We are proud to announce that Johnson Creek High School has been named to the 2024 AP School Honor Roll!

Johnson Creek is a Silver member of the Honor Roll! We had 56% of seniors who took at least one AP Exam during high school, 36% of seniors scoring a three or higher on at least one AP Exam, and 8% of seniors who took five or more AP Exams!

🌿🚜 Get Your Lawn Mower Ready for the Season! 🚜🌿

Spring is here, and that means it’s time for a lawn mower tune-up! 🛠️ Don’t let a sluggish mower slow you down — bring it to our SkillsUSA Lawn Mower Tune-Up Event happening April 28 - May 3! ✅

🔧 Services Include:
• Oil Change (owner provides filter if replacement needed)
• Blade Sharpening
• Air Filter Cleaning (owner provides filter if replacement needed)
• Spark Plug Replacement

⏰ Drop-Off Times:
• Weekdays: 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM
• Saturday, May 3: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

💵 Cost:
• $25 for walk-behind mowers
• $40 for riding mowers

📞 Schedule your drop-off today by calling, texting, or emailing Ray Lauersdorf:
📱 262-224-0805
✉️ lauersdorfr@johnsoncreekschools.org

🏡 Keep your yard looking sharp and your equipment running strong — spots are limited, don’t wait! 🔥

Trailways South Conference Academic Banquet Highlights 

Last night, Johnson Creek had the honor of hosting the Trailways South Conference Academic Banquet, where we celebrated the outstanding academic accomplishments of students from across the conference.

We are incredibly proud to recognize our eight Summa Cum Laude students and the significant educators who have made a lasting impact on their academic journeys:

• Ryan Wildes – Mr. Burke

• Anthony Van Dyck – Mr. Burke

• Maria Burke – Mr. Burke

• Kiya Imig – Mr. Perucco

• Molly Burke – Mr. Burke

• Madilyn Brigowatz – Mrs. Morris

• Hailey Fincutter – Mrs. Morris

• Carson Vaughn – Dr. Schmitthenner

Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence inspire us all. Congratulations to these exceptional students and the educators who helped guide them! 

The Johnson Creek Science Olympiad team proudly competed at the UW-Stout invitational this past weekend, demonstrating exceptional dedication and teamwork.

We are pleased to share that our team — Madi Bennett, Ryder Kertulla, Evan Chowanec, Jason Wildes, Lauren Nadboralski, Hailey Penna, Greta Sixel, Bella Marose, Francisco Gutierrez, Addison Vaughn, Brooke Wilke, Sophia Le, and Maggie Rouhoff — achieved commendable results in a highly competitive field.

As a team, Johnson Creek placed 14th out of 28 small schools and 28th out of 60 schools overall. This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our students.

We would also like to recognize the outstanding individual and partner achievements:

• 🥈 2nd Place (Silver) in Fossils: Madi Bennett and Francisco Gutierrez

• 🥉 3rd Place (Bronze) in Code Analysis: Evan Chowanec and Ryder Kertulla

• 🥉 3rd Place (Bronze) in Microbe Mission: Ryder Kertulla and Jason Wildes

• 🌲 5th Place in Forestry: Madi Bennett and Bella Marose

Our sincerest thanks go to Anna Bennett and Ms. Vodenlich for their invaluable support as chaperones, ensuring the students had a positive and safe experience throughout the competition.

We extend our congratulations to all team members for their dedication, sportsmanship, and for representing Johnson Creek with pride and excellence.

On Tuesday night, our High School Forensics team competed at the SubDistrict level festival at Deerfield HS. With only a week passing since their Conference meet, these students took their feedback from that event to heart and improved their speeches, poems, prose, and other presentations.

To advance to the District level, students needed to earn qualifying scores on 2 out of 3 rounds at SubDistrict. Everyone has met that threshold and will be competing on March 17th at the District meet in DeForest!

Below are the qualifying students and their event categories:

Madeline Bennett and Sophia Le (Group Interpretive)

Molly Burke (Prose)

Evan Chowanec (Poetry)

Makayla Flynn (Poetry)

Kiya Imig (Prose)

Allison Jose-Martinez and Analise Spangler (Group Interpretive)

Ryder Kerttula (Poetry)

Sophia Lawrence (Special Occasion Speaking)

Hazel Moulding (Special Occasion Speaking)

Lauren Nadboralski (Special Occasion Speaking)

Hailey Penna (Solo Acting Humorous)

Congratulations to these amazing students! And good luck at the next event!

Four Johnson Creek athletes attended the second annual Wisconsin Female Student-Athlete Summit on Wednesday in celebration of National Women & Girls in Sports Day at Alverno College. Freshmen Lia Constable and Olivia Frey, along with Sophomores Greta Sixel and Lydia Wetzel attended.

The mission of the Female Student-Athlete Summit is to empower and connect female student-athletes through teamwork, resource sharing, and inspiration. Athletes were able to listen to multiple speakers. Topics covered included mental toughness, returning to sport after injury, the Paralympics, and the importance of Title IX.

Each girl was asked to share her thoughts on the day.

Greta shared, “It was a great experience being able to meet a bunch of new people and hear their stories.”

