Northland Pines School District News Coverage

Northland Pines High School seniors received their diplomas Sunday at their graduation, but before the seniors had their big moment, some Alumni received a special honor. Two new members were inducted into the school's Alumni Hall of Fame.  Kathy Holtorp was chosen for her volunteer work with the Salvation Army Toy Program and numerous other charitable organizations.  Nancy Schaffer used to be a teacher at Northland Pines, and was chosen for her dedication to the school district and for her work as the Walter E Olson memorial Library Foundation President. Both women were grateful for the honor. "There's so many people who go unrecognized for all that they do. It's very humbling to be receiving this award, and it's great," said Holtorp.  The goal of the Alumni Hall of Fame is not only to recognize good works, but also to inspire students at the school to make accomplishments of their own. The new inductees believe using local accomplishments to encourage the younger generations is important. "They can see that people can do things, not that it's going to be setting the world on fire, but things that just will help out their community," said Schaffer. "And I truly believe as Kathy does that giving back to the community is very important." Friends, family members, and colleagues of the inductees attended Sunday morning's ceremony. 

Northland Pines 8th graders gave a lesson of their own at Pick 'n Save in Eagle River Thursday. For five years, students have managed five beehives at the school. The students help make honey and lip balm for the sponsors of the Hive Alive program. Teacher Todd Wilfer said students wanted to educate people about the benefits of bees. "There are over one hundred bee sponsors for our program that our kids write to throughout the year informing them on how the bees are doing and what we're doing to the hives," said Wilfer. Wilfer said the goal is to educate the community on the importance of pollinators and honey bees.

The Northland Pines School District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday to celebrate its new solar panel system. The District flipped the switch on last fall, but waited for nicer weather to make it official. The sun plays a big role to help power the Northland Pines School District. Last November, the district began using its new solar panel system at the Eagle River Elementary School and the Northland Pines Middle and High School. "We're looking at trying to be very fiscally responsible. Save as much money as we can for our tax payers," said Northland Pines District Administrator Mike Richie. Since November, about 1,000 solar panels have saved the school district more than $15,000 in energy. The system will generate about 430,000 kilowatt-hours in a year, which will be about 22 percent of the buildings' use. "School districts are struggling for dollars around the country, specially Wisconsin. And this gives them a tool to reduce their energy cost," said Mark Hanson of Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction. The solar project also has many educational benefits. "This is a chance for students to learn about solar, have it in their curriculum, and also see it as a path forward for future jobs," said Hanson. Richie hopes the project continues for many years to come. "It looks like it's going to produce about anywhere between $40,000 to $70,000 per year at the end of its twelfth year. If those numbers hold true, it'd be a very wise investment for the school district to continue with this project," said Richie. Thanks to a third-party investor, the school district has no upfront costs for the solar system. People can go the Northland Pines District website to see just how much energy the solar panels produce and how much money is saved over time.

Most sports teams face their competition in person, that's not always the case for trap shooting teams. But on Monday, two Northwoods school trap teams got to meet up in person for some friendly rivalry, and to share their love of the sport. "I think the best thing about this sport is that it's really a level playing field," said Northland Pines Trap Coach Tim Lehman. It's a level playing field that's growing... read more.

Ken Storms noticed something different when he walked into the Northland Pines Community Wellness Center last month.  Four brand-new machines sit ready for anyone to use. The school-managed gym now has two new rowing machines, a new chest press, and a digital recumbent stepper, which is easier for elderly or people with disabilities to use. Storms started using the wellness center about four years ago when he had a series of health problems.  He says the upgraded equipment is just one of many reasons he goes to this gym. "They bond with some other people who are here and you get to know people very well," Storms said. "It's a good resource for people in the community." Pines took over full management of the gym, which is on an upper level of the high school, from the YMCA back in 2014. Storms expects the new machines to attract people from even more places across Vilas County. Memberships are available at the wellness center starting at $5 for a single daily pass, $30 for a single monthly pass, or $300 for a single annual pass. Call the wellness center at 715-479-4473 ext. 3351 for more information. The center is open Monday-Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon. 

Whether rustling through the leaves, stomping through the snow, or getting up close and personal with some tree bark, Eagle River Elementary students really got to know the land on Monday. "Their own backyard, in many cases," Ottawa National Forest Conservation Education Coordinator Joe Panci said. But that land sits in another state.  The group of nearly 60 fourth-grade students took a field trip up to the Ottawa National Forest in Watersmeet, Michigan.  It's part of a year-long nature education during which the students have taken various field trips, including a visit to Madison.  The goal on this trip was simple: get outside and actually get in touch with nature. "There are times where maybe a group walks away and I go, 'I don't know. Did they really learn much? What did they take away and retain?'" Panci said of leading past tour groups. "Other times, I think, 'Oh, there's hope!'" Panci and fellow U.S. Forest Service worker Randi Ellsworth led an "alphabet hike" through the forest and animal identification tours, then awarded students with their own free passes to a national park. The passes came thanks to the federal "Every Kid in a Park" program, which started in 2015. "Hopefully, they'll be better stewards of the land when they're in charge, making decisions," Panci said of the fourth graders. It was on land a little closer to their own back yards that the students brought some of what they learned in the Upper Peninsula to their school forest a few miles north of Eagle River. "They're becoming one with their surroundings, rather than just woods and dirt and leaves," teacher Nicole Musial said. Musial hoped to have her students plant trees in the school forest along Highway 45 on Monday afternoon, but the ground was too frozen still to allow it. Instead, they improvised by starting a nature-based scavenger hunt and finding symmetry in forest items. "There's just so much to do... You just get to adventure off with some of your friends and you're not with a teacher the whole time," student Josh Graves said. Teachers -- keeping a close watch on the adventure-driven students -- agreed, it's nice to get out of the classroom and into a learning space that will become their students' place to teach in and protect soon enough. "You can see the excitement, you can see how they're really getting into this... They're gonna probably share those memories for the rest of their life," Musial said. Those memories will get put to the test next month. Eagle River Elementary will host its first ever Conservation Fair, where each student today will need to present on a different topic. The fair is on May 16 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the elementary school. It is open to the public. 

Gabby Herfindahl checked another item off her to-do list for the last few weeks of her senior year. The Northland Pines senior made it official today that she will run track at St. Cloud State. Herfindahl decided on St. Cloud State because of its campus and its coaching staff for the track team. Last year she was selected as the runner of the year for the Great Northern Conference. Herfindahl usually finishes up front for Northland Pines in her sprinting events. She'll plan on doing the same as a Husky next year. "They don't have any pole vaulters right now so I'll be their first one, or only one as of right now and that's kind of cool. I have time marks I have to hit so that's a big thing I'm going to work on. But I'll definitely stick to sprinting and pole vaulting," said Herfindahl. Herfindahl was also a great hockey player for the Eagles. She is planning on playing for the intramural team at St. Cloud State.

Track and field offers athletes the chance to showcase their abilities in so many different ways. But when people think of the sport, they often think of the 100-meter dash. For Northland Pines sprinter Gabby Herfindahl, a chance at breaking the conference 100-meter record could be within reach. "I'm really hard on myself so being number one is my main priority," said Herfindahl. That mindset has helped Herfindahl win a lot of races and set a lot of records. "She's been scoring so many points and doing so well. She's a senior but she was doing the same thing as a freshman," said Northland Pines Assistant Coach Josh Fuller. As a freshman and a sophomore, Herfindahl set Pines school records in the indoor 55-meter, indoor 200-meter, outdoor 200-meter and the outdoor pole vault. But there's one record she still has her eyes on. "I want the 100, I don't have it, but I really want that one," said Herfindahl. Last season, Herfindahl ran the third-fastest 100-meter dash time in Great Northern Conference history behind Mosinee's Kennedy Vanderwaal and Northland Pines' Megan Gwyn. She nearly broke the conference meet record and sits just .22 seconds behind the top all-time spot. "It's frustrating, the 200s I got sophomore year I think it was, so I work for that 100, that's the one I want to beat," said Herfindahl. In order to capture the top time in GNC history, she'll have to pass Gwyn, who graduated in 2010. "It's Megan Gwyn, somebody I look up to," said Herfindahl. Gwyn is somebody she looks up to, just the way her younger teammates now look up to her. "This year more than in the past I'm seeing her in practice taking the young girls and pulling them aside and talking to them about different things as it relates to track and field and helping them improve," said Fuller. As she helps her teammates improve, Herfindahl is still focused on becoming number one in the most prized race of all. "If I could break that, that would be a huge accomplishment and great way to end my senior year," said Herfindahl. The Eagles' first outdoor meet was scheduled for Tuesday April, 10, but that has since been postponed because of the snow. 

The snow outside can't stop the Northwoods track season from moving forward. Northland Pines hosted nine schools Saturday for an invitational meet. The Eagles took home first place on both the boys and girls sides. The Pines boys scored 169.5 points while the girls totaled 135. Lochlan Siegmeier and Kirsten Lindemann each finished first in three different events. Paige Hickson won the girls pole vault with a new Northland Pines girls indoor record of 9'6". Sprinter Gabby Herfindahl placed first in the 55-meter dash. We'll hear more from Gabby Sunday night as she hopes to break the conference 100-meter record this spring.

TOP 3 BOYS TEAMS:
1st Northland Pines -169.5
2nd Marquette - 118
3rd Tomahawk - 74.5

TOP 3 GIRLS TEAMS:
1st Northland Pines - 135
2nd Marquette - 110
3rd Chequamegon - 82.5

Northland Pines hosted a softball scrimmage with Lakeland Union on Friday night. With the fields still being covered in snow, the teams had no choice but to play inside. "I like practicing, but the girls want to play ball, it's time for the real deal. This will get us as close to that as we can," said Northland Pines' head coach, Jacob Schueller. Schueller has been the head coach of the Northland Pines softball team for three years. When his fields are still covered in snow in April, he goes to a backup plan. "Jason Morris, the Lakeland coach reached out to me and he said 'hey, what do you think about a scrimmage?' and I said 'yeah, let's do it'," said Schueller. Some things were a little different than in an actual game outside. "Balls are going to bounce differently on the floor. Also, it's a lot harder for our pitchers. They don't have the rubber they're used to pushing off on," said Northland Pines senior, Rhavyn Millis. But other things were essentially the same. "Left and center, we're legitimate when it comes to distance of an outfield fence," said Schueller. There wasn't wind to factor in, the balls were softer and there wasn't sun in their eyes when they were trying to catch a pop fly. So it did feel a little weird for the players. "It is, it's very weird. But I'm just happy because it's a game and we have to wait another couple weeks to play again because of the snow," said Lakeland Union junior, Ally Pairolero. The only rules that were different were hitting the ceiling. If you hit it once, it was a strike, if you hit it twice, you were out. But that still gave the players enough to get the feel of a game time atmosphere. "When we get back to practice next week, we'll have some actual things to talk about and work on outside of just skills, drills and fundamentals," said Schueller. When there's feet of snow still on your field, you just have to deal with the card's you're dealt. Or the balls you're pitched. On Monday night, the Northland Pines softball team will play another scrimmage inside as they host Three Lakes.

