Tis The Season: How Should Teachers Be Paid?

Residents interested in learning more about becoming a member of the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Board of Education
are invited to attend one of three orientation sessions to be held in the next month. The sessions will be held on Monday, Nov. 25, Monday, Dec. 2 and Monday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the District Administrative Center, 7106 South Ave., Middleton, before the regular meeting. Superintendent Don Johnson, Board president Ellen Lindgren and other BOE members will be available to answer your questions and provide more information. There are nine members who make up the Board of Education and each year three seats are up for election. Citizens residing in the areas are invited to run for the Board of Education for a three-year term. This years seats up for election are: * Area II, currently held by treasurer Bob Green. * Area IV, currently held by clerk Annette Ashley. * Area IV, currently held by Bob Hesselbein. Area II includes Cross Plains. Area IV includes the City of Middleton, Town of Westport and the Town of Middleton. Nomination papers and the Declaration of Candidacy must be filed no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014 in the office of the school district clerk at 7106 South Ave., Middleton. Forms can be obtained at the District Administrative Center, 7106 South Ave., Middleton, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:10 p.m. weekdays. The first day to circulate nomination papers is Dec. 1. For information about the election process, please contact Cheryl Janssen at 829-9004.
Three school board seats up for election in the spring
VOL. 121, NO. 47
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013
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www.MiddletonTimes.com
How should teachers be paid?

by CAMERON BREN
Times-Tribune
Town of Middleton levy approved

by KEVIN MURPHY
Times-Tribune
Stephanie Goth, left, and Val Steel, right, of the City of Middletons Tourism Department, were hard at work last week making the downtown look appropriately festive for the holiday season. Business owners are welcome to decorate the trees, said Steel, but they should be advised that decorations wont be returned after the holidays.
Tis the Season

from the $2.775 million levy they approved in November 2012. They also approved a $1.071 million road budget, which is down from the $1.084 million approved a year ago. The property tax levy is imposed this year and due by Jan. 31. Many property owners pay by the end of the current year to obtain a deduction on their itemized income tax returns. Unlike residents of a city or village, town residents, and not their board of
Times-Tribune photo by Matt Geiger
Following Act 10, school boards across the state have grappled with different compensation models for teachers. How and how much teachers will be compensated in the MiddletonCross Plains Area School District remains a matter of some discussion at the school board level. The most widely-used model prior to Act 10 has been a uniform salary schedule that was negotiated with teachers unions. This model puts steps of automatic pay increases in place for seniority and education attainment. Due to funding shifts under Governor Scott Walker and in light of significantly weakened unions, boards are coming up with what many call ad hoc compensation models. Full time teachers in the MiddletonCross Plains Area School District have received gross pay increases of approximately one percent in each of the past few years, but they have also seen their take-home pay decrease due to health insurance and retirement contributions See TEACHERS, page 19
Town of Middleton residents last week unanimously approved a 2014 property tax levy that is slightly larger than this years and a road budget that is a little less than the current years. Approximately 15 residents attended the budget hearing and approved a $2.834 million property tax levy, up
City wins $266,250 for storm water basin

County executive Joe Parisi and county board supervisor Sharon Corrigan, of Middleton, on Monday announced grant awards for several Dane County water quality projects. The winners include a new storm water
supervisors, are empowered to set the total amount the town can tax property and spend on road maintenance and improvements. State law limits increases in the property tax levy to the net value of new construction and improvements in the town. The towns portion of the property tax bill is combined with the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, Madison Area Technical College and
Dane County on the bills the county will mail next month. Town residents also approved a 2014 town budget in which revenues increased by 6.3 percent and spending reduced by 5.13 percent compared to the 2013 budget. Next years total revenues are budgeted at $2.962 million, compared to this years revenues which are on pace See LEVY, page 21
Project will be located in Pheasant Branch Conservancy just off Donna Drive, include wet detention pond and infiltration basin
basin in the Good Neighbor City, which is in line to receive up to $266,250 toward its total cost of $355,000. The county, in partnership with the City of Madison and the University of Wisconsin Madison, is also targeting the stormwater pipeline that releases the most sediment and trash into Lake Mendota, Parisi said. The Middleton project is one of seven recommended by the countys
Lakes and Watershed Commission to receive a combined $1.4 million in Urban Water Quality Grant money in 2013. The countys grant program helps
Local man named AARP presdident. Page 3
Local:
A holiday celebration at the PAC. Page 5
Music:
Basketball team has high hopes. Page 10
Sports:
Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 - 7 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Classieds . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Inside this issue:
See GRANT, page 21
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Board pushes forward with Pioneer Lands development

by KEVIN MURPHY
Times-Tribune
Photo contributed
MIDDLETON TIMES-TRIBUNE
T OWN G OVERNMENT
stated, Approve directing (Town Attorney Tom) Voss to draft Covenants and Restrictions for Pioneer Lands. We owe it to the public to have that discussion [by the board], Oberle said. Roehl asked that a discussion of the land sale and how to spend the proceeds be placed on an upcoming meeting agenda. The land sale is subject to a vote by town residents. The board cannot sell the land without a positive vote by residents, but the board doesnt have to sell the land if the residents approve, said town attorney Tom Voss. The board had previously ordered a lot layout of the property by Vierbicher Associates, which resulted in preliminary plans for nine residential lots in the tracts interior, two commercial lots
A Celebration of Trees, the local art show initially planned for the weekend of November 22-24, has been extended to include Nov. 29 through Dec. 1. The show will take place at Hubbard Art Center, 7448 Hubbard Ave. Hours on both weekens will be Friday from 4-9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. Both Madison resident Kathy Esch, left, and Middleton resident Jeff Martin, right, will have work featured in the show. For more information call 235-1121.
Get the picture?
The Middleton Town Board inched closer Monday to a decision on selling or developing the 15-acres south of town hall it calls Pioneer Lands. Board supervisors Tim Roehl, Paul Connell and Bill Kolar have expressed no opposition to selling the property the town acquired several years ago for $1.5 million, of which about $670,000 is still owed. A discussion on the sale bogged down after board supervisor Richard Oberle questioned whether it had been properly noticed on the agenda. Roehl said the sale was implied by the board previously discussing possible development of the land the agenda item that
fronting Pioneer Road, south of the fire station, and an 80-stall parking lot west of the station. On Monday, the boards majority supported Pioneer Land residences resembling those to the south in Sauk Prairie Estates. By a 4 to 1, Oberle dissenting, the board authorized Voss to draft conceptual development plans for the two commercial lots to address permitted construction material and land uses. Oberle previously cast the only dissenting vote on a motion to transfer $20,000 from the 2013 Public Works budget to the Conservation and Development budget to fund possible development of Pioneer Lands. The Vierbicher design and surveying cost about $7,000. At one point in the discussion Voss estimated it could cost a few thousand dollars to draft the requested conceptual development documents. Roehl, who is a real estate agent, estimated the average sale price of residential lots in Pioneer Land could range from $13,000 to $140,000. Its next to a park; there may be lighting and noise issues. Those are conditions that need to be in [deed] restrictions, he said.
AARP Wisconsin last week announced the appointment of David A. Stella of Middleton to the two-year position of State President the highest state-level volunteer position within the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has more than 820,000 members statewide and nearly 40 million members nationwide. Stella, 65, who was appointed to the position by AARP Midwest Regional Volunteer Director Dean Clough, will
David Stella named AARP state president

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013 MIDDLETON TIMES-TRIBUNE
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On Saturday at approximately 9:55 p.m., Middleton Police were called to the 6800 block of University Avenue for a report of a female Schwarz who appeared to be intoxicated and fell down in the parking lot. A witness tried to convince her not to drive, but she chose to leave in her vehicle just as officers were arriving, according to a statement released by police. Officers made contact with the driver, Deborah A. Schwarz, 61, of Middleton, about two blocks away. Schwarz was arrested and tentatively charged with 5th offense felony operating while intoxicated. Schwarz was jailed pending her initial court appearance.
5th OWI for Schwarz
begin his role immediately. Dave truly embodies everything AARP is striving to achieve on a state and national level, said AARP Wisconsin State Director Sam Wilson. He understands the importance of empowering people age 50-plus to prepare themselves for whats next in all phases of their lives. His experience and expertise, particularly in the area of pensions and financial security, are unparalleled. We
Wisconsinites will have one more thing to be thankful for next week. The cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner will be slightly lower than last year. Thats the finding of Wisconsin Farm Bureaus annual Thanksgiving price survey of traditional items like turkey, cube stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie for a gathering of 10. This years average price of $48.40 is 48 cents (1 percent) less than last year and $1.77 less (3.5 percent) than two years ago. The 2011 price of $50.17 was the highest average since Farm Bureau members began their Thanksgiving survey in 1992. When the surveys total price is divided by 10, it shows that the cost to prepare a nutritious, home-cooked Thanksgiving meal for 10 people is $4.84 each, said Amy Manske, Wisconsin Farm Bureaus Communications Coordinator. A wholesome family feast remains a better deal than a trip through the drive-thru. The American Farm Bureau Federations national survey of the same items
Thanksgiving meals cost less this year

(turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of milk and coffee, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10) averaged $49.04 (a 1.3 percent difference from Wisconsins). In 2011 the amount of turkey in cold storage was at a historic low which drove turkey prices higher and caused the surveys total price to rise, Manske said. Since then food prices have generally stabilized. Wisconsins average price for a 16pound turkey came in at $22.40. Thats down 3.45 percent since 2011 when it was $23.20. Turkeys are typically featured in special sales and promotions close to Thanksgiving, Manske said. While our survey was conducted in October, those shoppers who wait until the days before Thanksgiving to buy their bird will likely get a bargain. TALKING TURKEY A trend of strong demand for U.S. turkey both here and abroad has continued over the past decade. Americans will consume nearly 46 million turkeys this Thanksgiving, and lead the world in annual turkey consumption. Turkeys popularity expands beyond our borders. Mexico buys over half of its turkeys from the U.S. annually, making it the leading foreign customer. Other top importers of U.S. turkeys are China, Hong Kong, Canada and the Dominican Republic.
are thrilled and honored to have Dave on board to lead our statewide efforts. As AARP Wisconsin State Stella President, Stella will work with AARP members, volunteers, staff, legislators, and state residents on key is-
sues facing the 50-plus population and all Wisconsinites, such as health care, financial security issues and voter education. My interests coincide with the mission and vision of AARP which is to help people achieve financial security as they work toward retirement. Issues like pensions and health care go hand in hand with financial security. I look forward to working on the many challenges facing our society as we age,
Stella said. Some of those challenges, he said, include making sure programs such as Medicare and Social Security remain strong and solvent for current and future generations. I am a strong advocate of Medicare and Social Security. AARP has worked hard not only to defend and protect these programs, but to make them better, he said. See STELLA, page 20
FARMERS SHARE IS JUST $7.74 Over the last three decades retail grocery prices have gradually in-
creased while the share of the average dollar spent on food that farm families receive has dropped. In the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures in grocery stores and restaurants. Since then that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 16 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Using that percentage across the board, the farmers share of this years $48.40 Thanksgiving meal would be $7.74. From the potatoes to turkey to cranberries, Wisconsins farm families are proud to produce much of the food that is the centerpiece of most Thanksgiving celebrations, Manske said. DurSee PRICES, page 20
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West Corporation had the Cross Plains Color Guard and Dan Cardy, Post Commander from the Cross Plains VFW, onsite last week to lead the company in a ceremony on Vetarans Day. Wests Britan Grimmer, far right, concluded the ceremony with the Star Spangled Banner. West values the dedicated services provided by the armed forces and is proud to offer opportunities to Veterans as well as military spouses and dependents, said Jenny Nichols, human resources manager at West Corporation.
West Corporation honors veterans
Photo contributed
The OVK-Bach Festival organized by Arohana School of Music in Middleton wasa first-of-its-kind event that brought two all-time-great composers from two different parts of the world Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi (1700-65) and Joanne Sebastian Bach (16851750) onto the same platform. Vanitha Suresh, one of the events organizers and a performer, said it provided a significant number of Indians as well as non-Indian listeners a highly enriching experience for nearly 12 hours. It started off with the traditional Saptaratna renditions led by Chitravina N Ravikiran, Akkarai Subhalakshmi, Nandini Sridhar,Vanitha Suresh, Namratha Rajagopal and other local singers/students in the Midwest region, accompanied by Vijaya Desikan on the violin, Sriram Natarajan on the Mrdangam, Balaji Chandran on the Ghatam, and Arthi Nadhan on the Veena. was followed by This individual/group/featured vocal performances by students of teachers from Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin. They were kickstarted by a brisk rendition of Venkata Kavi by Akkarai Subhalakshmi. The rest of the session included rare and popular Venkata Kavi compositions in a wide variety of ragas.The morning session concluded with the recitation competition of
OVK-Bach festival a hit

City of Middleton will observe Melharmony Day each year
Venkata Kavis Sanskit shlokas (rhythmic verses). The post noon session featured individual/group dance Bharathanatyam performances by dancers from the Midwest region of USA. The next session was dedicated to Bach, whose compositions were interpreted on Cello/Piano/Saxophone/Violin by students of Eric Miller, Kristine Bengtson, Pete Ross, Lucinda Marvin and Audrey Frykenberg. It was interesting to listen to the Sicillenne & Allegro from Flute Sonata #2 rearranged for the Saxophone. Other pieces played were Toccata in D minor, Invention #14, Musette and Minuet, Minuet #2. The featured performer in the Western session was Eric Miller who played a very soulful Suite 1 on the Cello. The evening program started on a unique note with the Middleton High School Orchestras rendition of Brandenburg Concerto #3 and A World View - which was Ravikirans Mel-
Saturdays OVK-Bach Festival, above, brought different cultures and musical styles together in the Middleton Performing Arts Center.
Photo contributed
harmonic re-creation of Oottukkadu Venkata Kavis Udajagopa sundara (raga Umabharanam). Ravikirans similar arrangement of Venkata Kavis Swagatam Krishna (raga Mohanam) was competently interpreted by the Yahara String Quartette, who also played Air on the G String of Bach. This was followed by a historic proclamation by the City of Middleton that the third Saturday of every November henceforth be celebrated as Melharmony Day, a unique distinction conferred on Chitravina N Ravikiran. The carefully worded proclamation also made special references to pioneering melodic composers like Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi, Tyagaraja and Dikshitar as well as architects of harmony such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. This was followed by an discussion about Venkata Kavi and Bach and their See OVK-BACH, page 21
CHURCH NOTES
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The Middleton High School Concert Choir and Cantus will participate in an action packed holiday celebration with the world famous Canadian Brass and the renowned Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra at Middletons Performing Arts Center on Saturday, November 25. Performances will be held at 2 pm and 8 pm. Thanksgiving weekend will never be the same as the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra says Happy 50th Anniversary to the city of Middleton with this exciting program of seasonal favorites includingGesu Bambino,Winter Wonderland, Christmas Time is Here, and Polonaise from Christmas Eve. Tickets can be purchased from the box office at 608-258-4141 or at www.wcoconcerts.org/buy-tickets/. A video link to the fabulous Canadian Brass is also available on the site. The Middleton Performing Arts Center is located at 2100 Bristol Street. The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra is under the direction of Maestro Andrew Sewell; the Middleton High School choral program is directed by Mr. Tom Mielke.
Holiday celebration at the PAC

PAGE 5
The Middleton High School Concert Choir and Cantus will participate in an action packed holiday celebration with the world famous Canadian Brass and the renowned Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra on Saturday, November 25. Performances will be held at 2 and 8 p.m.
Photo contributed
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Meet Brad Keil, Middletons Chief of Police for the past nine years. A lifelong Wisconsin resident, Brad was born in Wisconsin Rapids and raised in several communities around the state. He is the second oldest of five children, with two brothers and two sisters. Shortly after graduating from West Bend West High School, Brad joined the army, where he served as a military police officer. He was in the service for
Brad Keil
Good Neighbor
Meet Your
By Alissa Pfeiffer
three years, before discharging to attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to obtain a criminal justice degree. During his senior year at UWMilwaukee, Brad was hired to work for the West Bend Police Department. Throughout his thirteen years at West Bend, Brad held a variety of positions, including SWAT team member, training officer, detective, gang officer, and patrol sergeant. Brad later worked at the Monona Police Department, where he ascended the career ladder quickly before being appointed Chief of Police. While in Monona, Brad completed his
Brad Keil has been chief of police in Middleton for nine years.
Photo contributed
Masters Degree in Public Administration and attended the prestigious FBI National Academy. Brad and his wife, Sandra, first moved to Middleton in 2004 when Brad accepted his current position as Middleton Chief of Police. I saw a great opportunity to be a part of a larger, growing community with a really great police department, so it was an easy decision to make, Brad recalls. He also appreciates all of the larger community amenities that the Good Neighbor City offers, while retaining a small-town feel. In addition to serving as a board member for the Middleton Optimist Club, Brad is a member of many professional organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Police Chiefs Association and is a member of the Legislative Committee that reviews legislation that may have an impact on law enforcement. Brad also serves as a Law Enforcement Representative for the Criminal Justice Co-
ordinating Council, which is tasked with finding more efficient and effective ways for the criminal justice system to work in Wisconsin. Currently, Brad has several huge projects at work. The Middleton Police Department is finishing up a new policing and staffing plan as part of a five-year strategic plan. The Department is also in the process of obtaining accreditation, and hopes to have it completed by early 2014. To be accredited, a police department must develop policies and procedures that are considered model policies in the law enforcement profession. Accreditation ensures citizens that the best policies are being practiced within the department, including appropriate use of force and how citizen complaints are handled. During his time off, Brad enjoys biking on the Middleton trails, bird hunting with his two English Springer Spaniel dogs, kayaking and learning Spanish. Brad also enjoys traveling with his wife, and earlier this year, the couple took a two-week trip to England and Spain. Stay tuned to meet more of your Good Neighbors! In the meantime, if you know someone who you think is a Good Neighbor and deserves recognition, email me at alissajpfeiffer@gmail.com.
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Today as I drove to work, I found myself behind a beer truck. The back of the truck had images of bottles with pale yellow beer inside. That was the kind of beer that I drank as a young adult during the days before micro-breweries offered the robust ales, porters and stouts that I learned to love. It wasnt love at first taste. I remember my introduction to the heartier flavors. I turned up my nose at the smell and barely swallowed a sip before declaring my dislike and retreating back to the familiar less flavorful variety. I wanted to like the new beers because I loved the names, like Toadspit Stout and Mudpuppy Porter. Driving behind the beer truck made me think about developing palates. I was a really picky eater as a child.
Pleasing the Palate
Support Wisconsins veterans every day

