become what's next
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become what's next •
ADVANCED PLACEMENT PARTICIPATION CONTINUES TO INCREASE
Elmbrook's 2022 (2023 results not yet available) Advanced Placement Scholar data grew 24%! With a total of 409 students, the District average rose to 76% of tested students scoring a 3 or higher on their AP tests, significantly higher than the Wisconsin state average of 67%. Both high schools had remarkable average scores with Brookfield Central’s at 4.17 and Brookfield East’s at 4.18 out of the total 2,032 tests taken, an average increase of over 100 more tests per school from 2021.
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR
Brookfield Central student Ananya Bhatt (‘23) was named the 2023 US Presidential Scholar for the state of Wisconsin! Out of the 3.7 million graduating seniors and over 5,000 candidates who qualified for the honor, Bhatt was selected as one of only three students honored from Wisconsin and one of 161 Presidential Scholars chosen throughout the country. Bhatt is the sixth Elmbrook student to be named a Presidential Scholar since 2017!
PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
Brookfield East High School Principal and alum, Andy Farley, was named the 2023 Wisconsin Secondary Principal of the Year by the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA). Farley has built a school culture rooted in positivity, opportunity, collaboration, relationships, and a commitment to the growth of students and educators as learners and leaders throughout his time at East.
WCASS AWARDS
The Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services (WCASS) recognized three Elmbrook individuals in the 2023 Class of Honorees. Brookfield Elementary Principal Erin King was named the Administrator of the Year by the organization for her work to impact students and build inclusivity within her school. Brookfield East Senior Gabe Stuleanu was the recipient of the Personal Achievement Award and Project STRIVE student Grace Patch was the recipient of the Personal Achievement Award from WCASS. Congratulations to all three on their incredible honors!
achieving excellence
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achieving excellence •
CLASS OF 2023
brookfield east national merit finalist
brookfield central national merit finalist
STAFF EXCELLENCE
JEFF BIGLER
Lancer Baseball Coach Jeff Bigler celebrated a milestone in his coaching career as he reached a total of 500 wins on May 18! Bigler became one of only 22 coaches to achieve this milestone in the state of Wisconsin. Through his time coaching, he has led Brookfield Central to one State Title in 2014 and 5 conference championships.
Photo Credit: Scott Ash (Now News Group)
MIKE ROSE &
VAN DONKERSGOED
After sweeping state swim and dive championships in 2021-22, Elmbrook coaches Mike Rose and Van Donkersgoed were named Wisconsin’s Swim Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS)! NFHS named Rose as the Girls Swim Coach of the Year for his work with the East Girls Swim and Dive team, and Donkersgoed earned recognition as the Boys Swim Coach of the Year for his coaching of the BC/BE co-op, Brookfield Barracudas.
CAROLINE WESTRICK
Caroline Westrick’s journey began in Elmbrook and now she’s impacting the next generation of learners. Westrick, a 2018 graduate from Brookfield East, began teaching in Special Education at Wisconsin Hills Middle School in 2022. She is the first graduate hired that completed LAUNCH’s Future Teachers program (which began in 2017). The program provided her with real-world experience in education and instruction throughout her Junior and Senior years, which gave her a legup in her college and professional journeys. In 2023, Caroline was recognized with an Alumni Excellence award for her contributions to Elmbrook’s students and her success within the LAUNCH program.
This annual event is an opportunity to recognize staff and community excellence across our district, and celebrate our retirees. Golden Apples are presented at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center-held event to recognize outstanding Elmbrook staff, alumni and community partners.
ENGAGED IN EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Video courtesy of LAUNCH Media Solutions Students | Leiden Mbunte, Jon Otto and Edie Eckblad
PURSUING OPPORTUNITY
NASA TECHRISE CHALLENGE
6 Pilgrim Park Middle School Students won a proposal to build a Low-Pressure Propeller System under the guidance of NASA Engineers and Scientists. Their balloon had a successful launch in July and traveled 137 miles.
NATIONAL SCIENCE BEE
8 Elmbrook elementary students qualified for the National Science Bee in Washington D.C., a competitive tournament that put their science knowledge to the test.