Eric Neff's approach to his job is simple. "Proactive [rather] than reactively," said the Northland Pines school resource officer.  For the last two years, Neff, who works with the Vilas County Sheriff's Office, has worked to strengthen his relationship with students. "It's an environment where I know pretty much 90 percent of the population [in here]," said Neff.  The district is looking to build on those positive relationships with a new program that would use $50 as an incentive. "We want to really stress that if you see something, say something," said Superintendent Dr. Mike Richie.  The program called "Quick 50" would give a student that reports a legitimate tip $50. The person calling in the tip can remain anonymous, but the tip must lead to an arrest. "It could involve a student [having] a weapon in their locker, they have some drugs in a backpack, they have something that's illegal," said Richie.  Richie worked with the program during his time in the New London School District. He said it's been very successful there and in other parts of the state. "We're giving students and kids a voice, an anonymous voice to speak out and say something," said Janesville Police Officer Chad Sullivan.  Sullivan says the schools in Rock County have been using the "Quick 50" program through Crime Stoppers for about 30 years. The program has alerted police to possible school shooters. They average between 15-25 "Quick 50" rewards per school year. "It's not the person that's really in crisis that's going to have the voice," said Sullivan. "It's the people next to them that are seeing this and they're the ones that are reaching out through this technology." In Eagler River, Eric Neff hopes the students he's built relationships with continue reaching out and being proactive. "I would rather give somebody $50 than to have a problem that I wasn't able to stop before it even happened," said Neff.  Mike Richie said he's confident the school will fund the program through its own budget. He also mentioned the "Quick 50" program is just a small part of the safety plans the school is currently working on. The Vilas County Sheriff's office is planning on reaching out to other schools in the county regarding the "Quick 50" program.

All college hockey eyes will be on Notre Dame and Michigan when they face off on Thursday night in the Frozen Four. And behind the scenes for the Irish will be a Northland Pines Eagle. 2002 Northland Pines graduate Nick Siergiej is Notre Dame's coordinator of hockey operations. Some of his responsibilities include overseeing the management of team equipment and organizing team trips. Siergiej got his start as the equipment manager for the Northland Pines hockey team. Then he used his time as a student at UW-Rvier Falls to help build his career path. "Video, technology started to become very prevelant. That's when River Falls started picking up the technology so I learned the video side, the scouting side and helping with technology on things," said Siergiej. After graduating from UW-River Falls, Siergiej spent three years with Minnesota-Duluth before taking the job at Notre Dame. He's also worked with the United States World Junior team. Even with all of that travel, he says there's always a connection to Eagle River. "Kids that we recruit here have heard of Eagle River or played at Eagle River. Or guys that I meet that are my age, I played against them in Eagle River growing up. So it's really cool to have that bond back to Eagle River," said Siergiej. 2nd seeded Notre Dame will face 10th seeded Michigan at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Kids face bullying in schools all the time. That's one reason why the Eagle River elementary school holds its annual Great Kindness Challenge Week. It's part of a nationwide challenge involving nearly 10,000 schools. This year's kindness week in Eagle River wrapped up Friday with a musical assembly with Dave Dall. Throughout the week, students were challenged to do random acts of kindness. Some of them made posters thanking teachers and other faculty. Second grade teacher Brenda Saltenberger enjoys organizing the yearly challenge. "It's been very positive. They're all excited, they're all happy. We are going on spring break next week so it was a good week to spread that kindness and have that very positive attitude," said Saltenberger. Saltenberger says the school uses the week long challenge as part of a larger kindness initiative. "We have an initiative in our school. We have PBIS, which is our behavior program, and really kindness is all year long. It is not a day, it is not a week. It is all year long," said Saltenberger. Saltenberger says the school had dress-up days all week to keep the kids interested. 

We communicate everyday through cell phones, texting, and social media. But a group of students in Eagle River goes old-school with their devices. It's a club that members want to see grow. For seventh grader Evan Sievwright the thought of communicating through amateur radio sparked an interest. "I saw the posters in the hallway and they said that we could work with electronics and talk to people around the country and the world," said Sievwright. Sievwright signed up for the Northland Pines Amateur Radio Club a few months ago. For the last few years, a small group of students has been learning to communicate through amateur radios. "We are now into our third year. We started in the winter three years ago. So it's been going and improving," said Adviser John Bigley. Although the club is somewhat new to the school, members find it very unique. "As far as school programs go, there's nothing quite like it. The extracurriculars, there's nothing quite like it that has to do with electronics," said sophomore Nick Lofy. Students first learn basic soldering skills before moving on to build their own radios. Then comes learning more about the radios and how to use them. "They're learning radio parts and basic fundamentals of radio communications and all that leads to them taking their technician test and getting their license," said Bigley. Once a student passes, they can operate the radios on their own. Junior Daniel Evensen says aside from the radio aspect of the club, he values the comradery the most. "I just like the connection that I've made with a bunch of the guys here. With Roger, Nick and Paul and all of them, all of the advisers. I like making those connections and those friends," said Evensen. A small scholarship is also offered to any senior who has their radio license and has been active in the club for at least one semester. 

Hundreds of thousands of students across the country participated in a national walkout on Wednesday morning.  Some schools in the Northwoods took part.  On the one month anniversary of the Parkland, Florida shooting, students at Northland Pines High School spent 17 minutes in silence for the lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.  Northland Pines senior Hadley Kruse generally feels safe at school. "The teachers and administrators really make it a safe environment for us," said Kruse.  Kruse said unfortunately not every school is like that and it is up to kids to promote change. "It's really a big issue and it's important that we make our voices heard," said Kruse.  At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, students took a 17 minute moment of silence to commemorate the 17 lives that were lost in Florida last month. "Sitting out there and thinking about each minute that's one life, that's lots of friends and family that will never see that person again and I just don't think the 17 minutes is quite enough," said junior Malcolm McCanles.  Students had the option to walk around in the field house or sit outside of the school. Or students could choose to not participate. Junior Daniel Evensen believes problems aren't solved by walking out.  "You solve problems by going to your congressman; you solve problems by praying for the people who were lost, praying for their families. You don't solve any problems by just walking out, you have to do something," said Evensen.  Whatever the students chose, the school administration supported their decisions.  "A lot of adults have said ways students should act or feel but they don't walk in their shoes every day," said High School principal Scott Foster.  "They were all for it and made sure to listen to our ideas," said Kruse. "They supported us by giving us the choice and that's the best thing that they can do," said Evensen.  Around 100 students made the choice to join the walkout.  "It makes me unbelievably proud that we can stand together, political views aside, and just stand together to promote a safer and kinder environment and to memorialize the lives of the 17 student lost. They're just like us," said senior Laura Garling.  The students also participated in making a short video to send to the Philadelphia Eagles. The professional football team reached out to every school in the country with an eagles mascot to make a video for the families in Parkland. 

 Eagle River elementary kicked off its winter Olympic Games on Wednesday.  Some of the games included bobsledding, luge, curling, speed skating, and a team biathlon. Each class picked its own country to represent.  Elementary school physical education teacher Trina Burr said they have been teaching the kids about the values of Olympians.  "We've been discussing that all this week about what is an Olympian. The excellence part and the respect and the friendships they build and so that's why we thought we would go along with this because we need that in our culture," said Burr.  Sixth grader Zachary Ritter was in charge of helping the younger kids learn the games. Ritter is a big fan of watching the U.S. athletes compete in Pyeongchang. He said they can teach kids like him valuable life lessons.  "In the future you might not always win but you just have to be respectful and humble when you do win," said Ritter.  Fifth grader Matanna Depuidt's favorite activity was the bobsledding because it is all about strength.  "They try their hardest at what they do and they never give up and you might be one of them when you grow up," said Depuidt.  Other events included scooter hockey, skeleton, and an arts and crafts station. Leading up to the games, the students learned about the history of the Olympics and the meaning of the Olympic rings.  

A smooth-talking con-man will arrive in Eagle River ready to dupe the community into a money-making scheme this weekend.  Don't worry, it's all for Northland Pines High School's rendition of "The Music Man." About 90 students are involved in the production of the musical.  The actors auditioned for their roles and began rehearsing back in November.  "A lot of it was learning the backstory of our characters; where they came from and who they are. We had to really get to know them first," says junior Sheamus Roelle. The actors also learned how to speak, walk, and talk from their acting coach. One actor even had to take on an Irish accent. "Ever since I was little I tried doing different accents. That was just one that kind of clicked for me. So, I did it at auditions and it worked!" says junior Gracie Stevens.

Most teachers will go to just about any length to get their students excited about a subject. A fifth grade science teacher at Northland Pines Elementary School in Eagle River went out of her way and out of this world to inspire her students.  "If you have an opportunity to have a priceless treasure in your classroom and literally give kids a piece of history and piece of something that they're never going to get again why wouldn't you?" said teacher Tami Davis.  As Davis explains the lesson of the day an extra sense of anticipation runs through her students. "I think we're all a little excited, myself included," said Davis. They're all excited to not only learn about the moon and space exploration, but to study a physical piece of it.
"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. They're literally holding the moon in their hands," Davis said.  NASA will loan out moon soil and rock samples to teachers for lesson plans.  Davis had to go through a four-hour training session, an extensive application process, and an FBI background check before she could get the samples. She says it's a little stressful, but worth it to see the looks on their faces.  "Getting to hold them, look at them with the microscopes and everything. It's really cool to see moon rocks that I've never seen before," said fifth grader Breydon Peterson.  The unique lesson captured the attention of these fifth graders. "They want to learn it and it makes it real for them. It's just incredible," said Davis.  The samples are so valuable, they have to be locked at the police station when not being used for lessons.

