ELLSWORTH – Ellsworth High School students who plan to join the International Club on its Spring 2024 trip better brush up on their Italian and German.

The Ellsworth School Board unanimously approved EHS social studies teacher Anne Pechacek’s proposal for the nine-day trip at its June 13 meeting. Students will fly into Rome and visit famous sites such as the Trevi Fountain and the Sistine Chapel before heading north to Florence, Italy and Germany. The group will visit concentration camp Dachau and Neuschwanstein in Bavaria before flying out of Munich.

The school will again partner with EF Educational Tours. Pechacek said she’s anxious to get the ball rolling so students can begin fundraising. The trip is expected to cost about $3,400; a scholarship program is available for students.

For more information on the trip, an informal informational meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 27 in the EHS IMC. Items to be discussed include travel logistics, how to earn high school/college credit, affordable payment options, and how to enroll. One parent must attend with the student. You can register at https://bit. ly/3HrULDE

Personnel report

The board approved the following personnel changes: Hires: Katelyn Asmus, district-wide occupational therapist; Nicole Campuzano, building level team leader – 10th grade; Madison Feld, EES speech therapist assistant; Elizabeth Fish, EES special education teacher; Brandon Fuhrman,

EHS band teacher; Hannah Ninneman, district-wide occupational therapist – .60 FTE; Madeline Poulos, EHS physical education/ health teacher; Ashley Soley, payroll/accounts payable specialist

Resignation: Kimberly Bruesewitz, EGS guidance counselor; Mike Leck, bus driver; Melissa Murphy; EES teaching assistant; Keisha Odell, bus driver; Megan (Alex) Pendar, EMS seventh grade math teacher;

Roseanne Voelker, EHS math teacher; Leah Wallace, occupational therapist assistant

Transfers: Sarah Ainsworth, from EES kindergarten teacher to EES first-grade teacher; Lucas Blodgett, from EMS teaching assistant to EMS special education teacher; Katie Foley, from EES first-grade teacher to EES 4YK teacher;

Laura Hodges, from EES special educiton teaching assistant to EES Title I teaching assistant

Extra/co-curricular: Lauren Burks, mentor; Kimberley Catron, EHS class play general director; Brandon Fuhrman, EHS instrumental and EHS musical pit director; Jason Haugley, mentor; Tonya Klem, mentor; Adam Koger, mentor; Karen Kornmann, mentor; Diana Lange, mentor; Derek Staley, EHS head boys basketball coach; Emily Stiemann, EES building leader – Student Council co-facilitator; Hilary Thom, mentor Acknowledgements

Recent EHS graduate Ashten Quade and senior Bo Hines, members of the 4×200 and 4×100 Panthers track teams, who won gold and silver at the state track meet in La Crosse, were on hand for congratulations from the board. “I’ll always be a Panther for sure,” Quade said.

He plans to attend UW-River Falls this fall to play football. He is considering going out for the track team.

“We trusted in each other, trusted in the whole team and just loved each other every day. We always held each other accountable,” Hines said.