Cardinal Call

Last week was an amazing week to be a cardinal! It was great to see so many students and families turn out for our 9th through 11th grade academic awards night. Honoring the hard work of our scholars was a truly enjoyable moment. Additionally, seeing all the proud students and parents at the all-city orchestra concert was a treat. This week, we kick off prom season. Prom guest forms will be available in the main office starting Monday. Included in the newsletter is a FAQ sheet about the event. Juniors and Seniors, please read it carefully and check in with the main or athletic & activities office if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Jim Ertel

Principal

Congratulations to all the students that participated in the all-city orchestra concert on 4/17! If you didn't get a chance to attend the concert, a link to a video of the show is below.

Students from the Business Leadership Academy visited Trek Headquarters in Waterloo for an immersive field trip experience. During their visit, they toured the facility and connected with professionals across various departments to gain insights into careers in marketing, supply chain management, product development, and more!

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and we are teaming up with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) to keep our roads safe.

Over 9,000 crashes a year in Wisconsin involve distracted driving, and cell phones are one of the biggest distractions. That’s more than just a number; as this video shows, our actions and decisions while driving can have serious consequences for others.

I encourage you to take WisDOT’s Buckle Up Phone Down pledge and commit to safe driving. One text behind the wheel. One trip without a seat belt. That’s all it takes to change a life forever.

The challenge is on! Click here to pledge to always buckle up and put your phone down while driving. Every trip, every time! Indicate which high school you attend so we can have a friendly competition among our three high schools. Let’s see which school has the highest rate of students, staff, and family take the Buckle Up Phone Down pledge!

Thank you for doing your part to keep our roads and community safe!

Over the past few weeks, the Sun Prairie East Green Bandana organization has been actively promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention. On Friday, April 11, six student leaders attended the Mental Wellness Student Leadership Summit, where they connected with peers from across Wisconsin. They learned about healthcare privacy, mental health rights, and participated in interactive sessions and a poster presentation alongside other student-led mental wellness groups. The experience sparked many new ideas for future initiatives.

Most recently, on Thursday, April 17, 23 students in the Green Bandana Club completed QPR Gatekeeper training—an evidence-based program that stands for Question, Persuade, Refer. These students are now equipped to recognize signs of suicidal ideation and refer peers to trusted adults or student services staff. As a visible sign of support, they will wear green bandanas on their backpacks to show they are safe and approachable individuals to talk to.

Linked below is the April French Newsletter

Hmong Heritage Night is April 24th at Sun Prairie West from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Please stop by and enjoy this cultural celebration.

Can your third block class be the winner? Thank you to our local businesses for helping us to make this challenge possible.

Please save the date for our spring academic awards nights:

• Senior Scholarship Awards Night/Academic Awards: May 15

Tutoring is available after school in the LMC on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. We have staff on hand that can help with all core content areas and students are able to make up summative assessments during 5th hour with coordination from their instructor.

As we look to the 2025/2026 school year, please mark you calendars for our "Keys to Success" event. Keys to Success is a optional orientation program for new students to the Sun Prairie High Schools. More information can be found in the flyer linked below.

Attention Seniors! If you received a Direct Admit Letter, the deadline to accept the offer is May 1. You can find your letter in Infinite Campus under Forms. Follow the links provided in the letter.

Message from UW Systems:

• To connect with your Direct Admit UW universities and start your path to college, go to the Universities of Wisconsin admissions portal (apply.wisconsin.edu/direct-admit) and complete the Direct Admit Wisconsin form. The sooner you complete this step, the closer you are to becoming a Universities of Wisconsin student. Find a helpful checklist of next steps at wisconsin.edu/direct-admissions.

Spring weather is here! It looks like we will be dealing with rain chances most of this week. Please keep a close eye on communications from your coaches as rain and storms can often cause rescheduling. Additionally, congratulations to our FFA teams on their state competitions!

Ms. Boberg CAA

This is a reminder that in order to be eligible for athletic practices or contests, students must be present at school, in class, for at least half of the school day. Any absences must be pre-arranged (e.g., doctor or dental appointments). If a student misses half or more of the school day due to an unexcused or non-prearranged absence, they will not be allowed to participate in athletic activities that evening. We appreciate your continued support in helping our student-athletes meet the expectations of both the classroom and their sport.

On April 11th, two teams from Sun Prairie East High School competed in two State Career Development Event (CDE) contests. Four FFA members competed in the Envirothon Contest held in Rosholt, WI, and four FFA members competed in the Food Science CDE in Madison, WI.

During the Food Science CDE, the Sun Prairie East FFA team created a product proposal for Starbucks. This proposal included all the materials necessary for manufacturing the product, marketing materials and pricing for their product. The Food Science team then presented to judges about their product. Additionally, the team participated in several sensory activities requiring them to identify specific food differences and aromas.

The Sun Prairie East FFA team scored highest in the State on their team presentation. Overall, the team placed 6th at state.

During the Envirothon CDE, the Sun Prairie East FFA team created a presentation to propose a climate action plan for a theoretical town experiencing flooding. The team proposed changes to land management, including farming practices, along with managing natural resources. Additionally, the Envirothon team completed exams and practicums in four areas: Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Soil and Land Use and Wildlife.

The Sun Prairie East FFA team scored highest in the State on the Forestry exam. Overall, the team placed 7th at state.

Pictured below: FFA Members with their display for the State Food Science Contest Pictured left to right: Grace Berens, Mariama Camara, Lydia Spatola and Faith Xiong.

Pictured above: The Sun Prairie East FFA Envirothon team with their medals for placing first in the Wildlife section of the Envirothon.

Pictured left to right: Lucy Podoll, Noah Galligan, Micheal Murdock, Katie Vetter, Aaron Vetter

Attention football players! The mandatory spring player/guardian meeting will be held on Sunday night April 27th starting at 6PM in the Performing Arts Center at SP East High School. Please plan on attending and reach out to Brian Kaminski with any questions.

As our Prom on May 10th draws closer, please be on the lookout for more information about ticket sales. In the meantime please note these important dates:

• Guest forms will be available beginning April 21 in the main office, they MUST be returned by May 1 at 1:30 pm.

• Administration will have guest form approval completed before May 5 and will email the Sun Prairie East student when approval is granted.

• Ticket sales will run from May 5-May 8. This ticket window WILL CLOSE at midnight.

• Guest forms for West will be on blue paper, East guest forms will be on red paper.

• No re-entry to the dance, initial entry must be before 9:30 PM.

Please see the linked information for upcoming contests.

• Prom - May 10
• Senior Awards Night - May 15
• AVID Senior Night - May 27, 6-8 PM at the SPWHS Auditorium