Three months ago, a water skiing accident nearly left Merrill firefighter Chris Marion paralyzed. The St. Germain native has shocked everyone around him with an amazing recovery that's far from over. Tuesday night, Marion stood side-by-side with the Northland Pines Eagles, as they honored him before their game against Lakeland. "It's absolutely amazing, I can't even explain how it feels," said Marion. For Marion, standing on the ice at the Eagle River Ice Arena took a lot more effort than he ever imagined it could. "I do recall [lying] face down in the water, unable to move," said Marion. On September 3, Chris Marion's life changed forever. A water skiing accident separated his skull from his spine. "Most injuries like that, people never get a chance to leave the scene," said Marion. But through the help of first responders and doctors, the 45-year-old not only left the scene, but walked out of the hospital just six weeks later. Through it all, Marion's outlook on life hasn't changed. "I always feel that a positive attitude and laughter is some of the best medicine," said Marion. Now he must focus on continuing his rehab. "I'm just working to get back to, some people say 100%," said Marion. "But I'm shooting for 110." On Tuesday night the Northland Pines boys hockey team wanted to help him do that. "When [the players] heard about it, they started getting the wrist bands and everything together and they had kind of been talking about it in the locker room," said Northland Pines Head Coach Dave Cox. "And they said 'jeez coach is there something we can do about that?'" The Eagles booster club teamed up with Marion's long-time friend Jenny Sergent to collect donations, sell wrist bands and promote their benefit concert later this month. Sergent says she never hesitated once the team reached out. "When I got in touch with a few people and they said should we do this? I said game on, rock and roll," said Sergent. But Tuesday's benefit for Marion wasn't just to collect donations. It also allowed him to step onto the ice and stand side by side with the Eagles, just as he did when he played for Northland Pines himself. "He wants to show everyone that you can do it, and you can move forward and you shouldn't just sit in the shadows and feel sorry for yourself," said Sergent. Marion says feeling sorry for himself is the last thing you'll catch him doing. "Not that I even can hang my head. It's pretty much screwed into place where it's at, but keep my head up, keep smiling, work hard and I'll be back to normal before everyone knows," said Marion. Marion has another surgery scheduled for about two weeks from now. 

If you want to get an good understanding of what makes Eagle River tick in the winter time, the first stop should be the ice castle. At a structure made of thousands of blocks of ice, about 55 Eagle River Elementary fourth-grade students learned how the decades-old idea comes together each year. "They're actually a little warm because this is a heat wave for us," teacher Nicole Musial said of her students.  "These are the future members of our community. When they grow up, they re going to do something incredible." Musial helped coordinate the tour, which started as a chance to send a picture to their pen pals in Florida, but grew into a day-long field trip. Eagle River Assistant Fire Chief Steve Burr helped his department build the castle over five days earlier in January. Teachers asked him to incorporate history, math, and economics into his speech. "All three of them fit in well with the ice castle," Burr said of the topics. "[Asked if he's an expert in those fields] Absolutely not. But i did brush up... [I just want them to learn] the sense of community pride and how the entire city of Eagle River and the surrounding townships, how they embrace this." Beyond getting to see something cool - like the ice castle - close up, students got an understanding of how winter attractions keep restaurants, hotels, and stores rolling through what otherwise might be a down time. It's a season revved up thanks to another January attraction just across town. The World Championship Snowmobile Derby should draw thousands of people in its 55th year this weekend. Thursday, those same Eagle River students got the chance to see how the track gets made, learn some of its history, and hear from track owner Chuck Decker just how important the races are to the snowmobile capital of the world. "It's a big area for sports and so it's just great to introduce them at a young age to what's right next door to them," Decker said. Getting to use the track's public address system and sipping on hot chocolate just added to the experience, but the kids hooked onto the idea that fun and finances go hand-in-hand here. "You start understanding it and you realize that it s everywhere," 10-year-old Katie Swendson said. "Things are happening everywhere you go." On this day, that was all across their city; a small community that swells in the winter, with an impact lasting longer than the snow and ice. "They are part of something bigger," Musial said. "They are not just a student at Eagle River Elementary School. They are able to leave a lasting footprint here." Teachers say the whole day was free aside from paying $20 total for the bus. The Eagle River Fire Department says this weekend s warm up shouldn't bring down the ice castle as long as they can patch the blocks overnight. 

Northland Pines School District Administrator Dr. Mike Richie plans to retire after 15 years working in Eagle River. "Whatever avenue our students choose, it's my job to make sure they are well prepared," said Richie. Richie submitted a letter of retirement to the district on Monday. He'll step down in June 2019. "I wanted to give them ample time for a transition," said Richie. Richie's retirement will mark his 15th year as superintendent for Northland Pines School District. "It's a great place to be," said Richie. In those 15 years, he helped reconstruct the high school, established the Wisconsin International Student Program and received four Rural School Community Awards. "I consider Northland Pines to be a very successful school district," said Richie. Richie is most proud of the relationships he has built with the staff and students. "What I think they do every day in the classroom is a true tribute to our district," said Richie. Richie has also accomplished a lot outside of the school walls. "I got to see [Richie] was not only willing to work with individuals, he wanted more community involvement. Owner of Eagle River Roasters Daniel Beihoff says Richie hosts veterans gatherings inside the café. "I said well you come in here and I'll offer the coffee and scones," said Beihoff. Beihoff's four kids have all gone through school with Richie as superintendent. "He's not just sitting behind his desk," said Beihoff. That's the same advice Richie has for the next person to fill his shoes: "Don't sit at your desk all day. Get out and about." As of Thursday, Richie has not decided what he wants to do after his retirement. 

An organization in Vilas County received a special award. One of eight "Standing up for Rural Wisconsin" awards went to the Vilas County Economic Development Corporation. The Northland Pines School District nominated the group for the award. VCEDC was recognized for its financial support of the Northland Pines Fab Lab and its efforts to expand broadband access. "They're so caring, they're so giving. We ask for one thing and we get five things in addition, that's how we feel on out end of it. So we're just super happy and grateful we have not only this relationship in one area, but in multiple areas. And it really does help our kids," said Middle School Principal Dan Marien. Marien says the group also got credit for it's hands-on work with the school district. "Our high school team went to nationals for DECA, and they actually came in and helped train those kids for that competition so it's not just been financial backing, it's a lot of effort and a lot of desire and things they've done not just for us but also for the community," said Marien. The award was given to VCEDC by the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance earlier this week.

From timber harvesters to stream biologists, the forest can provide a wide range of jobs.  Hundreds of middle school students got to learn about those career options over the last two days in Eagle River. The Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association and the Northland Pines School District brought in 20 different professionals with jobs relating to forestry. "Sometimes I think it's just about exposing kids to all the information and opening their eyes to say, 'Oh my gosh. What is that machine? What could I do someday to run that or be in charge of that or have my own?'" said Carie Brock. Brock is a Northland Pines School District Principal in Land O' Lakes.  Five hundred Students from nearby districts, including those from the U.P., went through the stations Thursday.  Students could also see the trees being harvested. "We hope to inspire kids that someday that they can kind of keep the tradition going and taking good care of the world around us," said Brock. This is the first Log-A-Load Charity Harvest in the Northland Pines School Forest. Some of the money from the harvest will go to the Children's Miracle Network.

Eagle River Elementary School teacher Brenda Liermann believes kindergarten is all about exploring. Thanks to a grant from 3M in Wausau, her students will get hands-on experience when it comes to exploring the STEM fields.  "We need to have them experience the engineering and the technology," said Liermann. The concept of learning science, technology, engineering, and math, or "STEM," may be more than five and six-year-olds can handle right now. But by playing with LEGO's, kids can use those skills without having to understand them. "Using those step by step instructions to learn and just being able to follow those steps like you would doing anything in life," said kindergarten teacher Kim Lewandowski. With a more than $1,300 grant from 3M, Eagle River Elementary bought LEGO sets to give these students a lot more hands-on experience. Lewandowski hopes that every block students lay down also lays the foundation for future learning.  "Just helping them grow in those fields and see there's other things they can do and other experiences they can have," said Lewandowski. 

The Northland Pines Pep Band put on a show to benefit a good cause. On Monday night the group performed the 4th annual Blast for Hunger. People could either pay $1 or donate one non-perishable food item to attend the concert. All proceeds benefit the Vilas Food Pantry. The band performed a wide range of music including Seven-Nation-Army by the White Stripes. There were also appearances made by a fish and T-rex to provide families with plenty of entertainment. 

Volleyball is in Jacqueline Smith's blood. "It's been my dream to play volleyball because it's been in my family of course because of my mom who started it," said the Northland Pines sophomore. Her mom and her head coach, Julie Smith, played for the University of Wisconsin. But that's not where the family's link to the sport stopped. Jacqueline's older sisters Maddie and Lexi dominated the Great Northern Conference from 2013-2016. And Jacqueline is picking up where they left off. "She's always been surrounded by her siblings so I think it's great, I'm so proud of her because she's doing fantastic without them here," said Julie Smith. Jacqueline Smith racked up 99 kills across four matches last week. That number puts her season total at 225, but she says she's more concerned with other parts of her game.

With a digital clock's big red numbers counting down to zero over her shoulder, Claire Reese felt some pressure Tuesday morning.

"A lot rests upon our shoulders right now," Reese said.

But as the Northland Pines senior's team struggled to figure out code words and open locks, the pressure was less about solving this puzzle and more about making sure incoming students don't end up puzzled themselves.

"It's really a big thing upon my heart just to be there for these younger kids," Reese said.

Tuesday morning, Reese joined about 20 Pines juniors and seniors for peer mentor training and practice at the high school.  The group was picked to mentor seventh and eighth grade students who will soon transition into the high school building this fall. Reese understands the feeling -- she moved from Alaska to Illinois and eventually to Eagle River when she was 10 years old.

"It made my transition so much smoother just to be able to have someone that I could go to, so that's what we're trying to be for these students, just a smiling face," Reese said.

Those smiling faces will pair up to mentor middle school homerooms every day when the school year begins in September. The mentors will also plan monthly activities to help the middle schooler students adjust to their new building and new classmates.

"They're ready for this challenge and excited about it," Northland Pines High School Social Worker Courtney Weber said. Weber helped choose the upperclassmen for the pilot mentor program. She also worked to plan the program starting back in January... read more.

An Eagle River Elementary School teacher wants to help make a difference in the lives of her students by using books.  Fifth-grade teacher Tami Davis applied for a $500 grant for her classroom library through the Scholastic Book Clubs last year. The giveaway works with James Patterson's $1.75 million giveaway. "I love books. I'm obsessed with books. It's a thing. I have a lot of books in my classroom library. Well over 1,500--and a big thing for me is that we don't have a lot of multicultural books. It's much of the same," said Davis.  This week, Davis found out she was one of 3,500 teachers from across the country to win the grant. More than 82,000 teachers applied.  Davis says she wants to use the money to buy multicultural books because she believes students need to see themselves represented in the books they read.  "This year we have a student that only speaks Spanish, so I would like to get some chapter books that are in Spanish so they can see themselves represented and they can read in their own language and feel comfortable expressing themselves in that language," said Davis.  Davis says that through the grant she can also buy any school-related items. The money doesn't have to just go toward books.  Davis also says she's looking forward to getting a book about a superhero who's deaf. 

Last year, Lakeland Union High School told us there should be more solar panel projects like Lakeland's across the country. Now, that school will soon have a neighboring district with a similar solar array.