Lia added, “I like meeting and getting to know other female athletes. We also learned how important it is to take care of our bodies.”

“I personally thought that it taught me a lot about women in different sports, and how the treatment is different for women than men in sports,” said Olivia.

Speakers included 2x WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge, and 3x Parapan American Games gold medalist Becca Murray, 2x Olympic Medalist Speed Skater Katherine Adamek, WIAC Commissioner Danielle Harris, Title IX expert Peg Pennepacker, among others. 3x Parapan American Games gold medalist Becca Murray, 2x Olympic Medalist Speed Skater Katherine Adamek, WIAC Commissioner Danielle Harris, Title IX expert Peg Pennepacker, among others.

Monday was a late night for our Johnson Creek High School Forensics team. They kicked off their season at the Trailways South Conference meet at Dodgeland. There, 10 students competed in 9 speech events, earning scores and gaining valuable insight and critique from judges across three rounds. At the end of the night, scores were tallied up, and ribbons and medals were awarded to students based on the following:

White Ribbon: Scored at least 20 in 1/3 rounds

Red Ribbon: Scored at least 20 in 2/3 rounds

Blue Ribbon: Scored at least 20 in 3/3 rounds

Medal: Best in category (1st place)

The results are:

Madeline Bennett & Sophia Le: Blue Ribbon and 1st Place in Group Interpretation

Molly Burke: Blue Ribbon and 1st Place in Prose

Evan Chowanec: White Ribbon in Poetry

Makayla Flynn: Red Ribbon in Poetry

Kiya Imig: Blue Ribbon and 1st Place in Prose

Ryder Kerttula: Blue Ribbon and 1st Place in Poetry

Hazel Moulding: White Ribbon in Special Occasion Speaking

Lauren Nadboralski: Blue Ribbon in Special Occasion Speaking

Hailey Penna: Blue Ribbon and 1st Place in Solo Acting Humorous

Congratulations to these amazing students and good luck at Deerfield on February 11th!

On Friday, October 25th, staff and students from grades 6 through 12 came together for Sources of Strength training. This program aims to spread Hope, Help, and Strength throughout our community. We focus on encouraging students and staff to identify their strengths and the support available to them. Moving forward, we will develop messaging campaigns to help our students and community emphasize strength and foster growth together.

Congratulations to Evan Chowanec, who is one of 32,000 students from across the country to earn academic honors from the College Board's National Recognition Programs! These National Recognition Programs grant underrepresented students with academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications and connect students with universities across the country, helping them stand out during the admissions process. Colleges and scholarship programs use these honors to identify students from underrepresented groups through the College Board's Student Search Service

Evan earned this recognition by excelling on his PSAT and AP Exams, as well as in the classroom. To be eligible, students must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have excelled on the PSAT, or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams, and attend school in a rural area or small town. Eligible students are invited to apply during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the beginning of the next school year.

Congratulations, Evan!

Johnson Creek School District Receives $5,000 Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grant to Expand its Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management Program

$5,000 grants can be used to enhance the classroom experience with curriculum, supplies, and equipment.

Johnson Creek is one of 40 high schools nationwide selected to receive a $5,000 grant from The Rachael Ray Foundation and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) to enhance their ProStart culinary arts and restaurant management program with new equipment, curriculum, and experiential learning opportunities.

"We are so grateful to be amongst this year's grant recipients - these funds will enable our students to maximize their educational time and effort by learning in an industry-standard kitchen environment with updated curriculum, ensuring they gain the college- and career-ready skills they need to be successful." – Ms. Amanda Olsen, FACE Teacher

“Providing Grow Grants is one of my favorite times of the year. The educators who invest their passion and energy into their classrooms are inspiring. I love to see the impact their work has on the students who graduate from ProStart with the knowledge and excitement for the restaurant industry,” said Rachael Ray.

ProStart educators play a pivotal role in the program’s success in more than 2,100 high schools nationwide, blending its core curriculum with hands-on industry engagement activities, including special speakers, class mentors, and tours of local culinary facilities. The 2024 grant application was open to existing ProStart schools, or those looking to join the program in the coming school year. The NRAEF anticipates that the grants will benefit more than 3,700 students and 42 teachers across 22 states.

In the last five years,153 ProStart Grow Grants have been awarded to schools showing a strong desire to engage students through ProStart’s industry-leading career and technical education program. In addition to classroom grants, The Rachael Ray Foundation and the Yum-o! organization have sponsored more than 260 scholarships for students pursuing post-secondary degrees in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

“ProStart Grow Grants are a gamechanger for many ProStart classrooms, providing the support to add crucial curriculum, equipment, and experiences for students. We’re grateful for the partnership of The Rachael Ray Foundation, which is helping educators give their students a front row seat to all that a career in the restaurant industry offers,” said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF.

ProStart has equipped more than 214,000 students with the essentials of culinary arts and restaurant management through its two-year CTE program, found at a mix of public high schools and career technical education centers across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Students completing the program gain restaurant-specific certifications and competencies, over 400 hours of practical work experience, and access to restaurant and hospitality apprenticeship and scholarship opportunities.