#PointerNation News

Let's hear it for our Mineral Point FFA Chapter State Proficiency Award Winners! Newly crowned State Champion, Annie Robinson, finished 1st in Nursery Operations Placement, and 2nd in Ag Sales Placement, at the State FFA Convention in Madison! She will now get to compete at Nationals.

- 1st Nursery Operations Placement: Annie’s Supervised Agriculture Experience is based on her work at Aspen Ridge Home & Garden. Annie has worked at Aspen Ridge for the last four years. When she first started, she was always in the back room unpacking and pricing items to put out into the store. However, as time went on, Annie's roles in customer service and plant care grew. Now, she helps to stock shelves, operate the registers, and unload plant deliveries. Annie also works in the greenhouse transplanting, watering, and providing weed control to keep the plants healthy. Her responsibilities have helped her gain the skills that she needs for her future career goal to be a florist.

- 2nd Ag Sales Placement: Annie’s SAE is based on her work at Aspen Ridge. Annie cares for plants, makes arrangements, and helps customers with their purchases.

Congrats, Annie!

Let's hear it for our Mineral Point FFA Chapter State Proficiency Award Winners! Newly crowned State Champion, Luke Schubert, finished 1st in Diversified Crop Production at the State FFA Convention in Madison! He will now get to compete at Nationals. This is Luke's third State Proficiency Title.

- 1st Diversified Crop Production: Luke works on his family’s large scale grain farm where they manage 7,100 acres of corn and soybeans and 160 acres of hay. His first job on the farm was rolling soybean ground before planting and tillage. Today, Luke conducts planting, mixing fertilizer loads, and running the combine during harvest time. He also helps to make management decisions for the farm by attending crop insurance meetings, organizing marketing contracts for the crops, and determining what seed and fertilizer to use. Luke will eventually take over his family’s farm, and one day hopes to pass it on the next generation.

Congrats, Luke!

Badger Boys State is a week-long summer camp for Wisconsin's top incoming Seniors to learn more about how government is run and how to be a better leader. This year's #PointerNation representatives are Treityn Garcia and Logan Johnson who spent this past week at UW-Eau Claire. Thank you to the American Legion for sponsoring!

Kudos to our high school scholars for earning academic accolades during the fourth quarter! #PointerNation is proud of you and your commitment to excellence in the classroom! Read the full list at this link.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto, for helping me escape, when I needed to."

Check out this amazing robot mural Mr. Mike Hadfield and incoming Freshmen (Bella Basting, Hannah Coniber, Sophia Erickson, Avalee Langreck, and Scarlett Raab) have been working on at Shake Rag Alley to start out the summer!

Thanks to United Fund of Iowa County for supporting this project.

Mineral Point High School is excited to announce its next Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach, replacing retiring Hall of Fame Coach Dan Burreson -- please join us in welcoming Bret McGraw to this position!

Bret is currently a Middle School Social Studies Teacher in #PointerNation.

His basketball coaching experience includes: Mineral Point High School Summer Varsity Coach 2001-06, MPHS Freshman Boys Basketball Coach 2007-08, MPHS Junior Varsity Boys Basketball Coach 2009-15, and MPHS Varsity Assistant Boys Basketball Coach 2018-25, in which he assisted in leading the Pointers to five Conference Championships, six WIAA Regional Championships, three WIAA Sectional Championships, one WIAA State Semifinal appearance, one WIAA State Runner-Up, and one WIAA State Championship. Additionally, he holds several volunteer basketball, football, and baseball coaching positions for youth in Mineral Point.

As a player, Bret is a member of the MPHS Basketball Hall of Fame, inducted in 2024. He was a three-time First Team All-Conference performer, including his Senior season in which he played the entire year with a torn ACL. He was part of two Conference Champion teams and the 1997-98 Pointers reached the WIAA Sectional Final. Bret was a unanimous selection to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game as a Senior. He ended his career as Mineral Point’s second leading scorer with 947 points. He currently ranks second in career three-point field goal percentage connecting on 159 out of 396 career three-point shots for 40%. He ranks fifth in career free throw percentage making 131 out of 161 free throws (81%) and fifth in single season free throw percentage making 53 out of 64 (83%).

In college, he was a manager for the University of Wisconsin Men’s Basketball team from 2001-06.

Coach McGraw’s philosophy is built on helping student-athletes reach their full potential. He believes that strong communication with players, parents, and administration is essential to the continued success of the program. He is committed to fostering a positive and supportive environment, one that upholds the high standards that have made Mineral Point one of the most respected basketball programs in the area.

“It is truly an honor to be named head coach of a program that has meant so much to me throughout my life,” said McGraw. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Coach Burreson, someone who has been a mentor and role model to me, both on and off the court. I look forward to building on the strong tradition of success and commitment to excellence that we’ve established here at Mineral Point.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate our 5th Grade and DARE Graduates! We wish them well on their adventures in middle school and are excited to see what's in store. Check out more photos at this link.

