Welcome to Issue 17 of Menomonie News Net. Thank you for reading and supporting citizen-led nonprofit hyper-local Menomonie news. And as you’re able thank you for your financial donations.

Our goal is to inform, connect and engage…for a healthier community.

Editors: Layne Pitt & Becky Kneer; Tech Support: Tracy Glenz Website: menomonienewsnet.org Submit News: [email protected]

In this Issue…

• Arbor Place Collaborates with Local Schools

• Founder of Khan Academy to Speak at Free Event

• Housing Challenges in Menomonie - “We All Need a Roof”

• School Board Candidate Forum Mar 12

• Free Run/Walk Fitness Class

• Public Meetings this Week

• Fix-It Clinic at the Rassbach Museum

• Congrats to MHS Students

• Middle School Science Olympiad Regional Results

• Flag Football at Stout

• Menomonie Collegians - Gaby Skorczewski

Arbor Place Collaborates with Local School Districts for Community Outreach and Education

March 3, 2025 – The Prevention Manager at Arbor Place, in collaboration with the Elk Mound, Colfax, and Menomonie School Districts, successfully conducted a community outreach and education event aimed at empowering teens to make healthy life choices. The event featured Special Agent Greg Czackowski from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) based in Chicago, Illinois, who presented his impactful program, "I Choose My Future."

Special Agent Czackowski's presentation focused on helping teens understand the importance of making good and healthy choices to achieve their goals and dreams. He addressed critical topics such as peer pressure, the acceptability of making mistakes, and the significance of surrounding oneself with supportive individuals who uplift and help achieve personal aspirations. Additionally, he discussed the detrimental effects of marijuana, vaping, and prescription drug misuse.

In a heartfelt conclusion to his presentation, Special Agent Czackowski shared his personal experiences with substance misuse, highlighting the profound impact it has had on his extended family. He revealed that his wife was tragically killed by someone under the influence of drugs, providing a powerful and relatable message about the consequences of substance misuse.

The day's events culminated in the evening with the Prevention Department hosting the "ONE PILL CAN KILL" event at Menomonie High School (MHS). Special Agent Czackowski addressed MHS parents, emphasizing the dangers of substance misuse. The event also featured the "Hidden in Plain Sight" exhibit and several local resource tables, offering valuable information and support to the community.

This collaborative effort underscores the commitment of the Arbor Place, Inc. Prevention Department and local school districts to educate and empower the community, fostering a safer and healthier environment for all.

The mission of Arbor Place, Inc. is to provide prevention, treatment, renewal, & recovery opportunities to individuals, families, and communities impacted by substance use and mental health disorders.

Sherry Berg is Prevention Manager at Arbor Place, Inc. She can be reached at 715-235-4537 x 277 [email protected]

Founder of Khan Academy to Speak at Effordability Summit

April 7 event free and open to the community

By Amber Olson

MENOMONIE - The founder of Khan Academy will be one of the keynote speakers as the University of Wisconsin-Stout hosts the 7th annual Effordability Summit at the Memorial Student Center, Monday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 8.

The event brings two Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts as keynote speakers. On Monday, Sal Khan, CEO and founder of the Khan Academy, will deliver a virtual presentation entitled, “The One-World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined.” Tuesday’s keynote presenter is Stephen Kelly, Project Manager-NextGen Student Implementation at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Kelly will blend concepts from game design and how those concepts relate to using technology in education.

The two-day conference hosts a variety of keynote speakers, breakout sessions, networking events and professional development opportunities centered on affordable, accessible textbooks and learning technology. Vendors take part in the event with booths and demonstrations throughout the conference.

“It is such a learning-community based regional conference with a very unique feel that encompasses all that is so valuable about true community collaboration and learning on a personal professional development level,” said Karen Pikula, Open Education Resources (OER) Faculty Development Coordinator at Minnesota State and member of the Summit planning committee. The event is free and open for all to attend.

“This summit is a great, no cost opportunity to hear from national speakers and content experts as we all work to create affordable curricular learning opportunities for students and support their success," said Sandra Scott, Dean of Students at UW-Stout.

In addition to the two keynote presentations, the Summit will host more than 30 breakout sessions, panel presentations, and demonstrations throughout the Student Center.  “Attend as many panels and discussions as you can. You never know what you are going to learn and how it might translate to your everyday work," said Nick Strauss, Customer Success Manager with campus partner RedShelf when asked about advice for first time attenders. 

“Come with an open mind," said Robert Butterfield, director of Instructional Resources Service at UW-Stout and Summit planning committee member since the event's inception. "There is just so much opportunity to learn and grow in supporting quality education. You just never know what great idea you may encounter.”

Past Effordability Summit events have welcomed keynote speakers from a wide variety of professions. Last year, Haben Girma, the first deafblind student to graduate from Harvard Law School, presented a keynote address that discussed the importance of providing access to education for all students. In 2023, David Wiley, CEO of Lumen Learning, opened the event and attended breakout sessions and discussions throughout the day. That same year, author and educator Bryan Alexander presented a topic on the future of education, and later offered a discussion on his most recent book, “Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education."

This blend of education with technology has long been a focus of the Summit, as it impacts teaching and learning at all levels. Sue Traxler, CIO and Assistant Chancellor for Learning and Information Technology, has observed this trend, and comments on the networking connections made at the conference. “My favorite (keynote presentation) has been Bryan Alexander," Traxler said. "I especially enjoyed having both the large session and the smaller breakout session with him.”

For the second consecutive year, the Summit is sponsored in part by the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership with a grant award that allows organizers to keep the event free and accessible to all.

When asked about the target audience and who might benefit from attending, Cory Mitchell, Collection Development Librarian at UW-Stout said, “Nearly anybody in K-12 and higher education, like technologists, IT, instructional designers, librarians, administrators, faculty, staff, and students. But also, people outside higher education like teachers, public librarians, business and industry, vendors that work with education and also people from the Menomonie community.”

Registration for the event is live and can be submitted by going to the Effordability Summit website at https://www.uwstout.edu/effordability. You can also view past keynote presentations, and nominate someone in the education field for this year’s awards.

More information is available by emailing [email protected]. The full schedule of events will be available in the Cvent app prior to the conference and will also be available on the Effordability Summit website.

Amber Olson is the digital resource specialist for UW-Stout Instructional Resource Services

School Board Candidate Forum March 12

Housing Challenges in Menomonie

By Ellen B. Ochs

In 2024, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported 18.1 per cent increase in the number of homeless people in the U.S. Housing has become a national problem – and Menomonie is part of that picture.

A group of concerned citizens from a non-profit local group called GROWW (Grass Roots Organization Western Wisconsin) has been working to draw attention to Menomonie’s housing problem. GROWW favors more grass-roots local control and citizen involvement.

GROWW Organizing Director Bill Hogseth said 3 years ago they began what they call deep canvassing, knocking on all sorts of doors just asking what was keeping people up at night in western Wisconsin. He said housing problems, particularly in the Menomonie area, were blamed.

Increasing rental prices force people into substandard situations, he said, and local housing options are limited. “We all need a roof over our head,” said Hogseth.

GROWW took on this challenge during the summer of 2024, conducting several listening sessions, and knocking on Menomonie doors.

Hogseth said when it comes to accessibility, Menomonie has very little to offer that can safely house someone with a disability. Anyone with a mistake on their record can expect to be turned away from a rental. “We’ve done the work of listening,” said Hogseth.” This is a problem that cuts deep and painfully in peoples’ lives. They live in a society where no one listens to them.”

He explained that with rentals they found substandard conditions and long-deferred repairs are common, especially where landlords are corporations, not local people. They heard complaints about mold, broken steps and windows and one renter told them, “Housing isn’t for people any more – it’s for corporations, driving up rent, getting rich, pushing people out.”

Menomonie used to conduct annual rental inspections, but state law changed in 2018 with ACT 317, said Hogseth, and now an inspection must be requested, either by the landlord or the tenant – tenants who complain fear eviction.

