By Beth Williams, Current Staff
With graduation right around the corner, numerous WBHS seniors are taking the time to finalize decisions about their futures.
For East senior Elizabeth Bensen, however, the decision was not quite so easy.
“I applied to 14 schools,” Bensen said. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
WBHS journalists score 12 awards in statewide contest
For the second year in a row, The West Bend Current received top recognition from the Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association.
Judges for the 2016 NEWSPA contest again gave blue ribbon honors to The Current for a website not published as part of a journalism class, saying that many of the stories “reflect an original, enterprising approach to news gathering.”
The website’s student reporters also took home eleven individual awards. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
In the Mainstream is a cartoon series by Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff.
Filed under Viewpoint
In the Mainstream is a cartoon series by Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff.
Filed under Viewpoint
By Isabel Krueger, Current Staff
Only a month into the new school year, Advanced Placement Environmental Science students were given the chance to take an exciting field trip. As it turns out, the information they collected was not the real reason to take this excursion. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
After learning that WBHS wouldn’t automatically provide planners this year, Office Max began producing its own version for students
By Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff
So far this school year, students have been scrambling for a sense of order.
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, many students at East and West High were disappointed that no planning books—a place where students can keep track of their calendar and assignments—were being handed out in resource. This is the first year that this has happened, so students found themselves confused and looking for an explanation. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
In the Mainstream is a cartoon series by Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff.
Filed under Viewpoint
In the Mainstream is a cartoon series by Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff.
Filed under Viewpoint
Kopish leads with three prizes in statewide journalism contest
Students at West Bend East and West High took home seven individual awards in the 2015 NEWSPA contest for student journalism. The West Bend Current also earned blue ribbon honors for online publication. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
By Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff
Cheating is never a smart move, but it’s especially unwise to attempt to fool a statistics teacher.
Rebecca Carmichael, a West math teacher, unraveled a cheating scandal in her AP Statistics classes in January. The scandal resulted in at least 22 students being accused of using an answer key found online to better their semester exam, and every AP Stats student was required to retake the assessment. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
The rumor mill was in full force following last week’s student-led protest march. The Current staff writers Kara Conley, Miranda Paikowski, and Mike Smale separate fact from fiction.
Rumor: The march was a success, as it led to the school returning to seniors the right to create a wall mural and attend the Every 15 Minutes program in spring.
Fact: The riot did not result in these decisions. The official decision to once again make both juniors and seniors the attending classes for the Every 15 Minutes program was made prior to the hall pass uproar. “I had been thinking of changing the participating grades from juniors and seniors to juniors and sophomores. This was simply a proposal, and I was already leaning towards keeping it the way it has been,” said Ralph Schlass, assistant principal, in an interview with Miranda Paikowski. According to Schlass, he had decided a few days before the riot to have seniors participate once again. This announcement, although made on Thursday, was not related to the march whatsoever. Continue reading
Filed under Community, School News and Features
By Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff
The West Bend School Board has changed the location of its meeting this Monday.
The Sept. 22 meeting will now be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Badger Middle School cafeteria. If any community member desires to speak at the meeting, they must fill out a comment card before the conference. These can be acquired near the entrance of the board meeting. Community members must fill out their card before the meeting begins, so it is suggested that people arrive a few minutes early. Those who decide to voice an opinion will each be allowed two minutes to talk to the board.
Filed under Community
More than 75 people attended the first listening session about combining the high schools
By Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff
For Kelly Luce, merging East and West will damage West Bend’s character.
“Why would we want to take what is unique, what is special, away?,” asked Luce, a community member, while attending a forum on the proposed plan to combine the twin high schools.
Superintendent Ted Neitzke led a discussion at Silverbrook Intermediate School Tuesday night, during which a number of community members voiced their opinions on the merger. He began by stating the main purpose for the session. “This is an opportunity for the school board to look for what is needed to improve,” Neitzke said. Continue reading
Filed under Community, School News and Features
The school board wants to hear from the community
By Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff
For many years, there has been controversy within the West Bend community concerning whether or not to merge the high schools. On Oct. 6, the school board will take a vote which will determine the final decision on the issue.
Members of the board do not want to make a choice on their own; they are now seeking input from members of the community. Feedback sessions are being offered for individuals who would like to voice their opinion. Sessions will be held on the following dates:
Filed under Community, School News and Features
Recent Adderall bust raises questions about school climate
By Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff
Sometimes it’s tough to look in the mirror. When students choose to make poor decisions, it serves as an opportunity for the school district to reflect on its own culpability.
According to Superintendent Ted Neitzke, over 12 students at the West Bend High Schools have been part of an investigation dealing with self-medicating with Adderall. Some of these students illegally took the drug because they had heard about it from an older sibling, or had knowledge that one of their friends had access to Adderall. Many students who were involved, however, chose to engage in the activity as a way to deal with stress or to acquire an academic gain. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features, Viewpoint
Wanasek and Smale earn top honors in statewide journalism contest
Students at West Bend East and West High took home seven awards in the 2014 NEWSPA contest for student journalism.
The Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association gave blue ribbon honors to Natalie Wanasek for her academic news writing and to Mike Smale for his feature photography. Smale led all staff members with three prizes. All awards were given to The West Bend Current, the news blog advised by Eric Beltmann. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features
Model UN adviser Mark Drake and West junior Emily Wagner stand with boxes overflowing with donated children’s books.
By Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff
As a West social studies teacher, Mark Drake often finds himself buried in books. Just not thousands of them.
Filed under School News and Features
Did Charity Week inadvertently teach the wrong lessons?
By Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff
Last week WBHS students successfully raised $26,000 for charity and learned valuable lessons about generosity.
Or did they?
Filed under Viewpoint
Thing about having Dad as a coach: I love every second having my dad as a basketball coach. He has been my coach since I was in middle school and it hasn’t always been easy, but it has been such a great experience. He has done a great job keeping coach and dad separate, and being able to share our favorite sport together is probably my favorite thing about having my dad as a coach. I also believe that he has made me better as a player since he pushes me harder than any other coach would. Continue reading
Filed under School News and Features, Sports
Green passes should be given to all juniors and seniors
By Miranda Paikowski, Current Staff
Tiffany-Amber Loomis could not keep her eyes off the clock.
It was Friday, and the excitement for the weekend was nearly tangible. A few of Tiffany’s friends had already freed themselves from the school walls, yet Tiffany, a perfectly responsible 17-year-old, was forbidden from leaving.
Tiffany is one of many students affected by a new school policy imposed this year that is unfair. Continue reading
Filed under Viewpoint
The West Bend Current 