by SEN. JON ERPENBACH
Guest Column
I didnt like foods that were all gooed together, and I was reticent to try anything new. Twice I didnt go to birthday parties because the hosts were serving pizza or sloppy joes, aka, food-allgooed-together. My mother catered to my tentative taste buds. She worried that I was too skinny. I was also tall which exaggerated the skinny and vice-versa. The combination set me up for nicknames like String Bean, Stretch and Olive Oyle. Im ashamed to remember the dinnertime arguments over what I was supposed to, but didnt want to, eat. Going to college expanded my repertoire of foods and my waistline. Part my willingness to try new foods was that I was hungry. I didnt have money to spend beyond my meal plan for the stuff I was used to. A lions share of the reason, however, was that I started feeling self-conscious about my narrow food world. I didnt like being left out of trips to the pizza parlor and constantly saying no thank you at parties. After trying and liking more foods,
curiosity spurred me on. I gained the traditional freshman ten plus five more for good, or not so good, measure. Gooed-together foods like lasagna and chop suey became my favorites. I learned to love a whole array of other ethnic foods that my parents had never even heard of, let alone tasted. If they were still living, they wouldnt believe that, last week, I tried and liked escargot. (Thanks to my friend, Will for the suggestion to try them at Middletons own Louisiannes!) Why we like what we like, or dont like, is fascinating to me. Im not just referring to food here. How much of our preferences for food, pastimes, music, etc. are based on what weve been exposed to? How much of it is based on a fear of being uncomfortable to venture into new territory or the fact that we dont want to be disappointed? Since its November and Thanksgiving is around the corner, my mind jumps to the Pilgrims. Preferences werent a consideration during their first winter of 1620. Anything to ward off starvation and cold was welcomed. But by 1621, because of their friendship with the Wampanoags and their increased skills to find, grow and hunt food, they might have been able to indulge a preference or two. Theres no specific list of all the things that were eaten in their three days of harvest celebration. But, one chronicler, Edward
Winslow, recorded that four of their men were sent fowling and the Wampanoag brought five deer. Beyond that, it is speculation. We know that the Wampanoag ate according to the seasons. Nuts, mushrooms and perhaps some late berries could have been gathered in the woods. We know that they had a traditional dish call nasaump, a thick and hardy food made from the corn. They caught fresh fish like herring, trout, perch and catfish. There were ocean varieties like cod, bass, sea eels and mackerel, to name a few. Women gathered mussels and quahogs, crabs, lobster and conch. That thanks were given for the 1621 feast, theres no doubt. To perpetuate the notion that it was the first Thanksgiving in America, is rewriting history. The Plimouth Plantation, a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate Program, offers the following on its website, In the Wampanoag way of life, all Beings on Earth were given gratitude for their existence and for their gifts. All of the Nations of Animals, Winged Ones, Water Beings, even the tiny insects, were considered to be gifts from Creator to the Humans. Everything had its purpose. All life was considered sacred, and treated that way. Foods not used were given back into Mother Earth. This was 17th-century recycling! The website further tells us that in
subsequent years, some Pilgrims wrote to family back in England that their diets in America were better than when they lived in England and Holland. They did miss one thing, though. Beer! While living in England the drink of choice was beer. It was drunk by whole families, even the children. The water in England at that time was not considered a healthy beverage. Nor was milk. Milk was made into butter and cheese. Or, it was used for cooking grainy porridges. Water quality in America was a different story for the Pilgrims. Many were surprised that their children were healthier when, for lack of the grains needed for brewing their traditional beer, they drank water. It became the beverage of choice for parents to give to their children. When it comes to beverages these days, my preference has turned to water, too. I admit that my palate might still prefer the tastes of the great micro-brews, but the rest of me prefers the healthier body and clarity of mind that I get from drinking water. Whatever your preferences are, I hope that you have bounty enough to share and that you have the means to indulge your favorite palate pleasers this Thanksgiving.
Veterans Day has come and gone but we should be supporting veterans every day in Wisconsin. Challenge yourself to make choices every day that support the veterans living in your community. Our veterans are not just older men and women who served and came home, dealing with pain and struggles mostly in their own homes. Our veterans are also young, strong, ready to be hired, but many times with struggles that are difficult to understand. They also may be battling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), drug addiction, alcoholism and other mental health disorders. In our communities we can make a difference every day by reaching out to our veterans, sometimes even with just
a hello. As taxpayers we have chosen to support our veterans with state assisted medical care, tuition assistance, help purchasing a home, employment, and retraining opportunities. These are all good endeavors, but they fall short on addressing some of the biggest challenges in coming home. A RAND corporation study found that nearly 1 in 5 soldiers who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder or depression; only about a half of these soldiers have sought treatment. The Congressional Research Service found in 2012 that 14 percent of veterans were diagnosed with affective psychosis, a class of mental illness that includes bipolar disorder. Another 22 percent were diagnosed with a depressive disorder and 29 percent with PTSD. Alcohol dependence was also a
Vinehout took on budget myths at MAT event

The Middleton Action Team sponsored Democratic Senator Kathleen Vinehouts appearance at its monthly Open Mic Night on November 12th. Nearly 100 people heard Vinehouts enjoyable and often humorous address which highlighted her concern for the people and the future of Wisconsin. Senator Vinehout is highly respected by her colleagues in the Senate for her intelligence and particularly her incredible work ethic of delving deeply into To the editor,
the fine points of the budget. She warned that Wisconsin must wake up to the forces behind the changes affecting our schools. The group was particularly supportive of her condemnation of the new statewide voucher expansion which defunds public education. On another issue Kathleen was particularly incensed by the attempt to remove local government control. It would remove any ability of counties, towns, cities or villages to protect health and safety with regard to water, air quality, blasting and degradation of local roads. Vinehout took on some of the myths of the State Budget. Myth number one: the state spending is less and implies the size of government is smaller. But according to numbers released by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, the 2013-15 budget spends $4 billion more than the previous budget. In fact state spending is greater than it
L ETTERS
problem for 6 percent, and 5 percent struggled with drug abuse. In the Legislature we can make choices that support the men and women that served our country. In general, Wisconsin has made treatment and support of veterans a top priority. I seek through Legislation to correct two shortcomings in our support which were enacted with the 2013-2015 budget that I opposed. First, the state budget specifically removed the requirement in law that Veterans Homes (short term or long term facilities) run by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs accept veterans suffering from psychosis and drug and alcohol addiction. This change is just wrong. There may be a cost savings for abandoning those that struggle the most with their return to the U.S., but that will never be worth
has ever been in Wisconsins history. Myth number two: this budget took a deficit and turned it into a surplus. She stated that the opposite is true. The recently passed budget spends more than it is projected to collect in revenue. That is not balance. Finally she suggested that the myth that the only alternative to spending cuts is tax increases is short sighted. Vinehout said that smarter budget decisions mean smarter spending decisions. One example needed to balance the budget would be wiser administration of Medicaid funds. Many questions followed Vinehouts presentation and she answered them with her enthusiastic and thorough responses, often with a touch of humor. If you have not had the chance to hear Kathleen Vinehout speak out for Wisconsin, I urge you to attend a coffee or gathering and hear her alternative budget and her common sense
TO THE
E DITOR
it. If you look at the RAND study, this policy change justifies the state turning away as many as 20-30 percent of our returning veterans from care in state Veterans Homes. If we lack the expertise or facilities to treat veterans with high needs, then we need to find the resources to close the gap and meet those needs. Closing the door to veterans should not be an option. I am co-author of a bill to right this wrong. That bill is Senate Bill 403. Second, the state budget included a provision to create a task force to study whether a private company should run our veterans care facilities. That task force did not include a seat at the table for even one person from our many veterans organizations in the state. That is just ridiculous. It is crucial when making decisions about the future of services to veterans that a representa-
tive of the veterans community be at the table. I am also a co-author of Senate Bill 405 to add representatives from the veterans community to this task force. It is deliberate choices every day that determine the quality of life we have in our communities. That means making things right when they have been made wrong. I sincerely hope that the Legislature and the Governor will throw their full support behind these simple proposals to do what is right for the veterans in Wisconsin. If you have questions or comments on this or any other Legislative issue, please contact my office at 608-2666670 or 888-549-0027 or via email at sen.erpenbach@legis.wi.gov
plan for the good of Wisconsin. Visit her website kathleenvinehout.org/ to hear of future events, learn of her diverse background and her vision for Wisconsin.
School board urged to bargain with local teachers

Letter to the Editor,
Sincerely, Rose Sime
tract negotiations for the MCPASD teachers. It is astonishing to me that the district has millions that it and the community are willing to put toward new construction and technology but offer a paltry $1000 for a pay increase for its staff. I give credit to the dedicated teachers and support staff for being the backbone of Middleton student success. Not offering a voice in a contract and full support of their eagerness to bargain should be embarassing. Please dont hide behind our regressive governors partisan politics. Id love to see Middleton be a pioneer in offering full and clearly evident support of its amazing staff as they deserve. Molly Tormey Middleton
I am writing to encourage the Middleton Board of Education to open con-
PAGE 10
Boys basketball team gunning for big season

by ROB REISCHEL
Times-Tribune
Enormous expectations
Follow Rob Reischel on Twitter at @robreischel
The thoughts first went through their minds when they were back in the fourth grade. Luke Schafer, Derek Rongstad and several of their pals were basketball teammates as early as 2005. And even back then, they realized their group was pretty special. We always thought about our senior year and thought it could be pretty special, Rongstad said. Well, that year is here. And this group fully plans to make it a memorable year for Middletons boys basketball team. The Cardinals went 14-11 last season, but heated up late in the season when their young talent began to blossom. Middleton stunned topseeded Sun Prairie in the regional finals, then advanced to the sectional semifinals where it fell to Madison
Middleton rolls to third place finish

