2014-2015

  • Eight elementary schools in the Wausau School District earned School of Merit and School of Distinction recognition for 2014-2015 from the Wisconsin RtI (Response to Intervention) Center for the tremendous work accomplished through the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

    School of Merit recognition recipients include Hewitt-Texas Elementary School, John Marshall Elementary School, Rib Mountain Elementary School, Riverview Elementary School, and Stettin Elementary School. Only 165 schools in the state received PBIS School of Merit status.

    School of Distinction recognition recipients include Grant Elementary School, G.D. Jones Elementary School, and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. Only 157 schools in the state received PBIS School of Distinction status.

  • ​Wausau East High School seniors ​Liam Bennett and Elizabeth Brown each won a $100 scholarship for their poster presentation of their International Baccalaureate Extended Essay at the UW-Marathon County Research and Discovery Symposium​.

  • The Wausau East DECA Program was named one of the "Top 10 New/Re-Activated Chapters at DECA’s International Career Development Conference (ICDC) held in Orlando, Florida.  

  • South Mountain Elementary School 4th grader Sam Nitzke is the District 8 winner of the Wisconsin Ag in Classroom essay contest through the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. 

  • Wausau West High School Varsity Boys Basketball Team was recognized as 1st Team Academic All-State by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. The team had the highest grade point average of all Division 1 schools in the state of Wisconsin at 3.66. The team is coached by Nate Lemmens. 

  • Horace Mann Middle School was honored with the SupportMusic Merit Award from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.

  • Wausau East 1995 graduate Molly Moen, the Chief Operating Officer of the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) in Los Angeles, was inducted into the Wausau School District Hall of Fame on May 19, 2015. 

  • Wausau West DECA was awarded National Gold Certification for their school store, West-side Connection, for providing work experience leading to management, supervision, and leadership skills. 

  • Wausau West DECA received a national award for achieving thrive level in the 2014-2015 DECA Membership Campaign for increased membership and for their promotional and community service campaigns.  

