“It’s not in who we are or what we’re made of, but rather, who we’re capable of becoming. ” - Bonnie Garmus
GIBRALTAR school news
WINTER 2024
Friends of Gibraltar and Gibraltar Area Schools
Gibraltar National Honor Society works to give back to different foundations... by Eric Schroeder, Secondary Math and NHS Advisor Students who are part of Gibraltar’s National Honor Society work in service groups to identify a cause and a way to raise money and provide time or other resources to needs they are passionate about. Activities this school year so far have included organizing a “Purple Out” at a football game and running a bake sale for the Help Phoenix Rise foundation, tutoring after school, working at a basketball game raising awareness
and funds for the World Wildlife Foundation, and recently working at the Lautenbach’s Winter Festival to help out Door County’s Humane Society. Gibraltar’s NHS will participate in the spring Adopt-a-Highway cleanup to finish out the year along with selection and induction of new members. If you have a cause that the Gibraltar National Honor Society can support, please reach out to the school.
Big Builds in Tech Education by Nathan Hatch, Technology Education Teacher Two of the larger projects being led by Mr. Hatch in the Tech Ed department are a sculptural monarch butterfly arch for Kendall Park in Baileys Harbor and a cross section of a home. Both of the design/build challenges are intended to be group projects to encourage collaboration among the students.
Gibraltar Ecology Club on the Go! by Anna Knapp and Mary Kate McCormack, Ecology Club Advisors The Ecology Club kickoff in September was a trash pickup at Nicolet Beach. In October, some members joined the Homecoming parade on hoverboards. The club has had tree identification hikes at Peninsula State Park and The Ridges Sanctuary, experiences with wetland ecology and policy activism, and nature photography. The club engaged in acorn collecting, composting in the school cafeteria with Going Garbage, a clothes swap at the Fish Creek Village Hall, and starting seeds for the cafeteria for a Fork Farms hydroponics system.
Gibraltar Students Explore Sport Careers and Become WIAA Licensed Officials Any Gibraltar High School student who is interested in a health or sports-related career has the opportunity to take a course called Careers in Health, Exercise, Fitness, and Sports (CHEFS) taught by physical education teacher Mrs. Winker. In this course, students explore a variety of careers through hands-on experiences. This year, these included interviewing professionals in the fields of nutrition/dietetics, sports media, sports marketing, physical therapy, athletic training, and more. Students also took a tour of Lambeau Field, getting to see the media boxes, locker rooms, and behind-the-scenes work that could be a potential career one day. The CHEFS students experienced some athletic event management as well, this
The club participated in a discussion of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book “Braiding Sweetgrass” and a conversation on the Wequiock restoration project with Bear Woman, Stephanie Dodge, as a part of Door County’s Big Read programming. Currently the club is organizing a drive for used electronics!
Experiential Learning for Gibraltar 4K - Performing and Visual Arts, and Outdoor Education Door Community Auditorium (DCA), Peninsula School of Art (PSA), and The Ridges Sanctuary, in partnership with Friends of Gibraltar and Gibraltar Elementary School, are excited to provide experiential learning for all Gibraltar 4K students Students will attend a series of unique cultural and educational experiences, bringing the world to Door County students with the DCA Passport Program. Students will
The butterfly arch will have contributions
attend PSA monthly for visual art experiences, and The Ridges Sanctuary will coordinate outdoor science education lessons. Gibraltar Area Schools will provide transportation for all three 4K locations: Gibraltar Elementary School, Northern Door Child Care Center, and The Ridges Sanctuary. Friends of Gibraltar and Gibraltar Elementary School are thankful to these wonderful community partners for providing enriching learning opportunities for students in 4K!
by the Advanced Technology and Advanced Metals sections, and the Basic Home Mechanics class will tackle the home cross section build. Both projects start with a prototyping/modelmaking phase followed by construction. The monarch arch will be stainless steel with painted steel butterflies, and the home builds group intends to fully finish both the interior and exterior with basic electric.
year planning and hosting the Homecoming Bonfire Bolt and a Rise with Phoenix Volleyball Tournament Fundraiser. To learn more about sports media, Mrs. Winker’s students also worked hand in hand with the Gibraltar Athletic Booster Club to enter teams, rosters, schedules, and hype videos into our new digital scoreboards. To finish the semester, these students learned and studied the WIAA officials booklet and took the licensing exam. All eight of this year’s CHEFS students passed their exam and are now WIAA licensed volleyball officials. Congrats Abby, Andie, Anna, Braden, Bridget, Lilla, Quincy, and Rubi!
Gibraltar Mental Health Team News The mental health team at Gibraltar is made up of school administration, school counselors, teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, community agencies, and the Friends of Gibraltar. In our first year of work together, we are proud of the mental health resource document that we organized and published on the front page of the Gibraltar School District website under the “Mental Health” link on the top right-hand side of the school webpage (www.gibraltar.k12.wi.us). The team planned and implemented Chill Zones, which are places for students to safely regulate feelings such as anxiety or frustration, in every elementary classroom and a designated space for the secondary students. In this second year of work together, the Mental Health Team is implementing a social emotional curriculum called Character Strong and studying school data such as achievement, attendance, and referrals to see how this work impacts our students and staff. The team continues to communicate information to help families learn about mental health resources. In January, representatives from the Mental Health Team Brett Stousland, Superintendent; Kari Baumann, School Board Member; Anna Knapp, Special Education Teacher; and Marci
Waldron-Kuhn, Pupil Services Specialist at CESA 7; presented at the Wisconsin School Board Convention in Milwaukee. Their presentation focused on how the Gibraltar School District and CESA 7 work together to implement data-driven programming to support mental health programs and services in the school and community. School board members and school district staff from around the state attended and learned how Gibraltar has been supporting a systemic strategic plan to meet the needs of students and staff. If you would like to support the Mental Health Team at Gibraltar Area Schools with ideas, resources, and or financial support for student programs and projects, please contact Friends of Gibraltar Coordinator Vinni Chomeau at vinni.chomeau@gibraltar.k12.wi.us.