by GREGG HAMMILL
For the Times-Tribune
Swimmers shine at state

See BOYS BB, page 16 Derek Rongstad and Middletons boys basketball team have great expectations this winter.
Memorial. Middleton now brings back its top three scorers and six of its top eight players. And when the Cardinals host Madison La Follette Tuesday in their season-opener, expectations will be sky high. Yeah there's a lot of excitement especially with us players, said Schafer, a senior guard. I've been playing with some of these guys since fourth grade and without a doubt we all have a goal to make this a season to remember. But we know we can't get ahead of ourselves with a conference as good as the Big Eight. You can't take anyone lightly because anyone can beat anyone on any given night. Even as clich as it sounds I think our main goal is 1-0 and that mentality will hopefully take us to where we want to go. Middleton head coach Kevin Bavery is beginning his eighth season with the Cardinals. In that time, Bavery has guided Middleton to three sectional appearances and two sectional finals. But Bavery who often specializes in coach-speak admits this
Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld
Middletons girls swimming team had just the recipe for success. The Cardinals talked about things like sacrificing for the team and encouraging and pushing one another. It all added up to a stunning third place finish at the WIAA Division 1 state swimming and diving championships at the UW Natatorium last Saturday. Our goal was top five and we knew if we swam at our best we could get there, Middleton coach Lauren Cabalka said. To come out with that just shows that we swam our best. Its just really exciting. Our girls really stepped up. They wanted it really bad and it showed. Waukesha South/Mukwonago edged Hartland Arrowhead 337-333 to win its third consecutive state title. Middleton finished with 176 points to beat out fourth-place Verona (162 points) and fifth-place Appleton North (148). The top-three finish was actually better than last years fourth-place finish and the final point total was Middletons best in six years. The performance seemed unlikely given that the Cardinals had many holes to fill
and looked vulnerable entering the season. Even with 16 girls its hard to figure out how youre going to fill those holes, Cabalka said.It took us about half the season to realize that, not only had we filled them, but we had found a few stars on the team and they kind of stepped out of some of the shadows they were in last season. They just really stepped up and took leadership roles. Teammates spoke about what
Paige Prestigiacomo and Middletons girls swimming team finished third at the state meet last Saturday. helped them succeed. This is probably the best season of my career because I just love my team so much and we always pump each other up and help each other along, said an emotional Ashley Aegerter. Were way strong. I think that it played a huge role in my success. Its the best team that I could ever ask for. That just comes from how close we are on this team, said teammate Karley Licking. We want to do it for
each other. Thats more important to us than individual races. Its just that a team effort is the most important thing to us. Said teammate Victoria Lin: I was closer with the girls this year so we all just pushed each other to do better. It clearly worked because we all did so much better so it was really good. Aegerter and Lin responded with school records in each of their individual events and Licking dropped a significant amount of time in her individ-
ual events as well. Aegerter, who will swim for the University of Illinois next season, finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1 minute, 3.30 seconds and took third in the 200 individual medley in 2:05.42. Lin, only a sophomore, took sixth in the 100 backstroke in 57.18 and eighth in the 100 butterfly in 57.78. Licking, a senior, was eighth in the 200 IM in 2:08.27 and eighth in the 100 backstroke in 58.51. In the 200 IM, Aegerter finished behind Hartland Arrowheads Lindsay Adamski and Cedarburgs Katie Drabot, who won the event in a staterecord 1:59.09. Knowing that Drabot was in my heat was really cool and got me pumped up for the race, Aegerter said. Shes really good competition. Aegerter actually got off to a slow start in the race and was back in sixth place after the first turn. Usually it takes me a little bit to warm up, Aegerter said. I just took the first 25 (yards) out. Every 25 made me more pumped up and excited and I knew I could just keep going faster. I just kept getting faster each 25. Aegerter trailed only Adamski (1:01.95) at the finish of the 100 breaststroke. Ashley knew that if she wanted to beat (Adamski) she would have to go out with her and she didnt quite get out with her, but she caught her at the end, Cabalka said. If she had anothSee SWIMMERS, page 13
Boys volleyball team falls short at state tourney

by ROB REISCHEL
Times-Tribune
A valiant effort
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MILWAUKEE Defense, defense, defense. That plan was hatched early last week. And it certainly wasnt an easy sell. But Middleton boys volleyball coach Ben White knew it was probably the only way his Cardinals could upset Germantown in the WIAA state quarterfinals last Friday. Instead of entering a slugfest with the bigger, more physically imposing Warhawks, Middleton believed it could outlast Germantown and force a stream of unforced errors. And for the first two games inside Wisconsin Lutheran College, everything went right for the upstart Cardinals. But Germantown eventually adjusted, cleaned up its play, and rallied for a thrilling 26-28, 25-27, 2518, 25-15, 15-11 win. Middleton finished the year with a 19-6 record, while Germantown went on to reach the state finals, where it lost to Milwaukee Marquette. I told our kids Ive never had a team execute a game plan that well, said White, who just concluded his 13th season. It wasnt easy to convince them that this was the way to play. These are aggressive kids that have played a certain way all season long. But as good as Germantown was, I knew this was our best chance. We just couldnt quite get it done. It certainly wasnt from a lack of effort or smarts. Middleton played with terrific passion and never lost its composure. And that led to one of the better performances of the Cardinals season. Middleton senior setter Connor Zimmick had a memorable night, finishing with 22 assists and six digs. Zimmick also had nine kills, three block assists and had a team-high kill percentage of .296. Senior outside hitter Andy Keeler had a team-high 14 kills and a .225 attack percentage. Senior setter Robbie Drachenberg had 14 assists, senior libero Colin Gloudemans had 16 digs and junior outside hitter James Caldwell had nine digs. Germantown senior outside hitter Jon Averkamp led the Warhawks with 22 kills, while senior outside hitter Jake Showalter and junior middle blocker Luke Deubler both had 15 kills. Warhawks senior setter Jacob Reynolds had 60 assists. Germantown finished with an impressive .311 attack percentage, while Middleton hit at a .170 clip. Im really proud of our guys, Keeler said afterwards. Coach told us, Theyre definitely a bigger team than us, but we thought we could stay with them if we played smart. We just couldnt finish it. Zimmick agreed. A slugfest probably wasnt in our best interests, said Zimmick, who White declared had the best match of his life. But we did a great job playing a different style. See BOYS VB, page 14
Middletons Connor Zimmick was sensational in Middletons five-set loss to Germantown at the boys state volleyball tournament last Friday.
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Middletons Mane Bobadilla was named first-team all-Big Eight.
Girls volleyball team lands five on all-Big team