NATIONAL SCIENCE BOWL
Wisconsin Hills Middle School students became four-time regional champions for the National Science Bowl in 2023. Over 4,000 students compete annually, and Wisconsin Hills was the only middle school in Wisconsin to qualify for the national competition.
STRIDES IN STEM
Robotics students met at the state capitol as part of the SASA Advocacy Conference. The conference brought together student leaders and advisors from across the state to advocate for increased funding from the Department of Public Instruction for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education.
DISTINGUISHED YOUNG WOMEN
Elmbrook students Maggie Feng (Central ‘24), Lucy Irwin (East ‘24), and Melissa Keane (Central ‘24) have been named to the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) Class of 2024! Feng was named Distinguished Young Woman of Brookfield 2024, Irwin was named Distinguished Young Woman of Elm Grove 2024, and Keane was named Distinguished Young Woman of Waukesha 2024. In June, 2023 BC graduate Erin Hu competed in the DYW National Finals as Wisconsin’s representative. Her participation earned her a total of $13,000 in scholarships!
Photo Credit: Jill Emmer - Shine On Photos
FIRST FTC QUALIFIER
Robotics Teams Hazmat (WHMS/BC), Superstellar (PPMS) and The GEarheads (BC) hosted an inaugural competition right in Brookfield! The Battle of Brookfield a First Tech Challenge (FTC) Qualifier was held at Brookfield Central and featured 24 teams from across Wisconsin competing in the tournament for 4 spots in the state championship.
ATHLETIC SUCCESS
Brookfield East Girls Swimming and Diving Team brought home the silver as the Division 1 state team runner-up in 2022.
State championship titles for the team were defended by the 200 Yard Medley Relay Team of Maggie Wanezek, Lucy Thomas, Paris Fullerton, and Caroline Wanezek; Maggie Wanezek in the 100 Yard Backstroke; Lucy Thomas in the 100 Yard Breaststroke; and the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay Team of Maggie Wanezek, Audrey Olen, Reese Tiltmann, and Lucy Thomas. Of these state champions, Maggie Wanezek, Lucy Thomas, and the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay Team all beat their previously held state records and Maggie Wanazek set a national, public high school record of 51.09 in the 100 Yard Backstroke!
ATHLETIC SUCCESS
Brookfield East Girls Swimming and Diving Team brought home the silver as the Division 1 state team runner-up in 2022.
State championship titles for the team were defended by the 200 Yard Medley Relay Team of Maggie Wanezek, Lucy Thomas, Paris Fullerton, and Caroline Wanezek; Maggie Wanezek in the 100 Yard Backstroke; Lucy Thomas in the 100 Yard Breaststroke; and the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay Team of Maggie Wanezek, Audrey Olen, Reese Tiltmann, and Lucy Thomas. Of these state champions, Maggie Wanezek, Lucy Thomas, and the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay Team all beat their previously held state records and Maggie Wanazek set a national, public high school record of 51.09 in the 100 Yard Backstroke!
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![Stuart Seymour]()
Central's Stuart Seymour claimed two titles at the WIAA State Swim and Dive Meet
Stuart Seymour (BC ‘23) claimed two D1 WIAA titles with the Brookfield Barracudas, including breaking the state record in the 100 Yard Backstroke and winning the 100 Yard Butterfly. This marks Seymour's second consecutive year as the WIAA champion in the 100 Yard Backstroke.
Photo Credit: Scott Ash (Now News Group)
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![Oscar Corwin]()
Brookfield East's Oscar Corwin won the WIAA D1 Tennis Singles championship
Oscar Corwin (BE ‘24) won the WIAA Division 1 Tennis Singles championship with a 4-6, 7-5, 10-5 victory in the title match. Corwin, the top seed in the tournament, beat out De Pere’s second-seeded player and finished his season with an impressive 34-1 record, improving his sixth-place finish last season.
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![Brookfield East Girls Basketball]()
Brookfield East Girls Basketball Team takes home the WIAA D1 Silver
The Brookfield East Lady Spartans Basketball Team took second at state in a close WIAA Division 1 game against Kettle Moraine on March 11. After besting Germantown in the semifinals, the Spartans scored a total of 40 points to Kettle Moraine’s 47 to finish off their incredible season with a 27-3 record.