Northland Pines plans to start installing a major solar project next month. Pines first started exploring a solar plan years ago.

"Once we actually see the panels being installed in September, I do think people will get more excited, intrigued maybe," said Northland Pines District Administrator Dr. Mike Richie. "We'll have people driving by, checking it out."

More than $660,000 in panels will go on the roof of the high school fieldhouse, behind Eagle River Elementary, and near Land O'Lakes Elementary.

They'll be used to produce energy for the schools and provide learning opportunities for the students.

"We're looking at the benefit to our students," Richie said. "Obviously, there will be a benefit for the environment. But our students will have a living laboratory at their fingertips every day."

A third-party investor is paying for the panels. After 12 years, the district can buy the panels outright. If it does that, it projects that it would save $50,000 in energy costs each year. 

Raking and blowing leaves sound like thankless chores. But to Northland Pines senior Mariah Miller, they're a fun activity. "I just love being outside, and plus today's like the best day," said Miller.Miller and many of her Northland Pines classmates spent Wednesday working at dozens of places around Vilas County. "I think Earth Day's been one of my favorite days of my high school career," said junior Rebecca Beyersdorf. The groups of students cleaned up people's yards as well as parks. The service started 14 years ago with willing students and a list from Vilas County Health and Aging. It's now grown through word of mouth. "It just makes us feel really good that we've been cleaning everybody's yards, people that couldn't do it, we did it for them," said Miller. The students weren't just in Eagle River. There were groups in Land O' Lakes and St. Germain as well. "We just had scholarship night, and they gave so much money to us and it's just the gratitude that I can give back to them. It's great," said Miller.

The Northland Pines School District is pleased to announce that the Northland Pines High School has earned a Silver Badge from U.S. News & World Report.

There are 507 high schools in the state of Wisconsin that the U.S. News and World Report collected data on. Of these 507 schools, Northland Pines High School is ranked #60.

Nationally, there are more than 22,000 high schools that the U.S. News and World Report collected data on. Of these 22,000 high schools, Northland Pines High School is ranked #2,302.

“The wonderful accomplishment of a Silver Badge is the result of hard work by our students, parents, community, and staff. The options the Northland Pines High School is able to offer all of its students is key to the success for students at our school,” said Scott Foster, Northland Pines High School principal. “The final key to this type of success is the constant effort to get better each and every day. The Northland Pines High School is grateful for this recognition and will continue to support students and their efforts in reaching these types of success into the future.”

Carter Heller considers one room in his high school a home away from home.  The Northland Pines junior spends most class periods -- and even district in-service days -- using the 3-D printers, vinyl cutters, and other machinery in the fab lab. Tuesday morning, Heller learned how his second "home" is about to grow thanks to a $25,000 grant.  "Everything about it makes you want to be in here," Heller said.  "It allows our capabilities as a school to expand a lot." On a day the governor declared "Fab Lab Day," representatives from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Gov. Scott Walker, and other state leaders traveled the state announcing 21 fab lab grants, which totaled nearly $500,000. Northland Pines opened its fab lab earlier this school year. Pines Tech Ed. teacher Tim Lehman says his school plans to buy a new CNC router to expand the lab's capabilities. "We want this to be kind of a hub for our community too and that's only going to grow," Lehman said... read more.

Teachers, family, and community members all gathered at one Northwoods elementary school to see what students have been working on since January. Eagle River Elementary School hosted its second annual fifth-grade science and engineering fair on Friday. "It's a great exposure to science and technology, and it's one of the only times they get to design their own learning and investigate things they are really interested in," said science and social studies teacher Christine Fuller. Students chose to do projects on everything from magnetism to invisible ink. Another student even created a robot that follows light.  One student chose to study antacid reactions to lemonade because of one of her favorite desserts. "I always wondered why isn't lemon juice in more recipes, like, I love lemon cookies and there aren't, like, many recipes," said fifth-grader Skylar.  Teachers say the fair not only helps students learn more about science, but it also helps students learn how to present their work.  "When they present, they are really nervous at first, but then they realize that this is my project, I've been working on it for three months and they know the most about it, so then they relax and they are able to answer questions from the audience," said Fuller. Fuller says that more people came to this year's fair than in its first year.

Dental Hygienist Melissa Wagner really listened to the information she learned from her dentist when she was young. "It started at a young age I want to help people I want to teach them to have great teeth so they can have their teeth for the rest of their lifetime," said Wagner. Wagner spent her morning teaching students at Land O' Lakes Elementary school what it takes to be a dentist. "The kids [get to] be the dentists and take food out of the bad teeth [we can help] dads and grandmas and aunts and kids," said Kindergartner Taylen Nelson. These dentists in training learned everything they needed to stay on teeth patrol and have healthy teeth. "You can't eat candy and you can't eat squirrel or deer," said 4K student Mackenzie Feltes. Wagner set up demonstration tables to show what unhealthy foods can do to their teeth, and how to correctly floss and brush their pearly whites. "Those are the basics so that's what we want to teach them while they're younger," said Wagner. Schindelholz Dental in Land O' Lakes hosted the lessons.  Wagner and her team hope teaching the kids while they're young will bring awareness to National Children's Dental Health Month. 

Northland Pines' Amanda Sergent will go on to play collegiate hockey this fall. Wednesday afternoon she made the plans official by signing with UW-Superior. The senior forward won all-state awards this year and was a standout for the Eagles. She told Newswatch 12 she's a little nervous about the big move, but she's looking forward to the challenge. "I'm super excited but also very nervous at the same time because I know that it's going to be a higher level of playing and I don't really know what to expect," Sargent said. "I'm used to playing all the, time and I know I'm going to be starting from the bottom when I get there, so I'll have to work my way back up." Sergent is ready for that challenge thanks to the advice she got from her coaches at Northland Pines... read more.

Peter Aerts is a chemistry teacher at Northland Pines High School and is now the varsity head baseball coach. The season is still young but it's going well for Aerts.  "It's been awesome how, whatever I say, they buy in, and it's great to have that leadership and understanding and that the coach and players have to be on the same page, and we're always in conversation together," said Aerts.  Aerts is fitting in with the team this year, but he's also hoping to build the program for the future.  "Baseball's supposed to be fun, and especially for high school sports So we're really looking for that kind of atmosphere with the team, having a lot of fun and more guys will come out and we'll be more competitive," said Aerts. The Northland Pines Eagles hosted the Crandon Cardinals Friday night. Check out the highlights.

The "Kids on the Block" call themselves a group of misfit kids playing with misfit puppets. But the performance they put on aims to inspire. About a dozen middle and high school students from West Iron High School in Iron River, Mich., make up the group. On Tuesday, they brought their act to Wisconsin to perform before third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders at Eagle River Elementary School. "I would describe it to them as a group of misfit kids that came together to put on a puppet show for kids to show that it's okay to be a misfit," said West Iron junior Steven Nelson, the host of Kids on the Block. The short skits include puppets in wheelchairs, blind puppets, and puppets with other disabilities... read more.

With Northland Pines' win over Clintonville on Tuesday night, Lexi Smith's incredible high school basketball career will continue for at least one more game. That means at least one more practice, where you can always find her moving at full speed, and pushing her teammates along the way. "I think it's the most fun part about practice. I love playing defense against her, I love bumping up against her," said Northland Pines junior Cassie Gauthier. Such determination has been a big part of her athletic success, but it's the huge amount of success that's truly impressive. "She's a three sport athlete and she's gotten GNC Player of the Year in every sport she's played," said northland Pines Head Basketball Coach Larry Bergum. Smith is a seven time first-team all-conference player in volleyball, basketball, and soccer. On the hardwood is where she really shines. The Eagles senior eclipsed the 2,000 career point mark fewer than two weeks ago, making her just the 20th girls player in Wisconsin history to reach the milestone... read more.

Dental Hygienist Melissa Wagner really listened to the information she learned from her dentist when she was young.  "It started at a young age I want to help people I want to teach them to have great teeth so they can have their teeth for the rest of their lifetime," said Wagner.  Wagner spent her morning teaching students at Land O' Lakes Elementary school what it takes to be a dentist.  "The kids [get to] be the dentists and take food out of the bad teeth [we can help] dads and grandmas and aunts and kids," said Kindergartner Taylen Nelson. These dentists in training learned everything they needed to stay on teeth patrol and have healthy teeth... read more.

A local high school wants to share a tale as old as time. Northland Pines High School plans to wow crowds with its version of Beauty and the Beast. Malcom McCanles doesn't speak much French. "Michelle mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And that's all you get. That's all you get, " McCanles says, acting out a scene from the play. But his accent is getting put to the test this weekend. "I think my accent is kind of unique, I guess because it's not a total French accent, and I think I really made it my own," he says. McCanles is a key part of the Northland Pines theater crew inviting you to be their guest for the school's performances of Beauty and the Beast. Rehearsal started back in November, which isn't a lot of time to learn all the lines, songs, and dances. But with a lot of hard work and some laughs, the musical's director Kate Janssen makes sure the end product is happily ever after... read more.

Sparks flew in front of Valencia Carthen's eyes, sparking inspiration to take back home. "The first thing you learn as a brand new teacher is steal, steal, steal the best ideas," Carthen said.  The Milwaukee Washington High School principal was getting ready to unpack her school district's first fab lab equipment Friday. Thursday, she and 12 other Milwaukee Public Schools members checked out several Northwoods labs with 3D printers, laser engravers, and routers.  "I had a small idea, which I thought was a big idea, but just going on this tour... The sky's the limit for these kids," Carthen said.  The tour through Northland Pines, Three Lakes, and Florence happened after a conversation between State Representative Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma) and MPS Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver. The two agreed small and big districts need to work together... read more.

14-year-old Ty Springer from Eagle River loves alpine skiing. "There's not really any other sports that use gravity to your advantage and have to manage your speed on a slope, it's just kind of different," said Springer. He loves the sport so much that he practices almost every single weekend. "I've been training my hardest and trying to get to this point where I can compete at a national level," said Springer. Ty placed sixth in his nine-state regional last weekend. He'll now be on that national level with the under 14 U.S. Rocky Central team. "The competition is really stiff. 1/10th [of a point] can move you back ten places, it's that tight," said Springer. Helping Ty with that competition is his family. They're always at Ski Brule in Iron Mountain, Michigan practicing with him. When they found out Ty qualified for the national team, they knew his hard work paid off. "Very proud and happy. A happy feeling and a major accomplishment to be able to punch his ticket and ski with the U.S. Ski Team out in Steamboat Springs," said Ty'd dad, Brett Springer. They will be in Steamboat Springs, Colorado for the races March 15th through March 20th. Before that, Ty still has some work to do. "I'm working on controlling my speed and being able to ski fast but look like I'm skiing slow," said Springer. Ty has a few more practices left but after that, he's going to leave it all on the hill. "I just want to do the best I can. If I do the best I can, then that's all I can do," said Springer.

