EXCEL(LENCE) IN BUSINESS!!! KMHS student, Elliott Mattson, took 9th place in the state of Wisconsin for his dedication and mastery of Microsoft Excel. Mattson competed during the Spring Qualifier of the 2025 Microsoft Office Specialist U.S. National Championship. Mr. Buntman's Business Tech Essentials class takes the three month exams as a way to assess student learning in Microsoft 365 Applications and earn certificates to demonstrate their capabilities.
MILITARY BOUND!!! This morning we honored our students that are going into the military after graduation with a gift from the Laser Locker. Keegan Pautz, Charis Guerra, and Carson Smith signed with the US Air Force. Abigail Moffett signed with the US Army and Lloyd Beres has already departed for the US Marines.
S'MORE FUN TOGETHER!!! Morning and Afternoon Magee 4K students gathered to meet each other in their shared forest classroom. At the event, students and families had an opportunity to create a s'more, go on a nature scavenger hunt as well as connect with others through free play and exploration.
DOUSMAN DOCKHOUND'S DAY!!! Dousman held their annual All School 5K-5 Dockhound's Stadium Trip this week. The trip was 100% sponsored by the Dousman PTO using proceeds from the fall Fun Run. Students were able to watch their favorite local team, eat some fantastic ballpark food, participate in fan games and activities, and socialize with friends and teachers as they celebrated another successful school year.
ZOO CONCERT!!! Wales kindergarteners had the incredible opportunity of performing a concert at the Milwaukee County Zoo for family, friends, and zoo visitors. They tie-dyed shirts with their fifth grade buddies and drew their favorite zoo animals in preparation for the big event. Each student had a solo as they performed fun animal songs. The students also enjoyed a picnic with friends and some time observing the animals.
BUSINESS FIRZ PANEL!!! As part of their business projects, Cushing 4th grade entrepreneurs held a panel with local experts. Panelists gave a short presentation, then answered questions on the logistics of running a business, including hiring and staffing, marketing, pricing and inventory, and selecting a location. The panelists represented a number of industries from commercial real estate, to construction and materials, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetology.
KM RETIREMENT DINNER!!! Last night's dinner was a lovely send off for our fourteen retiring staff members: Lisa Allen, Cheryl Banks, Joe Dellis, Babette Feil, Amy Gehrke, Lynn Hesprich (Fall '25), Terry Kaldhusdal, Christopher LeDuc, Kris Ludeman, Mike Luedke (January '26), Kerry Neimon, Julie Rogers, Jackie Timm, and Suzi Zeihen. Each received a lovely gift featured in this week's Capturing KM. A video montage of retirees is also available: https://vimeo.com/1084019318.
LISTENING SESSION TOMORROW!!! We've held two listening sessions for the board to hear from community members regarding Scenario IIA for addressing the long-term stability of the district. They are a great opportunity for community members, administrators, and our board to better understand how closing one elementary school, restructuring our 4K-5 district boundaries, and possible adjustments to middle school and high school schedules, will impact families. Our last listening session is tomorrow, May 17th from 9-11am in the KMHS library.
NEXT FRIDAY KM GLOBAL HOSTS NIGHT IN THE KETTLE – MAY 23rd 5:30pm - 9pm at Wales Elementary. We cannot charge admission due to the movie showing, but do appreciate your donations: https://www.classmunity.com/kmsd/view-fundraiser.php?fundraiser_id=2754. We will have Food Trucks, Live Music, Outdoor games, Bounce House, Face Painting, and an Outdoor Movie ( at dusk ). All proceeds from this Global Capstone project will be going to the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Please bring your blankets & lawn chairs! In the event of inclement weather, "Night in the Kettle" will be moved to the Wales Elementary gym.
KM GLOBAL CAPSTONE FUNDRAISER FOR 1HOPE ENDS TODAY!!! Senior Megan Petersen is raising donations for summer fun toys for children in the 1Hope program as her senior Capstone project. 1HOPE works with the foster families in Kenosha, WI, bringing churches and the community together to ensure that every foster family and foster child has the love and support that they need to flourish through praying and advocating together. With this project, Meghan hopes to provide these families with items that will help them to enjoy a fun summer. You can donate at https://www.classmunity.com/kmsd/view-fundraiser.php?fundraiser_id=2714 Use the QR codes to sign up to bring new toys or give monetarily. There are bins at the front office of Kettle Moraine High School and outside of KM Global. Please bring in donations from April 14th - May 16th.
FUNDING PULLED!!! PLEASE HELP KM STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL HISTORY DAY!!! Three Kettle Moraine students were named state champions at Saturday’s National History Day (NHD) competition held at UW–Madison. They will now advance to the national contest in June, where they will present their research alongside students from across the U.S. and around the world. Recently, the NHD program experienced unexpected financial challenges due to cancelled grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. This means schools must fundraise to participate in the valuable academic competition. You can contribute on Classmunity at https://www.classmunity.com/kmsd/view-fundraiser.php?fundraiser_id=2764. Sixth graders Cecilia H. and Reagan H. earned top honors for their website, Balancing Individual Rights and Shared Responsibilities in a Democratic Society, which explored the history of Social Security. HS^2 junior Emma Manion won first place for her individual performance titled, Ada Deer: Rights and Responsibilities in the Pursuit of Restoration of the Menominee Indian Tribe. Each year, approximately 500,000 students participate in NHD, including 10,000 from Wisconsin. This achievement is a tremendous honor for both the students and the Kettle Moraine School District. The cost for each student to attend the national event—held at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus—is significant. Registration is approximately $165, with lodging and meals totaling around $606. Travel expenses add another $600 per student.
