School board names new Marathon principal
Officials also discuss allowing alternative school students at graduation
There will be a new principal in town come summer. The Marathon School Board approved the contract for the next head of Marathon Area Elementary School and Marathon Venture Academy at its meeting last week.
Board members voted to hire Maxwell Wienke for the job once current principal Ryan McCain steps down on June 30. Wienke grew up near Spencer and has been working within the Winneconne School District for six years.
“We look forward to some really good things,” District Administrator Rick Parks said. “He has also been in the Coast Guard, serving in the Reserve right now. He has certain expertise, I will say, in some areas that I think are going to be very beneficial for us. School safety is one of those. I know he’s been helping a lot with that in his current district, too.”
Wienke was in attendance, along with his wife and daughter, during the May 10 meeting.
“We’re very excited to join the community,” Wienke said. “I’m excited to come in and get to work and I’m looking forward to being a part of a great school district.”
The board also approved hiring a new technology education teacher after accepting the resignation of John Vanderwyst, who has served in the role for nine years, at a special meeting earlier this month. Officials voted to bring on Wayne Kroeplin, who has been teaching for 19 years in Wausau.
In other business:
• After a request by a former student’s family, the board agreed to offer three graduates of alternative schooling to participate in Marathon High School’s graduation ceremony. Principal Dave Beranek brought the issue to the board after being approached by a parent of one of the students. According to officials, there used to be a policy that didn’t allow students who had once attended district schools but went on to an alternative school to be included in the graduation ceremony. Currently, the district’s policy can be interpreted either way.
If the students opt to participate, they will not be receiving a diploma from Marathon, but officials say there’s community significance to being at the ceremony. The students have gone on to receive high school equivalency certifi cates from the state. In the 23 years Beranek has been in Marathon, he said he could only think of one student who didn’t finish the alternative program.
“Almost every single one of them has found great success in a different setting,” Beranek said. “… I could see this being a celebration for a member of the community and for a student that had been with that class for quite a while, has found their way, got a high school equivalency diploma and just wants to be recognized with their group for the ending accomplishment.”
Multiple board members said as long as the student was “in good standing,” they didn’t see a problem with allowing them to participate.
“I think we should just be happy that this person continued on and achieved what they did,” board member Lia Klumpyan said.
If the three students from the alternative school attend the ceremony, there will be 58 students at graduation, according to Beranek.
The board voted to move forward with an additional cost to add logos to some of the new high school cafeteria tables and keep them at 12 feet long. According to information shared with the board, the new tables that were initially quoted and approved were only 10 feet long, not 12 like the current cafeteria tables are. The district was also given the option to add school logos to some of the table tops. Both changes will cost the district an additional $6,810, which will be split between general operating funds and the district’s food service account.
Board members approved purchasing the new seating and tables during their April meeting. The recommendation for the purchase came as the district learned its Fund 50 for food service is too high, exceeding a threemonth average of operating expenses, per a notice from the Department of Public Instruction. In order to use up some of the excess funds, the district will be buying the new tables and chairs, which will seat 176, for a new total of $49,625 with the changes approved last week.
The district recognized multiple awards given to staff recently during the school board’s meeting. Lara Beranek, district nurse, was named the 2023 Wisconsin Association of School Nurses Kathryn Etter School Nurse of the Year.
Additionally, three Marathon educators received awards from Marathon County Special Education at the beginning of May. Middle school educator Lena Mohr was named Special Education Teacher of the Year.
Elementary and middle school administrative assistant Jody Seubert received the EDDIE Award and Mc-Cain was named as Administrator of the Year. Kathy Grell, a district speech therapist, was also recognized for her upcoming retirement.