by ROB REISCHEL
Times-Tribune
Fab five
Their year was both surprising and satisfying. Middletons girls volleyball team exceeded the expectations of many, won the Big Eight Conference tournament and came within one win of reaching the state tournament. And when their thrilling season came to a close, five Cardinals were named to the all-Big Eight Conference team. Senior outside hitter Mane Bobadilla and senior libero Leia Peterman were named first team allBig Eight Conference. Sophomore outside hitter Logan Welti and senior setter Bre Schlueter were named second-team all-league, while senior outside hitter Arissa Milton was named honorable-mention all-conference. Bobadilla was a three-year starter
who saved her best for last. Bobadilla was named the Cardinals MVP after leading the team with 585 kills and finishing fourth with 231 digs. Nicknamed Hammer Time, Bobadilla was also named honorable-mention all-state. Mane will be greatly missed, Middleton coach Franco Marcos said. She started out as a sophomore hitting right side and made the switch this year to outside hitter. This position required more defense besides the hitting. Mane was able to adjust and carried the team. Peterman was a four-year starter and a tri-captain who was one of the Cardinals top leaders. Peterman led Middleton with 785 receptions and 566 digs. She was also voted by her teammates as the player who best exemplified sportsmanship. She was our defensive guru in the back row, Marcos said. Very few volleyballs got past her Leia will be leaving big shoes to fill. Leia will be missed more than anyone. Schleuter was Middletons No. 1 setter and finished the year with 799 assists. See GIRLS VB, page 15
er 25, I think she would have won that race. Aegerter was happy with the result. Thats exactly the time I was wanting to get, so I accomplished that goal and I got the Middleton record for the breaststroke, which was also a goal of mine, Aegerter said. That was really cool and I think it really helped that all of my teammates pumped me up before the race. With just three events remaining, the Cardinals were actually in fifth place with 105 points. Middleton trailed third-place Appleton North (110) and fourth-place Cedarburg (108) and led Verona by a point. However, the Cardinals amassed 47 points in the next two events, the 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke. Lin and Licking placed sixth and eighth, respectively, in the 100 backstroke. Aegerter and Emma Karbusicky followed with second and 11th-place finishes, respectively, in the 100 breaststroke to cement third place. Im so proud of this entire team, Licking said. It was just a team effort. Middleton had several other outstanding individual performances at the state meet. Junior Paige Prestigiacomo was 11th in the 200 freestyle (1:55.30) and 16th in the 100 freestyle (53.59), senior Samantha Andryk was 11th in the 100 butterfly (58.89), sophomore Samantha Roll was 15th in the 200 freestyle (1:56.79), and senior Madeline Mack was 22nd in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.84). Karbusicky, a sophomore, was disqualified for coming out of her pullout during the 200 IM, but rebounded with an 11th-place finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.74). The Cardinals 200 medley relay of Lin, Aegerter, Andryk and Licking took fourth in 1:47.82. The 400 relay of Roll, Licking, Aegerter and Prestigiacomo placed seventh in 3:34.04. Middletons 200 freestyle relay of senior Olivia Kossel, Lin, Roll and Prestigiacomo took eighth in 1:38.39. We really wanted to get in the top three coming into this, but we thought it might have been a little bit of a stretch, Licking said. Im so amazed by everyones performance. Everyone moved up. It was just amazing to see that today.
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Team scores 1, Waukesha South/ Mukwonago 337; 2, Arrowhead 333; 3, Middleton 176; 4, Verona 162; 5, Appleton North 148; 6, Cedarburg 141; 7, Madison West 119; 8, Madison Memorial 103; 9, Germantown 90; 10, Badger/ Big Foot/ Williams Bay 68; 11, Sun Prairie 65; 12, Pulaski 60; 13, Neenah 59; 14, Hudson 46; 15, Nicolet 43; 16, Homestead 39; 17, Divine Savior Holy Angels 33; 18 (tie), West Bend West and Muskego 28; 20, Waunakee 23; 21 (tie), Wauwatosa East and Oshkosh North/ Oshkosh Lourdes 21; 23, Holmen/ Aquinas/ Onalaska 20; 24 (tie), Madison East and Racine Case 17; 26 (tie), Menomonee
Falls/ Sussex Hamilton and Shawano/ Bonduel 15; 28 (tie), Franklin, Waukesha North/ Kettle Moraine and Eau Claire Memorial 14; 31, Racine Park 12; 32, Burlington/ Catholic Central/ East Troy/ Wilmot/ Waterford 10; 33, Kenosha Tremper 9; 34, Edgerton/ Evansville 6; 35 (tie), Oshkosh West and Wausau East 5; 37, Chippewa Falls/ McDonell 4; 38, Sheboygan North 2; 39 (tie), Greenfield, Green Bay East/ Preble and Kenosha Bradford 1. Event results 1-meter diving: 1, Hazel Hertting, NEE, 463.10; 2, Cassidy Bose, RC, 428.95; 3, Mara Rosenstock, MW, 406.00; 4, Cassidy Pilo, MFSH, 380.90; 5, Katrina Voge, FRA, 378.10; 6, Kayley Alioto, MM, 350.70; 7, Carly Thomas, RP, 350.10; 8, Kelsie Hall, CED, 343.25. 200-yard medley relay: 1, ARR (Alyssa Lewandowski, Lindsay Adamski, Megan Doty, Maddie Barta), 1:44.23; 2, WSM (Lizzy Baertlein, Addison Skogman, Kierston Farley-Sepe, Natalie Clausen), 1:45.01; 3, VER (Maddy Nelson, Kristi Larsen, Sammy Seymour, Shelby Rozeboom), 1:47.55; 4, MID (Victoria Lin, Ashley Aegerter, Samantha Andryk, Karley Licking), 1:47.82; 5, GER (Skye Beckes, Haley DeGrace, Samantha Siebenaller, Rachel Siebenaller), 1:48.34; 6, MM (Tori Horton, Tory Center, Maya Gomez, Hannah Cole), 1:49.31; 7, SP (Emily Unmacht, Anna Hawk, Kynzie Huonker, Rachel Powers), 1:50.03; 8, NIC (Grace Wilke, Gwen Worlton, Sarah Zelazoski, Jaime Kloehn), 1:50.43. 200-yard freestyle: 1, Katie Drabot, CED, 1:46.08 (state meet record); 2, Abby Jagdfeld, WSM, 1:46.80; 3, Kaersten Meitz, WSM, 1:49.45; 4, Rachel Powers, SP, 1:51.19; 5, Molly Manchon, WSM, 1:51.58; 6, Britt Horn, AN, 1:52.08; 7, Sarah Laabs, ARR, 1:53.25; 8, Andrea Bryson, AN, 1:53.82. 200-yard individual medley: 1, Drabot, CED, 1:59.89 (state meet record); 2, Adamski, ARR, 2:02.84; 3, Aegerter, MID, 2:05.42; 4, Doty, ARR, 2:06.15; 5, Skogman, WSM, 2:07.02; 6, Clausen, WSM, 2:07.15; 7, Carly O'Brien, BBFWB, 2:07.73; 8, Licking, MID, 2:08.27. 50-yard freestyle: 1, Mary Warren, ARR, 23.29; 2, Corrin VanLanen, PUL, 23.46; 3, Kelly Jacob, ARR, 23.49; 4, S. Siebenaller, GER, 23.76; 5, Kaarin Quaerna, BBFWB, 23.92; 6, Jo Jekel, MW, 23.96; 7, Maddie Martin, ME, 24.11; 8, Barta, ARR, 24.13. 100-yard butterfly: 1, Beata Nelson, VER, 52.06 (state meet record); 2, Doty, ARR, 54.68; 3, Farley-Sepe, WSM, 55.02; 4, VanLanen, PUL, 55.35; 5, Elena Patz, WAUN, 56.89; 6, O'Brien, BBFWB, 56.99; 7, S. Siebenaller, GER, 57.60; 8, Lin, MID, 57.78. 100-yard freestyle: 1, Jagdfeld, WSM, 49.86; 2, Jacob, ARR, 51.03; 3, Warren, ARR, 51.34; 4, Quaerna, BBFWB, 51.77; 5, Manchon, WSM, 51.79; 6, Horn, AN, 51.92; 7, Skylar Fore, CED, 52.01; 8, Jekel, MW, 52.05. 500-yard freestyle: 1, Meitz, WSM, 4:49.22; 2, Clausen, WSM, 4:54.17; 3, Powers, SP, 4:54.54; 4, Laabs, ARR, 4:58.64; 5, Skogman, WSM, 5:02.87; 6, Kylie Engstrom, WBW, 5:05.27; 7, Bryson, AN, 5:08.35; 8, Maggie Held, ARR, 5:08.54. 200-yard freestyle relay: 1, VER (Maizie Seidl, Kristi Larsen, Rozeboom, B. Nelson), 1:33.70; 2, ARR (Jacob, Barta, Sam Kultgen, Warren), 1:34.12; 3, WSM (Jagdfeld, Manchon, Clausen, Meitz), 1:35.33; 4, MW (Sydney Higgins, Katie Feller, Mary First, Jekel), 1:35.61; 5, CED (Drabot, Kathryn Mohr, Sydney Hallmark, Fore), 1:36.40; 6, MM (Gomez, Tina Meyer, Center, Cole), 1:38.08; 7, AN (Horn, Hannah Beckwith, Alexia Monty, Bryson), 1:38.33; 8, MID (Olivia Kossel, Lin, Samantha Roll, Paige Prestigiacomo), 1:38.39. 100-yard backstroke: 1, B. Nelson, VER, 53.19 (state meet record); 2, Farley-Sepe, WSM, 56.14; 3, Barta, ARR, 56.76; 4, Alicia Beam, WSM, 56.99; 5, Baertlein, WSM, 57.04; 6, Lin, MID, 57.18; 7, Monty, AN, 58.40; 8, Licking, MID, 58.51. 100-yard breastroke: 1, Adamski, ARR, 1:01.95; 2, Aegerter, MID, 1:03.30; 3, Worlton, NIC, 1:03.52; 4, Celia Ripple, TE, 1:03.93; 5, Gomez, MM, 1:05.69; 6, Alexandria Petersen, HOM, 1:06.10; 7, Calre Martell, SHB, 1:06.29; 8, Taylor Stoll, ARR, 1:06.52. 400-yard freestyle relay: 1, WSM (Jagdfeld, Manchon, Meitz, Farley-Sepe), 3:22.50 (state meet record); 2, ARR (Jacob, Doty, Laabs, Warren), 3:23.77; 3, CED (Fore, Mohr, Hallmark, Drabot), 3:29.10; 4, VER (Lindsay Craig, Becca Wilson, Seidl, B. Nelson), 3:31.69; 5, MW (Higgins, Feller, First, Jekel), 3:32.09; 6, AN (Horn, Monty, Bryson, Abbey Greenway), 3:32.12; 7, MID (Roll, Licking, Aegerter, Prestigiacomo), 3:34.04; 8, NEE (Rachel Resch, Hannah Sisto, Kiki Rice, Abby Hollub), 3:35.73.
continued from page 10
E m m a Karbusicky a n d Middletons girls swimming team had a terrific performance at the state meet.
PAGE 14
Thats for sure. Middletons strategy was to keep points alive, play mistake free, and try winning on guile and astuteness. For the first two games, it worked like a charm. Gloudemans had five straight service points in Game 1 as Middleton raced to a 13-7 lead. The Cardinals maintained a 22-17 lead thanks to terrific blocks from junior Noah Kern and Zimmick, as well as six service errors from Germantown. The Warhawks battled back to take a 25-24 lead. But with the game tied at 26, Zimmick had back-toback kills and Middleton captured the opening game. That was great for our confidence to win the first one, Zimmick said. It was a great start. It got even better. There were 10 ties in Game 2, although Germantown led most of the way. The Warhawks held advantages of 24-23 and 25-24, but couldnt put the Cardinals away. With Germantown serving for the game, Zimmick had a kill to knot things at 25. Then with Caldwell serving for the Cardinals, Zimmick had a tip kill, and followed that with a block kill of Averkamp, one of the states best players. That gave Middleton a stunning 27-25 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. We were a little scared, said Germantowns Deubler. Im not going to lie. Middleton, on the other hand, loved its position. We were feeling really good, Keeler said. We knew they would make some adjustments, but we thought we were in really good shape. The Warhawks certainly adjusted. Beginning in Game 3, Germantown brought its middle blockers into the offense, stopped missing serves and adjusted to Middletons plan of attack. Both junior libero Cullen Liberski and junior middle hitter Ben Walter had four straight service points early in the third game as Germantown raced to a 12-6 lead. The Cardinals never came closer than four points the rest of that game. The fourth game was all Germantown. The Warhawks raced to a 9-3 lead, stretched that to 21-9 and never looked back. I still felt like we could come back, Keeler said. Its state. We were all so fired up and played so hard. I was loving it. Middleton put up a much tougher fight in the fifth and decisive game. The Cardinals took a quick 4-2 lead, and the game was tied six times, the last coming at 8-8. Germantown was clinging to a 12-11 lead late, when Middleton had
n BOYS VB
consecutive hitting errors. Then Showalter finished the Cardinals with a kill that sent his team into the state semifinals and ended Middletons year. Give Middleton a lot of credit, Germantown coach Brian Rushmer said. They played us the way they should have. But our guys have a lot of heart and did a great job fighting back. Despite the loss, White and Cardinals left with their heads held high. It was a great year, no doubt about it, White said. Our goal all along was to make it to state and we did that. It would have been great to win a match, but I couldnt be more proud of these guys. There was a lot to be proud of. Middleton went a perfect 10-0 in the Big Eight Conference and won the league for the seventh time in eight years. The Cardinals reached the state tournament for the first time
since 2009. And Middleton put a remarkable scare into a team that nearly went on to win the state championship. For my senior year, this was definitely the best year, Zimmick said. It was the most enjoyable. This was a great team to be part of and Im really proud of everything we accomplished.
Nov. 15 WIAA State Quarterfinals Germantown 3, Middleton 2 Middleton ............................... 28 27 18 15 11 Germantown ......................... 26 25 25 25 15 MIDDLETON (leaders): Kills Keeler 14, Kern 9. Blocks Klubertanz 2. Digs Gloudenans 16, 9. Aces Keeler 1, Gloudenans 1. Assists Drachenberg 14, Zimmick 22. GERMANTOWN: Kills Showalter 15, Deubler 15, Averkamp 22. Blocks Deubler 3. Digs Showalter 24, Averkamp 10, Reynolds 11. Aces Walter 4. Assists Reynolds 60.
Ben White led Middletons boys volleyball team to the state quarterfinals.
continued from page 12 Bre was a great field general, Marcos said. The hitters would not have been able to accomplished their feats had it not for the accuracy and smart setting of Bre. Bre worked hard to polish her setting skills and ended up one of the premiere setters in the Big 8 Conference. We will missed the dedication and care and hard work of Bre. Welti led Middleton with 74 aces, was second in kills with 354 and was second in digs at 342. Welti was a tricaptain as a sophomore and will be counted on for even more in 2014. Logan Welti will be back and will have to carry the load that she shared with Mane and Leia, Marcos said.We are hoping for great leadership and performance from Logan next season. Milton was another tri-captain and a three-year varsity player. Arissa will be missed for her ability to sky effortlessly and pound the ball, Marcos said. She will make a great play and you did not know it was her because there was not much bragging about it.She is a very coachable player and has improved a lot.We are going to miss her. Marcos also wanted to thank some of his teams lesser known players. We would like to thank a number of players that do not show up in the stats every week because they are not in the game a lot, Marcos said. However, these are the players that push the starters every practice in order to make the team better. They are seniors Kelli Robson, Grace McMurray, Kelsey Murphy and Reed Espie. And juniors Morgan Schmitt, Cole Jordee, Gabie Buechner, Rachel Severson, Audrey Hinshaw and Amber Karn. Also a special shoutout to Molly Zeinemann and Elizabeth Keller from the JV team for their contributions in some of the matches.
n GIRLS VB
Player Anna Brereton Molly Livingston Mane Bobadilla Amelia Grahn Victoria Brisack Emily Chaussee Leia Peterman Amara Listenbee Maddie Vogel Megan Meiller
All-Big Eight Girls Volleyball