Hogseth asks, “What kind of community do we live in, where people can’t find a safe healthy place to live?”

For someone who has no home, couch-surfing is only a temporary measure, and there is the shame. As one person expressed it who preferred not to be named: “I was hiding my circumstances from everyone. I had been making do as long as I could, and it’s very embarrassing.”

Another local group dealing with housing is Stepping Stones of Dunn County. Shelter manager, Heidi Hooten says their new 20-bed Cairn House homeless shelter provided 6,281 shelter nights in 2024, more than past years. Including their 2 other shelters, plus some hotel- and motel-stays, 2024 shelter nights totaled 10,629 – and Hooten said they still had a waiting list. And, she added, waiting lists are normal for senior citizen housing, and low-income family housing as well.

Ellen Ochs is a Menomonie resident and news contributor to MNN.

This article may be republished under a CC BY SA 4.0 International license. For more information visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Free Run/Walk Fitness Class

Menomonie in Motion begins Mar 24 at the library

Ready for spring to get out and get moving? Join us at the library Mondays and Wednesdays March 24-May 28.

• Class is FREE

• For runners & walkers ages 14+

• Meet in library meeting room

• Complete a 5K at the end of class.

Class is FREE to attend! REGISTRATION is required.

WHO: YOU! No matter where you are in your fitness, there is a spot for you in this class. Grab a friend and join us. You can do this! Let’s take the first step together!

WHERE: Menomonie Public Library meeting room

WHEN: March 24-May 28 on Mondays and Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Source: Public Library website

Public Meetings This Week

City of Menomonie

Wed Mar 19 Urban Forestry Board - 1 p.m. - Rm 058 City Hall

Mon Mar 24 City Council Meeting - 7 p.m. - Council Chambers

Click HERE for full calendar.

School District of Menomonie

Mar 17-21  Spring Break

Mon Mar 24 School Board Meeting - 5:45 p.m. Knapp Elementary School

Click HERE for full calendar additional details

Dunn County

Wed Mar 12 Legislative Committee - 3 p.m. Rm 54

Executive Committee - 3:30 p.m. Rm 54

Mon Mar 17 Board of Adjustment - 10:30 a.m. Rm 60

ADRC Advisory - 1:00 p.m. Rm 60

Tues Mar 18 Community Resources & Tourism - 4:30 p.m.

Wed Mar 19 Planning, Resources & Development - 8:30 a.m. Rm 60

Board of Supervisors - 7:00 p.m.

Click HERE for calendar, documents, recordings & public commenting

Fix-It Clinic at the Rassbach Museum

Menomonie - We are excited to announce the launch of a new Fix-It Clinic aimed at promoting sustainability and community connections. This program invites residents to bring in broken items-- such as electronics, appliances, clothing, and furniture - for repair by skilled volunteers.

The Fix-It Clinic not only helps to reduce waste but also fosters a collaborative spirit by teaching valuable DIY repair skills.

Join us on Sat March 29th at the Rassbach Museum from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. and be part of this hands-on initiative to fix, learn, and connect with your neighbors.

Together we can make a positive impact on our environment and strengthen our community!

Are you a fixer of small appliances, clothing, bikes, computers, toys and more? Volunteer your time and skill for the greater good of our community. Call 715-232-8685 or stop by the Rassbach Museum.

Contact: [email protected] 715-232-8685

Congratulations to MHS Students

Congratulations to the Horticulture Team that competed at CVTC on March 4. The team placed 1st overall against about 20 other schools from across the state. Placing 2nd individual was Fiona Georgakopoulos; placing 3rd individual was Esme Mumane. Other members of the team were: Rayna Figi, Mason Krueger, and Amelia Hanson.

On March 6 five teams traveled to UW-Eau Claire for the Junior Achievement Titan Challenge. Elena Xiong and Olivia Rubenzer received 1st place; they each received a scholarship and qualified for state in May. Oliver Lugo and Eirik Erickson received 4th place.

