WSHS News

On Wednesday, Superintendent Dr. Annette K. Freiheit shared with communications coordinator John Casper about why the decision was made and what the district looks for when making decisions related to COVID-19. 

To celebrate a school year in which teachers were asked to do more than ever, the Winona Education Association decided to expand its teacher of the year program to honor not just one — but three teachers in Winona Area Public Schools. 

The student councils at Winona Senior High School and Winona Middle School invite retired community members for a traditional Thanksgiving meal from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Daniel Florness, a senior at Winona Senior High School, was recently identified as a College Board National Recognition Program Scholar.

The Winona Senior High School AVID program is pleased to celebrate the end of year AVID Notable Scholars from the spring distance learning period. This was a challenging time for many students, and we are proud to acknowledge some of the students who rose to the challenge and flourished during an unprecedented time at WSHS.

The Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools recently approved two grants that will help students in the Ríos Spanish Immersion Program as well as the LEO Program at Winona Senior High School.

To help repay all that WSHS has done for him, Jerry Raddatz made a $50,000 donation to Winhawks athletics and activities at a ceremony Thursday morning at the high school. 

The Winona Senior High School Site Team is looking for interested parents of WSHS students to be a member of the Site Team for a two-year term

Nine Winona Senior High School students were recently inducted into the Tertulia Chapter of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica (Spanish Honor Society) by advisor Susan Larsen.

Please see the following flyers for more information on Yearbook ordering and Senior Picture information.

To conclude a season in which so much was out of their control, the members of the Winona Senior High School cross country team finished on a high note Thursday at the MSHSL Section 1AA meet.

Check out all that is happening in Winona Area Public Schools with the latest edition of Winhawks in the Know.

To help celebrate Principals Week in Winona Area Public Schools, we asked some of our outstanding principals to share a little bit about themselves and why they like being a principal. Here is what they said: 

Earlier today, the Minnesota Department of Education changed its guidance for schools to allow for spectators to attend events held indoors.

The federal program that allows Winona Area Public Schools to provide free meals for all students in the community has received additional funding. All students in Winona — not just those who attend a WAPS school — will have access to free meals for the remainder of the school year and next summer. 

Colleen Halleck and Daniel Florness, seniors at Winona Senior High School, were each recently named a Commended Student in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program.

We are happy to announce that we will shift to Winhawk Learning Model No. 3, which means that Grades 7-12 will move to a hybrid model, beginning Monday, Sept. 28. 

Early childhood and elementary (Grades K-6) will remain in a hybrid model as well.

Also, athletics for Grades 7-12 will resume beginning Tuesday, Sept. 22, while athletics for Grades 5-6 and activities for Grades 5-8 will begin on Monday, Oct. 5.

We recently received some fantastic news! Our School Nutrition department has received additional funding and will be able to provide free meals to students for at least a portion of the school year — including students who are in distance learning.

Do you want to be in the know? The Winhawks in the Know newsletter features the latest district news, plus a recap of the previous board meeting. Check it out now!

Due to the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases in Winona County, Winona Area Public Schools will shift to Winhawk Learning Model No. 4, which moves Grades 7-12 into distance learning to start the 2020-21 school year.

Tech Nest leader Nicole Miller took all the footage collected at the Class of 2020 graduation ceremony and put it together in this highlight video.

Winona Area Public Schools will offer a distance learning model option for all students in the 2020-21 school year. Please fill this form linked here if you wish to choose distance learning for the student(s) in your family.

The Winona Area Public Schools Board of Education on Wednesday night gave approval to preliminary plans to welcome some students back into school buildings this fall by approving Winhawk Learning Model No. 3 — which is a hybrid model for all students.

Earlier today, Gov. Tim Walz, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Health, unveiled “Minnesota’s Safe Learning Plan,” the roadmap for districts across the state to follow for the 2020-21 school year. 

Winona Area Public Schools families are encouraged to apply for free or reduced-price school meals through the Application for Educational Benefits. A new application must be submitted each year. WAPS encourages all families to submit applications.