Northland Pines High School wants to be proactive about drug and alcohol abuse when it comes to students. It began testing random students this school year. District Administrator Dr. Mike Richie says about 60 students signed up for random drug testing with their parents' permission. Only six of those students were tested last December and all passed. 

It's been a while since Vilas County Patrol Deputy Will Krueger had a school lunch. "I had a chicken patty, I had some fruit, I had a piece of pizza and I had some tater tots and also chocolate milk," said Krueger.  Northland Pines Middle School hosted Krueger and his fellow officers from the the Vilas County Sheriff's Office and Eagle River Police Department for the school's first Law Enforcement Appreciation Lunch. Officers had their choice of food, and then sat with the kids to eat. It gave students a chance to thank the officers. "I think it was a good idea to have the officers here today to appreciate what they do because they do a lot for our community," said seventh grader Isaiah Samuelson. It also gave officers the chance to show students they aren't people to be scared of, but rather people who will help them... read more.

Many kids asked for video games, iPads, or other toys for Christmas this year. But for one Land O' Lakes Elementary student, the holiday wasn't about what he could get, but what he could give back to his fellow classmates.  Chris Hunt, a 9-year-old from Land O' Lakes, always has his nose in a book. But being able to read every night just wasn't enough. Chris wanted to share his passion with everyone.  "Every single night I was wondering, 'How much fun would it be to have every kid in my school have a book that they want so they can read it?'" said Chris, a fourth-grader.   Chris decided that instead of receiving Christmas gifts this year, all he wanted was for people to give him books that he could turn around and give away... read more.

Every year, a Christmas tree from Wisconsin helps brighten the Capitol rotunda in Madison. The governor officially lit this year's tree, which came from Eagle River, Friday. While the tree's decorations provided the light, the Northland Pines High School choir provided the sound. "It's in the Capitol and it's, I mean, people from the state come to see it," said Northlands Pines sophomore Malcolm McCanles. From "Silent Night" to "Carol of the Bells," the choir has been rehearsing for weeks for this moment... read more.

Earlier this year the state gave out grants to 25 schools for Fabrication Laboratories. One school in the Northwoods plans to have its new Fab Lab up and running by January.  The Northland Pines School District has been busy getting the Fab Lab ready. The school has paid attention to every last detail, redoing everything from the flooring to the paint color on the doors. The school isn't sure if it will design any classes specific to the Fab Lab yet, but it plans to have students of all grades use it... read more.

For high school athletes all around the country, National Signing Day makes reaching their collegiate goals official. On Wednesday, Lexi Smith from Northland Pines signed her papers to officially become a Northern Michigan Wildcat next year.  Even though Smith played multiple sports at Northland Pines, she has decided to play basketball at the D2 school. Smith is very excited to play at the next level and has even met some of her future teammates already.  "I wanted to stay close to home and that's definitely close to home, it's only two and a half hours away which was nice. They offered me a scholarship for basketball and that's the sport I wanted to play for college. I really liked it there and the area is really nice too."  She's even been able to visit the school and meet some of the players... read more.

After a year of revisions, Northland Pines High School will start a new policy in December: drug testing some of its students. The school board approved the new policy earlier this week. For District Administrator Mike Richie, this is a way to stay proactive, helping both parents and students avoid drug addiction.  "If there is a problem, how we can prevent that problem? How can we get students to realize that this problem can only get worse as they get older and continue into the workforce?" said Richie. "I think we're going above and beyond, and I think that we need to help and assist parents. This is a problem that exists all over; it's not just a northern Wisconsin problem." To Richie, keeping kids off drugs is a collaborative effort. Students will only be put into the pool to be randomly tested if they and their parents both opt into the policy and sign the permission form. Forms for parents and students to opt into the policy will be sent out within the next couple of weeks... read more.

A Northwoods teacher will head to the White House next week to be honored. John Hayes of Northland Pines High School will receive the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.  "It kind of legitimizes the hard work that all teachers put into education," said Hayes.  President Obama named 213 math and science teachers as recipients, representing all 50 states.  Hayes will be one of two teachers representing Wisconsin.  "Teaching is a really hard gig," Hayes said. "I've done a lot of jobs in my career, and teaching by far is the hardest.  If my wife didn't support me, if she wasn't behind me the whole way, I don't think I'd be getting any awards for one thing."  The award recognizes Hayes's innovation, creativity, and drive to get students enthusiastic about science, technology, engineering, and math... read more.

Northland Pines' E2 Montessori classroom is getting hands-on in the kitchen, making monthly meals for residents of the Frederick Place homeless shelter in Rhinelander. The students have cooked a meal every month for Frederick Place the last three months and it is a total team effort. The students and teachers decide the menu and the parents donate the ingredients. The students and their families make the food at the school and Patricia Rickman, E2 Montessori teacher, delivers it to the shelter for the residents there to enjoy.  "I feel incredibly blessed to have families who give so generously to make this service project successful," Rickman said... read more.

Thomas Brunstad can't say much, but his smile speaks volumes.  And if you ever want to see that smile, all you have to do is mention his favorite character. "Mickey Mouse is part of our house, all the time," said Thomas' mother Jill Brunstad. The eight-year-old has cerebral palsy and epilepsy which prevents him from speaking. "When he's watching Mickey Mouse at the end they say by 'bye' so that was his first word was actually saying 'bye'," said Jill. "For a non-verbal kid to kind of connect to a character, Mickey Mouse has been his love since he was teeny tiny." Now, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Thomas gets to meet Mickey in person.

A Northwoods school wants to make sure its students continue to learn in a safe space. Northland Pines Middle School kicked off its Bullying Prevention Week on Monday. Students are taking charge of teaching each other the importance of bullying prevention.  Throughout the week students will be going into classrooms to talk to their younger classmates about how they can work together.  "It makes me feel very proud seeing kids that I stand up for and not being a bystander and just [letting] it happen," said 13 year old Amberleigh Pederson. This week will also focus on bystander prevention... read more.

Northland Pines District Administrator Dr. Mike Richie likes people to know what's happening in the school district. That's why he holds coffee socials throughout year.  Richie held a Veteran's Coffee Social at Eagle River Roasters Thursday morning.  The district has a long history of helping veterans, and veterans have a long history of helping the district.  "We say our schools. It's their schools. It's the community's schools," Richie said. "So we want them involved, and we want them to know what's happening."... read more.

Volleyball Honors: Four-year varsity performer for coach and mother Julie Smith (played volleyball at Wisconsin)...Second Team All-Great Northern as a sophomore...Unanimous First Team All Conference, MVP, and All-State Honorable Mention junior year... read more.

Nicolet College has named Sammi Zalewski and Anna Gane as Student Ambassadors for the 2016-17 academic year.  "Being named a Nicolet Student Ambassador is one of the highest honors the college gives a student,” said Nicolet Director of Student Success Christin Van Kauwenberg “Both of the students selected are very deserving and I’m sure will do a great job representing Nicolet.”  Students are first nominated for the honor and then selected for the position after going through an interview process.  Zalewski will serve as the District Student Ambassador... read more.

Northland Pines runner Annalise Callaghan makes running look easy. She beat the school cross country record last weekend and isn't stopping.  Last weekend, Callaghan, a sophomore, smashed the school cross country record by 27 seconds.  "When she ran that time, she was very happy, she was very excited, but at the same time she knows she can do even better," said head coach Don Czarapata... read more.

Fifteen years ago, September 11 became a day we'll never forget. Most of us can remember where we were, how we felt, and the changes that were made in the years that followed.  But this years' high school freshmen class doesn't have those memories--they were all born around or after 9/11.  "Every day could make history, and every day could alter the path of our country," said Northland Pines U.S. history and psychology teacher Jennifer Leis... read more.

A Northwoods teacher will head to the White House next week to be honored. John Hayes of Northland Pines High School will receive the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. "It kind of legitimizes the hard work that all teachers put into education," said Hayes.  President Obama named 213 math and science teachers as recipients, representing all 50 states.  Hayes will be one of two teachers representing Wisconsin... read more.

It's no secret that athletic teams in the Northwoods travel great distances to find opponents.  One of those teams is Northland Pines, which plays its football games in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference.  And for some players, bus rides to the Upper Peninsula took some getting used to.  "I didn't really like it at first because when we were in the eighth grade, we'd play Rhinelander and Crandon or somebody close by, so it wouldn't be much of a drive," said Northland Pines junior Nick Cato.  This year, the Eagles will spend at least 14 hours on a bus traveling to and from their road games, but some members of the team spin that into a positive... read more.

As you pull into Parsons of Eagle River, one vehicle really stands out. A bright, yellow school bus sits in front of the dealership awaiting donations. The Fill the Bus campaign aims to collect a lot of school supplies for local children. You won't find a single kid on the school bus, but Jenny Gretzinger knows that with a little help the bus will end up full of the tools kids need to succeed. "Start small and dream big," said Gretzinger, owner of Parsons at Eagle River. She came up with the Fill the Bus idea, and she's asking anyone to donate school supplies over the next month... read more.

Northland Pines High School will test students for drugs--including marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol--this upcoming school year. But the parents and guardians of students have a choice. They can sign their child up to be tested, or they can opt out. Superintendent Dr. Mike Richie hopes the policy will stop students from using drugs and other harmful substances. "Whether it's urban Wisconsin, rural Wisconsin, whether it's anywhere in the U.S., you know, there is a drug problem and it's a community problem," said Richie... read more.

 Runners will take it to the streets this weekend in Eagle River as the 3rd annual 5K Moonlight Run starts Saturday night at 10 p.m. Before the run, runners and their families can enjoy carnival games and activities starting at 4 p.m. in downtown Eagle River. Lots of things to do for the kids and to get the runners excited for the late-night race. "A great community event. We added the children's carnival, and I think that brings a lot of people out," said race co-coordinator Josh Rhode. "The downtown area business association is also running some sales--the Moonlight Madness sales--along with Art-o-Rama. So there's a lot of things going on in downtown Eagle River." All of the proceeds will go toward the fitness and wellness center inside Northland Pines High School. Rhode says the nighttime setting adds an unusual element to the run... read more.

The Northland Pines fishing team is about as basic as it gets: just two kids, bait, and their gear. "I didn't expect to go anywhere," said Northland Pines junior Mike John.  But in its first year the team is headed to nationals after taking second at the BASS Wisconsin High School Fishing Tournament. It was the first tournament the two have competed in together. John is going to be a junior. Harmon Marien became a freshman right before the state tournament started... read more.