Let's hear it for our Mineral Point FFA Chapter State Proficiency Award Winners! Ellie Robinson finished 2nd in Beef Production Entrepreneurship, 3rd in Forage Crop Production Placement, and 5th in Sheep Production Entrepreneurship, at the State FFA Convention in Madison!

- 2nd Beef Production Entrepreneurship: Ellie’s Supervised Agriculture Experience is based on raising Angus and commercial show cattle. Ellie has her own herd of beef cows, which she raises crossbred steer and heifer calves to sell to others for showing, as well as for herself to show.

- 3rd Forage Crop Production Placement: Ellie’s SAE is based on her work in forage crop production on A&M Farms. Ellie’s duties include raking hay, hauling bales, wrapping hay, and baling small squares of hay.

- 5th Sheep Production Entrepreneurship: Ellie’s SAE is based on raising and showing sheep. Ellie raises her own purebred Southdown and commercial sheep for showing at all levels of competition and selling to other exhibitors.

Congrats, Ellie!

Let's hear it for our Mineral Point FFA Chapter State Proficiency Award Winners! Johnny Robinson finished 4th in Small Animal Care at the State FFA Convention in Madison!

- 4th Small Animal Care: Johnny’s Supervised Agriculture Experience is based on his raising of beagle puppies for pets and as hunting dogs. Johnny does all the marketing and selling of his beagle puppies.

Congrats, Johnny !

Each year at 5th Grade and DARE Graduation, one student is chosen to receive the Stephanie Wallace Memorial Award, presented by the Mineral Point Police Department.

Stephanie was a student at MPHS when she tragically lost her life in a traffic accident at the age of 16 in 2002.

The recipient is selected based on many factors, including possessing characteristics that most resemble Stephanie's.

Special congratulations to Wynn Campbell on being named this year's recipient.

Join us in a round of applause for our 5th Grade DARE Essay Winners!

These six students had their writing selected to be read at 5th Grade Graduation where they pledged to remain drug free and make good choices.

Congrats to: Regina Miess, Hudson Schaaf, Ellie Skala, Blake Spoor, Griffin Tuttle, and Gracyn Walter.

Great job, everyone!

Thank you to our DARE Role Models for sharing the importance of remaining drug free and making good choices with our 5th Graders!

Izzy Dannenberg, Colton Dochnahl, Eliza Ingwell, and Preston Lease assisted with DARE classes and spoke at 5th Grade Graduation to show all the good things that can happen if you stay healthy while working towards your goals.

Great job, everyone!

Let's hear it for our Mineral Point FFA Chapter State Award Winners! Annie Robinson competed in the semifinals and finished in the Top 10 in Prepared Speaking at the State FFA Convention in Madison!

Congrats, Annie!

Let's hear it for our Mineral Point FFA Chapter State Participants! Payton Heins was a member of the Media Team. This is the second year she was part of this group, helping to create content and telling the stories of the convention.

Congrats, Payton!

Flat hats come in all sizes for all ages--say hello to our Kindergarten graduates! Can you believe this is the #PointerNation Class of 2037?! They've grown and learned so much this year and should be so proud! Check out photos of all the grads at this link.

From teachers and students to colleagues and friends! Our two retirees, Dan Burreson and Dan Van Galen, posed with some of their former students who are now their fellow staff members. #PointerNation is a great place to be!

The Wisconsin School Public Relations Association (WSPRA) is excited to introduce a new award this school year.

Each WSPRA member school district was provided with a certificate template to be presented to an individual, or individuals, who have gone above and beyond in their respective districts to amplify the efforts of school public relations and communications.

Mineral Point Schools' Communications Director Joelle Doye is choosing to honor the #PointerNation Athletic & Activities Department with this year's award.

Our Pointers have achieved an incredibly high level of success -- but with great success also comes great responsibility.

From game cancellations and postponements, to ticket sales, hiring announcements, apparel orders, celebrations, and more -- it seems there is always something to communicate.

"During my ten years as a Sports Reporter for The Dodgeville Chronicle and Editor of The Democrat Tribune, and now for 11 years working at school, I've been fortunate to have built a solid line of open communication with both of our Athletic/Activity Directors during my tenure -- Ms. Vickie Dahl and Mr. Chris Carr," said Joelle. "Keeping me in the loop is such a huge help in sharing the news our community is looking for. I am grateful for their support of school public relations."

We have high standards in Mineral Point for many things, and our athletic/activity communication certainly is one of them. Thanks to Vickie and Chris for all they do!

