard working students!

A special thanks goes out to the Pioneer Parents PTO group for purchasing all of the toppings for our students. Their generosity is greatly appreciated and allows us to continue to have these types of incentives for our students

Every year, Westfield Area HS/MS participates in the Pennies for Patients fundraising drive to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Mrs. Nemitz-Walters, Mrs. Witthun, and Mrs. Wolfe spearhead this month-long event and arrange a variety of activities and fundraisers, including teacher challenges, penny wars, and cake raffles, to help raise the money for cancer research. Over the years, Westfield HS/MS has raised well over $25,000 for this great cause.

If you are interested in donating to our efforts, please contact Becky Nemitz-Walters at becky.walters@westfieldpioneers.org

N7046 County Rd. M

Westfield, WI 53964

608-296-2141

"Inspiring Every Student, Through Every Experience, Every Day!"