Also stay up-to-date on all the latest Nicolet happenings and events by following us on Facebook and Twitter.
Dr. Greg Kabara Named The New Nicolet Superintendent
The school board has been working diligently to determine the best course of action for the next Superintendent to lead our district and continue the positive trajectory of academic success. Six years ago, Dr. Robert Kobylski helped us articulate the vision of a learning community that fosters academic excellence for every student, every day and led a team of talented, passionate administrators and educators to achieve that vision.
This team developed and implemented new strategies aimed at closing achievement gaps, making it possible for all students to strive for a higher level of academic achievement. We have made measurable progress toward this goal. Over the past six years, Nicolet’s score in the state DPI School Report Card has increased every year, a cumulative total of 5.9 points, to its current score of 81.5 (“Exceeds Expectations”).
We want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Kobylski for his leadership over the past six years, and reiterate our confidence in the talented team still in place at Nicolet who continue to be significant drivers of the strategies and curriculum achieving these goals.
To guide our search for a new leader, the board engaged the experienced Dr. Jack Linehan as a consultant to help identify who will continue to lead Nicolet on our very positive trajectory. As the board began to consider such candidates, we discussed the qualities needed in a superintendent to best meet district goals. We were thoughtful in outlining a leadership profile to seek a strong educational leader who demonstrates the following qualities: approachability, collaboration, decisiveness, the ability to motivate others, the ability to deal directly and with integrity, fairness, an effective planner and, above all, student-centered.
Dr. Greg Kabara, principal at Nicolet High School, fit all of the leadership criteria the board was looking to fulfill. He is uniquely familiar with the workings of Nicolet High School, has a proven track record of success, is beloved by teachers and students, and displays all the character qualities listed above, and more. We feel confident that had we conducted a national search, we would not have found a candidate who is a better fit for Nicolet than Dr. Kabara.
Dr. Kabara agreed to an interview with the board and accepted our offer to serve as Nicolet Union School District’s Superintendent beginning July 1, 2019.
Dr. Kabara holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Administration from Cardinal Stritch University and Master’s Degrees from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Prior to serving as Nicolet’s Principal, he held administrative leadership roles in Grafton and Whitefish Bay School Districts.
We view change as an opportunity to not only continue Nicolet’s positive trajectory with a new superintendent, but layer in some innovative new ideas. We are confident in Dr. Kabara’s ability to continue our proud tradition of success at Nicolet and look forward to working in partnership with him for many years to come.
15 Nicolet Students Qualify For National History Day State Competition
15 Nicolet students participated in regional National History Day (NHD) competition at UWM on Saturday, March 9. The following students will be traveling to Madison on Saturday, April 13, to represent Nicolet at state level competition:
Senior Individual Exhibit
Ariana Rosenfeld: The 1976 Operation Entebbe Hostage Rescue Mission
Alexis Letang: "What is it you People Want?": "A Place to Live"
Haley Shamah: Munich 1972: Tragedy Unfolding on a World Stage
Senior Individual Documentaries
Molly McVey: Passenger Pigeon
Erica Kallas: The Angora Project: A Hidden Side of WWII Concentration Camps
Miah Bohlen: Wangan Maathal: Planting Seeds of Change
Alternate, Ella Callender: Oriana Fallaci: A Life of Journalistic Triumph with Personal and Public Tragedy
Senior Individual Performance
Seona Maskara: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Sinking of the MV Wilhelm Gustoff
Soph Franecki: The Myth of Sarah Bernhardt: Triumph and Tragedy on the 19th Century Stage
Senior Individual Website
Sophia Edelstein: Elie Wiesel: A Messenger of Mankind
Spencer Gronik: Tampering Tragedy: The 1982 Tylenol Murders
Joyce Essuman: The Sharpeville Massacre: The Catastrophe that Spearheaded the Carnage of Centuries of Oppression, Discrimination, and Inequality in South Africa
Alternate, Megan Boulton: The Wounded Knee Massacre: Murder of Hundreds Leads to Change in Government
Senior Group Website
Luis McDougall and Ethan Schupper: The Manhattan Project: The Tragedies That Emerged from the Triumphs of Science
15 Nicolet German Students Qualify For State Competition
Saturday, March 2nd Nicolet German students competed in the WI-AATG Regional Pronunciation contest. At this event students were required to present poems and take part in two minute extemporaneous conversations. Nicolet had a very impressive showing, qualifying 15 students for the state competition, to be held on April 2nd. Please congratulate the following students:
Level 4/5: Poem: Die Lorelei (Heinrich Heine)
Hal DeLong
(Congrats to Hal for his sixth state qualification!)
Level 3: Was es ist (Erich Fried)
Matthias Baker , Octavia Grimes, Matt Korfhage, Chris Lipscomb, Langdon Oldenburg, Megan Stevens , Khiem Vu and Zoe Zaretzke
Level 2: Wir (Irmela Brender)
Andreas Baker, Sophonisba Franecki , Dante Kidd and Zafirah Lieblein
Level 1: Im Regen (Jörg Steiner)
Jonathan Adelman Benish and Peter Crawford
Snow Makeup Day Scheduled For April 22
Due to this winter's significant inclement weather and school cancelations, the District needed to devise a plan to meet the state's required total minutes of instruction. Nicolet has enough minutes built into the regular calendar to account for three of our four snow days thus far. To account for the fourth snow day, the scheduled day off on April 22 will now be a snow makeup day in which classes will occur as normal. Thank you for your flexibility and patience this winter season. Please contact the District Office with any questions.
Twelve Nicolet Seniors Named Finalists In The 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program
Twelve Nicolet High School seniors have been recognized as finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Priyanka Guptasarma, Angelina Jaglinksi, Sam Kovnar, Benjamin Kramer, Louis Miller, Avery Mitchell, Jason Scheuer, Claudia Schneider, Anna Spektor-Bulatova, Megan Sullivan, Blair Wales and Olivia Weslow were announced as finalists in the 2019 scholarship program and will continue to compete for the Merit Scholar® title.
The students were chosen out of over 1.6 million high school juniors in more than 22,000 high schools who took the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.
“We are so proud of these individuals for achieving this prestigious honor,” said Nicolet High School Principal Dr. Greg Kabara. “They truly are a testament to the academic excellence we strive for at Nicolet. We look forward to celebrating their future success.”
National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) selectors evaluate the Finalists based on a variety of information: the finalist’s academic record, information about the school’s curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, the high school official’s written recommendation, information about the student's activities and leadership, and the finalist’s own essay.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2019 will be announced beginning in April and continuing through July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 338,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title including several Nicolet graduates.
Superintendent Dr. Kobylski Shares A Personal Update
At last night’s basketball game between Nicolet High School and Port Washington High School, Port Washington students displayed enlarged photos of Nicolet athlete Jalen Johnson wearing a charcoal facial mask. This photo was taken from a personal Instagram account in which Jalen and a friend were applying the common clarifying skin care product.
I cannot speak to the motivation or intent the Port Washington students had in displaying this photo, whether a harmless skin-care prank or a more deeply troubling, racially motivated scenario.
I can attest, however, to the fact that Jalen is more than a tremendous athlete: he is a fine, upstanding young man and deserves to be treated with respect and courtesy by all students and people, no matter what bench they are rooting for.
My expectation is that Nicolet students always display respect, upstanding character and courtesy to one another and to students from other schools in sports, and in everyday interactions. I also expect that Nicolet students receive the same treatment from students at other schools.
Nicolet High School is proud to announce the Honor's Roll for the 1st semester of the 2018-2019 school year
Students are recognized at the "Honors" level if they earn a minimum weighted grade point average of 3.00-3.666. Students earning a weighted grade point of 3.667 and higher qualify for "High Honors." All courses will be included in computing an average for the Honor Roll. A student will not achieve honor roll status if they have earned a grade point of incomplete.
*If your student’s name is missing from the Honor's Roll it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding the Honor Roll. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Click on the links below to see the students who were recognized on the Honor Roll:
Each year, students on Team 4786 Nicolet FEAR, Nicolet High School’s competitive robotics team, are challenged to build a robot in six weeks to suit a specific game and compete with other robots from around the world. The goal of this year’s game, Destination: Deep Space, is to attach hatches to cargo stations, and throw balls in those same stations, then climb a 19 inch block with nothing to propel themselves up. This season we will compete in the Heartland Regional in Kansas City, Kansas, and the Wisconsin Regional in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Along with building a robot for competition, Nicolet FEAR functions as a small business. We are a student-led team that strives to build professional, supportive relationships with our community as we pursue our passions and foster an appreciation of STEM education. Team 4786 Nicolet FEAR is hosting our Second Annual Robot Reveal to showcase the robot that we built this season, share our community impact initiatives, and continue sponsor relationships.
Date: Thursday, February 14, 2019 Time: 5:00-7:00 PM (continuous demonstrations every 20 minutes) Location: Nicolet High School Cafeteria
You will be able to:
See our 2019 competition robot in action!
Participate in silent auction & raffle
Drive a FEAR robot
Meet our students and mentors
Take a picture with FIRSTY
Learn about youth robotics programs, including FIRST LEGO League (FLL)
A Discussion on Gender Identity Hosted by Aidan Key February 19th
As a school district, it is our goal to promote a community of inclusivity and acceptance in order to create a learning environment where all students feel valued and welcomed. Every student who walks through our hallways is a valued member of our school community.
The District takes proactive strides to be as inclusive as possible and create a learning environment where all feel welcomed. With this in mind, we have invited Aidan Key, the director of Gender Diversity, an organization providing education to teachers, staff, counselors, and administrators regarding gender-inclusive schools, to discuss the topic of gender identity with parents and adults in the community. Aidan has provided coaching to our teachers and administrators and we have found it incredibly enlightening. We look forward to providing the same opportunity for parents and our community. Together, we can make great strides toward inclusion and acceptance if our students hear the same messages at school and at home.
Aidan’s presentation will provide a basic framework around which to have a better and more accurate understanding of gender identity and gender expression.
A Discussion on Gender Identity Hosted by Aidan Key
February 19, 2019 at Congregation Shalom
7630 N Santa Monica Blvd. Milwaukee, WI 53217
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Informal Q&A available until 9:00 p.m.
The presentation will be followed by an open dialogue in which all questions and perspectives will be heard. The formal Q&A will conclude at 8:00 p.m., but Aidan will be available to answer additional questions on an informal basis until 9:00 p.m.
Nicolet Art Students Receive Scholastic Art Exhibition Awards
Congratulations to the Nicolet students recognized by the prestigious Scholastic Art Awards program! Winners were selected from a total of 1,200 submissions throughout the state. Nicolet students received 29 awards this year, including 3 Gold Key and 26 Honorable Mention. The Gold Key winners' artwork will be on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum in the Schroeder Galleria from February 2 - March 17. Congratulations to the following students:
Honorable Mention - Photography
Ana Ausum - Amaranthine Ecstasy
Madeleine Ellgard - Complicated
RaeVaughn Lord Huertas - Alemitu a la Rousseau
RaeVaughn Lord Huertas - T’sama Sinai
RaeVaughn Lord Huertas - The instance of spreading her identity to the world
RaeVaughn Lord Huertas - Eye of the Beholder
William Rigby - Fluorescence
On Monday, October 23, 2018, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and Nicolet broke ground on new baseball stadium at Maslowski Park.
The project is expected to be completed in late spring 2019 and will feature a synthetic turf baseball field, dugouts, bullpens, lights, a press box, and seating for over 300 people. Site preparation is underway, with major construction starting next month.
“The district is proud to work with MSOE and the city of Glendale to maximize the full potential of Maslowski Park that will allow residents, students, parents and extended families to enjoy recreational activities and community events for years to come,” said Dr. Robert Kobylski, superintendent of the Nicolet High School District.
World Premiere of "The Little Bird Concerto" written by Nicolet Alumnus Yotam Haber Performed by the Nicolet High School Orchestra featuring Concert Violinist & Nicolet Alumna Hannah Hurwitz
Every two years, Nicolet alumni who are working music or theatre professionals are invited to return to the school to mentor students and provide hands-on experience and guidance in pursuing their passion for the arts.
This year, professional concert violinist Hanna Hurwitz (Nicolet Class of 2004) will perform a new modern concerto by composer Yotam Haber (Nicolet Class of 1994) with the Nicolet Orchestra at their Fall Concert on November 29 at 7:00 p.m.
The new work was commissioned by the Nicolet Performing Arts Committee (PAC) and is an Artist-in-Residence program supported by the Kenn Miller Chair for the Performing Arts, which was started by the PAC as a tribute to the school’s former theatre director and teacher who led the program for 32 years.
Hurwitz will work with students for three days culminating in a world premiere performance of “The Little Bird Concerto.”
Composer Haber desired to write a piece that challenged and encouraged students to play their instruments in new, unique ways so that they have a chance to explore the sound worlds and creative possibilities of their instruments. Encouragement and motivation from Nicolet teachers and students contributed to Haber’s decision to pursue a career in music, so he hopes “The Little Bird” Concerto inspires current Nicolet students to discover new opportunities to pursue their musical passions post-high school.
13 Nicolet Seniors Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
Thirteen Nicolet Seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. Dillon Collins, Priyanka Guptasarma, Angelina Jaglinski, Sam Kovnar, Benjamin Kramer, Louis Miller, Avery Mitchell, Jason Scheuer, Claudia Schneider, Anna Spektor- Bulatova, Megan Sullivan, Blair Wales and Olivia Weslow will go on to compete for one of 7,500 National Merit Scholarships to be offered next spring.
Students Walked The Red Carpet To Kick Off The 2018-2019 School Year
On Tuesday, September 4, Nicolet High School kicked off the school year by rolling out the red carpet! Check out the event covered by local news:
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding Dean's List. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Two Nicolet Students Capture Awards at the International Science & Engineering Fair
Teacher Stephanie Deering and ISEF finalists Louisa Wood, Anna Spektor and Napsy Isahaku returned to Nicolet after an AMAZING week at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh. It was a week of special events, speeches by Nobel Laureates and lots of judging! There were 1800 students from 81 different countries!