Northland Pines fell to Aquinas Saturday 5-1 in the sectional championship Saturday.  The team had a chance to go to state with a victory.  It was a tough way to go out for senior Jenna Paez. But the team only has four seniors.  "We've worked hard all season and as long as the girls keep working in the off season and doing what they love and making those passes and plays and listening to coaches I think they're going to have a heck of a season next year," said Paez... read more.

Northland Pines defeated Regis/McDonell 3-0 in the Division 4 sectional semifinal Thursday night in Eagle River.  Northland Pines' three goals came in the second half.   "We weren't talking enough in the first half," said senior co-captain Jenna Paez. "We weren't controlling as much, not going to the ball, but after our talk we really started going to the ball, making those runs."  Northland Pines will now play Aquinas in Stevens Point Saturday. Aquinas finished the season ranked second... read more.

Northland Pines decided to move the boys hockey team in a different direction after finishing third in the Great Northern Conference. The school wants to get back to playing like it did in the 1980s, when the program won three state championships. Now it'll have a member of those championship teams managing the program. David Cox is the vice president of Cornerstone Custom Buildings in town. But he's been living in Eagle River since he was two. Cox has both played and been a head coach for the Pines hockey team in the past... read more.

We expect every student to learn how to read. But at Eagle River Elementary school teachers take it a step further by helping students understand what they read. "Literacy is huge. It's a big part of our world, our society. It connects to all other subjects," said Eagle River Elementary Principal Karie Jo Bornberg. The school has had so much success teaching students to read that it's received special recognition from the Department of Public Instruction. "To see them get it and enjoy getting to the point is what really makes teaching excellent," said fourth-grade teacher Nicole Musial. It's that passion that got the school state recognition for its achievement in closing the literacy gap between general students and ones with special needs... read more.

As a kid, you probably didn't look forward to eating spinach. Maybe, you still don't.  But some students are learning how to take locally grown produce and turn it into tasty snacks like smoothies.  Northland Pines "Farm to School" program teaches students about where their food comes from.  Each month features a different kind of produce like spinach. Hands-on experiences, like the blender bike, get students excited about trying new things.... read more.

At a young age kids learn why it's important to recycle paper and plastics. But, for students at Eagle River Elementary School, they are recycling a familiar product and it's all for a good cause.  "The kids love this, because it gives them a chance to sort through Crayons," said Eagle River Third Grade Teacher Tami Davis. "The Crayon Initiative is a really great organization and essentially it's simplistic in its design. It takes old and used Crayons and turns them into something brand new. And it's brand new Crayons. These Crayons are then shipped to children's hospitals around the United States."

Today's manufacturing industry relies on an increasing knowledge of science, technology, and mathematics. And thanks to a grant awarded to the Northland Pines School District, teachers will be able to provide their students with the latest technology the manufacturing industry has to offer.  Northland Pines High School will use the money to fund new fabrication laboratory facilities, which will help teach students valuable skills. The district announced Monday that it was awarded nearly $25,000 to create a Fab Lab... read more.

With her hands folded and head bowed, Northland Pines Senior Class President Sam Hytry stood humbled and empowered Wednesday afternoon. "I'm praying for Antigo and everyone else that's involved," Hytry said.  Hytry shared those prayers during the school day through a smartphone.  "We sent out an email yesterday and we also used social media like Twitter and Facebook to kind of get the word out too," Hytry said. The word was actually two, combined in a hashtag: "#AntigoStrong."... read more.

Earth Day may still be a couple days away, but students at Northland Pines High School got an early start with some community service. Nine buses took the kids to different locations in the Eagle River area Wednesday. This is the 13th year that Northland Pines High School has been taking part in the community service project. "We're doing what we call our Earth Day Community Service Project," said SOAR Administrator Ann Perry. "It started as an idea from a group of teachers from a different school district where they send students out into the field just to give back to the community and take care of the environment." Many of the spring sport teams went out together as a group for the project. Organizers hope that it will help spark more interest for the students to give back to the community... read more.

Wildlife workers worry about the spread of Purple Loosestrife in our area. And while it may be difficult to completely remove, there are ways you can manage how far it spreads. A group of middle school students in Eagle River took their learning outside today to help fight the spread of the invasive plant. "What we're trying to do is dig up these plants; we're going to put some beetles on them that have been shown to eat nothing but purple loosestrife, and then eventually release those beetles out into places where they can do some work," said Vilas County Invasive Species Coordinator Cathy Higley. Purple Loosestrife can over power native plants especially in wetland areas. So knowing where the plant tends to grow can help you identify areas that may have the plant present... read more.

The Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association Spudmobile rolled up to Eagle River Elementary School Tuesday. "The goal of the Spudmobile is introduce to the students where they're food comes from—it doesn't just show up at PicknSave, Kwik Trip," said Spudmobile coordinator Jim Zdriok.  The Spudmobile came to Eagle River as part of the school's Farm to School Program. Each month the program brings in locally and regionally produced foods to cafeterias and classrooms... read more.

Shanna Stein took a bit of a gamble Wednesday afternoon.  The co-owner of The Green Rich Tea store brewed traditional Japanese green tea for grade school students, a flavor that can provide an odd experience for young taste buds.  "I don't have kids myself, so I was kind of like, 'I don't know how they're going to respond to me,'" Stein said.  But Stein's gamble seemed to pay off.  Her 30-minute traditional tea ceremony helped Northland Pines Montessori students get a firsthand—or first-taste—experience of Asian culture.  "If they're not exposed to it, they don't want to try it, and I think it's important that they try," Stein said... read more.

The Northland Pines' girls' basketball team will work their way through the playoffs starting next week, and they have something other teams don't: Junior Lexi Smith.  She hit 1,000 career points this season on the way to leading the Eagles through a tough Great Northern Conference.  It would be easy to just say Pines junior Lexi Smith leads the Great Northern Conference in points per game, or in both rebounds and assists per game.  It would be easy, but it wouldn't be the whole story.  All that just helps push the Eagles towards greatness... read more.

Students in Northland Pines High School's National Honor Society want every child to open a present Christmas morning. That's why they are hosting a toy drive Saturday morning. All month, students have been collecting toys. On Saturday, parents can come to the high school and get toys, book, and games for their children. There are no income restrictions... read more.

What you learn about your health as child can impact you later in life.  Students at Northland Pines High School taught seventh-graders all about different aspects of leading a healthy lifestyle. Students picked topics ranging from body parts, like the tongue and brain, to lifestyle choices, like using tobacco and how much sugar is in your diet. Some of the students came up with activities to help teach their topics... read more.

Farm to School is a “win-win” for both community and students, said community outreach member Debbie Jircik.  The program, funded through the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) AmeriCorps Partnership Grant, has three tiers: procurement, nutrition education and teaching gardens.  Thanks to Northland Pines Farm to School, every school in that district has its own garden, and AmeriCorps nutrition educator Jasmyn Schmidt brings hand-on lessons to the classroom... read more.

We don't always get to see how much work honeybees actually do. But a group of eighth graders at Northland Pines got that rare experience on Thursday while harvesting honey as part of Northland Pines Middle School's Bee Program. Students check up on the beehives outside the school throughout the school year. Thursday, they actually got to harvest honey for the first time. Teachers hope the program helps students understand the importance of honeybees... read more.

It's not every day a wish comes true, but for one Eagle River boy, it did.  On Wednesday, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin granted 16-year-old Noah Jensen his wish. Jensen will get to go to Utah to meet his birth family for the first time. Jensen is adopted and has never met his birth family. The Make-A-Wish foundation planned a trip for Jensen to meet his family... read more.

Students at Northland Pines High School can take more Advanced Placement classes this year. The high school added two new classes last year and two more this year. Now, more students are taking AP classes and AP exams than ever before. "We had about 270 student sections, and that means it could be the same student taking multiple sections of Advanced Placement," says Principal Jim Brewer "[In] the 2013-14 school year, we had about 170 [students taking AP classes], so we grew by about 100 student sections in one year... read more.

Taxpayers in the Northland Pines School District will likely see some savings after the district refinanced its more than $16 million debt. This is the second time the district has been able to refinance. The move will save the district's taxpayers about $100,000 each year... read more.

Hundreds of people will ditch their pajamas and lace up their sneakers this weekend, when the second annual Moonlight Run starts up in Eagle River on Saturday, July 11. There will be a 1K at 9 p.m. for kids under 10 years old. The 5K run and walk will start at 10 p.m. The route starts at the railroad depot in downtown Eagle River. Downtown businesses will stay open late for a Moonlight Madness Sidewalk Sale. The kid's carnival will begin at 6 p.m... read more.

The younger generations of Americans will lead our country one day soon, so educators and veterans in Eagle River want students to understand the meaning of patriotism, freedom and sacrifice. Polling data shows younger Americans don't turn out to vote at nearly the rate older people do. But some veterans hope encouragement earlier in life will help kids to strengthen their connections to their state and their country. With that goal in mind, teachers at Eagle River Elementary School founded the All American Kids Club... read more.

SOAR was able to do a live broadcast with WJFW Channel 12.  This is part 1.

SOAR was able to do a live broadcast with WJFW Channel 12.  This is part 2.

One Northwoods middle school student hopes his trail design will help serve a local community. A Land O' Lakes group teamed up with Matthew Molter to plan the trail. The trail would be on town owned property. The Land O' Lakes Planning and Beautification Committee wanted to build an in-town walking, activity and learning trail. Matthew Molter now leads the project. He plans on winding the trail around the Town Park, tennis courts, pavilion and other landmarks. The Land O' Lakes Beautification Committee also wanted various activities on the trail. "When I met with them, I really just heard about it, and I made a rough draft of this, and we were mostly just brainstorming ideas... read more.

Only in the Northwoods can high school students ice fish as part of a gym class. "It's fun to be out with my classmates, and the guides give really good tips," said Emily Saltenberger, a Northland Pines student. Ice fishing is one of many activities Northland Pines High School students get to do in a physical education class. This is the tenth year the Eagle River Guides Association hosted classes for the students and gave them... read more.

One Northwoods school district can test a new program that's been in demand for years. It's all thanks to a rural schools grant. "One of the biggest things parents have talked about is, 'Do you have after school programs for the kids?'" said Eagle River Elementary and Northland Pines Middle School Principal Tony Duffek. For all the years Duffek has worked for the Northland Pines School District, his answer was, "Nothing on a consistent weekly basis." A $27,000 rural schools grant changed that... read more. 

Many young kids love to build with Legos. Some school teachers even use the blocks to help kids develop their hand-eye coordination or their understanding of spatial relationships. But a teacher at Eagle River Elementary uses Legos for a different purpose entirely. Library Director Jone Davis uses the blocks to help her students build their creative writing skills. Davis reads them a prompt, and then they have to depict the story with Legos. On Monday, the prompt described a volcano erupting in a garden... read more.

Sunday was the second year the Northwoods Blizzard Blast was held in Conover. The money raised goes to support Conover's volunteer fire department. Some of the events included ice bowling, ice golfing, youth archery, recliner races, dogsled dash, fireworks and an artisan bazaar. Newswatch 12 spoke with some of the volunteers. Two longtime friends had fun volunteering at the blast. Alex Gangler and Hunter Indermuehle volunteered at the ice bowling activity. "I was here last year, my dad's on the volunteer fire department, so I like to help out, volunteer for anything like this," said Indermuehle.  Alex and Hunter have been friends for nearly 10 years. Ice bowling was their favorite activity... read more.

Many high school students choose to participate in winter sports. But some students at Northland Pines High School chose a more artistic way to get through the colder months: this year's musical, Cinderella. The cast of Cinderella feels their involvement in the production has been a great experience, even though it can be nerve wracking. "When it gets to be about the first 15 minutes before, right before I'm about to go on stage, that's when it really gets that shock of 'Oh, I'm about to go out in front of all these hundreds of people," said Luke Simons, who plays the prince. After months of work, it's rewarding to see everything finally coming together... read more.

Maddie Smith will head to Madison to play volleyball in the fall. She will be the first volleyball player from Northland Pines to play for the Wisconsin Badgers. Maddie first played volleyball during an intramural game in seventh grade. But she didn't enjoy the experience. "No, I did not like it," Smith said with a laugh. But in high school Maddie realized that her mother played Division I volleyball for the Wisconsin Badgers. "I realized that my mom played for a big volleyball team and I was like, 'This is pretty cool," Maddie said. "I actually started to engage in it, and I finally caught on and was like, 'This is fun.' So I just kept with it and joined club and just got better and"... read more.

In school, kids learn not only how to read and write but also how to be good neighbors. A Northwoods school joined a national effort this week to show kindness to each other and the community. Eagle River Elementary School will mark its first ever Kindness Week this week. It's part of a nationwide school celebration called The Great Kindness Challenge. Students of all grades are trying to perform as many random acts of kindness as they can. The school plans to hold a series of events throughout the week. On Tuesday the students listened to a speaker talk about what it means to be a "good person." Students will also make a point to thank the bus drivers and custodians every day this week. There is also a door decorating contest. On Friday the students will wear pajamas to school to dream of kindness. 

It seems alternative educational programs in one Northwoods school district are becoming popular. Enrollment is now open for the SOAR Charter Middle School, SOAR Charter High School, and Montessori Learning Center in the Northland Pines School District. However, the charter middle school and some grade levels of the Montessori school have a waiting list. The SOAR Middle School enrollment is capped at 63 students. "A lot of our students, they'll do a project based on what their interest is and the idea is to keep them really excited about learning and keep them excited about going to school where they can actually work on projects that really piques their interest," said Northland Pines District Administrator Dr. Mike Richie.
 

Eagle River's ice castle usually draws many visitors every year. Due to weather, it wasn't built this year. But weather didn't stop the kindergarten ice castle from being built. For months, kindergarteners at Eagle River Elementary School have been collecting milk jugs for their fifth annual ice castle build. The Eagle River Fire Department was back to help them. "Firemans help you get their hot glue guns out," said kindergarten student Griffin Beyer. It's not real ice, but they build it to look like the ice castle that normally stands in town each winter. 

Students in one Northwoods district will now have more than one choice for high school. The Northland Pines School District will open the SOAR Charter High School next fall. The school will focus more on project-based learning than traditional schools.  "Instead of classes where bells ring every 45 minutes or on block days, longer, students will have chunks of time to work. They'll use projects to prove their knowledge and expertise in content. It won't be a grade on an assignment. The projects will be used to reach those goals," said Land O' Lakes Elementary and SOAR Middle School Principal Scott Foster. Students will still be able to take classes. Educators find some students prefer to take math or hands-on tech ed classes instead of doing a project. The school district already offers a charter school for 5th through 8th graders in Land O' Lakes. 

Northwoods students may have returned to school from Thanksgiving break on Monday, but they didn't leave their giving spirit at home. Some Eagle River Elementary fifth graders spent the morning making care packages for local seniors. Students filled bags with cookies, blank holiday cards, and stamped envelopes.
 

Laptops, tablets, and cell phones can be popular gifts during the holiday season, but tech stores can be crowded and you may feel the pressure to buy. Technology experts in the Northland Pines School District will offer demonstrations and answer questions about some of the newest products on the market.  They'll host Tech on the Tables Tuesday night.
 

The entire Northland Pines School District gathered to honor veterans. The assembly included a surprise for veterans. The Northland Pines School District Staff dedicated two tickets for the honor flight. The football team and the fire department each donated a ticket as well. "We feel it is important to honor our area veterans and get out to Washington DC to see the monuments that have been dedicated to them," said Eagle River Area Firefighter Michael Anderson. Four veterans were surprised with tickets including John Stepka. 

Each child learns differently. The Northland Pines School District wants to offer more educational options to students and their families. The district will open a Montessori Learning Center for 4K through second graders next fall. It will be located at the St. Germain Elementary School. Montessori programs create individual learning plans for students.

The 8th grade students have been busy throughout the school year working on many components of the Hive Alive! Sweet Science honeybee project. Students built two complete beehives in their Technology Education classes with the help of a local beekeeper. Student-generated designs were then painted onto the hives by students in their Art classes.  

Teachers may struggle to keep their students' attention. But one Northwoods German teacher found a way to make her students excited to learn about German language and culture. Students taking German class at Northland Pines got the opportunity to experience a traditional Oktoberfest. While some may associate Oktoberfest with beer, that wasn't the focus of the original celebration in the 1800s or at Northland Pines. 

Students across the region crunched into apples at the same time Friday. It was in celebration of Food Day. Food Day raises awareness of where food comes from and eating healthy. Check out Eagle River Elementary School kids enjoying their apples and they'll tell you why it's important to eat healthy.
 

We often think of our teachers teaching, but educators sometimes return to the classroom as students. They need to keep learning, too. Some Northwoods educators will return to the classroom as students Saturday, October 18th. Northland Pines High School will host an EdCamp. The event offers professional development workshops to educators. It works differently than other teacher conferences. In fact, teachers call this an "unconference."

One Northwoods school district wants to show its taxpayers where some of their tax dollars are going. The Northland Pines School District will open some high school technology labs to the public every Tuesday afternoon. "We have great support from the community. They support our referendums. They support everything that we do so we have an excellent facility. And we want people to be able to come in and use that facility outside of just the students using it during the school day," said NPHS Technology and Engineering Education instructor Tim Lehman.

Last spring the Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, WI, purchased a new piece of technology that is creating some exciting and unique opportunities for students and even local community members.  After a year or so of discussing the idea and searching for the right opportunity, the Technology Education department purchased a MakerBot Replicator 2X 3D printer...

Area School Districts Meet/Exceed Expectations  At Northland Pines, the school district scored 75.8, within the exceeds expectations ranges of 73 to 82.9...

June 20, 2014.  This was an enormously important day for those who have fought cancer and lost, those who have fought cancer and have survived, and those who are currently fighting cancer and need the help of all of us to survive.  It was the date of the Northwoods Relay for Life.  One of the initiatives the Northland Pines School District feels very strongly about is helping all those in our school community understand the importance of connecting within our community by participating in events and functions that support our citizens in all ways...

Kids from China got to see a different part of the world thanks to the Northland Pines School District and Trees for Tomorrow in Eagle River. Students and hosts overcame barriers to give each other a learning experience they'll never forget. You don't see this in many places in China, but 20 Chinese students did get the chance to experience the Northwoods, thanks to the Northland Adventure Quest. "There's been a lot of time with the students really admiring that and taking advantage of that," says Camp Advisor Kate Neville. "Swimming in Lake Superior and experiencing water quality testing in the Deerskin River."
 

The Northland Pines School District just got $300,000 in grants from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. One is to help start a Montessori Learning Center. It will open in the Fall of 2015 for 4K through fourth graders. The district will spend this year planning and hiring staff.  The Montessori Learning Center will most likely be in St. Germain.

Camp doesn't involve bonfires, hiking and the outdoors for one group of Northwoods middle schoolers. Instead, their camp gets them ready for high school engineering classes and beyond. "It's a lot more complicated than most people think," said eighth grader Hunter Indermuehle. He is one of eighteen 6th, 7th, and 8th graders spending this week back in the classroom for Engineering Camp at Northland Pines. "It's just really fun to do it. You get to engineer stuff. You have to make a bunch of different kinds of stuff. You've got to design it. You've got to look at your parts and then you've got to assemble it," Indermuehle explained.

A non-traditional spring sport seems to be gaining a lot of momentum and it's the perfect fit for many Northwoods students. Saturday schools competed in the first annual North Central Wisconsin conference shoot-off. Northland Pines and the Langlade County youth team began competitively trap shooting last year and now, 5 more area schools have joined.

Living full time in a community where most people come only to vacation has its advantages, but with all the beautiful nature and fun activities around Eagle River, keeping kids focused on school may not always be easy.  That's why the Northland Pines School District finds ways to incorporate all this region has to offer into the classroom experience.

View the :30 second commercial that shows just a few features of the Northland Pines School District.

Sunday was a joyous day for students graduating at Northland Pines High School in Eagle River. Each of them seemed happy to finally get their diploma. But there was one person in the crowd who waited 69 years to get his high school diploma. "It is my honor to present Ralph May a Northland Pines High School diploma," said Northland Pines District Administrator Dr. Mike Richie.

Teachers look for ways to make learning engaging. One Northland Pines High School science teacher created a hands-on way for students to use science and math, without even really noticing it. 

More than 100 students left Northland Pines Middle School with a backpack full of fishing supplies Tuesday, June 10, 2014.

Kids can easily get bored in the summer. Reading a book is one way kids can stay on track with school and not be bored.

Engineering instructors at Northland Pines High School hope new technology will give students an advantage when they go to college or start a career. 

Todd Wilfer's eighth grade science class thought they should start raising honey bees, so they turned to the community and got things going. The honey bee project started out as a way teaching kids science in the community. When you gather the honey, you have to wear protective suits, not only to protect yourself, but to protect the bees.

Finishing a 5k race can bring you a rewarding feeling, regardless of age. Dozens of third, fourth and fifth graders from Northland Pines are up for the challenge. Newswatch 12 found how they're preparing for the big race. Preparing for a 5k race might sound exhausting. But for these kids in Eagle River, it's a way to achieve goals. 110 students at Eagle River Elementary School run in Mission Possible Running Club. They've been training twice a week for seven weeks. 

Parents want to know their kids are safe while at school. That's why schools take steps to keep their buildings secure.  Northland Pines High School is securing the building with a new system.  Every visitor has to have their state ID or drivers license scanned. The program then looks up the person. That way the school can find out more about the visitor.

