Athens K-12, trails group extend agreement

By Casey Krautkramer

The Athens Board of Education on Monday approved a one-year extension to a memorandum of understanding with the Athens Area Trails Association (AATA) so it can extend the Waterside Park Segment of the Odyssey Trail System on school district property along CTH M. Steve Brewster, president of AATA, and Glen Luetschwager, vice president of AATA, attended the school board meeting. The group’s goal is for the Odyssey Trail to circle around the village of Athens with some streets and sidewalks serving as connecting points between parks. People can bike, run and walk on the trails.

In June of 2021, the district and AATA approved a three-year memorandum of understanding to allow AATA to create the Waterside Park Segment of the Odyssey Trail from from Nathan Street in the Decker subdivision through the school district forest to the driveway leading to the village well house. AATA obtained easements from Athens Veterinary Service and the school district to complete this segment.

Schreiner Forestry of Athens thinned out the school forest to create open areas to be later developed by the district for outdoor classrooms. Schreiner Forestry also cleared trees along the west side of the high school baseball field for another linking trail as mapped out by Athens cross country coach Korey Rottscheit.

The one-year extension to the memorandum of understanding will allow AATA to create a crushed gravel trail from the parking lot off CTH M to allow people to gain access to the baseball practice field located on the far northwest corner of the district’s property. The trail will exit onto CTH M, allowing people to use the streets and sidewalks to reach Erbach Park.

Brewster said dirt removed during construction of the trail will be spread into the school forest to create the new grass trail, which will be mowed by the district west of the baseball and football fields. He said construction of the trail extension along CTH M on district property could start this fall depending on whether Athens continues to receive lots of rainfall. Brewster told the board it’s possible AATA will request another oneyear extension from the district next summer to allow more time for the trail to be completed.

Other business

■ The board voted 5-0 to spend $155,000 on new Dell Chromebooks for students in sixth through 12th grades, Dell Micro computers in the business education classroom, eight Chromebook carts for kindergarten through fifth grades and a Chromebook cart for the high school library, staff computers and a computer server for this school year. Board members Tucker Diethelm and Steve Janke were absent from the meeting.

Technology consultant Sam Cattanach, who was hired in May, gave a presentation at Monday’s meeting on the research he’s conducted on the district’s computers. He recommended the school board spend the $155,000 that it approved on new Dell computers.

Cattanach said the district has used Acer computers for many years but newer models are currently on back order for three to four months. His opinion is that Dell and Acer have similar computers, so he recommended the board purchase new Dell computers so that they arrive in time for students to use at the start of this school year.

■ The board approved the 2024-25 bus contract with Fischer Transpiration for $575,542, which is a 4.5 percent increase from last year.

■ Maple Grove Foundation Inc., a nonprofit public charitable organization, presented the board with a $30,000 donation to pay for the entire cost of the Maple Grove Charter School’s exterior painting project. At last month’s meeting, the school board voted to hire Wisconsota Painting for $29,267 for the exterior painting project.

Cynthia Artus, vice president of Maple Grove Foundation, told the school board that the foundation is giving the district a little extra money beyond the awarded bid in case there are more wooden boards that need to be replaced on the school. Artus would like the extra money to be used in the Maple Grove classrooms if it doesn’t end up being used for the painting project, which that is planned to start at the beginning of August and be completed before school starts.

■ Superintendent Andrea Sheridan reported that sophomore student Delaney Beasley successfully advocated for the creation of the Raise Your Voice Club at Athens High School this fall. The club empowers young people to speak up and create an open dialogue about mental health.

Personnel changes

The board approved the following personnel changes:

■ Accepted the resignation of Title 1 reading teacher and family engagement coordinator Mary Hessefort, who will be replaced by Amy Wolfe.

■ Hired Crystal Krienke-Borkoski as a new art teacher and Alyssa Antoniewicz as the new high school social studies teacher. Emily Triebold was also hired as a .25 music teacher at Maple Grove Charter School. Triebold is also a .2 paradeducator in Maple Grove Charter School’s library media center.

■ Hired Todd Diethelm as the new athletic director.

■ Cade Ellenbecker and Karla Erickson will be co-head coaches of the Athens varsity boys and girls track teams next spring. They were co-head coaches of the boys team while Cheryl Strunk coached the girls, but she is now retired from working and coaching in the school district.

■ Shawn Steinke, Matt Ellenbecker and Andy Thurs were hired as high school varsity assistant football coaches, Thomas Ellenbecker as middle school football coach along with Jake Stange and Darion Ellenbecker as middle school assistant football coaches. Kathy Luther was hired as an assistant varsity volleyball coach and Erickson as the middle school cross country coach.

DONATION FOR SCHOOL PAINTING PROJECT - Athens School District received a $30,000 donation from the Maple Grove Foundation, Inc., at Monday’s school board meeting to cover the entire cost of the exterior painting project at Maple Grove Charter School in Hamburg. Pictured, from left to right, are Angie Servi, Athens Board of Education member from Hamburg; Tim Krueger, Athens Board of Education president; Peter Fromm Wade, president of Maple Grove Foundation; Andrea Sheridan, Athens schools superintendent and Cynthia Artus, director/secretary of Maple Grove Foundation.

STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

Steve Brewster