School District of Spooner
Superintendent Don Haack: 635-2171.
Badger Bus Co.: 635-8811
Elementary School, 1821 Scribner St.: 635-2174.
Middle School, 500 College St.: 635-2173
High School, 500 College St.: 635-2172.
Overview: District covers approximately 550 square miles and includes three schools: a Pre K-4
elementary school; a 5-8 middle school and 9-12 high school that share the same site; and a vocational
building.
Enrollment: Approximately 1,720.
Staff size: Seven administrators, 125 teachers, 53 non-teaching staff.
Special programs: School-to-Work, FAST, gifted and talented, Title 1, early childhood.
Extra-curricular: High school -- drama, school play, senior class play, Academic Decathlon,
forensics,
Mock Trial, band, jazz, flags, choir, select choir, French Club, Spanish Club, FBLA, Outing Club, FFA,
National Honor Society, Computer and Technology Club, class officers, Student Council, Tech Club, Drama
Club, SADD, Snowboarders Club, school newspaper, yearbook, Art Club, Ski Club, summer school.
Middle school: Student Council, Odyssey of the Mind, forensics, Wilderness Challenge, Hunt Hill Nature
Center outing, music, choir, end-of-the-year track meet, summer school, FHA.
Elementary school: Destination Imagination, drama, summer school.
Sports (Rails - Heart O' North Conference; some sports are community-sponsored): High school:
Track,
baseball, softball, golf, cross country, football, volleyball, cheerleading, wrestling, soccer.
Middle school: Football, cross country, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, hockey.
Elementary school: Basketball, wrestling, hockey, soccer, baseball.
Technology: Through an 11-school, $1 million consortium grant the district is able to teach and
receive other courses from throughout the state in the new Distance Learning Facility in the high
school. The district is networked throughout its four buildings. The network enables the district to
communicate via a Wide Area Network and allows all schools Internet access. Some of the class offerings
include college credit courses, and the district plans to provide a host-site for community education
in the near future.
Also noteworthy: Students score above the state average on state tests and do extremely well on the
national ACT and SAT tests.
St. Francis
de Sales
Catholic School
Principal: Linda Havlicek.
300 Oak Street, Spooner. 635-2774.
Education Committee: Allen Pederson, Lori Hallock, Pam Olson, Bill Melcher, Paula Campbell, and
Joseph Fitgerald.
Overview: School has provided educational opportunities to students of the Spooner and Shell Lake
area for more than 40 years. The PreK-8 school, which operates from a base of strong Christian values,
contains a stand-alone kindergarten room, with other classrooms containing double classrooms. In
addition to the strong core curriculum, students are offered a number of specialty classes such as
music, art, physical education, computer, Spanish, and band.
All students have the opportunity to learn more about their faith through a separate but inclusive
religion curriculum.
Enrollment: Has averaged 103 over the past five years.
Staff size: Six full-time teachers, plus a band director, science lab instructor, Spanish teacher,
and two support staff.
Building programs: Two classrooms, including a computer lab, were recently added be-cause of
expanding
enrollment and technology offerings.
Special programs: Students strive to serve and learn more about the community through events such
as Life in Spooner Day, Career Day, raking leaves for senior citizens, and visiting the nursing home.
Extra-curricular offerings: Student plays, school newspaper, Ethnic Night, science fairs, open gym.
Technology capabilities: New computer lab was recently built. Will be made Internet-accessible.
Also noteworthy: Iowa Basic Skills Tests scores are always high.
School District of Birchwood
District Administrator Frank Helquist: 354-3471.
Birchwood School, 114 S. Fuller: 354-3471.
Overview: The district has a long history of meeting the needs of students from a rural environment,
and the family atmosphere within the school is enhanced by having K-12 students under one roof.
Enrollment: Approximately 355 students. School officials say the size enables staff to get to
know the students well, and graduates compliment the staff on taking extra time to relate to them.
Staff size: Just under 45 employees.
Technology capabilities: Three computer labs form the backbone of technology access for students.
Internet access is a-bundant throughtout the school (with plans to expand it), and each classroom is
Internet-accessible. Distance learning lab is state-of-the-art.
Sports (Bobcats - Lakeland Conference): High school - basketball, football, volleyball, baseball,
softball; middle school - basketball, volleyball, football.