The Menomonie Mustang boys' basketball team concluded its season with a 14-12 overall record. On Friday, the Mustangs secured a decisive 74-31 victory over the Medford Raiders in the regional playoffs. This win advanced them to the next round, where they faced Wausau East. Despite their efforts, the Mustangs' postseason run ended. The team has much to be proud of.

Compiled from MHS Announcements

Middle School Science Olympiad Regional Results

By Amy Zuber

Menomonie Middle School Science Olympiad fielded 4 teams at the Regional Science Olympiad competition held in Boyceville on Saturday, March 8.

The Maroon Varsity Team took first place at Science Olympiad Regionals with an astounding score of 45! This means the team, as a whole averaged between 1st and 2nd place over all the events. This is a huge accomplishment, and that team should be super proud of itself! Our individual medalists (and there were many) are as follows:

Air Trajectory- Violet Seguin, Elyza Krahn (2nd place); Anatomy and Physiology- Claire Manny, Violet Seguin (2nd place); Code Busters - Bennett Beck, Violet Seguin (1st place) Nkaujtshaib Xiong, Ella Stecklein, Abby Nacey (3rd place); Crime Busters - Cora Nigon, Protha Mitra (3rd place), Lilly Husby, Davis Woodward (4th place); Disease Detectives - Claire Manny and Kenny Berends (2nd place); Dynamic Planet- Frankie Pogorelski, Cora Nigon (1st place); Ecology- Ella Weinberger, Claire Manny (2nd place), Davis Woodward (4th); Entomology - Violet Seguin, Kyndal Hoyt (1st place); Experimental Design - Frankie Pogorelski, Elyza Krahn, Grace Nodolf (1st place); Forestry - Ella Weinberger and Morgan Steinmeyer (1st place) Ava Kroening, Nora Berg (4th place); Geocache - Seth Ray, Frankie Pogorelski (1st place); Helicopter - Frankie Pogorelski, Renata Sinclair (2nd place); Metric Mastery- Seth Ray and Elyza Krahn (3rd place)'; Meteorology- Grace Nodolf, Renata Sinclair (3rd place); Microbe Mission - Giana Sinclair, Ella Stecklein (1st place), Renata Sinclair, Claire Manny (3rd place); Mission Possible - Kyndal Hoyt, Renata Sinclair (3rd place); Optics - Bennett Beck (1st place) Finnian Kerze (2nd); Picture This - Cora Nigon, Kyndal Hoyt, Violet Seguin (1st place) Nkaujtshiab Xiong, Davis Woodward, Abby Nacy (3rd place); Reach for the Stars - Protha Mitra, Morgan Steinmeyer (1st place); Road Scholar - Seth Ray, Grace Nodolf (2nd place); Scrambler - Seth Ray, Frankie Pogorelski (3rd place) Chris Ankrum, Emma Johnson (3rd place); Wind Power- Seth Ray, Elyza Krahn (2nd place); Write it-Do it- Bennett Beck, Cora Nigon (4th place)

Amy Zuber is the Menomonie 6th Grade Math Science Olympiad Coach. She can be reached at [email protected]

Flag Football

UW-Stout to Partner with Minnesota Vikings to Launch Women’s Collegiate Flag Football Program

MENOMONIE - The University of Wisconsin-Stout announced recently it is partnering with the Minnesota Vikings and five NCAA institutions to launch a new collegiate women’s flag football league. Along with Stout, participating institutions include: Augustana University, Concordia-Moorhead, Gustavus Adolphus College, Bethel University and the University of Northwestern, St. Paul.

“We are excited to be the leader and the first campus in the WIAC to bring women's collegiate flag football to reality. With the growth of this sport nationally, we are thrilled to build on UW-Stout's tradition of providing our current and future students with new opportunities," said UW-Stout Director of Athletics Duey Naatz, head women's flag football coach.

As part of the partnership, the Vikings, with support from the NFL, will contribute a total of $140,000 to support the league and the participating schools.

