Latest news with #SuperiorHighSchool
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Drumming circle to honor Superior High School class of 2025
Jun. 3—SUPERIOR — A new song will celebrate the Superior High School class of 2025 during graduation Friday, June 6. A Native American drumming circle, consisting of past and present Superior students, will perform an honor song at the ceremony. "It's super exciting and a little bit like a relief, just that our students finally get to be honored in their culture at their ceremony," said Rebecca Scherf, the district's Indigenous family engagement coordinator. On Dec. 9, the Superior School Board approved adding drumming to the ceremony. "I'm glad. I'm really excited, happy that all this got approved, and hopefully throughout the years this will continue," said Troy Howes, American Indian Education drum instructor and cultural teacher. Early Childhood and Family Engagement Coordinator Jennifer Willoughby, the Indian education coordinator for the district, likened it to any other musical send-off. "At SHS graduation, it's just one of the multiple songs. The choir will perform, the band will perform, the drummers will perform an honor song," Willoughby said. It's more than just a song for Native American students, who make up 18% of the student body. Drumming is an integral part of that culture, Willoughby said. It's as important, Scherf said, as language. "Representation is super important," said Scherf, who graduated from Superior High School in 2004. "It's been proven time and again that when youth have access to their culture in school, they just do better in school. And being able to recognize that and honor that through graduation is just the next step in continuing the recognizing of their culture in their spaces." A focus on drumming and a series of community events have brought more visibility to the district's American Indian Education program this year, Willoughby said. In November, Howes started offering drumming practice twice a week at Superior Middle School. A student from Superior High School initiated a drumming club in February, which Howes also leads. "In the Ojibwe culture, only males drum on the big drums," Willoughby said, but females can use hand drums. Girls interested in joining the high school club made hand drums out of elk hide, sinew and steam-bent wooden frames. On May 20, Howes and a trio of students gathered at Superior Middle School to practice. Seventh grader Jeffrey Stratioti and Jack Pierce, a third grader from Cooper Elementary School, kept a steady beat on the large powwow drum with Howes. Behind them, sophomore Abby McKone followed on her hand drum. "I grew up around the drum," Howes said. "It means a lot to me to be able to teach the young ones and keep that tradition going, culture going, because in my mind I don't want it to be lost, so they don't think that we're not here, so we're not forgotten. I just want to teach them so that this generation can continue the ways, the tradition." Future plans for the district's American Indian Education program include hosting a powwow, possibly in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin-Superior. The leaders said they're hoping to one day offer Ojibwe language classes. "We've had more visibility this year, more communication to families to get involved ... we're hoping to keep growing," Willoughby said.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Superior High School Pledgemakers want to reinstate random drug testing
Mar. 21—SUPERIOR — Following a successful campaign to restrict the number of smoke shops in Superior, students in the Superior High School Pledgemakers group are seeking to resume random drug testing at the school. Student leaders for the group, whose 600 members have pledged to stay drug- and alcohol-free over their high school career, spoke to the Superior School Board on March 17. In addition to hosting activities and events at the high school each year, Pledgemakers visited seventh graders at Superior Middle School to talk about the dangers of tobacco and vaping devices; led a Youth Voice project that asked Superior High School students to anonymously share how vaping and nicotine have impacted their lives; gave a presentation at a Youth Wellness Summit; and visited 20 tobacco retailers in the city as part of a retail shop assessment. The retail shop assessment, which took place in December in conjunction with the American Lung Association, revealed some concerns. "We had a lot of experiences, let's say, including getting offered wine by one of the retailers, even though we had introduced ourselves as high schoolers, as well as seeing a lot of different signage not being updated to the (federal) 21 age," said Pledgemakers Vice President Lauren Heintz, a junior. The group impacted the community July 2 when the Superior City Council adopted new regulations that will prevent additional smoke shops from opening in Superior. "It is pretty historic legislation," said Pledgemakers adviser Phil Roe. "There are two places in our state that have had some kind of an an ordinance like that. It was Milwaukee and Superior." While councilors were divided prior to the vote, he said, the regulation was unanimously approved after students shared their personal experiences. "This is what democracy looks like," said Pat McKone with the American Lung Association. "It is engaging in change, positive change, prevention, early prevention, so you're proud. You should be proud. It's beautiful, it really is." Pledgemakers President Alton Morrissey, a senior, said their concerns moving forward are reinstating random drug testing at Superior High School and seeking additional funding. The group's budget was cut from $10,000 in 2023-24 to $4,000 in 2024-25. "Drug testing was cut five years ago, which obviously leaves a big gap where our kids can be exposed to drugs and alcohol and become addicted," said Pledgemakers Vice President Aiden Pagnucci, a sophomore. "So we are here to propose drug testing being reintroduced in a way for students to be screened and receive help there. We would like this in order to build a safer school culture." The Superior School District launched random drug testing in 2006 to combat what administrators at the time called a drug culture. The tests were administered to students involved in co-curricular activities — athletic and academic teams — as well as students who park in the school lot and members of the Pledgemakers group, which was organized in 2007. Activities and Athletics Director Ella Olson confirmed that the tests stopped in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not been reinstated, although the district still has an active drug testing policy. She couldn't give a cost estimate for resuming the testing, but she said it's great to see students leading initiatives. "I think it's important for all students to feel valued and safe in their school. If drug testing could help kids overcome an addiction, I love it. If drug testing is simply a tool used to 'catch' students, then I feel that goes against our value and mission of making all students feel valued here at SHS," Olson said. Morrissey said the group's advocacy is targeted at helping fellow students. Teaming up last year with Charmaine Swan, coordinator of the Northwest Wisconsin Lung Health Association boosted their efforts, Morrissey said. "She has an immense amount of knowledge, and just with public policy, public health and just community engagement, all that knowledge was instrumental to us," Morrissey said. The students understood and really jumped in to make changes at the local level, Swan said. "I think I just feel really encouraged and hopeful working with this particular group of youth, because they really understand the advocacy part," she said. School Board President Steve Olson said he was impressed with the group's powerful student voice and "them wanting to be involved in making the experience for all kids in the school to be a positive one, not afraid to step out and say, we need to do this."
