Wildcats ace report card to lead pack in Fox Valley Association
Students driven by academics will push themselves for high grades, high GPA, and report cards that will impress both parents and also colleges of the future. They aren’t alone. Over the summer, West earned the highest report card in the Fox Valley Association.
Every year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction releases report cards for schools based on state testing results, which assess the over 500 high schools in this state. There are four categories schools are evaluated in by the DPI: “Significantly Exceeding Expectations”, “Exceeding Expectations”, “Meets Expectations”, and “Meets Few Expectations.” Only four schools in the FVA met the “Exceeding Expectations” category in their respective reports: Appleton North, Neenah, Oshkosh North, and Oshkosh West. The rest fell into lower categories.
“Our latest school report card score of 72.5, which was released last year and is based on the 2021-22 school year, falls under the category of ‘Exceeds Expectations,’ and is the highest school report card score in the FVA,” Assistant Principal Aaron Herm said.
Herm feels a deep sense of pride for the school and the hard working individuals supporting it.
“I’m so proud of our Wildcat students, staff, and families," Herm said. "It takes a collective effort and commitment to education to accomplish something like this. I have an immense sense of pride in Oshkosh West, and this is just yet another reason to be proud of our school.”
Herm, despite his immense pride, wants Wildcat Nation to go even further and in order to build upon it, he needs students to do their best.
“Students should stay focused on having great attendance, completing their assignments on time, and getting help when they need it. They should also support each other academically by studying together and helping those who may be struggling. At the same time, there needs to be a balance between school and life,” he said. “We have a lot of advanced classes and a plethora of activities to choose from, but you can only reasonably do so much. For your own well-being, make sure you’re taking on a manageable load.”
This type of achievement doesn’t happen overnight. A lot of hard work and planning goes into this by the administration and teachers making it happen in the classroom.
“It starts with a great staff that takes pride in our school, loves our students, and are highly engaged in what they do,” Herm said. “As an admin team, we are always working to create better conditions for the staff, so we, collectively, can create a great environment for students.”
For the past few years, the school has been focusing on making sure that all students can obtain a high level of learning and teaching. The staff also prioritize the fact that students should feel comfortable in the school’s environment.
“We are working to continuously improve a culture of inclusivity and respect, where all students and staff feel valued and safe so they can learn at the highest levels,” Herm said. “This happens in a variety of different ways, from examining how we serve students with special education needs, to policies that ensure everyone’s safety, to collaborating with student organizations like BSU so we can listen to the student experience and make positive change based on what we learn.”
Despite all this, Herm says there is so much more that goes into the report card.
“I could write a book on this question, because there are so many other factors, like family and community engagement, individualized student support, supporting student and staff social/emotional needs, effective discipline, strategic planning, and more,” he said.
Herm emphasizes that there is still so much to be done and credits Erin Kohl for her impact during her decade as West’s principal.
“The job is never finished, but I feel as an administrative team, the report card is an indicator that we have been doing our job," he said. "It's important to mention that much of this success is a credit to our long-time leader, Mrs. Kohl, who was the principal at the time this data was gathered. Her legacy will continue to have an impact as we move forward.”
Math teacher Ami Messner feels that there is still some recovery going on after the pandemic.
“I feel like a lot of teachers are doing good things, but also students are working hard to make sure they learn the material. I think with Covid, it was hard for everybody,” she said. “I think we’re slowly getting back into a rhythm of how things should be and everyone’s working hard.”
Spanish teacher Jennifer Olivares is proud of the achievement.
“I think it's amazing and I think it is a testament to our teachers working together, our admin having a clear vision, and our students just doing their best,'' she said. “I know as a district we have some goals that we’re working on and I think this is just the affirmation that we’re making positive progress towards our goals. It goes with our vision and mission of believing that all students can achieve at high levels and all students can grow.”
Herm is hopeful for the future and is proud no matter what will happen.
“We should all be super proud to be FVA Academic Champs,” he said. "It's great to win championships in athletics, and hopefully we will start to get some of those in the not-too-distant future, but we are already champions in what matters most when it comes to school.”
by Fahad Mian
Published October 2 2023
Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue I