La Crosse students’ art goes on display as board honors teachers and staff

The La Crosse School District honored educators and staff and put student artwork on display at the boardroom on May 5, with selections chosen by board members and district leaders.

Casey Charerelle, the district’s K–12 art content coordinator, told the board she and 15 colleagues have been working to “strengthen our essential standards, proficiency scales, core vocabulary, and making a scope and sequence that unifies our north and south side schools.” She said the district is adding new high‑school courses next year, including ceramics and printmaking, and is refining AP and introductory art classes.

Board members individually explained why they chose specific works. One selector told student Kendall Herald: “I loved Kendall’s use of color, how she filled the whole page with artwork,” and invited Kendall to describe her inspiration; Kendall replied, “When I made it, I thought shading…at night…and pirate ship.” Another selector praised a student’s ink drawing as “so interesting” and said the boardroom display would offer “lots of hours of pleasure looking at this.”

The board said framed works will be displayed for a year and then returned to the students’ teachers. The presentation was paired with staff awards recognizing teachers and support staff across district schools during Teacher Appreciation Week.