This spring numerous awards were presented to the outstanding senior musicians at Winona Senior High School.

Distance learning didn't stop the Winona FFA Chapter from completing community service.

Although COVID-19 prevented the Special Athletic Competition from taking place at Paul Giel Field as usual, athletes still took to their driveways, sidewalks and local parks for Backyard SAC 2020. Check out these highlights submitted by our families and cheer on these amazing athletes!

This year's WSHS Senior Art Show participants are: Harrison Bennick, Jaden Berg, Joella Goyette, Hailey Hohmann, Francesca Hopkins, Erica Madland, Jayla Millen, Bethany Mulkey, Oliver Sheehan, Isa Solano Castro, and Stephanie Zhong. 

This year's recipient of both orchestra awards — the CodaBow Award and the National School Orchestra Association Award — is Kaia Hamiltion.

Three junior students from Winona Senior High School have been selected to perform as part of the 2020-2021 All-State Music Ensembles.

Watch the 2019-2020 Academic Achievement Recognition Program here.

Winona Senior High School will hold a car graduation for the Class of 2020 beginning at approximately 6 p.m. Friday, June 5. WSHS Principal Mark Anderson, Assistant Principal Isaac Matzek and other administrators met with senior leaders to plan the ceremony, which had to be altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic and guidance from Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Department of Health.

Winona Area Public Schools, acting on guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education and feedback from staff, students and families, has altered its grading policies during distance learning.

Winona Area Public Schools will continue to offer free nutritious meals to all children ages 18 and under throughout the summer.

Winona Area Public Schools Community Education is now accepting registrations for its Summer Key Kids program, which begins Tuesday, June 9. 

To help families navigate this step, Winona Area Public Schools teachers and principals will film a series of video conferencing calls geared toward parents and guardians of incoming kindergartners called "Zooming into Kindergarten."

Emelia Schindeldecker is turning her graduation party into a fundraiser for Feed the Kids, a fund that helps guarantee all students at Winona Area Public Schools continue to receive access to nutritious school meals. 

J&J Rubbish has joined us in our fight to clean up lunch debt in Winona. The family owned business has pledged to match all donations (up to $3,000) to Feed the Kids through the rest of our #GiveAtHomeMN fundraising campaign. 

WAPS teachers and staff threw a "reverse" parade for students at the high school on Friday, May 1.

Winona Area Public Schools, which has served thousands of nutritious meals to hundreds of families in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, has started a fundraising campaign for its Feed the Kids Fund.

Earlier today, Gov. Tim Walz announced that all public and charter schools in Minnesota will remain in distance learning for the remainder of the school year. Students will not be returning to the school buildings until next fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One issue that has been brought up by both our families and our staff is grading. During distance learning, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the social and emotional health of our students, families and staff. We also realize that there are unavoidable inequities for our students and families that impact our ability to expect academic work to continue as if they were in our school buildings.

On Thursday, Winona County is participating in the 2020 Minnesota Statewide Tornado Drill as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week. We would like to encourage our families to participate as well. 

On Thursday, Jack Herczeg was named the Class A state swimmer of the year by the Minnesota Swimming and Diving Coaches Association. He was one of four Winhawks nominated for the award. Teammates Grant Wolner, Alex Jorgenson and Tanner Lozenski were the others. Chris Mayer, Winona’s sixth-year coach, was named the Class A state coach of the year.

Public health experts are asking us to remind our families to continue to do their part in flattening the curve and keeping our community healthy by following social distancing guidelines and avoiding often-touched surfaces, like public playgrounds.

We are hoping to spotlight the heroes who have risen to the occasion to help their friends, family and community combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winona Area Public Schools will be implementing our distance learning plan beginning Tuesday, March 31. Find out what's in it here.

