School Updates

Alumni Profile
Cailie Kafura Class of 2011
Where do you live? I have no permanent home for a year, since I will be travelling to six different countries on my gap year. However, my permanent home is in Krakow, where my parents reside. These are my homes away from home: From July to August, I lived in the Amazon Jungle in Peru in a bungalow for two months! I am currently residing in my Moms best friends house, which is a bed and breakfast just outside of Cape Town in South Africa; I have been living here since August. Starting in January, I will be living in another bungalow in Cambodia, on an island called Sihanoukville.After Cambodia, I will work at an elephant rescue center and live in a glorified hut in Thailand! Come March, I will be living and volunteering in Mongolia in an orphanage or a yurt, which is a traditional Mongolian home. Where do you work? In Peru, I was volunteering on an environmental conservation project in an ecological reserve in Peru that rehabilitates animals and protects the rainforest. Daily activities included trail clearing (with machetes!), bird watching, animal feeding (jaguars, monkeys, parrots, etc), fruit collecting, turtle-egg rescuingand more! In South Africa, I am currently volunteering at a soup kitchen, a daycare, a nursing home, an animal shelter, as well as teaching a drama class to kids from shantytowns. In Cambodia, I will be volunteering on a marine conservation project where I will help clean the coral reefs, teach environmental education to children, and assist in the seahorse rehabilitation program. Thailands elephant rescue program will have me working six days a week, where I will have the privilege of feeding, bathing, and playing with formerly neglected elephants. In the brutally cold spring of Mongolia, my two months will consist of me working at an orphanage, where I will be handing out free hugs. Last but not least, I shall head to England to visit family and do a wee bit of tourism. What did you do after high school? After high school, I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my life, let alone study. All I knew was that I wanted to make a difference in this world and be the change. Thus, I chose to take a gap year, which is a year off between high school and college. I went to a gap year fair in Chicago, where gap year companies had booths of information. This helped me decide which company to use for my trip. After lots of research and decisions about where to go and what to do, my gap year began on July 12th. My itinerary read: Peru, South Africa, Cambodia, Thailand, Mongolia, and England. It was a dream come true and it still is. Did you go to college? If so, where? I will start university in fall 2012 after I return from my year abroad. I have applied to three colleges so far, but I am awaiting replies. I am still unsure about what I will study, but I am leaning towards environmental studies and international studies. How were your grades in high school? Bah Humbug. Did a certain teacher have a positive impact on your life? Yes! Many of them did! I adore Mrs. Brylski, Mrs. Stainton, and Mrs. Bader. Mrs. Brylski is a remarkable teacher who has such passion for teaching, learning, and understanding. I loved every class I had with her. She inspires me! Mrs. Stainton is such a sweet and caring friend of mine. She was my AP Environmental Science teacher and I loved and learned so much from this class, thanks to her. Mrs. Bader was my director for all of my dramatics. She was the Betty to my Blast and could never say my name correctly. Mrs. Bader is an incredibly kind woman who was a director, a teacher, and a counselor all for the price of one. Do you still talk to these teachers? I do! I am still in touch with all three of these teachers! I plan to Skype Mrs. Brylskis and Mrs. Staintons classes in the near future and I have sent Mrs. Bader a postcard to let her know that I am still alive(that was her biggest fear!). What is your favorite band? Mumford and Sons, Queen, The Killers, Adele, and Regina Spektor. What is your favorite TV show? The Office! What activities did you participate in during high school? Environmental Club, Drama Club, Diversity Club, and Dramatics. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint Chocolate Chip! How did you use what you learned in Pulaski outside of school? While in the Amazon Rainforest, I found that much of what I learned in environmental science class became a reallife application opportunity. Watching sustainable environmental practices taking place and being able to be a part of the rainforests conservation whisked me back to the days of APES class and all its glory. Not to mention, coloring in the multitude of maps in Mrs. Brylskis geography class has actually enabled me to remember countriesand thus, travel to them! What, if anything, do you miss about the Pulaski area? The infamous snuggie of Mrs. Wojahn, the sweater-vest of Mr. McNabb, and the voice of Kevin Dunford in my 3rd hour class, I must admit that I miss Pulaski High and the wonderfully whimsical people in it. Although high school was never my favorite, reminiscing about it has made me come to the astonishing revelation that those prolonged four years brought me marvelous friendships, hilarious experiences, and memories that make every day a Raider day. To read more about Callies travels, visit her blog at http:// cailiekafura.blogspot.com/

