Eight percent of county students report they have stayed home from school due to safety concerns
By Elise Marlett, Current Staff
Students at the West Bend High Schools still feel vulnerable one year after the Parkland, Fla. school shooting. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
By Caitlin Marsch, Current Staff
After a six-year tenure, Pathways Charter School will close in June. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
By Lily Mottet, Current Staff
Painting a hallway wasn’t supposed to renew the rivalry between West Bend East and West High Schools. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
Survey results may lead to changes in required health class
By Elise Marlett, Current Staff
More than half of the high school students in Washington County have struggled with their mental health. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
WBHS will use education and law enforcement to combat vaping increase
By Elise Marlett, Current Staff
Many teens at the West Bend High Schools appear to be part of what the Food and Drug Administration describes as a nationwide epidemic. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
Social studies teacher uses a “flipped classroom”
By Alissa Ihlenfeld, Current Staff
There are few traditional things about Dave Talma’s classroom. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
Officials say teachers should continue their programs as planned
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
By the time orchestra director Seth Matuszak learned what his budget was for the year, it was nearly spent. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
All students will eventually have a Chromebook
By Justin Scherzer, Current Staff
Area schools are implementing cell phone bans, but the West Bend High Schools will not follow suit. Continue reading
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By Megan Landvatter, Current Staff
Changes in Advanced Placement structure have shaken up a few classrooms at the West Bend High Schools. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
The West Bend High Schools Student Council hosted a community blood drive today in the south gym by partnering with the Blood Center of Wisconsin. Many students, staff and members of the public donated their time and blood.
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Bracelets and purses made by Central American artists are for sale
By Ellie Scott, Current Staff
The West Bend High Schools Spanish Club is helping color the world, one pulsera at a time. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
By Elise Marlett, Current Staff
It has been determined that sophomores and juniors take more risks than students in other grade levels.
According to the results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered in April to Washington County students, there are aspects about the transition between sophomore and junior year that increase the likelihood that students will engage in dangerous activities. Several students at the West Bend High Schools have thoughts on why this is a trend in the data. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
By Caitlin Marsch, Current Staff
Over the years, many West Bend High Schools students and teachers alike have learned in Tony Zappia’s classroom. Now, a new generation of students in Madison are experiencing his teachings.
After teaching history, government, War and Peace, and global studies courses at West Bend West High School for 20 years, Tony Zappia moved to Madison, Wisc., and has been teaching at Madison West High School for the past 16 months. The Current caught up with him to have a discussion about his new experiences living and teaching in Madison. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
WBHS flagged for fire code violation
By Rachel Gergetz, Current Staff
As soon as he stepped into the library, John Skidmore knew something was different. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
New campus pantry provides free food and clothing
By Ellie Scott, Current Staff
The West Bend High Schools have some new sets of helping hands. Continue reading
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By Chloe Kreis, Current Staff
For a program called 5-Star, students at the West Bend High Schools would rate it much lower. Continue reading
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By Elise Marlett, Current Staff
The West Bend High Schools now have data about unsafe student behaviors, but only from 11% of the student body. Continue reading
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By Lily Mottet, Current Staff
Thomas Agre never thought he would cheer on the Milwaukee Bucks and Green Bay Packers from the band section of nearly every game. Continue reading
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By Abby Gawrych, Current Staff
For choir teacher Tess Tranel, the West Bend theater stage is both a fresh and familiar experience. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
According to definitions in “The Political Classroom,” West Bend is a politically diverse community [1] (Hess, Mcavoy, 2014). What that means is there are different points of view of sufficient magnitude from the community and parents to detect political bias in schools and the political power to stop it. As you can imagine, “Like minded schools” had no trouble implementing politics in the classroom as only one point of view was allowed, and parents who do see bias do not have the political power to allow different points of view. So, the nice thing with being in a politically diverse community is multiple points of view are available, the challenging part is dealing with political bias. Continue reading
Filed under Community, School News and Features, Viewpoint
By Rachel Gergetz, Current Staff
The upcoming play “Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook” is a novelty for the West Bend High Schools. Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment, School News and Features
By Ashley Jankowski, Current Staff
Sometimes even a raffle prize can contain the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Last week Paige Devenport was the announced winner of a parking pass for November, thanks to the Compass program at the West Bend High Schools. Unfortunately, her car was wrecked the previous day, which meant she couldn’t use the free parking pass. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
For Jhalia Evans, acknowledging Martin Luther King Jr. Day would mean that she matters. Continue reading
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By Kael Beltmann, Current Staff
There’s a reason why Jack Steele’s backpack has smelled like burned toast for the last three weeks. Continue reading
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By Caitlin Marsch, Current Staff
For one local student, being involved in band doesn’t just mean performing pieces. It also means creating them.
John Swillinger, a senior at West Bend East High School, has been chosen to be a fellow for the John Downey Creation Project, where he will work alongside music professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to compose a piece for the prestigious Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. His composition will receive its world premiere in April at the group’s spring concert. He has participated in the ensemble for two years. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
Entering the United States was quite stressful for French student Noémie Bontron. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
How often do students use bathroom passes to skip class?
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
Fewer students have been vanishing from Seth Matuszak’s classroom.
Both students and staff at the West Bend High Schools believe that the abuse of bathroom privileges during class time has been an issue in recent years, but some claim to have seen improvement so far this year. In the past, students have misused bathroom passes to skip large portions of class. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
By Elise Marlett and Lauren Oppermann, Current Staff
September 11, 2018 seemed just like any other day for students at West Bend High Schools.
Many students and teachers were surprised when 9/11 was not given a schoolwide memorial last Tuesday. In previous years, an announcement was read over the PA system or articles retelling the devastating story were handed out to students. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
Last week students in Principles of Biomedical Science investigated a mock crime scene erected in the gallery of the Silver Lining Arts Center. To uncover the cause and manner of the death of the fictitious Anna Garcia, students documented clues from her apartment and enlisted the help of West Bend Police Department officers. “I like it a lot because it’s very hands-on,” West sophomore Quynh Dang said. “You basically get a taste of what a crime scene investigator might do, so it’s very interesting and I definitely enjoy it.”
Filed under School News and Features
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
A visit from the Milwaukee Public Museum allowed some students at the West Bend High Schools to temporarily become archaeologists. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
WBSD has new superintendent after seven months without a top administrator
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
Don Kirkegaard now fills a position that has been vacant in the West Bend School District since December.
Kirkegaard officially became the district superintendent July 9. His assumption of the role thus concluded the search initiated by the school board after Erik Olson, Kirkegaard’s predecessor, resigned. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
Unique and valuable stories can be found in nearly every hallway of the West Bend High Schools. Will you take part in sharing them to keep the district community informed?
To those intrigued, the Current would like to offer an invitation to join our award-winning staff of student journalists. Consider serving as a reporter, columnist, photographer or entertainment reviewer. Please remember that it is our mission to consistently present fair and accurate information as we aim to establish a strong foundation in journalism.
For more details, see adviser Mr. Beltmann in room S95.
Filed under School News and Features
By Samantha Dietel, Editor in Chief
It’s all coming full circle for Danielle Schumacher.
Schumacher, an English teacher at West Bend West High School, has agreed to take on the Honors English II course for the upcoming school year beginning Sept. 4. She replaces Tiffany Gitter, who left for another district opportunity, and thus will now partner with East English teacher Eric Beltmann, who was her own teacher for the very same course over a decade ago. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
