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New Berlin School District honors teachers and students; Educators Rising seniors recognized and student advances to national conference
Summary
The board recognized World Affairs Seminar delegates, multiple Herb Kohl Fellowship recipients, the Wisconsin Global Educator of the Year and a large group of Educators Rising seniors; senior Nick Makakanja delivered a state‑winning speech on teacher retention.
The New Berlin School District formally recognized multiple teacher and student honors during the board meeting, including two World Affairs Seminar representatives, four Herb Kohl Fellowship recipients, the Wisconsin Global Educator of the Year and a district cohort of Educators Rising seniors, one of whom delivered a state‑winning speech.
Amanda Mazurkiewicz, student services director, introduced Trinity Moy (New Berlin West) and Madeline Berndt (New Berlin Eisenhower) as the district’s World Affairs Seminar delegates, noting Carroll University will host this year’s seminar on the theme of peace building.
Elementary and secondary principals introduced Herb Kohl Fellowship recipients and other honorees. Jamie Veal, Elmwood principal, presented Kelly Rado and a second Elmwood recipient; Matt Buckley, Eisenhower principal, introduced Allison Taxis as an honoree for special education instruction; Mark Otto, New Berlin West principal, presented Taylor Molitor for technical education and construction program achievements. Board members also recognized Jessica Santiago of New Berlin West, who was named Wisconsin Global Educator of the Year; Dr. Jill Underly, Wisconsin state superintendent, honored Santiago at an event at the high school.
The board also recognized a large group of seniors in the district’s Educators Rising program who completed the Curran’s 300 Intro to Teaching dual‑enrollment course and field experience requirements. Several students were singled out for awards and scholarships and multiple students qualified for state and national contests. The board invited senior Nick Makakanja to deliver his speech on teacher retention; Makakanja summarized top causes of teacher turnover as stress and high workloads and warned that “if schools today ignore the extent to which teacher attention is problematic, solutions won't be found,” urging improved working conditions and support for educators.
Board members applauded the honorees and thanked supervising teachers and cooperating schools for field placements that supported the students’ work. Photographs were taken after the meeting as principals and honorees gathered for group photos.