Napsy and Anna received a first place award ($3,000) in their category of Animal Science, and went on to win Best of Category ($5,000 ) with a separate $1,000 award going back to their local fair! To top it off, they were one of two projects in the fair to be recipients of the Indo-US Science and Technology Visit to India Award that will have them heading to India to compete and present their work to universities and researchers.
The awards were the culmination of countless hours of work over the course of the year including over 110 hours spent in the lab at the UW-Freshwater Science Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Caravan.
Congratulations to all three finalists. Talking to kids and judges from all over the world, gaining new perspectives, and learning and engaging in some serious science this past week is a great way to end the year!!
Nicolet French Students Triumph At Recent Competitions
Congratulations to the French Students for their successes in two recent competitions.
2018 French National Contest
Gold Medal
Anna McDougall (Ranked 6th nationwide)
Silver Medal (85th percentile nationwide)
Yanni Ma, Mariana Torres-Alvarez, Louisa Wood, Julia Baldwin, Anna Gould, Ryan Malone, Kevin Norris and Louis Miller
Bronze Medal (80th percentile nationwide)
Madeleine Buckley, Meredith Riedijk, William Kissinger, Yoana Petrinska, Megan Sullivan, Anna Christenson and Caroline Schoenfeldt
2018 State French Pronunciation Contest
Gold Medal - Extemporaneous prose
Nicole Karaffa
Gold Medal - Poetry
Emma Laskowski, Anna Gould, Yoana Petrinska and Mariana Torres-Alvarez
Nicolet Spanish Students Collect Honors on the National Spanish Exam
Nicolet Spanish students collected many honors on the 2018 National Spanish Exam. 28 students who took the exam scored in the 90th percentile or above nationally. In the state of Wisconsin there were 42 gold award winners, students who scored at the 95th percentile or higher. Nicolet students won 14 of the gold awards. Felicitaciones to the following students:
Level 2
Jonathan Hellman 95%
Kalina Kapetanovic 97%
Alexandra Ivanov 97%
Level 3
Savir Maskara 95%
Eric Perlin 95%
Mia Lee 96%
Julia Bohlen 98%
Level 4
Evelyn Deitrich 95%
Nicholas Weseman 96%
Allyson Janowski 97%
Angelina Jaglinski 98%
Jason Scheuer 99%
Level 5
Miles Guralnick 96%
Thomas Nguyen 96%
Pictured (left to right): Allyson Janowski, Evelyn Deitrich, Nicholas Weseman, Angelina Jaglinski, Miah Bohlen and Thomas Nguyen.
Nicolet Musical Students Receive High Score At State Festival
Congratulations to the following Nicolet musical groups and students who all scored a "1" (the highest possible score) at the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) State Solo & Ensemble Festival, held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on April 28 and Cardinal Stritch University on May 5, 2018:
Nicolet Big Band
Nicolet Chamber Orchestra
Nicolet Chamber Singers Quartet
Nicolet Symphonic Band Percussion Ensemble
Annabelle Crowley - violin solo (WSMA Exemplary soloist award)
Ross Abrams - Clarinet Choir
Lam Akio - Percussion Ensemble
Matthais Baker - Clarinet Choir
Nicholas Best - Percussion Ensemble
Eleanor Bird - Big Band
John Bushman - Percussion Ensemble
Saul Dinauer - Big Band
Adam Du - tenor solo
Christopher Flick - Clarinet Choir
Jackson Folstein - Big Band
Aaron Gess George - Big Band
Megan Gendelman - Musical Theatre and alto solo
Parker Gimbel - Clarinet Choir
Sam Gist - Musical Theatre tenor/bass solo
Cathleen Greene - harp solo
Grace Greene - Musical Theatre and alto solo
Samantha Grant - Percussion Ensemble
Priyanka Guptasarma - Musical Theatre and alto solo
Miles Guralnick - Big Band
Gabriel Guralnick - piano solo
Lucas Houchin-Miller - violin solo
Angelina Jaglinski - piano solo
Aaron Johnson - Clarinet Choir
Sigurds Kakulis - Big Band
Nathan Karl - Big Band
John Karnes - Percussion Ensemble, Big Band
Ben Kramer - Clarinet Choir, clarinet solo, Big Band
Callahan Lieungh - Clarinet Choir, bassoon solo
Olivia Llanas - Big Band
Daniel Manger - Big Band
Anna McDougall - violin solo
Liam McLean - string bass solo
Louis Miller - violin solo
Avery Mitchell - Musical Theatre soprano/alto solo
Neville Nazareth - flute solo
Libby Noll - Musical Theatre soprano/alto solo
Kevin Norris - Percussion Ensemble
Maxwell Selbach - Big Band
Ariana Smith - string bass solo
Patrick Smith - Big Band
Joseph Tocco - Big Band
Samuel Vondra - Big Band
Don Vu - cello solo
Elliott Weigel - Big Band
Flasche Nrig Yang - Big Band
Nicolet Take First First Place In German Pronunciation Contest
Saturday, April 21st Nicolet German students took part in the 2018 WI-AATG State Pronunciation contest. Held at Marquette University, this event required students to present poems and make two-minute extemporaneous presentations. Nicolet had a dominant showing, leading the state in first place ratings. Please congratulate the following students:
Level 4/5: Poem: Die Lorelei (Heinrich Heine) 1st Place Rating: Hal DeLong
Level 3: Poem 1940 (Bertolt Brecht) 1st Place Rating: Ryan Dziengel, Yan Qi Li, Caspar Woehl-Sauvignon, Felix Woehl-Sauvignon
Level 2: Poem: Ottos Mops (Ernst Jandl) 1st Place Rating/Perfect Score: Megan Stevens, Khiem Vu and Zoe Zaretzke. 1st Place Rating: Matthias Baker, Matt Korfhage, Chris Lipscomb
Level 1: Poem: Fünfter sein (Ernst Jandl) 1st Place Rating/Tops in State: Octavia Grimes and Langdon Oldenburg 1st Place Rating: Pedro Peralta 2nd Place Rating: Zafirah Lieblein, Jeremy Stone
Nicolet Students Capture Awards in the Lake Country Film Festival
The following four Nicolet students captured awards in the Lake Country Film Festival on April 13th.
Lia Oren won "Best Actress" in the category "Original Music Video for her project called "Storybook Music Video."
Nate Plotkin was runner up for "Single Topic Video" for his project called "Pills PSA."
Wyatt Chang won "Passion Piece", "Best Original Script" and was runner up for "Best Overall Film" for his project called "Shoes."
Zachary Roszina was runner up for "Video Short" and won "Best Supporting Actor" for his project called "Everything Sucks."
Nicolet Announces Dean's List For 3rd Quarter
Nicolet High School is proud to announce the Dean’s List for the 3rd quarter of the 2017-2018 school year. To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for the quarter. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact amy.lee@nicolet.us to confirm this for you.
Nicolet Students Excel at the Badger State Science & Engineering Fair
Nicolet performed exceedingly well at the Badger State Science and Engineering Fair this past Saturday placing in 5 out of the 6 categories. Nicolet students took 3 first place awards, 2 second place, 1 third and 1 grant award along with many additional specialty awards. A huge shout-out and congrats to all of the students who competed at both the regional and state fairs! Here's a complete list of the awards.
24 Nicolet Musicians Qualify For State-wide Festival
On March 17th Nicolet High School musicians performed in the Wisconsin School Music Association District Festival at Homestead High School, and qualified to move on to the state-wide festival in May. Congratulations to the following:
Adam Du
Angelina Jaglinski
Anna McDougall
Ariana Smith
Ariel Cohn
Ben Kramer
Callahan Lieungh
Cathleen Greene
Don Vu
Gabriel Guralnick
Grace Greene (in two separate events)
Kayla Bessette
Liam McLean
Libby Noll
Louis Miller
Lucas Houchin-Miller
Megan Gendelman (in two separate events)
Mitchell Avery
Priyanka Guptasarma (in two separate events)
Sam Gist
Sara Abrams
Yanni Ma
Annabelle Crowley
Neville Nazareth
In addition, the following ensembles also qualified to move on to state:
Two Vocal Quartets
Percussion Ensemble
Chamber Orchestra
Big Band
Brass Ensemble
Two Students Selected To Represent Nicolet at the International Science and Engineering Fair
Anna Spektor and Napsy Isahaku have been selected to represent Nicolet at the prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) with their project titled "Metformin as a Novel Neurogenic Method of Methylmercury Neurotoxicity Symptom Mitigation in Danio rerio as a Model for Human Fetuses"! The students spent countless hours at UWM's Freshwater Science Lab working on their project.
The two partners will compete at ISEF with thousands of students, representing over 75 different countries. This event, sponsored by Intel, will be held in Pittsburgh May 13th-18th.
Eight Nicolet Seniors Named 2018 National Merit Scholarship Programs Finalists
Nicolet is proud to have eight students selected as finalists for 2018 National Merit Scholarships! This honor is only awarded to more than 15,000 students from across the country. Each finalist received a Certificate of Merit and will be considered for one of 7,500 Merit Scholarships awarded in March. Congratulations to Rachel C. Bluementhal, Christopher P. Hellman, Lucas W. Houchin-Miller, John R. Karnes, George Spencer Lawton, Anna McDougall, Thomas D. Nguyen, and Benjamin C. Vuchetich!
Nicolet High School Art Students Receive Scholastic Art Exhibition Awards
Congratulations to the Nicolet students recognized by the prestigious Scholastic Art Awards program! Winners were selected from a total of 3,754 submissions throughout the state. Nicolet student portfolios earned 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 Honorable Mentions and individual awards earned 5 Gold Keys, 8 Silver Keys and 13 Honorable Mentions. View the Silver and Gold Key Award-winning students' artwork showcased at The Milwaukee Art Museum through March 18, 2018. Congratulations to the following students:
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding Dean's List. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Interview with Nicolet Social Studies Teacher
In preparation for Black History month, Social Studies teacher Ms. Holifield spoke with WISN about Oprah's short time at Nicolet and what it was like in Milwaukee in the 1960s. Watch the interview, here. You can even see Oprah's yearbook photo!
NBHS and the Leadership and Service Club partner to help the St. Francis Children's Center
The Nicolet Chapter of the National Business Honor Society (NBHS) completed their Annual Teddy Bear and Toy Drive in support of the St. Francis Children's Center with a total donation of $870. Partnering with NBHS this year was the Leadership and Service Club which collected toys and $150 in money donations from the Nicolet community. Money donated went to purchase toys, stuffed animals and school supplies for children in need. Special thanks goes to First Bank Financial Centre, PNC Bank, Sherman Quick Mart, AD Beauty Salon, Community Bark, Ker Mor Pet Grooming, and St. Francis Pediatrics for their incredible generosity.
Front Row - Left to Right
Hong Hao Liang, Emma Laskowski, Ross Bordow (NBHS President), Lisa Wathen (Leadership and Service Club Advisor), Gus Straub (FBFC), Mike Kania (NBHS Advisor), Zach Newman (NBHS Secretary), Emily Hilger, Josie Kelderman (NBHS Treasurer), Smita Nayak, Jessica Nsubuga
Back Row - Left to Right
Sunil Sabnis, Iris Boparai, Brandon Rice, Kara Petersen (SFCC), Sydney Kaiser, Kyra Orvis w/sister Chloe, Tara Clark (SFCC), Matt Henrichs, Ellie Olson, Eli Winter
Not pictured
Donna Bohn (NBHS Advisor) Amanda Mlekoday, Blair Wales, Ciara Jones, Evan Kleiner, Jaden Aranda, Jordan Levy, Hayley Vang, Maddie Buckley, Margaret Navarre, Michael Kaplan, Theodore Weghaupt, Trevor Strunk, Yanni Ma, Yoana Petrinska
Nicolet student food drive brought in 19,000 cans of food and raised thousands for local organizations
Nicolet Spanish students Parham Abunasr-Shiraz, Benjamin Stellhorn and Autumn Stelzer were on Fox 6 this morning talking about their highly successful food drive that raised 19,000 cans and thousands of dollars for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and other local organizations. We are proud of our students and community for supporting this important cause! Watch the interview here.
Nicolet Exceeds Expectations On School Report Card
On November 21 the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released School Report Cards for every publicly funded school in the state. I am excited to let you know that Nicolet’s score is 78.7 (out of 100), a rating of Exceeds Expectations. I congratulate our faculty, staff and students on this accolade.
This news is encouraging because Nicolet’s score is continuing to rise year after year despite the fact that the Report Card has undergone modifications each year. The state report card also validates other metrics that show Nicolet is headed in the right direction, including the Class of 2017 ACT composite score of 23.0 (compared to the statewide composite of 20.5).
Over the last five years Nicolet implemented several curriculum enhancements to help all students reach their academic potential while also addressing the achievement gap. The recent metrics demonstrate the impact of these learning initiatives. A closer look at the Report Card shows a number of affirmative indicators, including:
The data shows positive trends in closing gaps in graduation rate, English Language Arts (ELA) and math for African American students, low socioeconomic students and students with disabilities. The math gap is almost completely closed (Nicolet 16.6 compared to the state at 16.7).
Nicolet outscored the state in overall student achievement, closing gaps and on track to post secondary readiness.
Nicolet has no deductions for absenteeism or dropout rate.
DPI has produced two versions of each Report Card: a quick one-pager labeled “School Report Card” and lengthier, detailed version labeled, “School Report Card Detail.” Both versions can be accessed online at https://dpi.wi.gov/accountability/report-cards along with resources that explain the Report cards.