First Team
School Sun Prairie Sun Prairie Middleton Madison LaFollette Verona Sun Prairie Middleton Beloit Memorial Verona Madison LaFollette Madison West Janesville Craig Madison Memorial Madison Memorial Middleton Verona Middleton Sun Prairie Janesville Parker Madison LaFollette
PAGE 15
Liz Brown McKenzie Bertagnoli Dani Stroud Sydney Stroud Logan Welti Samantha Kolpek Bre Schlueter Tierney Lindner Claire Fox Tyra Grady
Second Team
Arissa Milton, Middleton; Kylie Schmaltz, Verona; Kelly Austin, Madison East; Ava Lombardino, Sun Prairie; Gaby Loveland, Janesville Craig; Jessica Coyne, Verona; Ellie Woodman, Beloit Memorial; Emma Hetzel, Madison East; Anna Chastain, Madison East; Lauren Wentland, Madison West; Allie Peterson, Sun Prairie.
Honorable Mention
PAGE 16
could be his best team at Middleton. We return a lot of quality kids, Bavery said. Our skill level is pretty high. We have a lot of experience. Our expectations are certainly high. Its easy to see why. Rongstad, who will be a preferred walk-on at UW-Milwaukee next season, was a first-team all-Big Eight Conference selection last year. Schafer was a third-team all-league player, while senior forward Max Oelerich was an honorable-mention all-conference pick. Senior forwards Derek Rongstad and Chris Little, and senior guard Demond Hill were all key contributors a year ago and will have expanded roles this season. Junior center Ian Hokanson is currently sidelined with a knee injury, but should be a key cog when he returns next month. Senior guards Nick Revord and Cole Zillner will likely be part of the rotation, as well. Middleton figures to have the talent, athleticism and depth to play at a rapid pace and cause fits for everyone on its schedule. One goal we have is to be a team that no one wants to play due to our intensity and tempo, Schafer said. So what we have to do is focus on what we have to do better to further improve our schemes and be successful. We caught some peoples eye last year, and hopefully now we can show people what we're made of. Middleton was picked for third place in the Big Eight by Wissports.net. And in the statewide poll, the Cardinals were in the Others Receiving Votes category. They certainly expect more. No one expected very much from us last year and we probably surprised some people, Rongstad said. This year will be a lot different and there will probably be a little more pressure. But our goal is to make a run at the conference and a deep run in the playoffs. Rongstad is a big reason why those goals seem attainable. Last season, Rongstad averaged a team-high 16.3 points per game in Big Eight play. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals, shot 44.8% on three-pointers and 74.1% from the foul line. Rongstad scored more points than any junior in the history of Middleton boys basketball (360), despite missing three games. And Rongstad set team records for most three-pointers in a game (seven) and a season (56). And he should be better this year, Bavery said of Rongstad. If you look at him, hes a lot thicker, a lot stronger. His one goal is to be the best teammate you can be. Everything else is there. Schafer was arguably the most improved player in the Big Eight a year ago. He finished second on the Cardinals in scoring (11.7) and led the team with 5.2 rebounds per game. Schafer was also second on the team in assists (3.0) and steals (2.7). Schafer led Middleton in free throw attempts (134), free throws made (99) and free throw percentage (.739). Schafer also led Middleton in charges taken (eight) and emerged as a dynamic complement to Rongstad. At the start of last year, his shot really wasnt a strength, Bavery said of Schafer. By the end of the year, it clearly was. He just does so many things for us, and hes so sound across the board. Oelerich also emerged last year and finished third on the Cardinals in
n BOYS BB
scoring (8.6) and rebounding (4.6). The 6-foot-3 Oelerich was a force in the paint thanks to his long arms and leaping ability. He should be a beast on the offensive glass, Bavery said of Oelerich. But he can also take his game farther out on the perimeter now. He should have a great year. Hill is an extremely athletic player who averaged 6.4 points per game last year. Little (5.1 ppg) and Rogeberg (4.9) are both solid allaround players looking to make the next step. Middleton will also anxiously await the return of Hokanson, who has the size and bulk to match-up with some of the bigger centers the Cardinals will face. Ian is one of the most explosive players we have with critical mass, Bavery said. Well be very excited to have him healthy. Madison Memorial, which has
won or shared the Big Eight Conference title for 10 straight years, is the league favorite again. Sun Prairie, led by Marquette recruit Nick Noskowiak, should be solid. Madison West could also be a factor. But Middleton expects to be right in the mix. The Cardinals haven't won the Big Eight since 2000-01, when this current crop of seniors was still in preschool. And Middleton hasn't reached the state tournament since 1998. This, of course, could be a year where those lengthy streaks come to an end. Weve always said we cant wait for this year, Rongstad said. Well, its here now and were ready. Weve got eight seniors who are ready for this and some good juniors to help us out. We definitely learned a lot last year and had a good year. But no one is content. Were ready to
Middleton Boys Basketball Roster

No. 0 1 2 3 5 10 11 12 15 21 22 23 24 31 33 Name Demond Hill Tyler Ballweg Brett Joers Jordan Smith Ian Hokanson Luke Schafer Derek Rogeberg Max Oelerich Mitchell Herl Cole Zillner Chris Little Derek Rongstad Cody Markel Nick Revord Andrew Gardner Yr. 12 11 11 11 11 12 12 12 11 12 12 12 10 12 11 Pos. F G F G F G F F F G F G F G F Ht. 6-1 5-9 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-3 5-11 6-1 6-5 6-5 5-10 6-2
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Seven Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) students have designed an innovative survival raft to be used in the event of a tsunami. They competed at the Badgerland Regional Tournament held at Madison College on Saturday, Nov. 9. Out of 40 teams competing, the team, Flames of the Laser Robot Evolving was awarded top project
Students design tsunami raft in Badgerland competition