The intent of this new program is not only to celebrate, but also to shine the spotlight on the importance of school communication and the mission of WSPRA, which is to expand the capacity of its members to provide effective communication management for the purpose of strengthening educational opportunities for all students.

A sincere thank you to Peoples Company for your $5,000 donation to Pointer Media for our video board in the gym!

Thank you to our other donors so far as well including: MP Wrestling Club, AB Electric, Tupper Family, Mound City Bank, and WCC Brands.

If you're interested in donating to this project, please reach out to High School Principal Matt Austin at matt.austin@mp.k12.wi.us -- thank you!

With the Mineral Point MS/HS Trap Team season concluding at State last weekend, we'd be remiss if we didn't take a moment to say thank you to our Seniors for a fabulous four years!

Even though the WIAA State Semifinal Softball game didn't end as we would've liked, we hope many memories were made! Check out a photo album from the game at this link.

Our Pointers are all heart!

Unfortunately, our #PointerNation Softball team dropped the State Semifinal by a hard-fought 5-0 score Thursday vs. Mishicot in Madison.

We are so incredibly proud of all you've accomplished -- making it to State is an incredible feat, and you are only the third Pointer Softball team to ever do it! A sincere thank you to our Seniors!

(Graphic uses a photo taken by Tori Carey)

A special post goes out to the #PointerNation Softball State Champion team of 2013 -- in this photo from 12 years ago, you will see Coach Quinn Schultz with his children, Jaxon and Jadyn, following the Sectional Championship. While the coach is still the same for this year's State Qualifying Softball Team, Jadyn is now the starting second baseman.

And then there were two -- prior to this year's #PointerNation State Softball team, only two other squads have made it to the big dance. This week's Throwback Thursday #TBT goes out to the teams of 1983 and 2013. You have helped pave the way for continued success!

1983 State Qualifiers - Left to right, front row: Manager Shelli Cox, Jackie Carey, Shelly Goninen, Janet James, Susan Freymiller, Robin Wenger, and Jan Schaaf. Back row: Coach Nancy Rounds, Brenda Reed, Tammie Loken, Mary Johnson, Lori Freymiller, Karen Yager, and Coach Ted Evans.

2013 State Champions - Left to right, front row: Manager Payton Lawinger, Alicia McGill, Emily Wood, Sydney Pethel, Caitlyn Qualley, Lauren Graber, Natasha Cutler, and Jordyn Dolphin. Back row: Manager Ivy Lawinger, Head Coach Quinn Schultz, Paula Pittz, Clara Chambers, Rachel McCoy, Savannah Lawinger, Jordyn Phillips, Halie Schmitz, Carlie Qualley, Beth Wood, Makayla McVay, Assistant Coach Ted Lawinger, and Assistant Coach Dave Wood.

Article and video from Monday's School Board meeting is now available at this link.

The Mineral Point Unified School District has job openings. Come join the great place that is #PointerNation where our mission is inspiring students for a bright future in a big world!

2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR OPENINGS:

-- Full time Middle/High School Athletic/Activities Director & Middle/High School Phy Ed Teacher

-- Part time ESL Teacher

-- Part time (three hours) Elementary Food Service: apply to District Administrative Assistant Angie Schubert (angie.schubert@mp.k12.wi.us)

Standing open positions include:

-- Substitutes for Food Service

-- Substitutes for Custodians

-- Substitutes for Teachers & Instructional Assistants

-- Substitutes for Office Administrative Assistants

To inquire about the standing open positions, contact Angie Schubert at 608-987-0740 or angie.schubert@mp.k12.wi.us

-- See why blue would look good on you!

Join Mineral Point Elementary School for a Book Scavenger Hunt beginning at 10 am Monday, June 23! Join in the fun as we race to find books in our favorite places around Mineral Point. 50 books will be hidden around our community! Once you find a book, it's yours to keep. Stay tuned to @PointerNationLMC on Facebook and Instagram for clues. (Rain date is Tuesday, June 24). Questions? Contact micki.uppena@mp.k12.wi.us

#PointerNation events coming up this week -- join us! (Please note these schedules are always subject to change)

Tuesday, June 17

-- WI Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Games at Woodside Sports Complex in Wisconsin Dells (Ally Baehler and Liz Hoffman to participate)

Please be aware of other companies claiming to livestream our games, especially if there are links different than posted above and ask for credit card and personal information -- these are scams. We will update this pinned post as available livestream information is relayed to us.

"Grounded by our history as one of the oldest publicly supported schools in Wisconsin, Mineral Point Unified School District is the heart of a small community that educates and inspires our students for a bright future in a big world."

Email: joelle.doye@mp.k12.wi.us
Website: mineralpointschools.org
Location: 705 Ross Street, Mineral Point, WI, USA
Phone: (608) 987-0740
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MineralPointSchoolDistrict