  • Wausau West DECA received a national award for exceeding national campaign goals set by National DECA in promoting their DECA chapter and by having over 100 hours of community service throughout the year. 
  • Wausau East Senior Eric Breitenfeldt took first place in the Optimist International speaking contest and won a $2500 scholarship that he will apply toward a degree in Mechanical Design Engineering Technology.
  • Director of Buildings & Grounds Larry Cihlar earned Facilities Management Certification through the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO). This certification is also recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.  
  • Wausau West High School junior Anusha Naik earned a top composite score of 36 on a recent ACT test. On average, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earns the top score.
  • Bryon Kolbeck, Director of Technology and Media Services, was honored by Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the professional association for school system technology leaders representing over 10 million students. Kolbeck was inducted into the Volunteer Hall of Fame for his volunteerism in helping to advance the organization’s mission of leveraging technology to foster engaging learning environments.
  • Riverview Elementary School kindergarten teacher Danica Szekeress was chosen as the Hot 96.7 Teacher of the Month - March 2015. Mrs. Szekeress was nominated by a parent for going above and beyond in her classroom. 
  • South Mountain Elementary School receives first place and was named the Wisconsin School Champion in the 2014 Recycle-Bowl Competition sponsored by Keep America Beautiful. 
  • Wausau West High School senior Teressa Baumann was selected as a 2015 Kohl Excellence Scholarship recipient by the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation. Teressa also received the WSD Board Resolution of Commendation award.
  • Enrich, Excel, Achieve (EEA) Learning Academy senior Hannah Barnard was selected as a 2015 Kohl Initiative Scholarship recipient by the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation. Hannah also received the WSD Board Resolution of Commendation award.
  • Wausau Engineering and Global Leadership (EGL) Academy senior Jedediah Breitenfeldt was selected as a 2015 Kohl Initiative Scholarship recipient by the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation. Jedediah also received the WSD Board Resolution of Commendation award.
  • West High Girls Track Coach John Masanz was named the 2014 District II Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association where he also serves as President-Elect.
  • Wausau West High School and Technology Education teachers Brian Brandt, Jr., Nick Polak, and Theran Peterson receive the 2014 Wisconsin Program Excellence Award at the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) Conference. The Program Excellence Award, sponsored by ITEEA and Paxton/ Patterson, is one of the highest honors given to technology and engineering education classroom teachers and is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to the profession and students.
  • Wausau West Cheer Team Earns 5th Place in their First Appearance at State Competition. 
  • Horace Mann Middle School 8th grader Oskar Zuchner and John Muir Middle School 8th grader Cooper Stamp were named Wisconsin National Geographic State Bee Semifinalists by National Geographic Society. 
  • Wausau West Recognized by DECA for Outstanding School-based Enterprise; the school store received Gold Level Certification.
  • Wausau West High School Publication Lab identified as one of Wisconsin's top journalism programs by KEMPA - The Kettle Moraine Press Association.
  • Wausau East received a $25,000 grant from State Farm to help promote safe driving to students.
  • Wausau Engineering and Global Leadership Academy Principal/Teacher Tim Fetting was named one of the Wausau Daily Herald 20 Under 40 Community Leaders.
  • ​​Darci Mick Beversdorf, ​Wausau School District ​elementary physical education teacher and former PEP gran​t project coordinator​, received a 2014 Wisconsin Health & Physical Education (WHPE) Citation Award for her work in​ revising and enhancing​ the District's K-12 physical education curriculum.
  • Director of Special Education Tammy Nyen was named Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services (WCASS) Outstanding Special Services Administrator. Ms. Nyen also received the WSD Board Resolution of Commendation award.
  • Health teachers Curt Richardt (West High) and Jessica Truax (East High) received the "Outstanding Achievement in Supporting Domestic Violence Victims Award" from The Women's Community for providing prevention education surrounding teen dating violence, sexual assault, and domestic violence.
  • Wausau EGL Academy ranked 34th in Newsweek's 2014 America's Top High Schools that ranks the nation's top 500 high schools.
  • Cathy Newton, Business Education teacher at West High, was named the winner of the 2014 Kettle Moraine Press Association Jan Kohls Yearbook Adviser of the Year Award.
  • Wausau School District was awarded a multi-year "School Climate Transformation Grant" through the U.S. Department of Education worth $747,030. The funds will be used to support a District-wide initiative called HABITS (Holistic, Academic, and Behavioral Interventions through Tiered Supports) that will assist in the implementation of Tiers 2 and 3 of the RtI - Behavior (PBIS) framework.
  • John Muir Middle School received the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Bronze Wisconsin Health Award for the school's commitment to providing students with the knowledge and skills to make healthy decisions that will contribute to their academic success.
  • Wausau West High School French teacher Kara Torkelson received 2014 Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers (WAFLT) Recognition of Merit Award
  • Horace Mann Middle School physical education teacher Ken Smith has been named the 2014 Wisconsin Health & Physical Education (WHPE) Middle School Teacher of the Year. Mr. Smith also received the WSD Board Resolution of Commendation award.
  • Wausau School District received $150,356 to fund the second year of its "Wausau Mathematics Partnership" grant with the Rhinelander School District and the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County. Funding is provided through federal Mathematics and Science Partnership grants and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
  • Hawthorn Hills, Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson Elementary Schools were named Wisconsin Title I Schools of Recognition by the Department of Public Instruction making it the sixth consecutive year for Thomas Jefferson, the third  for Hawthorn Hills, and the first for Lincoln.
  • Wausau Engineering and Global Leadership Academy, a Wausau School District charter school, received a $125,000 dissemination grant from the Department of Public Instruction. EGL staff members and the school governance board will use the funds to host school visits, present their best practices and lessons learned at conferences, as well as participate in a summer symposium next June. 
  • All students attending Grant, G.D. Jones, Hawthorn Hills, Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson Elementary Schools received free breakfast and lunch without completing free and reduced meal applications.The District was approved by the Department of Public Instruction to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2014-2015 school year. The CEP is a provision endorsed by the USDA that is available to schools across the nation with high percentages of students in poverty. This provision allows all students attending those identified schools to receive a free breakfast and free lunch under the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program.
  • Thirteen schools in the Wausau School District earned School of Merit and School of Distinction awards from the Wisconsin PBIS Network, a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) funded initiative, for the tremendous work accomplished through the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).Franklin, Grant, Hawthorn Hills, Hewitt-Texas, Thomas Jefferson, G.D. Jones, Lincoln, Maine, Wausau Area Montessori, Rib Mountain, and Stettin Elementary Schools earned the School of Merit award. Enrich Excel Achieve Learning Academy (EEA) and Riverview Elementary School received the School of Distinction award.