REGISTRATION CLOSES JUNE 2ND FOR SUMMER ACADEMY!!! Don't miss the opportunity to provide your student with the wonderful enrichment, credit recovery, and social opportunities of Summer Academy! We have so many amazing classes that are sure to appeal to every interest, from fishing to technology, animals, and even Harry Potter. Students can choose four courses per day (with the exception of Moving on to Kindergarten). To accommodate more families and staffing demands we will again run two separate sessions lasting six weeks total. Session one will run June 16-July 3 and session two will run July 7-July 25. Students can attend the full six weeks or one session only if preferred. Session two classes will be a repeat of content and activities from session one, unless noted in the course description. For open-enrollment students interested in "trying" KM, Summer Academy courses are available for a fee. Check out our course catalog and sign up NOW https://www.kmsd.edu/page/summer-academy!
KM THROUGH THE FOG!!! The power logo remained clear through the morning fog over Culver's Stadium. The beauty and symbolism caught the attention of Mike Brickl, one of the district's amazing volunteer photographers. As we plan for greater clarity in our operations, this photo is a nice reminder that our identity, culture, and commitment will always shine brightly. We are One KM!
COMMUNITY FISCAL PLANNING LISTENING SESSION SATURDAY MORNING!!! We will be conducting our final listening session on board implementation of Scenario IIA and the long-term stability of the district this Saturday, May 17 from 9-11am at the KMHS library. This is a great opportunity for our community to better understand how closing one elementary school, restructuring our 4K-(4 or 5) district boundaries, and making changes to middle school and high school operations, will impact families. This also provides a forum for our community to inform the decision making process and learn more about each of our elementary schools. For more information on the fiscal planning process, please visit kmsd.edu/fiscal-planning.
KM ECO GIVES BACK TO THE COMMUNITY!!! Kettle Moraine Environmental Conservation Organization (KM ECO) has taken on some big projects to improve our community. Over 100 students from the high school and KM Explore organized a campus clean up to celebrate Earth Day. ECO member Cameron LaRoque has been working on the prairie restoration project around campus, including organizing a seed planting seminar for Wales Science Day. ECO students also gave a presentation at about the reptiles housed in Doc’s classroom. KM ECO does important work on campus and is always looking for new members! Be informed and get involved!!
VOTE FOR MAUTZ!!! Ella Mautz has been nominated for the Box Out Sports Athlete of the Week on WisSports.net. Vote here:
https://www.wissports.net/news_article/show/1338860
Voting is open until Thursday at 2 pm
JERRY AWARDS!!! Into the Woods received the following 2025 Jerry Awards:
Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Lead Performance - William Kastner, Spirit Award - Cayden Amidei and Joy Brusnahan. Big Fish received the following Jerry Awards: Outstanding Lead Performances - Thatcher Jacobs and William Kastner. Spirit Award - Audrey Olson.
CALLING ALL STEM ENTHUSIASTS – JOIN OUR ROBOTICS TEAM!!! The Laser Bots FTC Robotics Team is officially recruiting students who are serious about joining the ranks. This isn’t just a club—it’s a commitment to engineering, innovation, problem-solving, and teamwork. We’re looking for focused, curious, and hands-on kids who want to dive into: Engineering & Design - CAD (Computer-Aided Design), Programming, Building & Part Fabrication (3D print, Laser Cutting), Robotics Competitions. WHO WE WANT: If you’re the kind of person who sketches ideas during lunch, fiddles with code in your free time, takes things apart just to see how they work, or watches YouTube videos on mechanical design —you’re exactly who we’re looking for! WHAT TO EXPECT: Game Season - September through March: 2-3 weekly meetings & 3-4 weekend competitions. Off Season - April through August: 2-3 monthly meetings to continue learning. FIND OUT MORE: The Laser Bots are hosting two opportunities to see what we're about: Tuesday May 27th Room C30 at KMHS, stop in anytime between 6:30-8:00pm. Thursday May 29th Room C30 at KMHS, stop in anytime between 6:30-8:00pm. No need to RSVP. Any questions? Reach out to ftclaserbots@gmail.com or watch our presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tQMe2KizyW7umXzXfBIIg2tGE_VLgXb3/view?usp=sharing
HOST FAMILIES NEEDED!!! One more foreign exchange student needs a host family for the 25-26 school year. Nit, 15, from Spain, enjoys concerts, sporting events, horseback riding, cross country skiing, volleyball, and pets. The student's family pays all expenses and provides medical insurance. She speaks English and wants to learn about America. Contact Carrie asap for information at 414-899-3890 or schulzcarr@aol.com.
WFSCA SENIOR SOFTBALL ALL STAR GAMES!!! Casey Navarro, KMHS, will be competing in the WFSCA All-Star games on in WI Dells on June 17. Each player needs to raise $400 and all proceeds go to Special Olympics Wisconsin. Casey added a personal plea to her fundraiser, "It has been a privilege to play softball for Kettle Moraine High School and represent the community. If you would like to be a sponsor on my behalf, please click on the link below. Thank you for supporting Special Olympics Wisconsin!" Donation is open until May 16th. To donate, tap the link on the page and use the drop down to find Casey's name: https://wfsca.sportngin.com/register/form/600447028#_ga=2.118008266.2125192656.1746537434-1421023704.1746537434