presentation, and is one of nine teams advancing to the State Championship at Appleton East High School on December 8. Team Flames of the Laser Robot Evolving includes Arber Jonuzi, Calvin Slinde, Edwin Zhang, Julia Zhang, and Sam Svendsen (5th grade Sunset Ridge); Nate Burkard (7th grade Glacier Creek); and Samantha Burkard (5th grade West Middleton). Derren Slinde is the teams coach. They named their raft The Tsunami EcoRaft 5000 and have chosen Banda Aceh, Indonesia because of its vulnerto earthquakes and ability tsunamis. Their design incorporates environmentally friendly materials and features such as a graphene water purifier which filters saltwater into clean drinking water. Each year over 20,000 teams worldwide participate in First Lego League(FLL), a robotics program designed to get children excited about science and technology. Teams have to create a solution to problems faced by todays scientists. The theme for this year is natural disasters. Teams must
A new art project for fourth-graders at Sauk Trail Elementary School has won a funding grant from the American Girl Fund for Children. Students Inter-generational Art to Preserve Nature is a unique art experience engaging students, their families, and senior citizens. The project will focus on the need to preserve local nature, conveyed through works of art. Tom Kobinsky, who works for the District in Facilities Support and is a MCPASD Education Foundation board member, along with Sauk Trail art teacher Anne Gustafson drafted the proposal, with input from the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy. Their proposal was awarded an $8,000 grant by the American Girl Fund for Children during its recent grant cycle. The project will begin with fourthgraders interviewing senior citizens at two local residential facilities. They will ask questions about environmental changes the seniors have seen in their lifetime. Theyll seek personal stories and have the seniors talk about the importance of nature conservation for future generations. The children will then visit Pheasant Branch Conservancy to explore, sketch, and take photos of examples of what they learned from their interviews. Then, let the creativity begin, Kobinsky said. Children will chose from a variety of media to create art reflecting their newly discovered passion for protecting nature. Family members, Friends of Pheasant Branch, and senior citizens will be invited into the art room to help. A key project component will be booklets containing narratives the children compose that will bring depth to their artwork and help convey the message of conservation. The finished art will be mounted or framed for display, then taken for showings at libraries, senior centers, and other public facilities throughout Dane County. Booklets will be offered at no charge. I am excited that the arts are an integral part of this inter-generational project, Gustafson said. This will truly be a memorable learning experience for everyone involved. MCPASD Education Foundation Chair Courtney Ward-Reichard noted that this grant will provide a wonderful opportunity for students in our District, and we are very hopeful that we can expand this program throughout our schools in coming years. The American Girl Fund for Children provides grants for philanthropic programs throughout Dane County
Art project wins grant from American Girl
SCHOOLDISTRICTROUND-UP
that enhance childrens education in the arts and environment. American Girl was founded, and is still based, in Middleton, and is devoted to celebrating girls ages 3 to 12 through age-appropriate, high-quality dolls and accessories, books, clothes, movies, and unforgettable experiences. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel Inc., the worlds leading toy company. Our classes are very fortunate to be invited to participate, Autz said. The Getting Buggy! grant allows first-graders to learn more about insects. They watch mealworms turn into beetlesand magggots turn into flies. This yar there are also plans to view luna moths, one of the largest moths in the world with a wingspan of 4.5 inches, painted lady butterflies and a praying mantis. The kids become so excited when the life cycle change happens, Kartman said. Two grants were handed out at the middle school level: Kromrey and Glacier Creek: Teaching 21st Century Skills with Future Problem Solving (Ruth Frawley) Glacier Creek: Building Global Awareness in a 21st Century Classroom (Holly Reardon) Frawley said the FPS program will help improve literacy due to the emphasis on research, writing and reading. In addition, a number of the topics students will explore include social isolation, desertification, surveillance society and land transportation. Reardons project involves building international school partnerships, a project blog and a global awareness project. She hopes to have her students blog more, participate in classroom chats and use interactive apps to respond and reflect. I have a vision, she said. I see a classroom where every student is working on a device, and where students are engaged in interactive lessons, collaborating and creating. ... I see a classroom where students are connecting with kids all over the world to share experiences, build awareness, and learn. Six grants were handed out at the high school level: MHS: Human Rights Week (Tim Davis) MHS: The Memory Project (Bob Elland) CSCS: Career Readiness Program (Jason Pertzborn) MHS: Felting: An International Tradition (Robin Kourakis) MHS: Global Education Certificate Development (Laura Love) MHS: Global Guest Speakers (Janel Anderson) Human Rights Week is a week-long event focusing on human rights related themes, where all high school students and community members have the opportunity to hear and see speakers, presentations and films on a variety of human rights related themes. The event will be held in February 2014. Elland said MHS art students have created 125 portraits of children who live in orphanages all around the world over the past three years. Each spring the portraits are exhibited at MHS in Gallery 2000. The artists receive pictures of children who are waiting for portraits. The artists create the portraits, and the finished products are delivered to the children. This is an opportunity for (our art students) to open their hearts to children who have endured many hardships, and to promote the value of sharing kindness with others, he said. Pertzborns students will develop a portfolio and teach Junior Achievement classes to elementary students as part of his proram. They will also partner with local businesses to do reallife simulations, such as preparing to apply for a job and doing a mock interview with a local human resouces department. Kourakis said her students will learn about the history of felting and its utilitarian purposes and application as a fine art throughout cultures and time as they learn the science behind different types of fibers including wool. They will use traditional tools and techniques to create felted art that is both culturally and contextually relevant as well as personal. The grant funds iwll be used to purchase a felting machine. The grant proposed by Love will help staff review the DPIs Global Education Certificate and modify it for MHS students so that it can be part of the 2014-15 curriculum. MHS hopes to bring in experts from around the world to bridge the gap and enrich 21st Century global competencies for all students, Anderson said. MHS plans to use Skype and Scopia to bring those guest speakers into classrooms, she said. This kind of work is already being piloted by schools in our area, including at Lodi. Finally, one grant will impact elementary and middle school students. We Are One: A Global Art Exchange was developed by Claire Staley and will benefit Northside and Kromrey students. Last year students at Northside and Kromrey were paired with students at Jyotidaya Cooperative School in Chapagoan, Nepal. Nearly 600 MCPASD students completed a project, while he entire student population at Jyotidaya Cooperative School (298 from grades K-8) also completed a project. The plan this year is to incorporate add an elementary school in Burma. This will give MCPASD students an opportunity to further expand their cultural horizons, by learning about another country in addition to Nepal, and ensure that each and every student receives a piece of artwork to take home, she said.
also build and program a robot to solve missions on an obstacle course. They will present their solution and compete in the robot matches at regional tournaments. Qualifying teams move on to state and global tournaments. BadgerBOTS Robotics, located at 7615 Discovery Drive in Middleton, is the local FLL chapter for Dane County.
Twelve grants across all levels were recently funded through the Districts Global Initiative Program for 201314, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services George Mavroulis said. About $12,000 will be handed out this year school through the grants, he said. Three grants were handed out at the elementary level: Sauk Trail: Music, Dance, Art, and Culture of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and West Africa (John Becker) Park: Project Based Global Literacy and 21st Century Skills (Brenda Autz) Park: Getting Buggy! (Nicole Kartman) The Sauk Trail project will bring together students and community through dancing, playing, and singing Afro-Cuban salsa music, Becker said. This will happen through learning in music classes throughout the school year, with a culminating evening event later in school year. In addition, Sauk Trails physical education teachers plan to work on salsa dance and movement with all of their classes. In art class, students will be doing art projects that will be displayed that tie in directly with the cultures of this region of the world. Autzs grant involves two projects that will take place in three classrooms, more than doubling the number of students who were involved a year ago. The grant provides for improved literacy instruction, greater use of technology, and global collaboration and sharing. One project is Global Read Aloud, which was developed by West Middleton fifth-grade teacher Pernille Ripp. Park students will connect with other students from around the world to show them that they are part of something bigger than them, Autz said. The second project, Cuban Art Exchange, allows students from Wisconsin and Cuba to share art and ideas, along with building elationships between two cultures divided more by ideology than distance. All three Park fourth-grade classrooms are involved in the exchange this year through an organization called Children Are the Hope (CATH). The project is highlighted in the short documentary Global Wisconsin.
12 Global grants are awarded
Students in a new course at MHS visited the University of WisconsinMadison College of Human Ecology on Tuesday as part of their studey of modern Chinese history, society and culture. The 24 students in Area Studies:
MHS students study Chinese culture
East Asia toured the Ruth Davis Design Gallery, which was showing an exhibit called, Evolving Landscapes: 100 Years of Change in Western China. The Evolving Landscapes photography exhibit features centuryold images captured in western China by early 20th century British explorer and photographer Ernest Henry Wilson, alongside comparative modern photographs by Professor Yin Kaipu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This is the first-ever public exhibit of these photographs. This was a unique opportunity for students at MHS to meet and talk with Laurie Dennis, an expert on Chinese history and culture, MHS social studies teacher Andy Hartman said. Dennis, an associate director of the Wisconsin China Initiative, took students on a tour of the re-photograpy exhibit and pointed out important changes, both positive and negative, that China has gone through in the past century. I was impressed with students abilities to ask creative andthoughtful questions that made important connections between the history, culture, and society of Chinas past, present and future, Hartman said. I think students were shocked and fascinated by the drasticamounts of man-made change and mother-nature created challenges that have helped to define China today. The Area Studies:East Asia course is in its first semester at MHS and will focus on an interdisciplinary approach to looking a the political, social, and economic changes, challenges, and continuity of the history of China, Korea, and Japan, aAmong other nations, Hartman said. Evolving Landscapes: 100 Years of Change in Western China provides an accessible platform for students to view multiple forms of change in this critically important region, one of rich cultural traditions and extraordinary biological diversity. The paired images capture the environmental, economic and social changes that are transforming western China, illustrating the impacts of human decisions and development on the environments in which del live. Students will use images and information from the exhibit as a launching pad for their transition from the study of dynastic Chinese history to an examination of the successes and challenges of modern China and an inquiry into what the future may hold. The exhibit, hosted by the Nelson Institute for the Environmental Studies, the School of Human Ecology and the Wisconsin China Initiative, formally opened on Nov. 7, and will remain on display until Nov. 23. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Chance Stine was awarded a four-year tuition scholarship from University of Wisconsin-Madison through the UW Summer Music Clinic. Each year this Stine award is given to 10 high school juniors from around the state of Wisconsin. To receive this award, the students must perform a solo, scales and sight reading on their instrument or voice. Chance auditioned and won on the alto saxophone. Chance is currently a senior at Middleton High School and is active in the school band program as well as football and Model UN. He credits his high school band instructors, Brad Schneider, Anne Vanderbloemen, and Michael Ver Voort, Kromrey instructors Nancy Riesch, Darlayne Coughlin, and Keith Leinert, as well as his private saxophone teacher, Brad Carman.
Chance Stine wins UW music scholarship
mandated by the state. Full time teachers in MiddletonCross Plains are expected to receive a gross increase of $1,078 in 2013-14. Walker announced an infusion of money into public education recently, but the dollars are intended for tax relief and cant easily be utilized to increase teachers pay. Not surprisingly, though, lower take-home pay for teachers has led teachers unions to prioritize across-theboard pay increases. This has increased tension between school boards and unions, particularly here in Middleton-Cross Plains where the two were already at odds of past discipline of teachers. Bob Butler, associate executive director for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, points to long-term implications. He says it creates an arbitrary salary schedule/pay system where it becomes increasingly difficult to explain why teachers are paid what they
TEACHERS
PAGE 19
are paid. He went on to say it could lead to teachers in similar positions with similar education and years of service being paid different amounts. Teacher morale will suffer, staff will leave, usually the best teachers as they have the most options, and discrimination suits over compensation will become a possibility, Butler stated. Post Act 10, school boards may have to look to other systems for determining pay increases. Butler recently told the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School Board it can consider a system that looks at a teachers knowledge and skills, a professional evaluation, market incentives, and student learning objectives in order to determine pay increases. The knowledge and skills approach is straightforward: The principle is the more degrees or more certifications teachers earn, the more they are worth. This also is beneficial for teachers who
have skills that are in high demand or hard to find. The professional evaluation often comes from the school principal or additional staff hired specifically for evaluations. An argument basing compensation on evaluations is supported by some poll data. When Gallup do their annual polling on the status of public education, Butler explained, the principals evaluation consistently is ranked number one as for what decides teacher pay and who should be retained. Market incentives involve a supply-and-demand model. Teachers can earn more in hard-tostaff classes or schools. Teachers can also earn more for winning awards. Unfortunately, schools have limited knowledge of the supply and demand for teachers is certain subjects. In the past the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction used to put out a supply and demand report, But-
ler pointed out. They did this until 2008, but then money from that grant ran out. Without this knowledge, many school boards cannot adopt the model, he argued. Schools can also look to student learning objective for determining teacher pay. This is done by measuring student test scores, attendance, parent participation, and graduation rates. Value-added formulae are exceedingly complicated and are often proprietary, Butler cautioned, saying the practice could come with its own administrative costs. Another criticism is the classroom time that is lost to students taking tests. Whatever the Middleton-Cross Plains Area Board of Education decides to do, its members said they will have to consider all of the pros and cons at hand.
PAGE 20
Holiday Boot Camp is a 6 class session class guaranteed to help you burn off those festive calories! This class will be a total body workout includ ing core, aerobic, and strength activities. Location Day Code Register By Dates Time DAC M & Th 2014.131 11/25 12/212/19 5:456:45pm
202020 (Previously Holiday Boot Camp) (Ages 15+)
R ECREATION D EPARTMENT P ROGRAMS