Earlier today, Gov. Tim Walz announced that all schools in Minnesota, including Winona Area Public Schools, will remain closed through Monday, May 4 as part of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. However, daily instruction will resume. For the past two weeks, teachers and staff have been preparing to institute distance learning plans at each grade level, and those lessons will begin Tuesday, March 31. Monday, March 30 will remain a staff workshop day.

Winona Area Public Schools will provide breakfast and lunch to all students 18 and under during the length of the school closure.

The Foundation for WAPS awarded several grants in February and March for field trips, sensory paths, a Herky Cart and more.

Dr. Annette K. Freiheit, Superintendent of Winona Area Public Schools, recorded a message for all families in our community as we begin preparing as an entire staff for the possibility of distance learning.

Due to the ordered school closure, all district events through March 27 have been postponed or canceled. Included is the Kindergarten Open House, previously scheduled for Thursday, March 26 at elementary school sites. 

Beginning Wednesday, March 18, we will be providing student meals at locations around Winona and the surrounding areas. We will also be providing free child care for the children of emergency workers. 

In light of the governor’s order this morning and our decision Friday, Winona Area Public Schools will be closed from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27. During this time, all after-school activities, athletic team practices and events, Community Education programming and building rentals are canceled. 

The Winhawks Nordic ski team, one of the most successful in school history with two team state champions and four individual champions, added another couple of all-state performers in February thanks to Anni Skillicorn and Jonas Trombetta. 

As we head into spring break next week, we wanted to update you with new information we learned regarding the novel coronavirus called COVID-19. 

Students in Advanced Drawing, Junior Studio and AP Senior Studio Art students created traditional and abstract portraits of inspirational Winona Senior High School staff members.

To celebrate National School Social Work Week, we asked the social workers in Winona Area Public Schools about the most important part of their job. Here is what they shared with us.

The 38 members of the Winona FFA Chapter were among 670,000-plus FFA Members from 8,600 FFA Chapters from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to celebrate national FFA Week from Feb. 22-29.

In what is believed to be the most decorated day in the history of Winhawks athletics, Winona High athletes came back from the Twin Cities on Leap Day with six — yes, six — individual state championships. Five of them came in the pool, with Jack Herczeg and Grant Wolner leading the way, and one came on the mat, as Ryan Henningson became the fourth wrestler in school history to win a state title.

The Co-Winhawks of the Week are Emily Carrie and Andrew Dureske. Carrie likes anatomy, English, science and band, while Dureske likes algebra and phy ed classes. 

We want to assure the WAPS community that multiple district staff members are in regular contact with the Minnesota Department of Health and we are reviewing district policies regarding highly contagious illnesses to make sure we are prepared in case of a local outbreak.

Thanks to the support of several businesses and organizations — and the creativity of talented students under the guidance of dedicated teachers — Winona Area Public Schools will join thousands of others across the country in celebrating Youth Art Month in March. 

On Friday, students in the Spanish Honor Society and German classes at Winona Senior High School put on the first World Language Fair at Goodview Elementary and Jefferson Elementary schools. 

Jack Herczeg was named the section swimmer of the year, winning the 100- and 200-yard freestyles in record-setting fashion while leading two relays to first-place finishes as well as Winona won the MSHSL Section 1A meet in Rochester on Friday for the first time since 1993.

This week’s Miller Mentoring #MentorMonday spotlight shines on Courtney Brom, a secondary math teaching major who has been a mentor for three years.

The Co-Winhawks of the Week are Jonathan Broas and Allison Keller. Jonathan likes AP Calculus and human biology and plans to study accounting in college. Allison Keller likes art and science and wants to enter a dental hygienist program.

Hannah Sheridan, a junior at Winona Senior High School, was selected to participate in the 2019-2020 Minnesota All-State Orchestra. 

In honor of the boys hockey team battling in the playoffs, this week’s #WinhawkTBT remembers the only Winona sqaud to play in the MSHSL state hockey tournament.

The Winhawks had their best performance of the season Saturday at the MSHSL Section 1A meet and finished second as a team with 140.45 points — topping their previous season high by more than three points. 

