Every two weeks the Eau Claire Area School District sends out information on

upcoming events. For more information on these items, please contact

Teri Piper Thompson at 715-852-4907 or the contact person listed below.

The ECASD has launched a Family Survey to learn how parents feel

about the performance of District schools. Feedback will be used to

assess and improve campus-level education programs and services.

To facilitate participation, the survey will be available in English,

Spanish and Hmong. If parents have given the District their email

address, they should have received an email invitation to participate.

Those who do not receive an invitation should contact Jill Miles at 715-852-3060 or

jmiles@ecasd.us. Survey design, administration and analysis is being handled by the independent

technology and communications firm, K12 Insight, to ensure that all responses are confidential and

anonymous to school and district staff. There will be no individual data or identifying information in

any report. When the survey closes on Monday, April 13, K12 Insight will analyze results and ECASD

administrators will share findings and next steps with the community. Families are strongly

encouraged to participate in the survey!

The Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Scholarship and Fellowship Program has announced the

2015 Herb Kohl Foundation awards for students and teachers. Awards are given to 101 teachers,

their schools and 163 graduating high school students. Recipients from the ECASD are:

Excellence Scholar 2015

Veeraya Tanawattanacharoen, Eau Claire Memorial High School

Initiative Scholar 2015

Adrian Buder, Eau Claire McKinley Charter School

Educational Foundation Fellowship 2015

Suzanne Devine, Northstar Middle School

The Kohl Foundation Scholarship and Fellowship program was established by Herb Kohl, US Senator

(Retired) in 1990. In recognition of the foundation’s 25th anniversary, Kohl increased awards to

$3000 and $3000 to each fellow’s school. To date, the foundation has awarded $9 million to

Wisconsin educators, students and schools. The group will be recognized at a luncheon on April 12

at Chippewa Falls Middle School at 12:30 pm. Herb Kohl will present awards to the recipients. Go

to http://www.kohleducation.org/pressrelease/index.asp?id=102 for specific details about awards.

A quick recap of news and upcoming events in the Eau Claire Area School District from the Office of the Superintendent of Schools

The North High Drama Club, in collaboration with Dave Evans’

Entertainment Technology class and Barbara Weisenberger’s costuming

talents, presents The Foreigner, an award-winning, side-splitting comedy

set in the Deep South. When a “real live foreigner” visits a rustic fishing

lodge, the down-home locals are thrilled! Well, most of them...

In Larry Shue’s hilarious farce The Foreigner, Charlie Baker, a shy

Englishman, adopts the persona of a foreigner who doesn’t speak

English. When others begin to speak freely around him, he not only becomes privy to secrets both

dangerous and frivolous, he also discovers an adventurous extrovert within himself. Performances

are Thursday-Saturday, April 9 and 10 at 7 pm and 11 at 2 pm. Tickets are free to ECASD students,

staff with ID and holders of the district activity pass and are available at the door. Other tickets are

$5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and $2 for students outside the district. Donations to the theatre

program are welcome. Contact Zach Schultz at zschultz@ecasd.us for more information.

Memorial High School is excited and proud to announce this year’s

Essentially Eau Claire featured artist! Larry Lelli, a 1990 Music

Performance graduate of UWEC, is one of the top-call freelance

drummers in NYC, a veteran Broadway drummer and conductor of

over 40 Broadway shows. He recently performed on Broadway in “A

Christmas Story”, and “How To Succeed In Business Without Really

Trying” with Nick Jonas. His extensive Broadway history includes the 12-

time Tony Award winning hit, “The Producers”, “Assassins”, “Jekyll &

Hyde” and as drummer and actor onstage in the smash-hit rockabilly show, “Million Dollar

Quartet”. Often called a “musical chameleon,” his eclectic resume’ includes recordings and

performances with Grammy-winner Melissa Etheridge, Daniel Radcliffe, Josh Groban, Vanessa

Williams and others. A unique concert on Thursday, April 23, at 7 pm at Memorial will also feature

Memorial High School’s jazz ensembles. Tickets are $10 and are available at Morgan Music or

Schmitt Music.