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding Dean's List. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Adaptive Wellness Triathlon
Nicolet High School hosted an Adaptive Wellness Triathlon on October 10, 2017. The event was a collaboration between Wellness classes in which Adaptive Physical Education students were supported as they swam, ran and biked. Each triathlete was paired with a peer classmate and a Nicolet faculty member. Here's coverage from local news stations:
Nine Nicolet Seniors Named 2018 National Merit Scholarship Programs Semifinalists
Nine Nicolet High School seniors have been recognized as semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. Rachel Blumenthal, Sarah Fleming, Christopher Hellman, Lucas Houchin-Miller, John Karnes, George Lawton, Anna McDougall, Thomas Nguyen and Benjamin Vuchetich will continue to compete for the Merit Scholar® title.
There are approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 63rd annual National Merit Scholarship Program, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships – worth about $32 million – that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. Approximately 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2018 will be announced from April until July 2018. These scholarship recipients will join more than 330,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title including several Nicolet graduates.
Red Carpet Tradition
Students walked the red carpet to kick off the 2017-18 school year.
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding Dean's List. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Nicolet French Students Dominate 2017 National French Contest
The French Department is pleased to announce the results of the National French Contest and the French Pronunciation Contest.
Winners of a gold medal on the National French Contest are Evelyn Deitrich and Benjamin Kramer.
Winners of a silver medal are Anna Gould, Kevin Norris, Louis Miller, Sam Kovnar, Rachel Blumenthal and Anna McDougall.
Winners of a bronze medal are Ryan Malone, Amanda Mlekoday, Rachel Riedijk and Caroline Schoenfeldt.
The following students won a gold medal at the state French Pronunciation Contest:
Extemporaneous: Annabelle Crowley, Megan Sullivan, Rachael Riedijk
Poetry: Anna Gould
Reader’s Theater: Anna Christenson, Kailee Rosen and Anna McDougall
Svetlana Lerner won a silver medal for extemporaneous prose.
Congratulations to these students on their achievements.
Nicolet Spanish Students Excel on 2017 National Exam
These students are recognized for having a score in the top ten across the state on the National Spanish Exam 2017. For a second time, we have the student(s) with the top score in Wisconsin in Spanish levels 2,3,4 and 5. Finally, beyond this list of students, 77% of those who took the exam at Nicolet were awarded honors, bronze, silver or gold recognition for their Spanish proficiency and achievement! ¡Felicitaciones!
Spanish 2 Place in Wisconsin
Miah Bohlen 1st
Eva Whitney 1st
Ryan Mortonson 3rd
Ella Hardin 3rd
Mia Lee 6th
Gabriel Guralnick 7th
Sadie Cross 7th
Nick Best 7th
Savir Maskara 8th
Spanish 3 Place
Angelina Jaglinski 1st
Jason Scheuer 1st
Anna Spektor 1st
Neville Nazareth 2nd
Nikhil Bhadkamkar 4th
Spanish 4 Place
Thomas Nguyen 1st
Callahan Lieungh 4th
Emily Hilger 4th
Miles Guralnick 6th
Julia Bohlen 7th
Lucas Houchin-Miller 9th
María Kravtsova 10th
Spanish 5 Place
Joseph Azbel 1st
Takahiro Ishikuri 3rd
Zachary Ellner 6th
Amir Rasuli 8th
Molly McBride 9th
Alexa Abrahamian 10th
Joel Kaswan *bilingual 7th*
Nicolet Relay for Life Raises over $16,000 for the American Cancer Society
Last Friday, Nicolet students and members of the community participated in Nicolet's Relay for Life, a 12 hour event that raises money for the American Cancer Society and raises awareness to continue the fight against cancer.
Nicolet students were the backbone of this event, promoting it and raising money along the way through raffles, the sale of luminaria bags, and donations from individuals and community businesses. Through this hard work, Nicolet students raised over $16,000 for the American Cancer Society.
A huge thank-you goes out to Jessie Barnett and Adam Thiel, who spent the entire night on the football field in under 50 degree weather with high schoolers; and to Patti Zeimentz who stopped by to support our kids and the cause. In addition, a huge thank-you to our custodial staff who set everything up and made this event possible, and a thank you to Brian Reiels and the athletic department for allowing us the use of the field.
A final thank you and congratulations goes to our Relay kids themselves, who took on this event with brand new student council advisors and a brand new American Cancer Society representative and made it a success. And thank you to all of you for supporting Relay and everything student council does to enrich the Nicolet school community.
Nicolet Music Students Receive Exemplary Soloist Award
Congratulations to the following students, who have received an Exemplary Soloist Award at the Wisconsin School Music Association State Festivals, held over the last two weekends at UW-Milwaukee and Cardinal Stritch University.
Annabelle Crowley, Violin Solo
Ben Kramer, Bb Clarinet Solo
Thomas Nguyen, Piano Solo
Neville Nazareth, Flute Solo
Nicolet German Students Honored
NHS students Hal DeLong, Yoana Petrinska and Caroline Marowski were honored by the Deutscher Sprach and Schulverein for their performance on the AATG National Exam and the DSSV Essay competition at their annual awards ceremony on Sunday May 7th. Special recognition goes out to Caroline, who after 2 1/2 years of German and competing against kids from the Milwaukee German Immersion school, wrote one of the top ten essays in the state. The three earned cash prizes and tickets to German Fest.
Nicolet Senior Awarded a Congress-Bundestag Scholarship to Germany
Senior Maria Graziano has been awarded a Congress-Bundestag Scholarship to Germany for the 2017-18 school year. CBYX scholars serve as youth ambassadors for the United States, sharing our culture with Germans and bringing a German Weltanschauung back to their home communities. She joins a team of Americans who believe that citizen diplomacy can make a difference, and can be a step towards achieving peace through understanding. Maria is the 11th German student to be selected for this program in the last fourteen years. NHS 2016 alum Robert McCracken is currently studying in Münster, Lower Saxony.
In August Maria will attend orientations in America and Germany before traveling on to her new school and family. While in Germany, Maria will enjoy cultural excursions to Munich, Berlin and select German cities. A highlight is the Berlin seminar, where students will meet with members of the German parliament.
Initiated in 1983, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program was created to strengthen ties between Germany and the United States. CBYX is jointly funded by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag, and is overseen in the U.S. by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The value of the scholarship is placed $16,000.
Maria has been active in a wide variety of Nicolet activities. She serves as president of the Nicolet Gay-Straight Alliance and is co-president of Delta Epsilon Phi, the German Honor Society. is a six time medalist at the Wisconsin AATG German Pronunciation contest and the winner of the 2016 Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers" Lynne Bolton Award. She also took part in both the 2014 and 2016 GAPP Exchanges with the Gymnasium Leopoldinum. Maria is active in the Nicolet vocal music program and the Multicultural Club. In social studies, she participated in the state level of National History Day, and in English earned an honorable mention from the Scholastic Writing Awards for her poetry.
Outside of school, Maria has been very active in the First Stage Youth Theater Program, including the Organized Chaos Theater Improv group and the Young Company and has also completed three internships at the organization.
Nicolet National History Day Students Excel at State Competition
Neville Nazareth won the Women in History Award with his paper "Dian Fossey: A Tireless Protector of Mountain Gorillas"
Eva Whitney and Mia Lee will be representing Nicolet at the national competition in Washington D.C. with their group documentary "Frances Oldham Kelsey: Taking a Stand for Drug Safety" Here is a link to their documentary.
A special thank you goes to fellow documentary makers Casey O'Hare and Grace Blunck for staying for the awards ceremony, which ended after 7 PM, to support their Nicolet team mates.
Nicolet Orchestra to Play at Carnegie Hall
The Nicolet High School Orchestra will play Carnegie Hall in New York City on Friday, April 14 as part of an exclusive international music festival.
The opportunity to play the famed music venue resulted from their gold-rated performance in May 2016 at the Heritage World Series International Music Festival at Universal Studios in Orlando. In addition to receiving a gold rating, the orchestra was also named "best orchestra" at the festival and won the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall.
While in New York City, the students will attend a Broadway show, visit the Statue of Liberty and attend a workshop with InterSchool Orchestras of New York Artistic Director Jeffrey Grogan.
Nicolet High School is proud to announce the Dean’s Lists for the 3rd quarter of the 2016-2017 school year. Click on the links to see students listed by grade level that have made the Dean’s Lists.
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding Dean's List. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Nicolet Math Students Perform Admirably In Contest
In March, the Nicolet mathematics students concluded their participation in the Wisconsin Mathematics League's contest for 2016-2017. For six months (once a month), the students took Mathematics test after school. Nicolet has placed 7th in the state as a school (3rd in our conference). Thomas Nguyen is our top point earner and has placed among the top 30 students in the state.
Nicolet German Students Had An Impressive Showing At The State Competition
Saturday, April 1st Nicolet German students returned early from their Spring break to take part in the 2017 WI-AATG State Pronunciation contest. Held at Marquette University, this event required students to present poems and make two-minute extemporaneous presentations. Nicolet had a very impressive showing, leading the state in first place ratings. Please congratulate the following students:
Level 4/5: Poem: Meleken an der Elbe bei Brokdorf (Wolf Biermann)
1st Place Rating: Top 15 in State: Audrey Boos, Jenny Davis , Kendra Dittmar, Maria Graziano, Caroline Marowski, Yoana Petrinska
2nd Place Rating: Emily Janicik
3rd Place Rating: Francisco Cid Rodriguez,
Level 3: Gefunden (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
1st Place Rating: Ed Sherman
2nd Place Rating: Hal DeLong
Level 2: Mein kleiner weißer Hund und ich (Silja Walter)
1st Place Rating: : (Number One in State) Yan Qi Li,
2nd Place Rating: Nick Holmes
Level 1: Im Regen (Jörg Steiner)
1st Place Rating: (Number One in State) Christian Marowski
Especially impressive were the Level 4/5 students who were competing against immersion school students with up to 12 years of German under their belts.
Nicolet's "Ragtime" earns 21 Tommy Award nominations for the first time in school history
Nicolet High School is proud to announce that its spring 2017 musical, "Ragtime," is nominated for 21 Tommy Awards. This is the first time in school history that Nicolet High School has been nominated for the awards that honor excellence in high school musical theater.
Named for local Broadway star Tom Wopat, the Tommy Awards encourage, recognize and honor excellence in high school musical theater. Award winners will be notified in May. The 2017 Tommy Awards Show will be held on Sunday, June 11, 2017 at 6 p.m. at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin. Students from throughout the state will be selected to perform from their respective schools’ productions as well.
"Ragtime" is nominated for Tommy Awards in the following categories:
Outstanding Lead Performance:
Cheyanne Roszina
Mikayla Penn
Chadwick Hunt
Ben Kramer
Outstanding Supporting Performance:
Avery Mitchell
Gabe Smith
Daniela Steinberg
Grace Greene
Benny Koziol
Outstanding Ensemble
Outstanding Musical
Outstanding Orchestra
Outstanding Direction
Outstanding Musical Direction
Outstanding Choreography
Outstanding Stage Management
Outstanding Overall Design
Outstanding Scenic Design
Outstanding Lighting Design
Outstanding Sound Design
Nicolet UN Team Finds Success at the State Meet
Nicolet delegations brought professionalism, collaboration, and solid research skills to the Wisconsin High School Model UN 600+ student simulation. Nicolet represented 3 nations (Lithuania, Portugal, and Morocco), authored seven resolutions, had three of those pass in front of the General Assembly, and in general were active and polished participants in the diplomatic process. Congratulations to the entire 34 member team, with additional mention going to the winners of Best Research Prizes:
Julia Bohlen
Zach Demko
Thomas Nguyen
Ben Vuchetich
6 Nicolet Students Inducted Into The German Honor Society
On March 15th, six new members were inducted into Delta Epsilon Phi, Nicolet's German Honor Society. Feel free to congratulate the new members: Cisco Cid-Rodriguez, Hal DeLong, Anja DuPlessis, Caroline Marowski, Ed Sherman and Melissa Stevens.
Forum organized by senior Sean Hanzel and League of Women Voters
Nicolet High School will be the site of a School Board Candidate Forum on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Nicolet High School, 6701 N. Jean Nicolet Rd.
The forum will feature the three candidates running for the two Nicolet School Board seats. Incumbent school board member Joseph Kasle as well as past Glendale-River Hills School Board President Theresa Seem and newcomer Leigh Wallace Tabak have been invited to the forum. Kasle is unable to attend.
The League of Women Voters will moderate the forum, which will be open to questions from the public, though the moderators have the final say in the inclusion.
Nicolet High School is among several village boards, common councils and school boards across the North Shore suburbs that will be seeing changes in membership after the Spring 2017 election on April 4. The forum was organized by Nicolet senior Sean Hanzel.
The Nicolet Area Schools Are Celebrating Youth Art Month
The Nicolet Area Schools are celebrating Youth Art Month by displaying an exhibit of student art across grade levels at each school. Youth Art Month Exhibits will be on display at the following area schools: Nicolet, Glen Hills, Stormonth, Bayside, Indian Hill and Maple Dale. Student work ?can be viewed during school hours or after school during times when the buildings are open for evening events.
Please visit and enjoy the beautiful art created by the skilled art students from our community.
For more information on Youth Art Month around Wisconsin, visit www.wiarted.org.
Nicolet State Science Fair Students Bring Home Awards
On Saturday, March 11th Nicolet state science fair participants competed at Marian University in Fond du Lac and Nicolet represented very well! Here is a list of students who earned a specialty award and those that earned category awards.
Specialty Awards
Anna Spektor: NASA Earth System Award
Miah Bohlen: American Meteorological Society Award
Bryce Krychowiak: American Psychological Association Award
Julian and Neville Nazareth: MU Alpha Theta Award
Anna Spektor: Stockholm Junior Water Prize (and entrance into another competition)
Tehya Crego: United States Air Force Award
Julian and Neville Nazareth: United States Air Force Award
Smita Nayak: Wisconsin Young Scientist Award
Category Award Recipients
Neville and Julian Nazareth: First place in the Math/Computer Sciences/Physics Category
Ben Cook and Kamran Moos: 2nd place in the Chemistry/Biochemistry Category
Bryce Krychowiak: 2nd place in the Medicine/Health/Behavioral Science Category
Nicolet Science and Engineering Fair Results
Nicolet High School held a Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday, February 25.