Winona Area Public Schools will join school districts throughout the state to salute their local education leaders during Minnesota’s annual School Board Recognition Week Feb. 17-21.

The Co-Winhawks of the Week are Brayden Borzyskowski and Sondra Dahl. Brady likes math and service learning, while Sondra likes social studies and English.

Creative, collaborative negotiations between the Winona Education Association and Winona Area Public Schools have resulted in a tentative agreement on a contract that both sides say will help keep dedicated and passionate educators in district classrooms for years to come.

What year was this photo taken? Unlike last week, we're certain this was a Winona photo, and we're pretty sure the year is 1947, 1952, 1958 or 1969. 

The Winona Senior High School Counseling Office is offering another FAFSA 101 informational session on parent/teacher conference night on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Learning Commons.

The Winona FFA Fish & Wildlife Team earned the right to compete at the 2020 Minnesota State FFA Convention after participating in contests at Plainview, Minn. Winona competed against individuals from 19 FFA Chapters in southeastern Minnesota.

The Winona Senior High School National Honor Society inducted 31 new members and re-inducted 28 others at a ceremony Monday night at the high school auditorium. The National Honor Society (NHS) has been recognizing outstanding student achievement since 1921. NHS promotes the ideals of scholarship, leadership, service and character.

The Co-Winhawks of the week are Sean Mohan and Anni Skillicorn. Sean plays football, basketball and baseball and likes psychology and statistics. Anni participates in cross country, Nordic skiing and track and likes American Government or any history class.

Marissa Lindaman and Grant Wolner are the Winona Senior High School Triple “A” Award winners for the 2019-20 school year. 

On Friday morning, five Winona Senior High School football players signed ceremonial National Letters of Intent to play college football — all in the ultra-competitive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference — bringing the Winhawks’ total number of signees to six. 

We need some help for this week’s #WinhawkTBT. Do you what year this photo was taken?

The score was 5-3. But those aren’t the numbers that matter. True, the Winona Senior High School hockey team lost to the Faribault Falcons in a Big 9 Conference game on Saturday that could have section seeding implications. But that is not what will be remembered. Instead, what will live on in the hearts of those who were there is the way the two programs came together to help a 3-month-old boy in his battle with cancer.

For the seventh time, Anni Skillicorn is heading to state. The senior on the Winona Senior High School Nordic ski team finished third overall at the MSHSL Section 1 race on Tuesday at Hyland Hills in Minneapolis.

Dr. Annette K. Freiheit, Superintendent of Winona Area Public Schools, is asking district parents and community members to offer their feedback on a new dress code policy. Parents and community members can take the survey at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/38F75M5. The survey will be open until 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11.

The 15th annual Frozen River Film Festival begins Wednesday, Feb. 5 in several locations around Winona — including Winona Senior High School. The high school auditorium will host film sets on Wednesday and Thursday night, one of several ways the district’s connection to the festival has grown over the years. 

This week’s Miller Mentoring #MentorMonday spotlight shines on Sadie Spaeth, a student at Winona State University, who says mentoring is a great experience for education majors.

Winona Senior High School will host several registration events in February for both returning students and students who are new to the high school. 

The Co-Winhawks of the Week for Feb. 3-7 are Ethan Anderson and Joella Goyette. Ethan plays baseball and has a fun sense of humor. Joella is a talented artist who plans to attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

The Foundation for WAPS awarded a grant that will help students with cognitive disabilities at Washington-Kosciusko Elementary.

The AVID Scholars of the Quarter are junior Amaya Ramirez, sophomore Ethan Finne and freshman Amerie Stoos.

Debbie Berhow, the WSHS Theatre Group adviser, helps students become starts and shine bright, writes parent Jen Slinkman.

Amber Mlynczak, today's honoree for Thank a Coach/Adviser Week "empowers and strengthens" her volleyball players as "athletes, scholars and young women," a parent says.