To celebrate the artistic achievements of our students, the

Eau Claire Area School District will open its annual Spring

Art Show with a reception from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on Friday,

April 17. The artwork is exhibited in the John D. Beck

Student Art Gallery at the Board of Education building, 500

Main St. More than 800 works of art created by elementary,

middle and high school students will be on display through

mid-May. After the reception, work can be viewed from

8:30-4:30 Monday through Friday. The public is invited.

Contact Flynn Elementary art teacher Chad Frase at 715-852-3327 for more information.

Students from DeLong, Northstar and South Middle

Schools competed in National History Day regional

competition at UWEC on Wednesday, April 1. The

following students will be going to State National

History Day competition on Saturday, April 25, in Madison for a chance to move on to the National

competition. National History Day participants create an exhibit, a documentary, website,

performance or paper featuring a topic which fits into an annual theme. The pieces are judged first

at a school level and then at a regional level with rigorous participant involvement.

DeLong: Catherine Calnan, Elayna Chambers, Vance Emerson, Elizabeth Kulig, Martha Seymour,

Maddie Sherman, Lauren Skolos, Kate Taylor and Alexis Walters.

Northstar: Raeann Brenner, PaHoua Her, Anna Kent, Nong Lee, Max Oberg, Maddie Poteete, Sydnie

Steinmetz and Laura Swenson.

South: Zach Bernhardt, Megan Hu, Austin Jarvis, Maddy LoRusso, Kaden Kohlhepp, Brenden Olson,

Carsyn Quarberg, Zach Sather, Claire Steines, Isy Thapar and Nick Young.

National History Day participants create an exhibit, a documentary, website, performance or paper

featuring a topic which fits into an annual theme. The pieces are judged first at a school level and

then at a regional level with rigorous questioning of the participants. Contact Teri Piper Thompson

at 715-852-4907 with questions.

Robbins Elementary 3rd, 4th and 5th graders are given the opportunity to

select a fun class run by teachers every Thursday after school in April. Classes

include Indoor Games, Developing Theater Skills, Amazing Race Adventures,

Championship Chess and Green Screen for iPads. Contact Sarah Johnson,

partnership coordinator, at 715-852-4607, for details.

North High School career students were awarded the Edgar J Helms

Award along with their team members at the Lake Hallie Goodwill store

recently. Six North students work at the Lake Hallie store from 12:30-2:30

pm each school day except Wednesday. They are part of the School to

Work program which offers work and employability skills to students. The

Helms award was given to the Lake Hallie store for all its excellent

opportunities and activities through Programs and Supports. The

partnership with North was a key to the store receiving this award.

Contact Lorrie Rongstad, transition specialist at North High, at 715-852-

6807 for more information about the program.

Meadowview Elementary School fifth graders will cook and serve six meals

at the Community Table on April 6, 8, 13, 15 and May 4 and 6. They have

been studying international, national and local hunger. Wanting to help in

some way, they chose to help out by working with the Community Table.

They will divide into groups to cook and serve a meal at the Community

Table. Besides cooking and serving, they are also responsible for raising

$100 for each day they serve. The fifth graders came up with a unique

fundraiser: A Kids’ Bazaar. During the April 9th school dance they will sell handmade jewelry,

artwork, baked goods, thrift sale items and other items. All Meadowview students can also donate

money to the Community Table on Popcorn Day by donating 25¢ for a bag. Contact Elisa Fromm at

715-852-4000 or Sue Lindstedt at 715-852-4007 for more information.

Putnam Heights Elementary will host a Culture Night on Tuesday, April 14, from 6-8 pm.

The school’s students and families represent many cultures around the world. The Culture Night

will celebrate this diversity and rich heritage. Families and staff will share food, arts

and crafts activities, music and more. Contact Tammy Schmitz at 715-852-4207 to

learn more.

Longfellow Elementary will sponsor the 8th Annual Jeanne Richie Memorial

Puddle Jump, a 5k fun run/walk beginning at Phoenix Park, on Saturday,

April 18 at 9 am. The Puddle Jump is followed by an untimed children’s

race of approximately ¼ mile. Funds raised via the Puddle Jump are used

to support Longfellow’s after-school 21st Community Learning Center and

also for student scholarships for community programs. Contact Holly

Larson at 715-852-3841 for details.