The brother team of Julian and Neville Nazareth received the "Best of the Fair" project award and will be moving on to the International Science and Engineering Fair from May 14 – 19 in Los Angeles, where they will compete against over 70 countries and thousands of students.
Several Nicolet students also received category and specialty awards. A number of students will also advance to the State Fair on Saturday, March 11. Congratulations to the student award winners.
The students whose projects were recognized are as follows:
Specialty Awards
Association for Women Geoscientists - Smita Nayak Intel - Julian and Neville Nazareth Ricoh Americas Corporation - Olivia Haraway Yale Science and Engineering Association - Ciara Jones NASA Earth System Science Award - Anna Spektor-Bulatova ASU Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiative from Arizona State University - Bryce Krychowiak and Olivia Haraway American Psychological Association - Sarah Fleming Mu Alpha Theta - Julian and Neville Nazareth The Stockholm Junior Water Prize - Anna Spektor-Bulatova, Olivia Haraway, and Smita Nayak United States Air Force - Tehya Crego, Anna Gould, Maya Falkenstein, and Miah Bohlen U.S. Metric Association - Ben Cook and Kamran Moos Society For In Vitro Biology - Napsy Isahaku
Category Awards
Physical Science Category:
Second place: Ben Cook and Kamran Moos for their work with “Compressive Strength of an Organic Waste Bioplastics”:
First place: Julian and Neville Nazareth for their work on “Traffic Congestion Reduction Using Ant Colony Optimization”
Life Science I: Human Implications:
Third place: Sarah Fleming for her project, “The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Ethics”
Second place: Napsy Isahaku for his work on “The Effect of Ethanol on the Central Nervous System of Danio Rerio.”
Tied for first place: Ciara Jones for her project on “The Effects of Damaged Trigger Cells on the Action Potential of a Venus Flytrap” AND Anna Gould for her project “The Effect of Different Fertilizers and Growth Conditions on the Growth Rate of Duckweed.”
Life Science II: Environmental:
Second place: Anna Spektor-Bulatova with her project, “The Effect of Different Concentrations of Metformin on the Regeneration of Planaria.”
Tied for first place: Smita Nayak for her work on “The Analysis of Variance in Clinical Antibiotic Cross Resistance Rates Among MKE River Sediment Bacteria” and Olivia Haraway for the her work with “Different Aquatic Plants and Lead Removal from Water.”
Moving on to State on Saturday, March 11
Ben Cook and Kamran Moos
Tehya Crego
Julian and Neville Nazareth
Sarah Fleming
Smita Nayak
Bryce Krychowiak
Maya Falkenstein
Anna Gould
Anna Spektor-Bulatova
Olivia Haraway
Ciara Jones
Napsy Isahaku
Miah Bohlen
Ananda Deacon participates in USSYP at the U.S. Capitol
Senior Ananda Deacon is currently among the 104 high school students from across the country taking part in the United States Senate Youth Program in Washington, D.C. They have a chance to meet leaders like Wisconsin senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin, and see how the government works.
Nicolet History Day Students Advance To State Competition
On Saturday, March 4th fifteen Nicolet students participated in regional National History Day competition at UWM. The Milwaukee regional is the largest, with well over 400 students participating.
Congratulations to the following students who will be representing Nicolet at the state NHD competition in Madison in April. Alternates will attend if the winners are unable to do so.
Senior Paper
Nevile Nazareth: Diane Fossey: A Tireless Protector of Mountain Gorillas
Senior Individual Exhibit:
Sophie Packman: Kamarad and Vedem: Taking a Stand in Theresienstadt
Senior Individual Documentary
Evelyn Pisch: Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood & the Birth Control Movement of the Early 1900's
Alternate: Miah Bohlen: John F. Kennedy: Taking a Stand to Go to the Moon
Alternate: Taylor Robinson: Lynched! - James Cameron's Story
Senior Group Documentary
Casey O'Hare and Grace Blunck: Barbara Johns: Taking A Stand Against Racial Segregation
Eva Whitney and Mia Lee: Frances Kelsey: Taking a Stand for Drug Safety
Alternate: Jonah Kartman and Kyle Krychowiak: Castor's Revolution
Senior Individual Website
Sadie Cross: Dickey Chapelle: Taking a Stand Through Dedication and Excellent
Special thanks to
Mark Schill for agreeing to judge and reviewing 7 junior websites the evening before the competition
Kasey Ehrke for monitoring students, working the registration table, and trouble-shooting tech problems in the Lubar building at UWM (UWM may want to consider hiring her!)
Deb Krause for working with students on their project all the way through Friday and for bringing We Video to Nicolet!
Nicolet Robotics Team Earns Jack Kamen Imagery Award
During the weekend of March 4, 33 students from Nicolet High School’s FEAR Robotics Team traveled to Duluth, Min. to compete in the Northern Lights Regional - FIRST Robotics Competition. The team was able to continue to establish its presence among many talented teams from across the country.
Despite the many challenges, the group was able to hold it together in the face of long odds and adversity, including a systems failure in the climbing system during the tournament. The students exhibited tremendous grit and tenacity – something that many teams from the competition communicated as the FEAR team left the field of play.
To top off the weekend, Nicolet FEAR was honored with the Jack Kamen Imagery Award – bestowed upon the team with the best overall design aesthetic, from the robot, pit and brand standards of the team.
Additionally, FEAR has also utilized the new media equipment from the Nicolet Foundation to establish a media department this year. This department had the opportunity to capture an exclusive 5-minute interview with the founder of the FIRST Robotics Competition – Dean Kamen – who made a surprise appearance at the competition. Thanks to Kaeson Black, Wyatt Chang and Emily Chester for their extra efforts in making this interview a reality.
The FEAR team has already begun to evaluate, improve and overcome any obstacles in preparation for the Wisconsin Regional at the end of March. Good luck, Nicolet FEAR!
Five Nicolet Students Named National Merit Finalists
Congratulations to five Nicolet seniors for being recognized as finalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program. Zachary Asmann, Joseph Azbel, August Eurich, Dylan Hall and Riccardo Romersi will continue to compete for the Merit Scholar® title.
Nicolet Counselor Receives Excellence in College Counseling Award
Congratulations to Nicolet counselor Jeffrey Artero for receiving the “Excellence in College Counseling Award” from Nova Southeastern University for his commitment to our Nicolet students. Artero was recommended by Nicolet alumnus Theodore Uy (’16) and current Nova Southeastern University student.
Nicolet German Students Qualify 19 Students For The State Competition
On Saturday, February 25th Nicolet German students competed in the WI-AATG Regional Pronunciation contest. This event required students to present poems and make two minute extemporaneous presentations. Nicolet had a very impressive showing, qualifying 19 students for the state competition, to be held on April 1st at Marquette University. Please congratulate the following students:
Level 4/5: Poem: Meleken an der Elbe bei Brokdorf (Wolf Biermann)
Audrey Boos, Francisco Cid Rodriguez, Jenny Davis, Kendra Dittmar, Maria Graziano, Emily Janicik, Caroline Marowski, Yoana Petrinska
(Congrats to Maria and Emily for their sixth state qualification!)
Level 3: Gefunden (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Rachel Blumenthal, Hal DeLong, Anja DuPlessis, Ed Sherman, Melissa Stevens
Level 2: Mein kleiner weißer Hund und ich (Silja Walter)
Yan Qi Li, Nick Holmes, Siggy Kakulis, Leighton Kennedy, Olivia Llanas
Level 1: Im Regen (Jörg Steiner)
Christian Marowski
Nicolet's Production of Ragtime Featured on WISN
WISN recently featured Nicolet's upcoming production of "Ragtime," a story of three diverse groups in the United States in the early 20th century. Check it out here.
Nicolet High School English Students Receive Scholastic Writing Awards
Please join the English department in congratulating the following students for their recognition in the 2017 Scholastic Writing Awards. We had an incredible turnout for the competition this year, and we are excited that so many of our talented students have earned this regional recognition for their writing.
Gold Key Winners: (Their work is now considered for national recognition!)
Emily Chester: Short Story, "The Horrible Flight"
Andrew Eidenberger: Personal Essay/Memoir, "Football: The Greatest Teacher"
Zachary Ellner: Short Story, "The Ocean"
Sophia Fangman: Poetry, "Gold and Silver" (Also American Voices Nominee)\
Miles Guralnick: Critical Essay, “Interpreting the Bias of the UNESC….”
Ryan Hagan: Poetry, “A Lone Soldier”
Emily Hilger: Flash Fiction, “The Places We Go”
Joel Kaswan: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Authenticity” (Also American Voices Nominee)
Maggie Navarre: Personal Essay/Memoir, “If you choose bad companions, no…”
Jacob Newman: Dramatic Script, “Hands of Creation”
Thomas Nguyen: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Fifth Grade: A Colonist’s Education”
Jonah Packman: Flash Fiction, “Five Hundred Words” (Also American Voices Nominee)
Harry Rosmann: Personal Essay/Memoir, “The Crossing”
Alexandra Soyke: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Always the New Girl”
Kristina Webb: Poetry, “Twenty-Two” (Also American Voices Nominee)
Kristina Webb: Poetry, “Mama Cuts My Hair” (Also American Voices Nominee)
Delaney Weiss: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Literary Whiplash”
Silver Key Winners:
Emily Chester: Short Story, "Hope is the Thing With Feathers"
Anna Christenson: Personal Essay/Memoir, "A Bridge"
Ariel Cohn: Poetry, "Masked"
Michael Dunst: Personal Essay/Memoir, "Music and Me"
Sophie Gilbert: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Cow-Town, U.S.A.”
Michael Goldstein: Humor, “Another Episode”
Ryan Hagan: Short Story, “An Odyssey Into The Conflicted Mind”
Benjamin Koziol: Poetry, “America”
George Lawton: Personal Essay/Memoir, “My Youth in the Driveway”
George Lawton: Science Fiction/Fantasy, “Clockwork”
Yanqi Li: Poetry, “Sweetening the Tea”
Rachel Miller: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Beautiful Journey”
Thomas Nguyen: Poetry, “The Twenty Dollar Bill: Tubman vs….”
Thomas Nguyen: Flash Fiction, “Scribble Scribble Scribble with a Hi…”
Thomas Nguyen: Humor, “Letter to Sleep”
Lia Oren: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Lacrosse”
Jonah Packman: Personal Essay/Memoir, “The King of Capitol Hill”
Jonah Packman: Poetry, “Skin in the Game”
Anai Parker: Poetry, “Pardon the Garden”
Anai Parker: Poetry, “The Power of the Rare Flower”
Myles Porter: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Road America”
Cheyanne Roszina: Dramatic Script, “Next To Wild”
Abeje Schnake: Poetry, “October Anthology”
Kristina Webb: Poetry, “Daddy Never Taught Me How To Dance”
Delaney Weiss: Critical Essay, “Freedom vs. Safety”
Eli Winter: Poetry, “My Introspection”
Caitlin Wood: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Hudson River Ride”
Honorable Mention:
Yoni Altman-Shafer: Personal Essay/Memoir, "The Tale of Two Thousand Years"
Eleanor Bird: Science Fiction/Fantasy, "The Wych Elm"
Kaeson Back: Humor, "Nerdgasm - Defining the Word "Ne...
Augusta Byrne: Humor, "Freshman Optimism vs. Senior Pessimism"
Michael Dunst: Flash Fiction, "Jack Kennedy the Warlord"
Zachary Ellner: Personal Essay/Memoir, "Shabbat"
Zachary Ellner: Personal Essay/Memoir, "Mail"Zachary Ellner: Flash Fiction, "River of Euphoria"
Sophia Fangman: Personal Essay/Memoir, "Eyes with Scales and Fish with Las..."
Sarah Fleming: Personal Essay/Memoir, "An Open Letter to Donald Trump"
Olivia Forshee: Flash Fiction, "Running Away"
Ben Friedman: Poetry, "American Imperfections"
Gregory Frijia: Critical Essay, "Melancholy"
Ryan Hagan: Personal Essay/Memoir, "Ryene: The Insane Artist"
Lucas Houchin-Miller: Poetry, "Lightning and Rain"
Lucas Houchin-Miller: Flash Fiction, "G.H.O.S.T"
Kayla Howze: Poetry, “Dear Us,”
Kayla Howze: Poetry, “Stop Sign”
Jacob Izard: Humor, “Trump-O-Matic 5000”
Ciara Jones: Humor, “A Day in the Life”
Michael Kaplan: Short Story, “Lost Island”
Morgan Kramer: Personal Essay/Memoir, “What Friendships Mean to Me”
Callahan Lieungh: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Little Bear”
Morgan Markenson: Personal Essay/Memoir, “The Place I Love Most”
Ryan Morton: Flash Fiction, “Twilight Zone”
David Perry: Flash Fiction, “Why Kangaroos Hop Instead of Wa…”
Kailee Rosen: Flash Fiction, “The Encounter”
Sunil Sabnis: Personal Essay/Memoir, “The Boy and the Ocean”
Maya Schnake: Flash Fiction, “Goosebumps”
Hannah Stoffield: Poetry, “My Thoughts and Other Blackholes”
Ellie Strelow: Poetry, “Rudolph Ripped Me Off”
Kristina Webb: Poetry, “Peaches”
Victoria Weidner: Poetry, “Candles”
Brynn Weiss: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Sketchbook”
David Zetley: Humor, “A Pencil’s Luck
American Visions & Voices Nominees: (Now considered for national recognition!)
Sophia Fangman: Poetry, "Gold and Silver"
Joel Kaswan: Personal Essay/Memoir, “Authenticity”
Jonah Packman: Flash Fiction, “Five Hundred Words”
Kristina Webb: Poetry, “Twenty-Two”
Kristina Webb: Poetry, “Mama Cuts My Hair”
In addition to this wonderful honor, students can apply for programs and scholarships at the local, regional, and national level.