Tim Gleason coaches girls basketball, track and field and is a band director. He is being thanked for "supporting our team even when we aren't at our best" and how he helped a former student-turned-teacher to unlock her confidence. "I believe that it is because of him that I am now a teacher."

Our Tech Nest students will be streaming the combined Winona Senior High School and Winona Middle School orchestra pops concert from the middle school beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. 

Registration is now open for the 2020-21 school year. Go to winonaschools.org/kindergarten to learn more about the programs and resources available, or for help on registering your student. An enrollment brochure will be sent to families later this week, so keep an eye on your mailbox.

The Winona Area Public Schools Calendar Committee has proposed two calendars for the 2020-21 school year. We want to hear from you on which one you prefer.

Thank a Coach/Adviser Week continues with a note from a parent on football coach John Cassellius, whose dedication to the sport and kids "are beyond what a normal person would do."

Our first shout out as part of Thank a Coach/Adviser Week goes out to softball coach Kenzie Antczak, who "is always encouraging and wants you to strive for your best."

This week’s Miller Mentoring #MentorMonday spotlight shines on Johnathon Hynes, a business education major at Winona State University.

The Co-Winhawks of the Week are Hunter Esch and Stephanie Zhong. Hunter enjoys fishing and plans to attend Winona State. Stephanie enjoys hiking and wants to pursue a career in the medical science field.

An innovative online platform that connects “classrooms to careers and life to learning” will soon be available for students and teachers in Winona Area Public Schools.

A free two-week parenting workshop offered through Winona Area Public Schools Community Education will give parents tools to better connect with their school-age and teenage children. 

This week’s Miller Mentoring #MentorMonday spotlight shines on Brennan Ashton, a product developer engineer in thermoplastics. Brennan has been a mentor for four years.

The Co-Winhawks of the Week for Jan. 20-24 are Ethan Prodzinski and Emma Bucknam. Ethan is active in football and basketball and likes social studies and science. Emma is active in the drama club and GSA club and wants to pursue a career in theater.

For the fifth consecutive year, students in the Spanish 4 class at Winona Senior High School authored and illustrated children’s books to send to school libraries in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. 

For this week’s #WinhawkTBT, we take a look back at the One Act Play cast in 1973. The cast’s performance of Tennessee Williams’  “27 Wagons Full of Cotton” took first place at the Region One High School Drama Contest in Austin, Minn., and advanced to take part in the MSHSL State Festival in Coon Rapids, Minn.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 at Visions Event Center. The Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools will host “Nosh in Nashville” with lead sponsors WNB Financial Bank and Merchants Bank. 

Want to be in the know? Get caught up with all that is happening around Winona Area Public Schools with Winhawks in the Know. Included in this newsletter: accolades for the WSHS Theatre Group, the school board holds its annual organizational meeting, Dr. Freiheit updates the board on the curriculum system structure and more!

A dedicated cast and crew of 20 students, under the direction of director Debbie Berhow and technical director Susan Krohse, have been rehearsing the one-act play “A Memory of Harold” before the MSHSL sub-section competition on Friday, Jan. 24 at Kasson-Mantorville High School. 

The end of the semester meant another round of Cupcake Wars in Family and Consumer Science teacher Shelly Spallees Hansen's Baking & Pastry Arts classes. View photos from the competition.

This week’s #MentorMonday spotlight shines on Bob Deter, a retired financial executive who has been a mentor for seven years. Bob became a mentor because he wanted “to have a positive impact on a young person’s life.”

Sam Kanne and Taylor Sanchez are the Co-Winhawks of the Week. Sam is hardworking, kind and adventurous and plans to play football at Bemidji State. Taylor is friendly, outgoing and caring, and she plans to attend Minnesota State College Southeast, then Winona State to major in business.

This week’s #HallofFameFriday remembers Mike Whetstone, a 1979 WSHS graduate who went on to play football at North Dakota State University and won a Division II national championship in 1983. 