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![Speedskater Aaron Liu]()
Elmbrook Speed Skaters compete in the 2023 National Championships
The Elmbrook Speedskating Club celebrated multiple honors, including two national champions: Aaron Liu (BC '23) - Junior A 17-18 & Open Men's Division champion, Aidan Liu (BC '26) - Junior C 13-14 Men's Division champion, and Andrea Cao (BEHS '25) - Junior B 15-16 Women's Division runner-up.
Photo Credit: Raymond Lin
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![Team USA Figure Skaters]()
Two BEHS figure skaters take home silver in International Competition
Lola Perelman (BE ‘24) and Ashley Papenfuss (BE ‘23) competed internationally in the French Cup as Team USA members, winning the silver medal. They represented the Fond Du Lac Blades Junior Figure Skating team in this competition organized by the European Olympic committee, held near Paris.
ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE
ARTWORK WINNER
Brookfield East student Brooke Salomone’s artwork was selected as the 2023 State Park sticker for Wisconsin! Her design was selected from 250 entries and is featured on more than 500,000 vehicles across the state.
FINAL FORTE
Arisa Okamoto (BE ‘23) took second place in the Final Forte competition with the Madison Symphony Orchestra that was broadcast on PBS. She was one of four finalists chosen from eight competitors at the Bolz Young Artist Competition Semi-Finals in January.
You can learn more about Arisa and watch her performance here.
JERRY AWARDS
EXCELLENCE IN A HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL PRODUCTION
MATILDA
Brookfield Central’s production of Matilda was nominated for a total of 17 Jerry Awards and won 4 awards including two Outstanding Leading Performance awards (Suha Muqeet, Isabella Krynicka), a Spirit Award (Madeline Hedtke), and Outstanding Choreography (Callie Gibbs).
WHITE CHRISTMAS
Brookfield East’s production of White Christmas received 21 Jerry Award nominations and earned an Outstanding Supporting Performance (Careena Evenson) and Spirit Award (Alex Nelson) for their sold out production.
board governance highlights
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board governance highlights •
BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVES NEW, SCIENCE-BASED LITERACY CURRICULUM FOR 2023
Following a rigorous, 15-month evaluation process, the Elmbrook Board approved a new English Language Arts curriculum and resources for the 2023-24 school year. During the pilot phase of the curriculum renewal, Elmbrook hosted several state legislators for classroom visits, helping to ensure bi-partisan support for a new Wisconsin Right to Read Bill and $50 million in state funding for science-based reading efforts.
TAX RATE REACHES 30-YEAR LOW
In October, the School Board approved the District's Annual Operating Budget of $103,272,600 and certified the tax levy, lowering the 2022-2023 tax rate to $7.47 per $1,000 of property value. The rate was a 17% decrease from the previous year ($9.00) and the lowest rate in over 30 years.
BOARD PRIORITIZES ROBOTICS INVESTMENT
The Board allocated $1.6 million to renovate existing classroom spaces at Brookfield East for Robotics & Power Systems courses that will serve students from both high schools as well as provide the District’s award-winning robotics teams a dedicated practice space.
STUDENT RESOURCE OFFICERS
Elmbrook expanded the School Resource Officer (SRO) program to the middle schools to further strengthen the connection between our schools & the police department, as we work to ensure the safety of our students & staff. The program began at the high schools in 2020 and now includes officers from the Brookfield and Elm Grove Police Departments.
engaging with our community
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engaging with our community •
UNIFIED SPORTS
Elmbrook held its first-ever game for its new, inclusive Unified Sports program, uniting students with and without disabilities to help each other work as a team.
VETERAN’S DAY
Veteran’s Day throughout the District celebrates our local heroes that have served in the military. Veterans are honored with parades, breakfasts, student interviews, classroom visits, and
all-school assemblies.
JAYCEES EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR
Amy Jacobson (Art Teacher at Dixon Elementary) was recognized by the Jaycees for her servant leadership. Amy's students create ceramic pieces for an 'Empty Bowls' fundraiser that annually collects over $4,000 for the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.
ALUMNI GIVE BACK
A generous check of $16,500, raised by hundreds of students, was presented to their former history teacher, Pat Coffey, by a group of BEHS alumni as a heartfelt expression of gratitude for the profound impact he had on their lives.