Explanation of Regional Awards:
Gold Key: The very best works submitted to local programs are awarded Gold Keys. Gold Keys are automatically considered for national-level recognition
Silver Key: Stand-out works submitted to local programs that demonstrate exceptional ability are awarded Silver Keys.
Honorable Mention: Accomplished works submitted to local programs showing great skill and/or potential earn Honorable Mention Awards.
American Visions & Voices Nominees: Five works, from across all categories and grades, are selected from those earning Gold Keys as the “Best of Show” for each local program.
Nicolet High School Art Students Receive 38 Scholastic Art Exhibition Awards
The Nicolet High School Art Department entered 178 entries into the Scholastic Art Exhibition and has received 38 awards (27 Honorable Mention, 8 Silver Key and 3 Gold Key).
Gold Key works will be forwarded to National adjudication and with national results in mid-March.
There is a great deal of prestige associated with receiving any kind of recognition in this competition. Receiving an award in the Scholastic Competition is similar to earning a National Merit Scholar Award.
Individual art works receiving Gold and Silver Keys will be be on display in the exhibit held at the Milwaukee Art Museum from February 4 - March 19, 2017. Students will be attending the awards ceremony this Saturday, February 11 at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Congratulations to the student winners and the art department faculty.
The students whose work were recognized are as follows:
ART PORTFOLIOS
Entrants:
Amanda Gullickson
Kylie Early
Tayla Hart
Hlee Xiong
Honorable Mention
Amanda Gullickson (12 HM Art Portfolio Internal Transmission)
Tayla Hart (12 HM Art Portfolio Technical Evolution)
INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES
Entrants:
Marissa Baker
Ashlyn Buchman x 2
Ananda Deacon x 2
Dylan Dineen x 2
Jaida Drame x 3
Anja du Plessis
Kylie Early x 9
Zach Ellner x 3
Sam Fedderly
Greg Frijia x 6
Amanda Gullickson x 3
Katerina Gurneau x 2
Ryan Hagen x 2
Genevieve Harper
Kaelyn Hart
Tayla Hart x 7
Emilie Haworth x 2
Madeline Holton x 2
Maria Kravtsova
Emma Laskowksi x 3
Yanqi Li
RaeVaughn Lord-Huertas x 8
Tate Mattingly x 4
Avery Mitchell
Ryan Mitchell
Kailee Rosen x 4
Maria Sanfilippo
Marli Stelhorn
Madison Wolff
Hlee Xiong x 2
David Zetley x 5
Honorable Mention
Marissa Baker (12 HM Sculpture Cu 29)
Ananda Deacon (12 HM Drawing Coming Apart at the Seams)
Jaida Drame (12 HM Ceramics & Glass Boundaries)
Kylie Early (12 HM Photography Two Faced)
Hailey Ellis (10 HM Photography Hybrid)
Hailey Ellis (10 HM Photography Melting)
Samuel Fedderly (11 HM Painting Piano Grams)
Gabriella Flores (9 HM Drawing Commons Intersection)
Ben Friedman (12 HM Film & Animation Flickering Dimensions - Saunders)
Miles George (11 HM Photography Forsaken)
Miles George (11HM Photography The Immigrant)
Sophie Gilbert (11 HM Photography Divided)
Genevieve Harper (12 HM Painting Retrograde)
Madeline Holton (12 HM Painting Roots and Branches)
Yanqi Li (10 HM Drawing Illusions)
Raevaughn Lord-Huertas (10 HM Photography Bus Ride)
Raevaughn Lord-Huertas (10 HM Photography Oasis)
Kallia Kaiser (10 HM Painting Kira)
Cailin Mahoney (11 HM Sculpture Unfolding)
Michael McLaughlin (11 HM Photography Natural Lumination)
Michael McLaughlin (11 HM Photography Shielding)
Ryan Mitchell (10 HM Painting Alone in Space)
Maria Sanfilippo (12 HM Painting Frozen Roses)
Madison Wolff (10 HM Painting Ryan)
Hlee Xiong (12 HM Sculpture Tower)
Silver Key
Jaida Drame (12 SK Sculpture Mackenzie)
Kylie Early (12 SK Photography Mirror Me)
Miles George (11 SK Photography Tonal)
Emilie Haworth (10 SK Painting Distant Lover)
Gabriella Morice (11SK Photography Curvature)
Kailee Rosen (11 SK Photography Veins in the Ice)
Daniela Steinberg (9 SK Painting Za'layia)
Eva Whitney (9 SK Drawing Complementary Beans)
Gold Key
Kylie Early (12 GK Photography Cave Into Me)
Maria Kravtsova (12 GK Painting Backyard Stroll)
David Zetley (11 GK Ceramics & Glass Bubble Backfire)
Nicolet Announces Dean's List for 2nd Quarter and 1st Semester
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding Dean's List. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Ananda Deacon selected to prestigious U.S. Senate Youth Program
Nicolet senior Ananda Deacon will travel to Washington, D.C. in March as part of the prestigious U.S. Senate Youth program. One of only two students representing Wisconsin, Ananda will spend a week in the nation's capital learning about how the government works, and meeting elected officials like the president and members of Congress.
National Business Honor Society Helps Donate New Toys and Stuffed Animals
The National Business Honor Society completed their Annual Teddy Bear and Toy Drive in support of the St. Francis Children's Center with a total donation of over $700 worth of new toys and stuffed animals. Special thanks goes to First Bank Financial Centre, Beans and Barley Restaurant, AMP Investments, and Neufeld Rentals for their extra generous support of our drive.
Nicolet Alumni Visit With English 10 Students
On Wednesday, November 23, 2016, several Nicolet alumni visited with English 10 students as a part of the College and Career Unit. The speakers answered student questions and shared their experiences of navigating high school, college, and career paths.
Guest speakers included:
Adriana Torres (WSAW Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter-graduated from Arizona State University)
Emily Poklar (Assistant Account Executive at Lindsay, Stone & Briggs-graduated from UW Madison)
Barry Shafrin (Parent Engagement Manager at Success Academy Charter Schools-graduated from Harvard University)
Cullen Billhartz (UW Madison)
Lani Denny (Cardinal Stritch University)
Steven Long (DePaul University)
Katherine Richter (Northwestern University)
Maria Brondino (Columbia College)
Carly Cohen (UW Madison)
From left: Barry Shafrin, Lani Denni, Cullen Billhartz, Mrs. Walny, Adriana Torres, Emily Poklar, Maria Brondino
Nicolet Announces Dean's List for 1st Quarter
Nicolet High School is proud to announce the Dean’s Lists for 1st quarter of the 2016-2017 school year. Click on the link to see students listed by grade level that have made the Dean’s Lists.
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding Dean's List. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Nicolet Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive
With your generosity we collected 19,845 cans and raised $5,404.58. Together with our partner schools in the Nicolet community we reached our goal with a total of 25,457 cans. This year's food boxes also had fresh vegetables and fruits through Springdale Farm, Trader Joe's and the Glendale Pick 'n Save.
Some staff and students individually brought hundreds of cans and those amounts overwhelmed us. We were just as touched when some students donated 5 cans and a bag of coins they had saved. The Spanish 4H students want you to know how much they appreciate your support, your incentives and your blind eye to some of the chaos that comes with this service learning project.
In addition, we want to say hats on (these students worked outside on Saturday, November 18th in 32° weather) to the 55 students who saw the project to completion sorting, boxing and delivering food baskets and grocery gift cards. These boxes provided a special Thanksgiving meal and additional food to more than 1000 individuals registered through Centro Hispano. Those students are:
Elijah Albrecht, Joe Azbel, Alex Balan, Elianna Berman, Miah and Julia Bohlen, Ross Bordow, Daphne Buening, Ariel Cohn, Kara Conley, David Cranberg, Tehya Crego, Mateo Crueger-Monterroso, Ananda Deacon, Evelyn Deitrich, Michael Dunst, Alina Evans, Sophia Fangman, Sam Fedderly, Alaina Fellows, Sarah Fleming, Christopher Flick, Seth Friedman, Miles Guarlnick, Tamar Halmann, Christopher Hellman, Noah Hernández, Lucas Houchin-Miller, Sydney Kaiser, Jack Karnes, Raman Kashpar, Claire Konnor, Jenna Koshakow, Ben Koziol, Jordan Levy, Callahan Lieungh, Miriam and Etan Maistelman, Molly McBride, Michael McLaughlin, Kayla Melkonian, Danielle Montgomery, Amelia Mowers, Nina Navarre, Thomas Nguyen, David Perry, Harry Rosmann, Nishant Sabnis, Abeje Schnake, Sophie Shapiro, Alexandra Soyke, Anna Spektor-Bulatova, Mariah Swisher,Eli Winter, and Grace Yoder.
Nicolet Spanish Club Students Participate In "Ofrenda" Contest
Nicolet Spanish Club students participated in the selection of the "Ofrenda" contest for the Día de los Muertos celebrated by the Spanish Club.
The winners of the contest were:
1st place - Ahtyus Tipton and Kristina McCune (entry #4)
2nd place - Jessica Pollesch (entry #1)
3rd place - Hudson Pettit (entry #12)
Nicolet Students Receive ACLU's Youth Civil Libertarians of the Year Award
Nicolet students, Ananda Deacon and Jacob Newman, Class of 2017 have recently received the ACLU's 2016 Youth Civil Libertarians of the Year award for their work as student activists and change agents in our school. Their ongoing commitment to social justice, their dedication toward a more cohesive community here at Nicolet, and their impassioned call for learning about equity and access is more than inspiring. This award is so well deserved.
Emilio De Torre, Director of Youth and Programs for the ACLU, announced the award, stating that, "As leaders of Nicolet’s Multicultural Club they have worked tirelessly to promote inclusiveness, justice, understanding and civil rights in conversations at school and in the broader community. They’ve helped provide a vibrant and diverse venue for students to meet regularly to examine and debate civil liberties, racial justice, LGBTQ and civil rights; helped keep parents informed via the Multi-Ethnic Parent Association; discussed the importance of civil liberties and voting on NPR; worked to build bridges between different communities within their school, and created connections to Milwaukee by hosting many different speakers and leaders to address students. Jacob’s even advised Emilio on the “appropriateness” of his Facebook posts before. Their bravery and commitment has elevated explorations of racial justice and equity in their school and beyond, and they exemplify the talent and compassion that is at the heart of this award."
Ananda and Jacob will be honored at the 2016 Bill of Rights Celebration on Saturday, November 19th at the Italian Conference Center. Their award is sponsored by Jack and Lucy Rosenberg.
Nicolet English Teacher Named 2016 Global Innovator
Congratulations to Nicolet English teacher, Lisa Wathen, who was named a 2016 Global Innovator by Turnitin.com!
Each year, Turnitin recognizes outstanding practitioners worldwide who "demonstrate commitment to improving student writing, enhance student learning, promote academic integrity, and champion the use of Turnitin products at their institution."
For years, Lisa has used the online program with students as a tool for peer review, descriptive feedback, and tailored classroom rubrics. She's led staff development on how to bring these tools into our own classroom, and keeps an open door policy for troubleshooting and idea sharing about ways to further improve student learning.
Students Walked The Red Carpet To Kick Off The 2016-17 School Year
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding Dean's List. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
4 Nicolet Student Named National Financial Literacy Scholars
The following Nicolet students scored 95% or higher on w!se's 2015-16 National Financial Literacy Certification Test. To honor these student Scholars, the National Financial Literacy organization will be hosting an annual Scholars' Reception on June 10th from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm at the Museum of American Finance in New York City.
Nishant Sabnis (Perfect Score!)
Jaskarn Mann
Yogev Ben-Yitschak
Kent Tianan
Nicolet Student Inducted Into National Honor Society
Congratulations to the Nicolet students that were inducted into the Nicolet Chapter of the National Honor Society on Sunday, May 22, 2016. The presenter for the evening was Mr. Jeff Martinka, Executive Director of Neighborhood House in Milwaukee. The advisor for the Nicolet Chapter of the National Honor Society is English Teacher Nicole Mueller.
Nicolet Student Ranked As Top French Student In State
Freshman Ben Kramer was THE top ranked student in French III in the state of Wisconsin according to National French Contest. As a result, he is the recipient of the Lillian Trottier award which is a gift of $25 from the American Association of Teachers of French. This is evidence of the time and effort Ben puts forth in his study of the French language. Bravo Ben!! Magnifique!
Nicolet Students Earn Their Financial Literacy Certification
Pictured below are students who earned their Financial Literacy Certification from w!se, Working in Support of Education, a New York based organization that presents the test to high school students nation wide. Each of the students pictured completed the semester long Financial Literacy course by getting an invite to the certification ceremony in New York city.
Nicolet Spanish Students Excel on National Exam
It was a banner year for Spanish students on the National Spanish Exam! 100 students or 55% of those who took the exam at Nicolet placed in the state of Wisconsin for their level. We had first place scores in levels 2-5. Click here for the list of students.
On May 12, The Nicolet High School District announced that Al Hanson has been hired as the head boys basketball coach at Nicolet High School. Hanson will begin his duties as head boys basketball coach effective immediately in preparation for the 2016-17 season.
“We have a strong leader committed to strengthening the Nicolet boys basketball program,” said Krychowiak. “We believe Coach Hanson’s dedication to the program and past experience will really help the team grow. These students deserve the best leadership we can give them.”
Hanson coached at Playground Elite and Dominican High School, where he served as the assistant boys basketball coach to future Division I players Duane Wilson and Diamond Stone. In addition to coaching, Hanson served as University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s Men’s Basketball Director of Basketball Operations, as well as the Video Coordinator and Director of Player Development. He also teaches as a professor of Sport and Recreation.