The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives. Robert M Hutchins

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Page 6

Students Liaison officer program begins at attend All-State grade schools

by Hannah Bloch Young and exceptionally talented, three Pulaski Community Middle School band students were nominated recently to participate in the upcoming All-State Junior Band Finale Concert, to be held on Jan. 21, 2012. The band, which is composed of 87 exceptional students from 38 schools across Wisconsin, the All-State Junior Band Concert allows middle school students from around the state to perform with other students of their same high level of skill and ability. This concert, which takes place on the campus of Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School at the Performing Arts Center, will feature the gifted PCMS students Dustin Wernicke, Nolan Kozlovsky and Evan Haas, along with their director Tim Kozlovsky. Kozlovsky recommends the top kids to perform in this concert. I give them an application and they fill out their experiences with solo ensemble and with other experiences, Kozlovsky said of the audition process. These past experiences, specifically the Wisconsin State Honors Band in October, gave these talented band students a boost of confidence needed when they will, once again, perform with other highly talented band students. Wernicke, a percussionist of three years, is excited about being selected once again for such an opportunity. I think its pretty special because it means Im a leader in the band, said Wernicke. Along with Wernicke, Evan Haas, a French horn player in 8th grade and Nolan Kozlovsky, a tuba player in the 7th grade, will play amongst the others during this challenging performance. Nolan Kozlovsky, tuba player of two years, is especially fond of band. I get to be more creative than other subjects and have fun, said Nolan Kozlovsky. For director Kozlovsky, the opportunity is enthusiastic to direct the performance this year, which also means that he will get to select the music the students will play. Mark your calendars for this upcoming Finale Concert Jan. 21, 2012, at the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School at the Performing Arts Center at 7:00 p.m.
by Matt Zey For younger children, police officers are often seen as scary and intimidating, but the Pulaski Community School District is trying to change that image. Officer Jim Tinlin and Officer Angel Van Den Heuvel are teaming up to create awareness and promote incident prevention in the grade schools. Officer Van Den Heuvel, from the Hobart Police Department, serves as Hillcrest and Lannoyes part-time liaison officer while Officer Tinlin, of the Pulaski Police Department, serves as a full time liaison officer at Pulaski High School and visits Glenbrook, Sunnyside and Fairview Elementary schools, as well as Pulaski Community Middle School. Both officers give multiple presentations to various grades each month, hoping to raise awareness that officers are friendly and keep the community safe. For the youngest students, presentations center on being kind and caring, as well as a general introduction to police

officers and the equipment they carry. Older students learn about Charlie Check First, the new alternative to stranger danger. Students are also informed about the negative consequences of alcohol and other drugs. Special guest appearances by Raider, Pulaskis narcotics K9 dog, are expected to start this month, as well. This is the first year these presentations are pre-planned, in an effort by school administration to improve studentofficer relationships, similar to the goal of the Shop with a Cop program. This is also marks Van Den Heuvels first year working with the PCSD. According to Jenny Gracyalny, principal of Hillcrest Elementary, Officer Tinlins duties were too much for one person, so school officials met with the Hobart police department and acquired 120 hours of Officer Van Den Heuvels service. Ultimately, the PCSD hopes to create a better school environment through this preventative approach.

PHS teacher receives certification

by Erika Lambert Sixty-seven Wisconsin educators earned professional certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Of those that were awarded the certification, Pulaski High School teacher Jeff Stoeberl received the honor. Stoeberl has been teaching at Pulaski High School for 15 years, and wanted to improve his teaching skills by achieving the national certification. [I am] proud to advance professionally in my career of special education, said Stoeberl. In order for Stoeberl to achieve this award, he submitted four portfolio entries that featured teaching practice and six constructed response exercise that assess content knowledge. [Stoeberl is] well deserved, works extremely hard and he really cares about kids getting the skills to be successful. Its not just getting the diploma, its getting the right skills to be successful after high school,
said PHS co-principal John Matczak. Additionally he does a lot of things out of the school day that gets unnoticed; such as putting extra time in and tutoring, and connecting with teachers to help his students. Hes visible in the community as a coach, and overall his heart is in the right place. Throughout his time at PHS, Stoeberl has done quite a bit to help out with special education students. According to Stoeberal, watching his students progress academically and being part of that growth is what makes his job more enjoyable and motivates him to help them as much as possible during their time at PHS. PHS encourages more teachers to seek the development to this award. The district is committed to the development to great teachers. Teaching and learning evolves and we want our teachers to have best practices, said Matczak. Currently, there are only 818 teachers certified nationwide that hold the national certification.