The UW-Stout Blue Devils have 20 student athletes on its roster – 18 players and two assistant coaches. Psychology senior Allison Letcher, a guard on the women's basketball team, is expected to be one of the quarterbacks.

"I am excited to play women's flag football and to be a part of history with the first ever women's football team here at Stout. We want to be an inspiration to little girls hesitating to join football, proving to them that it is a women's sport, too." said Letcher, of Windom, Minn.

Teams will compete in jamborees this April at University of Northwestern, St. Paul, and University of Wisconsin-Stout, leading up to the championship tournament at TCO Stadium in Eagan on Saturday, April 26.

Game Schedule:

·         Saturday, April 5 – Jamboree at University of Northwestern, St. Paul

·         Saturday, April 12 – Jamboree at University of Wisconsin-Stout

·         Saturday, April 26 – Championship tournament at TCO Stadium

"This is a significant moment for the continued growth of girls' and women's flag football," said Vikings Vice President of Social Impact Brett Taber. "These seven institutions are set to do something unique, and their partnership with the Vikings and the NFL will bring further awareness to the future of women's football and empower the next generation of athletes to find opportunities to compete and shape this game."

Naatz is in his 35th year with the Blue Devils and 15th as director of athletics, for which he is responsible for the oversight of 22 varsity programs. Prior, he served as football, track, and strength coach and instructor for 20 years.

For the complete story, go to Blue Devil Athletics

Menomonie Collegians

Menomonie’s Gaby Skorczewski Part of Three Top Five Finishes

By Layne Pitt

APPLETON, Wis. - Menomonie High School graduate Gaby Skorczewski competed in four events for Lawrence University at the Midwest Conference (MWC) Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship at Monmouth College, Feb. 28-March 1 and came away with three fifth place finishes.

Skorczewski, a sophomore double majoring in Spanish and linguistics, competed individually in the 400-meter run and in three relay events - the 4x200-meter, the 4x400-meter and the 1600m sprint medley relay (SMR).

Skorczewski clocked a time of 1-minute, 2.40-seconds in the 400, coming out of the second heat. In the three relay events, Skorczewski was the lead-off runner. The SMR team finished in a time of 4:23.56 and the 4x400 team finished at 4:13.71. The 4x200 team finished at 1:54.07, placing eighth.

Lawrence will get the outdoor portion of the season underway Saturday, April 5 when they compete in the Wisconsin Private College Championship in Milwaukee.

In the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships, two Menomonie graduates competed - sophomore Josh Boyette for UW-Stout and freshman Brooklyn Hoff for host school UW-Stevens Point - and both set personal bests in their respective events. The meet was held Feb. 28-March 1.

Boyette, competing in the heptathlon, moved up three places from last year’s WIAC indoor finish, placing 10th with a career-high point total of 4474 points, 300 points better than his point total at the 2024 event and nearly 100 points more than his previous best in January. Boyette also set personal bests in the 60m (7.31 seconds) and in the high jump (5-feet, 11.25-inches) during the heptathlon competition.

Hoff, who was the Pointers’ top freshman cross country runner last fall, competed in the 3000-meter run, finishing 19th in a team season-best time of 10-minutes, 44.84-seconds.

Stout will get the outdoor season underway when they compete at the UW-La Crosse Ashton May Invitational, April 5. The Pointers kick off the outdoor season Saturday, March 29 by traveling to the St. Norbert College Opener in DePere.

Layne Pitt is the retired UW-Stout Sports Information director and also worked more than a decade at the Dunn County News.

Menomonie Collegians is a regular feature of Menomonie News Net. The column is not limited to student-athletes, but may be a former MHS student in a play, forensics, music or any type of collegiate competition. If you know of a Menomonie Collegian, please email [email protected].

The column Menomonie Collegians by Layne Pitt is licensed under a CC BY SA 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Menomonie Mustangs Athletics and Activities | UW-Stout Blue Devil Athletics 

For a detailed Calendar of Events in the Menomonie Area, visit Menomonie Minute.

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