Prior to his coaching career, Hanson played basketball with Wauwatosa East High School and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he helped lead the team to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2005. He showed an early interest in sports leadership as captain of both teams.
Hanson’s former teammates and coaches have nothing but good things to say about him.
“Al is a high school legend from Tosa East. He was a terrific player and coach at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and he will enhance and add to the incredible diversity at Nicolet High School. He has unbelievable character, and I think he will be a great, great high school coach,” said Bruce Pearl, Head Basketball Coach at Auburn University and Hanson’s coach when he played for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
"Al is sharp, smart with a great personality and work ethic. He is a coaching star in the making," added Rob Jeter, former Head Coach at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Hanson graduated from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee with a degree in economics. He then went on to receive his Master’s Degree in Sports Management from Cardinal Stritch University.
The 2016 season officially starts November 14, and Hanson will participate in many school activities between now and next fall in anticipation of the new season.
Nicolet French Students Bring Home 5 Gold Medals In State Contest
Nicolet French students brought home 5 gold medals and one silver medal at the State French pronunciation contest at Arrowhead High School on Saturday. Libby Noll won gold for level II Music Performance, Elissa Olson and Emma Laskowski each took gold for level two poetry recitation, Megan Sullivan won gold for level II extemporaneous prose, Emily Blumenthal won gold for level V extemporaneous prose, and Anna Christenson took silver for level III extemporaneous prose. Congrats to all on their hard work and preparation for the contest!
Nicolet French Students Dominate National French Contest
The French department is so very proud to announce that Nicolet French students once again dominated in National French Contest this year. Students who ranked in the top 10 in State in their level are Louis Miller, Megan Sullivan, Avery MItchell, Rachael Riedijk, Anna McDougall, Caroline Schoenfeldt, George Lawton, Ben Kramer, Sidney Capati, Eric Walsh, Asante Lanier, Sita Agterberg, Emily Blumenthal, Sona Perlin, and Sarah Schoenfeldt. Anna McDougall, Ben Kramer, and Louis Miller were all ranked in the top ten nationally. Congratulations to all!
Nicolet Student To Compete In The International Science and Engineering Fair
Neville Nazareth will be competing in the International Science and Engineering Fair Competition in Phoenix, Arizona during the week of May 9th with 1,700 different students from 75 different countries! Intel hosts the event, and between the 22 different science, math and engineering categories, $4 million worth of prizes and scholarships are given out to students! Students will meet Nobel laureates, meet with some of the 1,000 professionals judging the event, and take part in once in a lifetime activities throughout the week.
Nicolet German Students Take 3rd Place in State Competition
Nicolet German students earned a respectable 3rd place at the 2016 UW-Madison German Day Competition on April 21st. Featuring high schools from around the state competing in spelling, poetry, skit and singing, Nicolet outpointed its rivals from the Milwaukee and the North Shore, but was edged out by Mukwonago and Neenah St. Mary's for the top spot.
Congratulations the following competition participants:
Event One:Poetry Advanced - Maria Graziano: Die Lorelei, Kendra Dittmar: Mondnacht
Event Two:Poetry II - Caroline Marowski: Gefunden
Event Three:Spelling Advanced - Audrey Boos, Francisco Cid Rodriguez, Jenny Davis
Event Four: Spelling II - Helena DeLong, Rachel Blumenthal
Event Five: Skit - Deutsch - Sprache der Zukunft - Nick Bronek, Aleyah Coleman, Maria Graziano, Dana Hamilton, Emily Janicik, Tom Driscoll, Zack Hampel, Devin Harrison, Stephen Johnson, Robert McCracken, Brandon Poll, Teddy Uy, Yoana Petrinska, Alayna Mayer
Event Six:Vocal - Und wenn ein Lied - Superior Murphy, Stephen Johnson
Nicolet Students Wins Essay Contest
Congratulations to Julian Lowe (11th grade) for winning the Holocaust essay contest in division II (10th-12th grades).
The topic this year was: "How has learning about the Holocaust influenced the way you act, the way you look at the world and/or the way you treat others?"
22 Schools in Wisconsin participated in this contest and 170 essays were submitted. Two winners were chosen in each division.
Julian received his award yesterday in the Holocaust Commemoration event (Yom Hashoah) held at the Jewish Community Center (JCC). It was a beautiful, meaningful ceremony. Other Nicolet students participated in different parts of the program as well.
In addition to a certificate presented to him at the ceremony, Julian won a fully-paid trip to the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. He also received a copy of a book written by the keynote speaker of the event, Samuel Harris.
In Julian’s honor, Nicolet’s library received the book "The Holocaust Chronicle" - A history in words and pictures.
Nicolet Announces Dean's List For 3rd Quarter
Nicolet High School is proud to announce the Dean’s List for the 3rd quarter of the 2015-2016 school year. Follow this link to see students listed by grade level that have made the Dean’s List: //www.nicolet.us/news_events/deans_list/15_16/quarter_three.pdf
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us to check on this for you. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
8 Nicolet French Students Advance To State Pronunciation Competition
On Saturday, April 23 eight Nicolet French students participated in the Regional French Pronunciation Contest at Brookfield Academy. Six students will be advancing to the state competition which will take place on May 14th at Arrowhead High School in their respective levels and categories. Congratulations to the following students:
Emily Blumenthal, level 5 extemporaneous prose
Anna Christenson, level 3 extemporaneous prose
Megan Sullivan, level 2 extemporaneous prose
Emma Laskowski, level 2 poetry
Elissa Olson, level 2 poetry
Libby Noll, level 2 music performance
Nicolet Orchestra Wins Gold Rating at International Music Festival
Congratulations to the members of the Nicolet High School Orchestra, who return triumphant from the Heritage World Strides International Music Festival at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida bearing two prizes - a Gold Rating (the highest the festival offers), and designation of "Best Orchestra" at the festival! Due to the performance at this workshop, Nicolet Orchestra have been invited to appear at one of their Festivals of Gold (in either Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Washington D.C.) or their festival at Carnegie Hall. The months of hard work have paid off!
Nicolet Student Wins 2016 Congressional Art Award
On Saturday April 22, Lieschen du Plessis earned four perfect scores and was announced as the 2016 Congressional Art Award winner by Congresswoman Gwen Moore.
Lieschen and her family will be guests of Southwest Airlines and Northwestern Mutual and travel to Washington D.C. for the annual reception and awards ceremony in June. Her work will remain on display in Washington D. C. for one year.
This is the tenth year of the Congressional Art Competition and Lieschen is the third Nicolet student to receive this recognition in the last three years.
Congratulations to Ms. Leeson, Ms. Schmidt and Mr. Medved for their support and guidance for Lieschen and the art department.
Nicolet National History Day Students Find Success at State Competition
On Saturday ten students represented Nicolet at the state level competition for National History Day (NHD) on a beautiful day in Madison. Over 10,000 students participated in NHD in Wisconsin this year, and only two students in each category are chosen to represent Wisconsin in Washington, DC for the national competition.
The following students achieved outstanding results:
Zachary Newman winner of the Robert and Carroll Heideman Award for Archival Research for his website "Saving One Third of a Nation: How Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal Established Government Responsibility to Provide a Social Safety Net"
Blair Wales winner of the Civil Rights History Award for her performance "Southern Jews and Civil Rights"
Megan Gendelman, second alternative to nationals for her performance "Ada James: Wisconsin's Journey to the 19th Amendment"
Olivia Weslow, second alternative to nationals for her exhibit "Axis Prisoners of War: Saved the United States from Labor Shortages"
Representing Nicolet and Wisconsin at the NHD competition in Washington, D.C.: Adelie Content for her documentary "John Burroughs: America's Forgotten Naturalist"
Nicolet Fed Challenge Team Captures Midwest Regional
Congratulations to the 2016 Nicolet Fed Challenge Team for bringing home a WI State AND Midwest Regional win on Friday, April 22nd at the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank.
Nicolet Students Win Wisconsin Economic Challenge
Congratulations to the following Nicolet team on their first place win in the Wisconsin Economics Challenge. They each went home with a crisp $50 in their pocket!
Individual awards for highest scores amongst all students competing:
1st place Micro and Macro = Timothy Leplae Arthur
2nd place Micro = Maya Bhadkamkar
2nd place Macro = Ania Kotecki
Nicolet Math Students Perform Admirably In Contest
Each year Nicolet participates in the Wisconsin Mathematics League (WIML). A math contest test is taken once a month for six months after school. Only the top five scores count towards the schools total. The Nicolet math students performed admirably once again. As a school, Nicolet placed 2nd in conference and 8th in the state. Takahiro Ishikuri was highlighted in the WIML report as being one of the top point earners in the state. Below is a list of the top 15 students at Nicolet:
Takahiro Ishikuri
August Eurich
Thomas Nguyen
Michael Goldstein
Anna Christenson
Christopher Hellman
Lucas Houchin-Miller
Anna McDougall
Jonah Packman
Raman Kashpar
Martin Muenster
Nishant Sabnis
Yonatan S. Altman-Shafer
Zachary Asmann
Nicolet Art Students Receive Awards for the State Fair Art Exhibition
The Art Department would like to announce the student's who have received awards for the State Fair Art Exhibition:
In the Junior division:
Emilie Haworth received a 2nd place for, "Reflections of Fall," a pastel drawing
In the Senior division:
Lieschen duPLessis received a 1st Place for, "I can't look now," an acrylic painting.
Jennifer Froh received a 2nd place for, "Homage to Joan of Arc," a chainmaille inspired dress with accessories.
Ciara Jones received a 2nd place for, "Caught" a photograph.
Max Kinstler received a 2nd place for, "REPLACE [x,y,z]" a digital art piece.
Katie Novak received a 2nd place for, "Calla Lily" a sculptural ceramic piece.
Henry Carruth received a 3rd place for, "The Trail Continues" a photograph.
Maddy Holton received a 3rd place for, "Figure Study," an stylized acrylic figure painting.
Sam Scribner received a 3rd place for, "Tin Roof," a photograph.
In the Special Needs category:
Talia Trevino received a 2nd place for, "Alexander" an acrylic painting.
The students' work will be on display in the front lobby in the Fall.
Nicolet Students Triumph at Solo & Ensemble Festival
Congratulations to all of the Nicolet Musicians that performed at the North Shore District Solo & Ensemble festival last Saturday, March 19th.
The following 93 students qualified for the Wisconsin School Music Association State Festival later this spring:
Katie Cianciola
Ben Kramer
Yonatan Zehavi
Callahan Lieungh
Noah Hallerman
Patrick Smith
Ariel Cohn
Nick Best
Oliver Lefebvre
Billy Manger
Nathan Karl
Aduarius Stutts
Kayla Howze
Saul Dinauer
Craig Freigang
Sona Perlin
Gabe Rosenthal
Josh Trimble
Michael Dunst
David Cranberg
Nathan Karl
Donovan Carter
Daylen Fisher
Miles Guralnick
Jackson Folstein
Adrian Carter
JaRon Williams
Evan Johnson
Chad Hunt
Ben Keene
Max Selbach
Benny Koziol
Elissa Olson
Troy Wagner
Ben Chester
Nathan Inyang
Dan Manger
Alex Weida
James Hightower
Emily Blumenthal
Mikayla Penn
Bella Hutson
Cheyanne Roszina
Christopher Flick
Madeline Folstein
Madilyn Reick
Lauryn Wagner
Neville Nazareth
Aaron Broadnax
Colin Delvecchio
Robert-Claud Diedrich
Anja du Plessis
Lieschen du Plessis
Cassidy Eiers
Daria Gill
Jenna Koshakow
Kayla Melkonian
Connor Weida
Joseph Azbel
Brandon Kennedy
Ben Babisch
Amani Reid
Jake Tarnowski
Jubilee Hou
Anna McDougall
Tehya Crego
Lucas Houchin-Miller
Kieran Agterberg
Liam McLean
Louis Miller
Thomas Nguyen
Emma Juettner
Eleanor Bird
Sam Kovnar
Ava Stallmann
Annabelle Crowley
Smita Nayak
Aleyah Coleman
Zhi Zhang
Jennifer Davis
Audrey Whitnah
Kyra Orvis
Maria Sanfilippo
Ellie Strelow
Ben Cook
Don Vu
Grace Greene
Mitchell Reed
Cathleen Greene
Nicolet Students Successful at the State Science Fair
Nicolet students had a very successful experience at the Badger State Science and Engineering Fair (BSSEF) at Marquette University this past Saturday. It was a full day with two lengthy rounds of judging, and our students did excellent and represented Nicolet very well. They had great conversations with judges and every student left the awards ceremony with an award!
The awards are listed below:
Smita Nayak took 1st place in the Medicine/Health Category with her project "The Effects of Different Commercial Brands of Contact Lens Disinfectant Solutions on Bacterial Accumulation in Simulated Contact Lenses".
Julian Nazareth received two specialty awards with his project "Locating Cloud Data Centers using Genetic Algorithms" which included: The MU Alpha Theta Award that recognizes a student for an outstanding mathematics project, and the Yale Science and Engineering Association, Inc. Award.
Neville Nazareth, who won our Nicolet Fair and will be heading to the internationals in May, received an award from the United States Air Force with his project, "Program-based Interpretation of Electrocardiograms to Diagnose Cardiac Conditions".
Claudia Schneider also received special recognition from BSSEF for her project "The Effect of Natural and Artificial Sweeteners on Growth of Probiotics Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus".
These students have dedicated months + of time and effort into their projects. It's really fun to see kids excited about science and research and be recognized on the state level for their hard work. Be sure to congratulate these kids if you see them! I added a few pics from the day below.
Also a special thanks to those that have helped mentor students this year, Eliot Scheuer, Mike Schroeder, Sarah Richter, and John Rhude. Thanks to the entire science department for stepping in throughout the year to help collect supplies for our students and prepare/organize equipment when needed!