Winona Ryder didn't graduate from Winona Area Public Schools. But Tacy Rygmyr did, and she went on to win multiple awards in the entertainment industry, including a National Daytime Emmy.

The Winona Senior High School fall musical caught the eye of Spotlight Education.

Kole Koehler and Jillian Frederickson are the Co-Winhawks of the Week for Jan. 6-10. Kole is active in Nordic skiing and mountain biking and wants to study engineering at WSU. Jillian likes art and science, plays on the adaptive floor hockey team and wants to help her community after graduation. 

Express Employment Professionals, along with its franchise location in Winona, donated $3,000 to the Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools for the Work Experience Program, which provides job-readiness training for youth.

Learning doesn't stop in high school or college...it continues for life. Let Community Education be a part of your lifelong learning! With over 200 classes and services to choose from, there is sure to be something for everyone!

There was an extra amount of excitement and love in the air in the halls of Winona Senior High School during Winterfest week in 1997, the subject of this week's #WinhawkTBT. That's because the dance and Valentine's Day fell in the same week. 

Want to be in the know? Find out what happened at the latest school board meeting and get caught up with everything that's going on around the district with the Winhawks in the Know newsletter.

Winona Senior High School juniors Issara Schmidt and Jack Liedel on Friday presented a donation to Lee Carlson, a Vietnam War veteran who lives in St. Charles and works with The D.O.V.E. Fund.

The Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools awarded seven grants to help fund field trips, the Misato Ambassador program, additional learning materials and more.

Winona Area Public Schools hopes all families can enjoy some time together during the holiday season. There will be no school during winter break, which begins Monday, Dec. 23 and goes through Wednesday, Jan. 1. Classes will resume Thursday, Jan. 2. 

For this week’s #WinhawkTBT, we look back at the Winona High cheerleaders during the 1977-78 school year. 

The superintendent asked for feedback. And she’s getting a lot of it. Dr. Annette K. Freiheit on Tuesday started the process for gathering feedback on a new dress code policy that will replace the current policy, which was adopted in 2008 and hasn’t been revised since 2014. 

Four Winona Senior High School students were recognized Monday for their work on a marketing campaign for Winona County ASAP on the dangers of vaping. 

The Co-Winhawks of the Week for Dec. 16-20 are Bethany Mulkey and Nathan Wooden. Bethany likes her art, agriculture and English classes and is active in the Sketch Book Club. Nathan likes outdoor activities such as mountain biking and fishing and hunting, and he plans to attend Winona State to major in nursing.

The annual Winona Senior High School band, choir, orchestra will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the WSHS gym. We'd love to have you in attendance, but in case you can't make it, you can watch it LIVE.

Check out this great story from WKBT Tyler Job and WKBT News8000 about junior Amaya Ramirez's experience in the Service Learning Class, led by one of our wonderful teachers, Sarah Dixen. The story focuses on Amaya's work at Adith Miller Manor.

A bump up in class seemed to bring out the best in the Winhawk Dance Team. This week's #WinhawkTBT focuses on the dance team soaring to new heights in 1999-2000.

Want to be in the know? Here's your chance. Find out what happened at the last school board meeting, plus get caught up with all the news going on around the district with the Winhawks in the Know newsletter.

First Student has collected several lost and found items from students who ride the bus to and from school each day. Starting Monday, Dec. 16, parents can come to the First Student office at 1160 Frontenac Drive in Winona to claim any lost materials. There will be tables set up at the front office throughout the week. 

The Foundation for WAPS announced its awarded grants for November 2019.

The co-Winhawks of the Week for Dec. 9-13 are Lauren Johnson and Jack Herczeg. Lauren is active in soccer and track and wants to study nursing. Jack, a swimmer, is on the National Honor Society and will study engineering at the Ohio State University.

The Winona Daily News on Saturday ran a great story about the service learning class offered at the high school. 

