Category Archives: Schools

No. 6 Seed: South Milwaukee Plays Brookfield Central In WIAA Playoffs

Note: A previous version of this post had South Milwaukee playing Brookfield East. That’s my error. There’s too many directional schools in Waukesha County. 🙂

South Milwaukee, seeded sixth, travels to third-seeded Brookfield Central for its first-round WIAA playoff game at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Check out the full list of pairings, released Saturday, here.

Brookfield Central (5-3, including a fourth-place 4-3 in the Greater Metro Conference) is coming off a 14-0 loss Menomonee Falls on Friday. Here are some stats on the team.

Go Rockets!

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South Milwaukee Football Team Makes History

Congratulations to the South Milwaukee football team!

The Rockets are headed to the WIAA playoffs after earning their first conference title in 32 years with a 21-16  win at New Berlin Eisenhower on Friday.

The victory gave South Milwaukee (5-3) a share of the Woodland Conference East crown with Brown Deer and Whitnall. Not bad for a team that started the season with two losses.

Check out the standings and stats. Here is the game story. From it:

Before the team boarded the bus, the school’s athletic director let everyone know that the division’s other co-leader lost as well.

As a result, South Milwaukee claimed a share of the division title with Whitnall and Brown Deer. The crown is the Rockets’ first since 1980, according to coach John Galewski.

“It’s big to me,” he said of the title. “We knew we had a young team coming into the season and they came on during the last five or six weeks.”

We should know South Milwaukee’s playoff matchup this weekend. I’ll keep you posted.

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Rockets Roll, Earn Postseason Eligibility

Here is a recap from MaxPreps.

The South Milwaukee football team took a big step toward the WIAA playoffs with a 37-6 win over St. Francis Friday night.

The win made the Rockets eligible for the postseason, and a victory over New Berlin Eisenhower on Friday means South Milwaukee will clinch a spot. See Friday’s stats here.

Check out the playoff qualification update here. From it:

Teams that have a conference winning percentage better than .500 are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. Teams that finish with a conference of exactly .500 are playoff eligible, but not guaranteed a spot. However, in most years only a few teams that finish .500 do not make the playoffs.

So, at 4-3 in the Woodland Conference with one game left, it’s win and you’re in for South Milwaukee … and lose and you’re probably in.

Go Rockets!

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Happy Homecoming: South Milwaukee Beats Greenfield

Update: New Kid’s Blog has an item on Homecoming toilet papering.

The WIAA playoffs are still within reach after South Milwaukee scored a 14-7 Homecoming victory over Greenfield Friday night.

The win improved South Milwaukee to 3-3 overall — and into a first-place tie in the Woodland Conference — with two regular-season games remaining: at St. Francis Friday and at New Berlin Eisenhower on Oct. 12. Both games are at 7 p.m.

Check out the stats here.

And congratulations to the South Milwaukee Homecoming court, especially king Ben Schilz and queen Elora Hennessy.

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South Milwaukee Football Team Falls To Whitnall

The South Milwaukee football team jumped to a big lead early but couldn’t hold on, as Whitnall came from behind to beat the Rockets, 37-30, at Spaltholz Field.

Check out the NOW story here. Here are stats.

The loss dropped South Milwaukee to 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the Woodland Conference — and into a three-way tie for second place in the league behind Whitnall.

Next up: Greenfield (also 2-1 in the Woodland) at 7 p.m. Friday in South Milwaukee. Go Rockets!

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Wanted: Adults To Help Other Adults With Their English Skills

The South Milwaukee School District’s English as a Second Language Department is seeking volunteers to support parents of English language learners.

It’s an easy ask: Spend 50 minutes on three straight Monday nights speaking English with parents and guardians of South Milwaukee students who are polishing up their language skills.

See the flyer here.

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The Tragic Death Of Gage Witek

Here is a heartbreaking YouTube tribute to Gage. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a few more details, and there is also coverage from Fox 6 and WTMJ.