Nicolet Orchestra Students Succeed at Solo & Ensemble Festival
All of the orchestra students that participated in Saturday's Wisconsin School Music Association District Solo & Ensemble Festival scored a "1" - the highest level!
In addition, the following students scored high enough to proceed to the State Solo & Ensemble Festival, to be held at Cardinal Stritch in May:
The Nicolet Chamber Orchestra
Liam McLean
Tehya Crego
Kieran Agterberg
Anna McDougall
Neville Nazareth
Thomas Nguyen
Louis Miller
Lucas Houchin-Miller
Jubilee Hou
German Pronunciation Contest Results
On Saturday March 19th Nicolet students competed at the State German Pronunciation Contest. Held at Marquette University, students competed against their rivals from Rufus King, Milwaukee School of Languages, Greenfield and Tosa West and took home over one quarter of all medals awarded. Please congratulate the following students:
Level 4/5
1st Place: Yoana Petrinska
2nd Place: Maria Graziano
Level 3
1st Place: Alejandro Damonte-Vegas and Cassie Eiers
2nd Place: Jenny Davis
Level 2
1st Place: Helena Delong, Caroline Marowski and Melissa Stevens
Level 1
1st Place: Ed Sherman
2nd Place: YanQi Li
3rd Place: Ryan Dziengel
Special congratulations to Caroline for earning a perfect score for the second straight year!
Nicolet Model UN Team Brings Home Awards at Conference
Congratulations to the 33 students on the Nicolet Model UN Team! The team, representing Chile, India, Morocco, the International Court of Justice, and the Joint Crisis committee, competed with over 50 other schools and 600 students at the Model United Nations Conference held at UWM this week. In the simulation, students debated crisis issues and drafted resolutions in response, with team members Michael Dunst, Jack Folstein, Thomas Nguyen, Benjamin Vuchetich, Elizabeth Saggio, Emily Janicik, Rachel Blumenthal, Yogev Ben-Yitschak, Ale Tejeda, and Nishant Sabnis authoring or co-sponsoring resolutions that were debated by the General Assembly.
All team members were professional and impressive in their performance. Several even garnered awards for their work, including:
Maddy Folstein -- Best Research, International Court of Justice
Sarah Fleming -- Position Paper Award
Julia Bohlen -- Position Paper Award
Elizabeth Saggio -- Position Paper Award
Stella Kleynerman -- Position Paper Award
Joe Vuchetich -- Best Portrayal, JCC
and team of Yoni Altman-Shafer, Rachel Blumenthal, Sarah Fleming, Thomas Nguyen, Jonah Packman, Elizabeth Saggio, and Ben Vuchetich -- Best Delegation, India
Dr. Phyllis Santacroce Selected as a Behring Teacher Ambassador for National History Day
Nicolet history teacher Dr. Phyllis Santacroce was among 23 teachers selected to be a Behring Teacher Ambassador for National History Day® during the 2016-2017 school year.
To be selected, recipients must show outstanding creativity, commitment and inspiration in developing students’ interest in history education. Candidates must be excellent classroom teachers who are past winners of the Behring Teacher Award in their state or affiliate program. Santacroce was awarded the Wisconsin Behring Teacher Award for classroom excellence in National History Day’s Senior division in 2011.
The 2016–2017 National History Day theme is Taking a Stand in History. Throughout the school year, Behring Teacher Ambassadors work with students and teachers around the country to help them better understand the theme and to expand National History Day programs in their regions. Behring Teacher Ambassadors attend a training workshop in July and collaborate with their program’s affiliate coordinator to develop an annual strategy to help students discover the power of history.
“National History Day believes educators are the best resource a student has, and Dr. Santacroce exemplifies what it means to be an excellent educator,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “All of these teachers are a credit to their discipline and a driving force behind the success of their students and our programs.”
Nicolet Student Artwork to be on Display in Milwaukee's Third Ward
Come join the Nicolet High School AP Studio Art students for Milwaukee Gallery Night and Day, April 15 and 16! Through vivid paintings, stunning photography, and finely crafted sculpture, Nicolet High School artists defy what it typically means to be an adolescent artist.
The students will be exhibiting in two locations in Milwaukee’s Third Ward: 249 N. Water St., Milwaukee, WI 53202 (1st Floor of Water Buffalo) and 231 E. Buffalo St., Milwaukee, WI 53202 (Lobby Floor of Tom Queoff’s Sculpture Studio). The event runs from 5:30-9 p.m. on Friday, April 15, and noon- 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 16.
Artwork will be available for purchase upon request, with a portion of the funds going to our sponsor of this showcase, the Nicolet High School Foundation. Please come support the extremely talented, young artists as they make their presence known in the Milwaukee art community!
Three Nicolet Students Receive Silver Medals in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Nicolet students Jack Berroug, Emma Bird and Lieschen du Plessis received Silver Medals for their submissions in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These students have been identified by panels of creative professionals as the most talented young artists and writers in the nation. This year, nearly 320,000 works of art and writing were submitted. Only the top 1% were recognized at the national level.
Emma received a medal for her work “Gypsy” in the Film & Animation category. Jack and Lieschen both received medals for Art Portifolios, entitled “Interconnected” and “Water.” Jack and Lieschen were two of only three Silver Medal Portfolio Winners in the state, and Wisconsin had no Gold Medal Portfolio Winners.
Robert McCracken Congress-Bundestag Scholarship Winner
Nicolet Senior Robert McCracken has been selected for the Congress-Bundestag Scholar program for the 2016-17 school year. This program allows for a select group of American students to spend a year studying in Germany, living with host families and acting as unofficial ambassadors of our country. In July Robert will attend a three day orientation in Washington DC and then a three week immersion course in Germany before traveling on to his new school. While in Germany, Robert will connect with German government officials and enjoy cultural excursions to the German Bundestag and select German cities. Robert is the thirteenth Nicolet German student to be selected for this program since 2002. Sandra Gurneau spent the 2014-2015 school year in Dortmund.
Initiated in 1983, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program was created to strengthen ties between Germany and the United States through citizen diplomacy. CBYX is jointly funded by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag, and in the U.S. is overseen by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The value of the scholarship is placed at over $10,000.
Robert has been very active at Nicolet the past four years. He has been a member of the Pop Combo, Volleyball, Tennis and Swim Teams and Model UN. In German, he is currently president of German Club, is a member of the German Honor Society, and participated in the 2014 GAPP Exchange Program. Robert has qualified for the State German Pronunciation Contest three times and helped Nicolet to two UW-Madison German Day championships in the skit and poetry categories.
Nicolet Students Advance To State In The Finance & Investment Challenge Bowl
The Millionaires Club participated in the Finance and Investment Challenge Bowl on March 9th. We brought two teams of four to compete in the Jeopardy style like format game where students are quizzed on their knowledge of Finance, Investing, Insurance, Accounting, Business Management and Marketing topics among others.
The team consisting of Yogev Ben-Yitschak, Morgan Johnstone, Char Retzlaff, and Jaskarn Mann finished the day with 4 wins and 1 loss which stamped their ticket to the State Championships on April 27th to be held at Manpower Group HQ.
Also, The team consisting of Oliver Lefebvre, Aaron Broadnax, Bobby Watkins, and Etan Maistelman finished the day with 2 wins and 1 loss which was good enough to tie for 3rd place and win the Consolation Championship.
Students were given cash prizes, which hopefully they'll invest, and $129 Bucks tickets to this evenings game.
Nicolet Students Triumph at the State Spanish Pronunciation Contest
On Saturday, March 5th, the Spanish department took 39 Nicolet Spanish students to the State Spanish Pronunciation Contest held in West Bend. Students competed in 49 different events ranging from reciting a piece of poetry, reciting a written narration, performing a skit, presenting an extemporaneous narration and having an extemporaneous conversation.
Nicolet faired quite well! Of the 49 events, our students received 37 Gold ribbons, 11 Silver ribbons and 1 Bronze ribbon. If you have any of these students in your classes, please congratulate them on a job well done!
Gregory Frijia
Thomas Nguyen
Michael Goldstein
Elizabeth Saggio
Liani Rodriguez
Benjamin Cohn
D’Angelo Picado
Callahan Lieungh
Chris Hellman
Holly Rossman
Autumn Stelzer
Sara Adams
Luz Macek
Anna Spektor-Bulatova
Nikhil Bhadkamkar
Emma Lloyd
Smita Nayak
Morgan Kramer
Molly McBride
Tamar Hallmann
Takahiri Ishikari
Joseph Azbel
Raman Kashpar
Armand Plantar
Alejandro Arisso
Deneesha Fears
Mariah Swisher
Anne Wirth
Valentina Bianchini
Ania Kotecki
Emma Juettner
Zachary Hampel
Hannah McBride
Jeremy Moser
Jack Berroug
Adam Mitchell
Stelle Kleynerman
Diana Palencia
14 Nicolet German Students Advance To State Pronunciation Contest
On Saturday February 20th Nicolet students competed in the Southeastern Wisconsin German Pronunciation Contest. Held at Rufus King High School, the contest required students to recite a poem and make an extemporaneous presentation in German. Competing mainly against students with immersion German backgrounds, our students did well, with fourteen qualifying for the state competition. Please congratulate the following students:
German One: Ryan Dziengel, YanQi Li, Caspar Woehl-Sauvignon, Felix Woehl-Sauvignon.
German Two: Helena DeLong, Caroline Marowski, Melissa Stevens
German Three: Alejandro Damonte Vegas, Jennifer Davis, Cassidy Eiers
Advanced: Maria Graziano, Emily Janicik, Robert McCracken, Yoana Petrinska
Special recognition goes out to Maria and Emily who have now qualified for the fifth straight year.
Nicolet FEAR Team Captures Awards
Please congratulate this team of students on a fantastic job this weekend in Duluth. Here's a recap of what they achieved:
Played in Semi-Final Matches, placing in the top 4 of 65 teams (thanks to our drivers & programmers for making the robot function at its best in all 13 matches we played)
Won the Pit Safety Award for Friday (thanks to the students who worked tirelessly and safely on the robot all weekend)
Won the Entrepreneurship Award (thanks to the students who wrote the previously submitted essays, and nice job with the on the spot judge interviews by our community outreach students)
Recognized by the Second Place Seeded Team for our Scouting Methods (thanks to the students who literally watched, recorded and analyzed data for EVERY MATCH)
It really is MORE THAN ROBOTS as the FIRST tagline says! It was a great weekend, these 32 students represented Nicolet at its finest.
Now - they are on to the next competition here in Milwaukee on March 25 & 26!!
National History Day Nicolet Students Advance To State Competition
On Saturday, March 5 the regional competition for National History Day was held at UWM. While all students create an NHD project first semester in Global History, students chose to enter the competition cycle.
Below are the students who will be representing Nicolet at the state competition in Madison on Saturday April 23.
Senior Individual Exhibit
Avery Mitchell: Harry Houdini
Olivia Weslow: Axis Prisoners of War
Senior Group Exhibit
Amanda Mlekoday and Grace Greene: Coco Channel
Senior Individual Documentaries
Aviva Levin: Nazi Propaganda
Adelie Content: John Burroughs
Senior Individual Website
Neville Nazareth: David Livingstone
Erin Fernandez: Japanese Occupation of the East Indies / Philippines
Zachary Newman: FDR and the New Deal
Senior Individual Performances
Megan Gendelman: Ada James and Women's Right to Vote
Blair Wales: Southern Jews and Civil Rights
Special thanks go to Mark Schill, Deb Krause, and volunteer historian Tony Genetine who worked with students to perfect and improve projects before the competition. Thanks also go to John Reiels and Nicole Nelson for addressing technical issues.
Nicolet Science and Engineering Fair Results
This past weekend students competed at our very own Nicolet Science and Engineering Fair. It was a great day for the high school students, the judges, and the three feeder middle school students that participated.
A special thanks to Eliot Scheuer, Mike Schroeder, and Sarah Richter for the tremendous amount of help they provided running the middle and high school fair. We also had a number of AP science students judge the middle school fair which was awesome as well.
Our 2016 best of fair winner was freshman Neville Nazareth with his project titled, "Program-Based Interpretation of Electrocardiograms to Diagnose Cardiac Conditions". Neville will be traveling to Phoenix in May to compete at the week long Intel International Science and Engineering Fair where thousands of students from over 70 countries participate!
Our 1st and 2nd place fair winners are:
1st place in Life Science: Claudia Schneider with her project titled, "The Effect of Natural and Artificial Sugars on Growth of the Probiotics Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus Contained in Yogurt"
1st place in Physical Science: Neville Nazareth
2nd place in Life Science: Smita Nayak with her project titled, "The Effects of Different Contact Lens Disinfectant Solution Brands on Bacterial Accumulation in Contact Lenses"
2nd place in Physical Science: Julian Nazareth with his project titled, "Locating Cloud Data Centers using Genetic Algorithms"
These 4 category winners, along with Ryan Mitchell (with his engineering project titled, "Walking Power") are invited to the state competition March, 19th at Marquette University.
Congrats to all students that participated!
Nicolet Students on Wisconsin Public Radio
On March 1st, two Nicolet juniors, Ananda Deacon and Mikayla Penn, joined Kathleen Dunn's WPR program that focused on young people's perceptions of the upcoming presidential election.
These smart young women were asked to come because of their continued work with Nicolet's ACLU student alliance. They joined two students from Rufus King's program as well.
If you are interested in hearing their insights, here's the link. Ms. Dunn was so impressed, she asked them back in October for a follow-up discussion closer to election day.
Nicolet Senior Receives President's Volunteer Service Award
Nicolet senior Brandon Kennedy has been honored for his exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.
The award, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association Secondary School Principals (NASSP), recognizes middle level high school students across America for outstanding volunteer service, was granted by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of President Barack Obama. Nicolet nominated Brandon for national honors at the beginning of the 2015-16 school year in recognition of his volunteer service.
“The recipients of these awards demonstrate that young people across America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities,” said John Strangfeld, Chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. “By recognizing these students and placing a spotlight on their volunteer activities, we hope to motivate others to consider how they can also contribute to their community.”