Instead of a traditional party with costumes and candy, second-graders at Washington-Kosciusko, for the past 15 years, go ice skating at Bud King Ice Arena with the boys and girls hockey teams. With the support and help from hockey coaches Tom Sanvik and Fran McDevitt, this activity brings together students from different ages for a memorable experience for all. If only you could have heard the conversations on the ice!

Altra Federal Credit Union recently made a $500 donation to the WSHS Clothing Closet, which provides laundry, clothing and other resources free of charge to students.

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, during a game against Albert Lea, the Winhawks will honor all employees in the district with WAPS staff appreciation night. The varsity players will be escorted onto the court by a teacher or staff member of their choice. 
 

McCarthy Leaf and Gage Beck are the Co-Winhawks of the Week for Dec. 2-6. McCarthy enjoys music and wants to major in nursing. Gage is active in WSHS Jazz Hawks and choir and wants to study either engineering or physics.

Due to the weather conditions, Winona Area Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019.

Jack Rutkowski and Nicole Banicki are the co-Winhawks of the Week for Nov. 25-29. Jack plays football, enjoys lifting weights and likes his economics classes. Nicole is captain of the dance team, active in National Honor Society and likes math and choir.

The American Indian Parent Advisory Committee invites Native families, caretakers and friends to gather at the Winona Senior
High School

The student councils at Winona Senior High School and Winona Middle School hosted more than 275 retired community members for a traditional Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday night.

Leaders of the Winona Area Public Schools Board of Education and the Winona Education Association said this week that both sides continue to work together in a creative, collaborative fashion toward a contract agreement that is good for the financial stability of the district, rewarding for longtime educators and enticing for prospective teachers. 

The 57th annual Winona Model Legislature came to a close Thursday afternoon, and the students from Winona Senior High School and others in the area were quite productive.

The Co-Winhawks of the Week for Nov. 18-22 are Emily Cierzan and Alaina Lofgren. Emily likes science and band and wants to major in sports psychology and kinesiology. Alaina likes match and wants to become an occupational therapist.

The Winona Education Association invites the public to celebrate American Education Week from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21 at the American Legion, 302 E. Sarnia St., Winona. 

Are you looking for some new apparel for the Winhawk fan in your life for the holidays? Then you’ve come to the right place

Ryan Henningson signed a National Letter of Intent on Thursday to compete in wrestling for Division I North Dakota State, joining several former Winhawks at the Fargo, N.D., school. 

The 1992 musical "Guys and Dolls" turned out to be a history lesson for the more than 100 Winona Senior High School students in the cast.

The Winona Senior High School GSA (Gay Straight Alliance or Gender Sexuality Alliance) celebrated National Coming Out Day with a project inspired by a similar group at Winona State University.

Winona Senior High School will be hosting a blood drive from 9 a.m until 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 in the high school concourse.

The Winona Senior High School senior class attended the Veterans Day program in Lake Park on Monday, getting a chance to say thank you to those who fought for their freedoms.

The Co-Winhawks of the Week are Kaelah Simmons and Jaden Kramer. Kaelah is active in basketball, track and National Honor Society, and she wants to go into nursing. Jaden plays volleyball and dances and wants to go into business or psychology.

The peformances will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14; 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15; 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 in the WSHS Auditorium. Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for students, and they will be available starting Tuesday, Nov. 5 at the high school activities office and also at the door. 

However many games the Winona Senior High School football team have left this season will be played in the warm confines of U.S. Bank Stadium after the Winahwks overcame freezing temperatures and several uncharacteristic turnovers in beating Simley 24-14 in the MSHSL Class AAAA state quarterfinals on Friday night on Todd Field at McNamara Stadium. 

Winona Senior High School Orchestra member Hannah Sheridan performed as part of the Minnesota All-State Orchestra in a side-by-side concert with the Minnesota Orchestra, under the direction of Osmo Vänskä, on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

The public is invited to attend a Veterans Day ceremony at Winona Senior High School, then walk with members of the school to the Winona Area Veterans Council program in Lake Park on Monday, Nov. 11.