Northland Pines High School can now say it's one of best schools in the state. U.S. News and World Report ranked the school 33 out of 485 high schools in Wisconsin. Class size and the number of Advanced Placement classes offered are two of the factors used to figure out the rankings.School leaders feel honored to be recognized.

Adults might deal with tough issues like suicide and depression, but sometimes kids have to deal with them too. Eighth graders in Eagle River gathered to talk about tough issues today. The Social Problems Awareness Fair was held at the Northland Pines Middle School.

We all love our favorite sports teams. But what would happen if you had to dress up in your rival's gear? That's exactly what happened to Bears fan, Jerry Healy.  He's the janitor at St. Germain Elementary School. Healy challenged the students to raise over $700 for charity. If they did he'd wear the green and gold.

The Northland Pines School District took over the YMCA in Eagle River in March.  Since then, some new people have bought memberships to the gym.  Membership fees don't cover all the costs of running the Pines Community Wellness Center so organizers are hoping a popular nighttime run will help. The Northland Pines School District will host the Moonlight Run Saturday, July 12th.

Nikki Deditz and Amanda Farrow will always remember their junior prom…and the friends that made it special. Project UNIFY students at Northland Pines High School wanted to make sure Nikki and Amanda got the same prom experience as any student.

Companies need more workers to go into the construction field. One Northwoods high school prepares students for the field by building their own house. 10 students at Northland Pines are working on the project.

Some families don't need to go far to try new activities.  Northland Pines High School gives families the chance to use the school's equipment to try many different activities. "We started family fun day a few years ago just because we have this great facility for people to enjoy in the community," said Tammy Schroeder, a Physical Education teacher. Parents and their kids can try activities like wall climbing, ping pong and using the batting cage.

Tourism means big business in the Northwoods.  That's one of the reasons why Wisconsin K-12 schools can't legally start until September first or after.  Many school age kids work summer jobs that serve tourists into the late summer, but that later start day could hurt some schools. Northland Pines wants to start earlier.  It says the Eagle River area doesn't see as many tourists in late August.

An a cappella group tours the country helping schools raise money for choir programs. They'll perform in Eagle River tonight. But before the concert, reVoiced sung to a a group of students at Northland Pines High School. 

Some local elementary schoolers proved you don't need to be in Sochi to feel the Olympic spirit. Elementary schoolers in Eagle River could fool you into thinking you were in Sochi. Students ditched their school books for flags and athletic gear to participate in the 2014 Eagle River Elementary Olympics Thursday.

Soccer players may need to wait for the snow on their fields to melt. But they know cabin fever is starting to set in, and it's the perfect time to capitalize on it. The 7th annual Cabin Fever Indoor Soccer Tournament kicked off today at Northland Pines High School. The event raises money for the school's boy's and girl's soccer teams. 

Middle school dances can be an uncomfortable part of growing up. But a little bit of dance practice is just what some Northland Pines Middle School students needed to break out of their shell. Eighth graders at Northland Pines Middle School can show off some new moves at the next school dance. Students spent the past two weeks in gym class learning to dance with different partners.

70 degrees and sunny might seem far from here.  But students at Northland Pines get to enjoy that every day at their garden. The garden is located inside Northland Pine's Greenhouse. They're gardening for a class. The class lets students learn more about growing their own food.

Firefighters know the importance of getting to know children. It makes children more comfortable with them in an emergency. But instead of showing kids their oxygen tanks and masks, firefighters bonded with local kids over milk jugs. And all Northland Pines Elementary kindergarteners know about the milk jug castle.

Students ditched their desks for a dentist's chair Thursday. 86 2nd and 6th graders at Northland Pines got free dental exams and sealant put on their teeth. The Northwoods Dental project travels to local schools to provide free dental care.

One school in Vilas County created special food donations to help their community.  3rd, 4th, and 5th graders from St. Germain Elementary School participated in a program called "Warm the Heart". The children participating measured out and packaged soup portions. The program uses a blend of both community service as well as math to teach the kids about helping the community.

We hear the saying, "It's better to give than receive," a lot this season.  It may sound cliché, but students at Northland Pines Middle School know it's true. 6th, 7th, and 8th graders raised $2,100 for a local shelter in just five days.

A Northwoods middle school started a fundraising competition Monday that will help raise money for the Frederick Place in Rhinelander. Grades six through eight at Northland Pines Middle School in Eagle River will compete to raise the most money.  Students donate a dollar to buy a brick. The goal is to get the most bricks on the tape framed house on the wall in the school's cafeteria.

Students at Northland Pines High School will make their debut in the Sound of Music this weekend. Cast members think being part of a musical teaches them more than how to memorize lines. For them, being part of the musical group is just as important as playing a sport. 
 

More bees will be coming to the Northwoods this Spring, in Eagle River to be exact. Northland Pines Eighth graders have been working hard to create beehives to house honey bees.  The project was initially started as a way of involving kids with science and the community. Technology students used computer software to plan and create the structure of the hives. Art students created exterior designs by painting the outsides of the honey bee homes.

Students in Eagle River can explore the stars- without even leaving their school. The Star Lab was at Eagle River Elementary. The Star Lab is a portable planetarium. A projector inside of the lab shows constellations. 

Last week, the season ended for the Northland Pines boys basketball team. The team only won one game all season long.  But for one Eagle River family, great memories were made - despite the record.  That's because one of the sons is able to enjoy life from the sidelines - despite obstacles. 

The two top girls hockey teams in the Great Northern Conference met in Eagle River tonight. State-ranked Northland Pines was unbeaten in the conference going in. They could wrap up the conference title tonight. Standing in their way, the Northern Edge. They had an outside shot of tying for tops in the conference. But Northland Pines exploded for three goals in the third period. Kali Ebert scored twice in the period, including a short-handed goal for the game-winner.  Northland Pines wrapped up the conference with the 4-1 victory.

When we think of middle school, we think of sitting at a desk, and taking lots of quizzes and tests. But students at the SOAR Charter School don't identify with any of that. "I love it. It's a great opportunity for lots of people who like to be very independent with their work," says 6th grader Lily Tyler.  She started at the brand new SOAR Charter School in Land O'Lakes this year.

We told you last week about a Lakeland Union High School teacher getting National Board Certification. It turns out that's true for even more educators in the Northwoods. Four teachers from Northland Pines also got the award this year. National Board Certification is the highest honor a teacher can get. The Principal of Northland Pines has the award. He thinks it benefits the students. 
 

Teachers look for ways to make learning fun for their students.  One Northland Pines teacher decided to combine a Food Network TV show with her lesson plan. 

Every fall, the Vilas Food Pantry sees more families come in for help. Every fall, the Northland Pines School District helps the pantry and those families. Pines teachers delivered 275 grocery bags to the food pantry today. Each of the bags had all of the trimmings for Thanksgiving dinner inside. The food pantry will give each family a voucher to buy turkey or other meat.

Most of us know businesses demand hard work to begin. Northland Pines fifth graders found out just how much work it takes to start their own business. Students worked in groups to create a business that sold a product they could make themselves. Today students' businesses were open in the school's library.

The All American Kids Club was started in the fall of 2012 to instill a sense of pride and patriotism in Kindergarten through 5th grade students, while thanking veterans for their service. The All American Kids Club would like to thank all of those that support our club and efforts, and thank you to all veterans for your service and sacrifice!  If you would like more information about the AAKC, please contact Sarah Simac or Nanci Foster at Eagle River Elementary School.  In February 2014 the All American Kids Club teamed up with the Eagle River Fire Department to buy 2 Honor Flight Tickets to suprise 2 local Veterans.

Northwoods schools struggle to find teachers for some classes like Mandarin Chinese.  In the past, that meant students couldn't take those classes.  But thanks to technology, students can take classes even if their schools don't offer them. "I figured that Mandarin was pretty popular so it would have a lot of use," says Northland Pines High School Sophomore Daniel Livingston.  He didn't want attending a smaller Northwoods school to stop him from learning what he wanted. Livingston started taking Mandarin classes in September.

Some people know what they want to do for a career at an early age.  A group of Northwoods students knew they wanted to go into the medical field at an early age.  Members of the Northland Pines Health Occupation Students of America work to improve their knowledge of the medical field. 

We hear about budget cuts that force schools to get rid of art programs. A local arts organization wants to highlight the importance of arts education. Land O' Lakes Area Artisans (LOLA) is a non-profit arts organization offering art classes and cultural programming to adults and kids. This month, LOLA's gallery features an exhibit called, "What Will Kids Imagine Next?" It features art work from local elementary and homeschool students.

In celebration of the 100th Day of School, students and staff at the Land O' Lakes Elementary school held their annual 100th Day Food Drive in hopes of collecting 100 boxes/cans/packages of food for the local food pantry.  The whole Land O' Lakes Elementary School helped donate food.  The Kindergarten class then counts the food to see how much they have collected.  Then they haul all the food over to the food pantry on sleds; the kids take turns pulling the sleds. In 2013-14, they were able to collect 159 food items! 18 Kindergartners made the trip pulling 9 sleds. While they were in the Headwaters Food Pantry, the ladies there made sure they each got a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie! They also all got to sign their names on a chalkboard displayed at the Food Pantry.  On the way back to school the kids took turns pulling each other in the sleds.

Boys and girls hockey teams are hitting the ice for the first practices of the season.  For the Northland Pines boys, it's a season of high expectations.  Pines will have a different look from last year. The biggest change - Austin Ramesh is graduated and with the Badger football team.  A year ago, the Eagles made to the section semifinals.  Now it's a whole new year - filled with even loftier goals.

Wisconsin officials want to grow the economy through manufacturing. Those employers look for properly trained workers. A welding competition helped Northland Pines students get ready to fill those manufacturing jobs. 

Northland Pines High School has one act play called "Ths Phne 2.0". Yeah, I know it's not spelled exactly right...that's part of the point.

Northland Pines students will use a new kind of a book this fall.  The district is buying Chromebooks for all of its high school students. The district tested Chromebooks in some classrooms last year. But now, every high school student will have one, and they'll be able to take them home every day. Students and parents will get a handbook to help them learn how to use the laptops. Teachers are also going through extensive training.

We try to keep our kids safe everyday. When they're at school, we have to trust the district to keep them safe. Northland Pines needs to make some upgrades to make sure its students and staff are safe. The District has been working with the sheriff and police departments to make schools safer. They want safety to start even before you walk in the doors at Pines.
 

The honors just keep coming for administrators in the Northland Pines School District. District Administrator Mike Richie was named the nation's Superintendent of the Year last year. Now, a Pines principal is claiming her own honor. "The lights were out. I still had no clue," Northland Pines Middle School Principal Jackie Coghlan said. Coghlan had no clue that she would be surprised by her students and staff Friday morning.