“Demonstrating civic responsibility through volunteerism is an important part of life,” said NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti. “These honorees practice a lesson we hope all young people, as well as adults, will emulate.”
Nicolet Announces Dean's List for 2nd Quarter and 1st Semester
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@nicolet.us if you have a question regarding Dean's List. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Student Writers Receive Recognition in the 2016 Scholastic Writing Awards
Please join the English department in congratulating the following students for their recognition in the 2016 Scholastic Writing Awards. We had an excellent turnout for the competition this year and we are delighted that our talented students have been recognized for their writing.
According to the Stillwaters Collective, our Milwaukee affiliate for the Scholastic Writing Awards, "This work was recognized by a panel of creative professionals as the most outstanding work submitted among [their] peers. In their 93 year history, the Awards have recognized some of America's most celebrated writers while they were teenagers, including: Sylvia Plath, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Truman Capote, and Lena Dunham."
Silver Key Winners:
Matthew Aussem for "Dreams"
Joe Azbel for "Elimination Chamber"
Ben Brod for "Cults are Bad mmmkay"
Michael Dunst for "Retaliation"
Zach Ellner for "Channel 5 News Update: Bigfoot"
Taka Ishikuri for "Elimination"
Morgan Johnstone for "The Savior's Blood on Linoleum Floors and Tabletops"
Carly Jones for "I'm a Paradox"
Benny Koziol for "david & the harp"
Marissa Lockhart for "He Is"
Hannah Polan for "Race Shoes"
Amir Rasuli for "Elimination"
Honorable Mention:
Arielle Bordow for "Guitar Hero Feminism" and "The War on Babies"
Ananda Deacon for "Brushes and Strokes"
Lili du Plessis for "The Walls"
Rosie Goodman for "Star of David"
Maria Graziano for "You Talk Black"
Tamar Halmann for "Where I'm From"
Claire Jennings for "Bodies"
Evan Johnson for "Tick"
Noah Kennedy for "A Murder Most Fowl"
Stella Kleynerman for "What is Education?"
Kaela Lawrence for "Who I Am"
Marissa Lockhart for "Milk's Favorite Cookie"
Maya Melchert for "Narrative Piece"
Avi Paley for "The Bull and the Human"
Ricky Romersi for "Drugs"
Sammi Schnoll for "The Worst Vacation Ever"
Michelle Shterenfeld for "How to Find the Right TV Show for Your Child"
Danielle Smith for "And Then Her Heart Spoke to Her"
Marli Stellhorn for "Do NOT Forget the Gift"
Ale Tejeda for "For You"
Georgia Wood for "Acclimating Adversity"
And these writers are added to our Gold Key Winners honored in a previous email:
Emily Anderson
Augusta Byrne
David Cranberg
Morgan Johnstone
Morgan Kramer
Jacob Newman
Lauryn Wagner
In addition to this wonderful honor, students can apply for programs and scholarships at the local, regional, and national level.
Nicolet Mock Trial Team Takes 2nd in Regional Competition
On February 13th, Nicolet's three Mock Trial teams competed in the regional competition in Racine. Ten teams competed in a four round competition that lasted all day. At the end of the day, one of the Nicolet teams took second place, losing to the regional champion via a tiebreaker. Below is the team picture.
Nicolet Students Receive Writing Awards
Congratulations to the following students who received a Gold Key in the 2016 Scholastic Writing Awards:
Emily Anderson for her short story, "The Proud Life of Jackson Hobbes"
Augusta Byrne for her personal essay, "Girls and What's Wrong with Them"
David Cranberg for his humorous essay, "Trump vs 2020"
Morgan Johnstone for her poem, "Doors Like Guns"
Morgan Kramer for her flash fiction, "My Last Night"
Jacob Newman for his poem, "Ten Minutes of Television"
Lauryn Wagner for her short story, "I'm Sorry"
Their work is now considered for national competition, with winners announced in mid-March.
Nicolet Students Receive Art Awards
The following students have earned recognition in the Regional Scholastic Art Awards Competition and Exhibition. Individual art works receiving Gold and Silver Keys will be be on display in the exhibit held at the Milwaukee Art Museum from January 30 - March 13, 2016. Students will be attending the awards ceremony this Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
The students whose works were recognized are as follows:
Art Portfolios - Honorable Mention
Arielle Bordow
Maya Magana
Rayanne Pelican
Brandon Poll
Sam Scribner
Silver Key
Arielle Bordow
Wil Dietz
Lieschen du Plessis
Elizabeth Tong
Gold Key
Jack Berroug
Emma Bird
Wil Dietz
Lieschen du Plessis
Elizabeth Jaekels
INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES
Jack Berroug (2SK, HM)
Emma Bird (GK, SK)
Arielle Bordow (2SK, HM)
Wil Dietz (HM)
Lieschen du Plessis (2GK, 2HM)
Maddie Falk (2SK, HM)
Elizabeth Jaekels (SK)
Eve Jonas (HM)
Madison Kohnke (HM)
Maya Magana (HM)
Ryan Mitchell (HM)
Katie Novak (GK)
Rayanne Pelican (HM)
Brandon Poll (2 HM)
Sam Scribner (SK, HM)
Leilani Dolphin (SK)
Jennifer Emond (HM)
Kelsey Enea (SK)
Jennifer Froh (HM)
Anna Girton (HM)
Sean Hanzel (HM)
Emilie Haworth (SK)
Maddy Holton (HM)
Max Kinstler (GK)
Raevaughn Lord-Huertas (2HM)
Alesandra Tejeda (SK, HM)
Nicolet Hires New Varsity Football Coach
The Nicolet High School District announced today that Al Moroder has been hired as the head football coach at Nicolet High School. Moroder will begin his duties as head football coach effective immediately in preparation for the 2016 season.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Moroder to Nicolet,” said Principal Greg Kabara. “Our student-athletes are committed to strengthening the Nicolet football program and we believe Coach Moroder has the right experience to lead them into the future.”
Moroder has spent most of his coaching career at New Berlin West High School, including the last four seasons as the head varsity football coach. In addition to coaching, Moroder served as the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator at West for the last five years. Moroder graduated from Homestead High School, where he played football and started his coaching career.
“The Nicolet community has a passion for football and I see a lot of potential for growing this program in the years ahead,” said Moroder. “I am eager to meet the players and start preparing for next season.”
Moroder graduated from Concordia University with a degree in Business Management & Marketing. He went on to complete the Graduate Teacher Certification Program and has been a business education teacher in the School District of New Berlin since 2010. In June 2015, Moroder received his MBA in education leadership from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
“Coach Moroder will get started right away on hiring an experienced coaching staff and putting the building blocks in place to launch the next chapter of Nicolet football,” said Nicolet Athletic Director Kirk Krychowiak. “We plan to schedule a meet and greet with Coach Moroder for our players in the coming weeks.”
The 2016 season officially starts August 2, and Moroder will participate in many school activities between now and next fall in anticipation of the new season.
Nicolet Student Wins Foreign Language Scholarship
Congratulations to junior Maria Graziano for winning the Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers 2016 Lynn Bolton Student Travel Scholarship. She is one of two foreign language students in the state to be given this honor. Founded in 1999, the scholarship exists to help deserving pre-collegiate world languages students participate in language and cultural immersion programs. The awards committee was impressed with Maria's track record of excellence in the classroom and at German Day and German Pronunciation contests, as well as her work on the 2014 GAPP exchange and Nicolet's Multicultural Club and Unheard Voices initiative. The $500 prize will subsidize Maria's participation in the 2016 GAPP Exchange with the Gymnasium Leopoldinum.
Nicolet National Business Honor Society Contributes To St. Francis Children's Center
The Nicolet High School National Business Honor Society, in support of the St. Francis Children's Center, reached out to local businesses to provide new stuffed animals for the children at the center. The event was an overwhelming success thanks to major contributions from the following businesses: First Bank Financial Centre, Walgreens, and Heiser Ford Lincoln.
The National Business Honor Society at Nicolet High School consists of 15 students that have gone above and beyond to meet the requirements of being a member of the society. This is the annual service project for the society.
Nicolet Thanksgiving Food Drive
The Nicolet Thanksgiving Food Drive, sponsored by the Spanish 4H class, donated 20,442 cans and over $5000 to the Centro Hispano. Together with our feeder schools we worked from November 9th through the 21st collecting cans and raising money. The highlight of this year’s drive was the $1060 raised through seven fundraisers before school and during lunch hours. These funds purchased fresh fruit and vegetables for each basket. Friday after school found a human chain of students loading the food onto trucks and vans and Saturday completed the project when 50 Nicolet students sorted and packed 670 boxes of non-perishable food topped with a bag of squash, potatoes, turnip greens, bananas and apples.
Nicolet Senior Named a 2016 National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) Honorable Mention Winner
Lieschen du Plessis, Nicolet Senior, has been named a 2016 National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) Honorable Mention Winner (= a 2nd Place) in Visual Arts. Selected out of more than 12,000 applications—the largest number to date—Miss du Plessis has been recognized for her outstanding work and accomplishments and joins 819 young artists from 42 states across the literary, visual, design and performing arts who are being presented with this year’s honor. Winners receive cash awards of up to $10,000, validation by renowned mentors, opportunities to participate in YoungArts programs, a strong professional network, and guidance in taking important steps toward achieving their goals. A complete list of the 2016 Winners is available online at http://youngarts.org/winners.
Nicolet High School is proud to announce the Dean’s List for the 1st quarter of the 2015-2016 school year. Follow this link to see students listed by grade level that have made the Dean’s List: //www.nicolet.us/news_events/deans_list/15_16/quarter_one.pdf
To qualify for this honor, students must earn all A’s or B’s for each quarter or semester separately. Additionally, students are allowed to earn one C if they have an A to offset it. Congratulations to all of our students that have earned this distinction.
*If your student’s name is missing from the list it may mean that we did not have parental consent to publish your child’s information. Please contact Amy.Lee@Nicolet.us to check on this for you. If you would like to give consent for publishing, a consent form will be emailed to you by request.
Nicolet Freshmen Participate In 2nd Annual Respect Retreat
On October 13, 2015, Nicolet freshmen students participated in the second annual Respect Retreat at Nicolet High School; presented by Youth Frontiers. Youth Frontiers, a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis, works with students and school staff to build communities where students thrive socially, emotionally and academically.
The full day respect retreat focuses on empowering students to respect themselves and others as well as to stand up for the value of respect in their school. The goal is to engage students in fun social activities as well as small group work of which the cornerstone is challenging students to think about what respect means to them and discussing it with other students in positive, monitored school environment.
To begin the day, Junior and Senior mentors attended a training in which the Youth Frontiers staff informed our student leaders how to guide the underclassmen during the days activities. Here you can see Hannah Tjoflat, one of the Youth Frontiers staff talking to the mentors during the mentor training time.
The Youth Frontiers staff also have the mentors students welcome the Freshmen to the gym by the way of a human cheer tunnel to energize the start of the day. Two Freshmen, Deneesha Fears and Nicholas Best are evidently excited about being greeted in this manner.
At the beginning of the retreat, students are guided through many high energy, low risk activities in which they can get to know each other. Dancing, thumb-wrestling and a large group sit activity were some of the bonding experiences the Youth Frontier’s staff use to help students realize we may be different, but we are all human and have some things in common.
Junior and Senior student mentors helped lead small group discussions during several parts of the retreat day. During this time students focused on defining what respect means to them as well as focusing on questions like, “Where do you think people learn to be respectful?”
At the end of the retreat, students have the opportunity to stand up and make a commitment for how they will stand up for respect at Nicolet. Freshman, Matthew Schiff, made the commitment to respect himself more, “You have no chance of respecting others or standing up for others without having respect for yourself.”
Later in the year, mentor students and advisory teachers administer a survey to the Freshmen in order to extend the impact of the retreat.
On October 15, 2015 nearly 600 Nicolet students learnedabout the dangers of smartphone activities while driving and were encouraged to take the pledge to keep their eyes on the road and not on their phones.
Nicolet High School teamed up with AT&T, AAA and the Wisconsin State Patrol as part of the It Can Wait® campaign to remind students that smartphone activity can – and should – wait until after driving.
Today’s event featured AAA’s distracted driving simulator, which allowed students to experience the dangers of smartphone activities behind the wheel. Teens also watched a new AT&T video that shows how one young man’s dreams of playing college football ended instantly when another driver hit his vehicle after glancing at a phone.
The Governor has proclaimed October as “It Can Wait – Distracted Driving Awareness” Month throughout Wisconsin and is urging drivers to take the pledge. This December also marks the 5 year anniversary of Wisconsin’s ban on texting while driving.
Nicolet Seniors Commended In The 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program
Emily Blumenthal and Martin Muenster are being commended for their exceptional academic promise in the 2016 scholarship program and will continue to compete for the Merit Scholar® title. Although they will not continue in the completion for the Merit Scholarship award, they are being recognized for placing among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered. Congratulations!
Nicolet Seniors recognized as Semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program
John Campbell, Madeline Folstein, Zachary Hampel, Emma Juettner and Sydney Stelzer were announced as Semifinalists in the 2016 scholarship program and will continue to compete for the Merit Scholar® title.
The students were chosen out of over 1.5 million high school juniors in more than 22,000 high schools who took the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
“We are extremely proud of our students,” said Nicolet High School Principal Greg Kabara. “These individuals are some of the brightest in the nation and truly showcase the academic excellence we strive for at Nicolet.”
There are approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2016 will be announced beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 315,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title including several Nicolet graduates.
Fox 6 News and the North Shore NOW visited Nicolet to feature the district's new digital learning initiative that provides Chromebooks to all incoming freshmen.
Faculty and staff lined the red carpet on Tuesday, September 1 to kick off the new school year and welcome students back as they entered the building. All four local news stations came out to capture the excitement.