Special programs: Birchwood is a leader in the implementation of Internet access. The district is
continuing STEP (Senior Tax Exchange Program), which gives senior citizens a property tax credit for
volunteering at the school, and FAST (Families and Schools Together).
A two-story addition and remodeling of the building was recently completed.
School District of Northwood
District Administrator Bill Stapp: 466-2297.
Northwood School, N14463 Hwy. 53, Minong: 466-2297.
Overview: District covers approximately 435 square miles in Washburn and Douglas counties. Northwood
School is a K - 12 facility built in 1995 and is located approximately four miles north of Minong on
Hwy. 53.
Enrollment: Approximately 400 students.
Staff size: Sixty-five employees.
Building projects: Construc-tion of six more classrooms, a technology center, and a multi-purpose
room began in the spring of 2000. A football field and a new softball and baseball complex were
recently completed.
Extra-curricular offerings: Culture Club, forensics, Natural Honor Society, yearbook, school
newspaper, student council, N-Club, SOS (Students Offering Support).
Technology capabilities: Computers are incorporated throughout the building. Four computer labs
(Mac and PC) offer appropriate academic, Internet, and E-mail access to everyone. The community is
welcome to explore cyberspace at the school, too.
Sports (Evergreens - Lakeland Conference): High school - football, volleyball, basketball,
wrestling, cheerleading, baseball, softball; middle school - volleyball, youth wrestling, basketball.
Community volunteers: Adult volunteers serve the district daily, assisting in the classroom and
tutoring students individually.
Also noteworthy: Small class sizes are a priority of the school board. The district was selected to
be a SAGE (Student Achievement Guarantee in Education) school in 1998-99 to assure small class sizes in
the lower grades. An emphasis has been put on aligning the curriculum of the district with new state
standards to improve student performance. Growth in the music programs is also a priority.
Wall of Fame: Provides recognition of the contributions people have made in education, business,
human services, government, athletics, military service, fine arts, or financial support.
Honorees inducted into the Wall of Fame have their memorials on display at the school.
Northwood Education Foundation: Raises funds on behalf of the district to pay for improvements to
programs. Continues to aid in developing programs at Northwood.
PASS (People Actively Sup-porting Schools): Meets regularly and provides a positive forum for
discussion of school-related issues.
Scholarships: Though North-wood is a small school with approximately 30 graduates annually, students
receive ap-proximately $25,000 in scholarships through the generosity of local residents and alumni.
Adopt-A-Team: Alumni donors provide money each year to purchase athletic uniforms for the athletes.
Booster Club: Parents plan for ways to enrich the school's athletic programs.
After School Tutoring: Tutoring is offered to students after school.
Community Education: The school is open to the community for enrichment and exploration through a
variety of classes.
School District of Shell Lake
Superintendent Jerry Gauderman: 468-7816.
Primary School, 601 South Third St.: 468-7889.
Grade School, 271 Hwy. 63: 468-7815.
Middle School, High School, 271 Hwy. 63: 468-7814.
Overview: District covers 161 square miles and has two schools -- a renovated primary school for
grades K-2 and a new school that serves grades 3-12. High school classes follow a block scheduling
system so that students and teachers can ex-plore subjects in greater detail.
Enrollment: Approximately 600 students.
Staff: Forty-nine teachers, 34 support staff, three administrators.
Technology capabilities: Four computer labs, full Internet access, 180 Macintosh-compatible
computers networked throughout the two schools. Entire staff has access to technology in their
classrooms. Distance learning over interactive television available.
Special programs: FAST (Families and Schools Together); Early Childhood EEN (Excep-tional
Educational Needs) program for children aged 3 to 5; STEP (Senior Tax Exchange Program), which gives
senior citizens a property tax credit for volunteering at school; SAGE, the state's class size
reduction program which requires class sizes of 15-to-1 or less in K-3; participation in the Washburn
County Alternative High School.
Extra-curricular activities: Marching band, jazz choir, jazz band, FFA, National Honor Society,
cheerleading, forensics, plays, Spanish Club, yearbook, Flag Corp., Oddesy of the Mind.
Sports (Lakers - Lakeland Conference): Football, cross country, basketball, track, baseball,
volleyball, wrestling, softball.
Also noteworthy: District has a Community Education program that provided classes and activities to
more than 500 people last year.