Gage Witek is the 12-year-old boy and South Milwaukee Middle School student who died much, much too soon at his home on Saturday.

Here is a copy of the note South Milwaukee Middle School Principal Jim Hendrickson sent home to parents on Tuesday. From it:

At this time, the police and medical examiner have ruled this death accidental. … Rumors of bullying and suicide have been circulating. These untrue stories have been disruptive as the family and school community go through the grieving process. Across the nation, children are experimenting with various choking games and other risky behaviors. Please talk with your child about these unsafe practices.

Here is Gage’s obituary. Services are Friday in Racine.

Please keep Gage’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers, and hug your kids a bit tighter tonight. I know I will.

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Innovative Program: State Workforce Development Secretary Stops In South Milwaukee To Award Grant

Update: Here is Milwaukee Journal Sentinel coverage.

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Reggie Newson stopped by South Milwaukee High School Tuesday to announce a state grant piloting an innovative student career initiative.

It’s called My Life! My Plan! and it’s another example of the concrete steps our local schools are taking to prepare their students for the work force.

Check out the press release. From it:

The My Life! My Plan! Program was developed by the Greater Milwaukee Committee as a one-day workshop in which high school students meet with mentors from the business community to explore careers and develop a plan for success after graduation, whether in the workplace or at a post-secondary institution.

My Life! My Plan! was developed by the Greater Milwaukee Committee, which supports initiatives that enhance the business environment and quality of life in the Milwaukee area. Under the plan, members of the business community volunteer as career coaches to work with students in identifying potential career options and developing options for students that will enable them to meet their career goal. The students and mentors work together to complete a workbook that helps students to identify how their interests match up with career options. Students then develop a plan to gather necessary information and determine the steps necessary to successfully begin their identified career.

My Life! My Plan! was previously piloted to 300 students earlier this year. The $30,000 DWD grant is going to the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB), which will administer the grant to serve more than 3,000 youth in area districts including Milwaukee Public Schools and the South Milwaukee School District.

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Former South Milwaukee AD, Coach Teff Dies At Age 68

Update: Here is the obituary. Services are Monday in Middleton.

South Milwaukee schools lost a respected leader this week.

Jim Teff died Wednesday at age 68, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. See the story here. From it:

“People looked at him with certain reverence just because of all the things that he accomplished at South Milwaukee,” Muskego AD Scott Kugi said. “He had been athletic director of the year a couple of times and was really connected with the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association and the (national association) and with that comes street credit.”

Teff coached football, wrestling and track at South Milwaukee from 1967-’75 before focusing on his role as athletic director, a job he assumed in 1973. He retired in 2001 but remained active with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, serving as program director of the association’s Leadership Training Program.

He was president of the NIAAA board of directors in 1990 and was inducted into the NIAAA’s first hall of fame class in 2009.

Kugi first worked with Teff on the early configurations of the Southeast Conference in the early 1990s.

“He and I spent a lot of time on the phone and behind the scenes working through that and then eventually South Milwaukee did get realigned with Muskego in that next evolution of the Southeast Conference, the 10 teams, so I had the opportunity to work shoulder to shoulder with him,” Kugi said.

“In those days I kept my mouth shut and learned an awful lot from just listening to guys like him and Don Dalton from Burlington and Scott Lindgren from Kenosha.”

Did you know Mr. Teff? Post your comments below … and keep the Teff family in your prayers.

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South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center Season Opens Sunday With John Gurda

Check out the first event of the 2012-13 South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center Performing Arts Series on Sunday, as local historian John Gurda returns to the SMPAC for a presentation called “History of the South Shore.”

Here’s the description from the SMPAC website:

Take a journey with local historian, John Gurda, as he describes the history of the region from Walker’s Point stretching south to South Milwaukee and into Oak Creek. The evening will include light refreshments after the presentation for a chance to reminisce about the days gone by!

Showtime is 6:30 p.m., and tickets are a bargain … just $5 or $10.

I’m looking forward to the event and to the rest of the strong lineup the center is bringing to South Milwaukee this year. The SMPAC is something we should all be proud of.

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Telling The South Milwaukee School District Story

I had the chance to attend the South Milwaukee School District’s annual Opening Day celebration this week, as the district welcomed back teachers, staff and administrators for a new school year with a special event that also included community leaders.

A key theme continued to emerge: The district’s commitment to telling its story to all who will listen. And it’s a compelling story.

To further that story, district leaders unveiled a series of videos at Opening Day aimed at grounding viewers in what the district is and what it stands for– and how all of South Milwaukee benefits from the work going on at our schools.

Check the YouTube vidoes out here, and check out the district’s two-pager summarizing its mission, vision, goals and objectives.

My ask: Spread the word about the district and its great work. As a parent of a soon-to-be (next week!) Rawson Elementary kindergartner and second-grader, I am proud to tell that story every chance I get.

You should be too.

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South Milwaukee ACT Scores Increase

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has released statewide ACT scores, and there is good news for South Milwaukee.

South Milwaukee’s 2011-12 composite score was 21.7, an increase from 21.4 a year earlier. The district’s score was 22.0 in 2009-10.

The percentage of students tested also increased to 65.1%.

See the South Milwaukee ACT scores here.

Oak Creek’s fell slightly, according to this Patch story. Here is the Journal Sentinel story on the statewide results.

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Guest Blog: South Milwaukee Alumni Facebook Page Breaks 1,400-Member Mark

The following is from Carol Rehak.

Why have a high school reunion when you have Facebook? We beg to differ. Facebook is keeping the dialogue and memories fresh and up front.

Alumni from the 70’s and 80’s are administrators for the page and it posts upcoming reunions, fond memories of teachers, and South Milwaukee geography. Alums who are no longer living in the area really like to find out what’s happening in South Milwaukee.

A recent blog by Andy Shaindlin of Alumnifutures.com recently posted …

“Over the last few years, some have said that Facebook’s rise would doom physical reunions: ‘I’ve already heard everything about this person online – what is there left to talk about when I see them?’ But many realize that they aren’t learning everything about people via Facebook. They’re just becoming friends (again, or for the first time). And once you’re friends with someone, you want to spend time visiting with them. Social software doesn’t complicate alumni activities. Used creatively and persistently, online networks merely enable a predictable, long-standing form of human behavior: hanging out together on the weekend.”

To find the South Milwaukee Alumni Facebook link, go to www.facebook.com/groups/SMSHGroupEmail. Go Rockets!

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South Milwaukee PAC Announces 2012-13 Schedule

I’m a big fan of the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. I hope you are too.

Such a first-class venue bringing in such a strong lineup of acts is something about which few communities our size can boast. And 2012-13 won’t be any different.

The SMPAC announced its acts for the new season last week. Check out the impressive lineup here.

The highlight? An appearance by the Vienna Boys Choir on Nov. 23. (I’m also looking forward to the appearance by John Gurda on Sept. 9 and up-and-coming country singer Katie Armiger on Oct. 4.)

Learn more about the series from this YouTube video by Director Chad Piechocki.

Season tickets are on sale now. Individual show tickets go on sale Aug. 6.

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Local Success Story: South Milwaukee Grad Kleppin Finishes Second At NCAA Division II Nationals

South Milwaukee High School graduate Lauren Kleppin continues to make a name for herself as a collegiate runner.

Kleppin, a senior at Western State College of Colorado, finished second in the women’s 10,000-meters at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday. She took fifth in the 5,000 meters on Saturday.

Check out coverage on the Western State website here. From it:

Kleppin finished as the national runner-up in the 10,000-meter run for the second time in her outdoor career for the eighth All-America title in her overall career. She finished in 34:56.86, less than two seconds behind champion Rachel Patterson from Grand Valley State.

Lauren was 10 seconds off the pace in the 5,000.

Here is Lauren’s bio. She finished third in the last two NCAA Division II Cross-Country Championships.

Congratulations, Lauren!

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