Students scored above state average on Third Grade Reading Test and fourth-, eighth- and 10th-grade
Wisconsin state tests.
Home schooling in the county
Information about home schooling in Washburn County is available through the school year from the
Spooner Area Home Schooling group, which meets monthly.
For information about home schooling call Char-maine Wistad, 635-7408.
University of Wisconsin-Extension
635-4444; fax: 635-4450
850 W. Beaverbrook Ave.
Spooner, WI 54801
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/washburn/
Open Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
County-based Extension educators are University of Wisconsin faculty and staff who provide
educational
outreach in agriculture and horticulture; community, organizational and economic development; natural
resources; family living; nutrition and food safety; and youth leadership and development.
Programs in Washburn County include:
Youth Development/4-H Program: Helps develop capable and responsible youth; assists with youth and
adult leadership development; encourages planning, organizing, decision making, life skill enhancement,
and communication with others.
Family Living Program: Provides information on family relationships, parenting resources, personal
budgeting, financial counseling, food nutrition, and safety.
Family Nutrition Program: Teaches families about nutrition, food budgeting, food preparation,
and preservation through the Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program, which is meant for low-income
persons.
Community, Natural Resources and Econ-omic Development Program: Strengthens local government;
enhances community, organizational, and economic development; offers information on business
management, business retention and expansion, and natural resources protection and improvement,
including lake stewardship.
Agriculture Program: Wide variety of home horticulture and agriculture-related education and
counseling services offered.
Other services: UW-Extension independent study educational teleconference network; water sample
test kits; soil sample testing; numerous research-based publications available on gardening and home
grounds, agriculture and agribusiness, home and family, water quality, wildlife, and land use planning.
University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming,
including Title IX Requirements.
Libraries
Shell Lake Library
501 First St., Shell Lake.
468-2074
Hours: Mon., Wed., noon-8 p.m.; Tues., Thurs., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri., noon-5 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-1
p.m.
Services: Book, video, audio tape lending; library interloan; public computers and Internet access;
outreach to elderly housing units; summer reading program, Library for Little Ones, issues of the
Washburn County Register and Shell Lake Watchman on microfilm and microfiche.
Spooner Memorial Library
421 High St., Spooner
635-2792
Hours: Mon.-Thur.,
9 a.m.-8 p.m.;
Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.;
Sat., 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Services: Book, video and audio tape lending; public computer and Internet access; library
interloan; preschool story hour program; summer reading program; outreach to elderly housing units and
preschools; evening adult classes in the fall; issues of the Spooner Advocate on microfilm.
Colleges & Technical Schools
Colleges and technical schools within easy reach of Washburn County include:
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC)
WITC-Ashland, 682-4591.
WITC-Rice Lake, 234-7082.
WITC-New Richmond, 800/243-9482.
WITC-Superior, 1/800/243-WITC.
Siren Learning Center, 349-7664.
Administrative office, Shell Lake, 800/243-9482, 468-2815.
Lac Court Oreilles Ojibwa Community College, Hayward, 634-4790.
University of Wisconsin
UW-Barron County, Rice Lake, 234-8176.
UW-Superior, 394-8101.
UW-Stout, Menomonie, 232-1431.
UW-Eau Claire, 836-2637.
Shell Lake Arts Center
The Shell Lake Arts Center in Shell Lake is internationally
known for the music, theater, visual arts, and textile arts classes taught at the center each summer by
masters of the arts.
A combination of factors have led to the center's ability to attract top teachers and students to
the week- and two-week-long workshops.
The center's location in the beautiful Northwoods is one reason, and the rapport the teachers and
students develop as they work intensively together is another.
Students are motivated, and they absorb and reflect the energy generated in class as they pursue,
develop, and refine their deeply held interests.
The center is most well-known for its jazz. Indianhead Arts and Education Center has the
longest-running jazz school in the nation.
Nearly 350 students take the jazz workshops each year.
The roster of students who have gone on to become world-famous performers includes Lyle Mays, Geoff
Keezer, Steve Houghton, and the late Bill Evans.
The center is located at 802 First St. in Shell Lake.
More information about the center is available by calling 468-2414 or www.shelllakeartscenter.org.
Go Back >>
122 North River Street · Spooner, WI 54801 · Phone: 715-635-2168
Email: chamber@spooneronline.com