This is an introductory class to the Korean Martial Art of Tae Kwon Do. Students will learn basic kicking and punching combinations, as well as in crease strength and flexibility. Tae Kwon Do promotes selfesteem and confidence, along with improvement of focus and concentration. All classes are taught by Master Miles Varichak, 4th Dan Master Instructor with the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. Belt testing will be held 3 times per year, which is an additional fee. Location Day Code Register By Dates Time Hubbard Art Center Sat 2014.102 11/22 11/30 12/21 9:3010:30am
Tae Kwon Do (Ages 517)
Your preschoolers mind is hard at work building the knowledge and skills it will use for a lifetime. Now, more than ever, its important to chal lenge their curious minds with activities that will keep them engaged and eager to learn! The Young Rembrandts preschool program is specifi cally designed with the needs of our youngest learners in mind. We use subjects theyre familiar with such as animals and toys, as well as their favorite learning tools pictures, stories, touching, and doing to enhance social and conflict resolution skills while improving listening, fine motor skills, and timeontask. Give your preschooler the information theyre hungry for and be amazed by what theyll create! Location Day Code Register By Dates Time Hubbard Art Center Tues 2014.108 11/22 11/26 12/17 99:45am Hubbard Art Center Tues 2014.109 11/22 11/26 12/17 11:45pm
Young Rembrandts PreSchool Drawing Classes (Ages 3.5 5.5)
Our elementary learners are at the crucial time of development when they decide whether theyre good at something or not. This decision will affect not only the rest of their academic career, but their lifetime learning as well. The Young Rembrandts elementary program provides the tools this agegroup needs to succeed at drawing a teaching tool from which the majority of learners prefer and ALL learners benefit! Our pro gram works because its not only handson and visual...its simply fun. Add to this our innovative guided instruction, topics that kids love and re late to, and instructors that know how to reach this group; we take kids from thinking theyre not artists to knowing they can achieve this, and everything else, they put their minds to. LocationDay Code Register By Dates Time Northside Tues 2014.112 11/22 11/26 1/14 3:104:10pm (skip: 12/24, 12/31)
Young Rembrandts Elementary Drawing Classes (Ages 612)
For all kids who need to stay engaged and laughing, our cartooning classes are surely the most fun you can have while learning! This entertain ing program combines Young Rembrandts innovative, handson teaching method with lighthearted subject matter that engages children, their sense of humor and their vivid imaginations. Maintaining a quick pace and drawings that tell a story also help kids to stay ontask, learn from their mistakes, find new solutions to a problem and communicate ideas and concepts through pictures skills with lifetime benefits! Location Day Code Register By Dates Time Hubbard Art Center Tuesday 2014.115 11/22 11/26 1/14 5:006:15pm
Young Rembrandts Cartoon Drawing Classes (Ages 612)
Additionally, Stella said he would like to see AARP work on public policy issues that focus on consumer protections, particularly to help the elderly living in rural areas of the state. Everyone deserves to live in dignity in their own homes. We need to make sure they are provided with the strongest safety net possible to make that happen. Stella comes to AARP with a strong state and national reputation around pension and retirement issues. He is currently the President of Pension Management Advisors, a company that provides consulting to employers and individuals on pension and retirement matters. Stella is the former Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds, the state agency that administers pension, health insurance and other employee benefits that provide financial security for more than 570,000 active and retired public employees. He also served as a Trustee of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board and was President of the National Council on Teacher Retirement. Stella also served as the Executive Director of the Denver Public Schools Retirement System. He has 40 years experience in public administration, having served in state and local government in Wisconsin and Colorado. He holds a bachelors and masters degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned the designation of Certified Employee Benefit Specialist through a program sponsored by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dave is committed to being a strong and capable voice for carrying out AARPs mission here in Wisconsin, which is to make life better for all Wisconsinites as they age, Wilson said.
STELLA
from page 3
respective contributions to melody and harmony by Trevor Stephenson(Madison Bach Musicians)and Ravikiran. The last part of the festival was a vocal performance by Chitravina N
OVK-BACH
Ravikiran. The OVK-Bach festival was viewed live in many parts of the world, thanks to iCarnatic.com.
ABOUT THE SURVEY The Thanksgiving price survey is an annual look at the trends in food prices in Wisconsin in relation to changing farm prices, weather and wholesale and retail food marketing. Members of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau collected price samples of 12 Thanksgiving food items in 21 communities in October. Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers in Middleton and other communities are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals. While Farm Bureau does not make any scientific claims about the data, it is an informal gauge of price trends. Prices were collected for this survey in the communities of Appleton, Ashland, Beloit, Boscobel, Cross Plains, Eau Claire, Ellsworth, Fond du Lac, Hillsboro, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Middleton, New London, Oconto Falls, Platteville, Plover, Richland Center, Shawano, Sparta, West Bend and West Salem.
ing this holiday season, Farm Bureau is encouraging farmers to reach out to consumers in-person or through social media, to answer questions about the food they grow or the livestock and poultry they raise. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Americans will spend approximately 10 percent of their disposable annual income on food this year, the lowest average in the world.
PRICES
from page 3
build stormwater sediment basins to capture this sediment, trash, and phosphorus-laden debris such as yard or pet waste from urban areas that otherwise wash directly into lakes and streams when it rains. The basins capture the debris by giving it an area to settle out, preventing it from entering the water, and allowing for safe disposal at a later time. Phosphorus is the main culprit that leads to smelly, unsightly lakes. The urbanized area that drains to Willow Creek was developed decades prior to modern water quality practices, leaving us with few options for retrofitting storm water treatment systems. Providing treatment at this location is a perfect opportunity to capture trash and dirt from storm water before it reaches Lake Mendota, preventing further contributions to the island forming at the outlet of Willow Creek, said Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. The city looks forward to partnering with Dane County, UW, and WDNR to help fund, design, permit, and build this project. The State of Wisconsin including the Dept. of Administration, the UW System and UW-Madison have been working hard with our regional partners to help provide solutions to help improve the water quality of Lake Mendota, said William Elvey, Associate Vice Chancellor for UW-Madison Facilities Planning and Management. The latest example includes an ongoing, phased project consisting of new bio-retention facilities including swales and a large retention pond, all of which will significantly improve the quality of stormwater runoff into Lake Mendota. This project alone represents a nearly $4 million investment of funds. In addition to building a sediment basin for Willow Creek, the project includes dredging the sediment island in the bay, and restoration of the Willow Creek shoreline into a native and stable condition. This years recommended projects will help prevent more than 70,500 pounds of debris and 1,000 pounds of phosphorus from entering the lakes annually. In addition to the Willow Creek outfall, the county will partner with Middleton, Monona, and Fitchburg to reduce urban runoff pollution with projects in those municipalities. For the first time ever in this years grant cycle, municipalities that con-
GRANT
PAGE 21
tained one of the countys top ten discharging pipelines, such as the Willow Creek outfall in Madison, were eligible to receive a 75% cost share from the county to address their runoff. Since 2005, the countys Urban Water Quality grants have helped fund
projects totaling more than $5.3 million dollars that are estimated to have removed more than 400,000 pounds of debris since that time, and more than 760 pounds of phosphorus annually. One pound of phosphorus removed from the countys watershed prevents
500 pounds of algae growth in area lakes. The recommended projects are subject to final approval by the Dane County Board. A resolution recom-
mending the projects will be introduced at this Thursdays meeting of the Dane County Board, and could be approved as early as the boards December 5th meeting.
BUDGET
from page 1
to top $2.923 million and up from the $2.786 million projected in the 2013 budget. The projected revenue increase is based on more construction activity, which is expected to boost income from charges for services, and more state aid. Meanwhile, total expenditures are projected to decrease from $2.985 million budgeted in 2013 to $2.832 million in 2014. This years actual expenditures are expected to only reach $2.673 million. Spending decreases are budgeted in general government and public works categories. Town Administration David Shaw said the general governments budget was decreased by the $37,000 cut from the town assessors contract. Last years contract was increased to cover the expense of the first town-wide property re-evaluation in 20 years. That work has been completed.
PAGE 22
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Advertising + Selling = CASH IN YOUR POCKET


Tis The Season: How Should Teachers Be Paid?

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Residents interested in learning more about becoming a member of the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Board of Education

Three school board seats up for election in the spring

VOL. 121, NO. 47

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

SINGLE COPY PRICE: $1.25

How should teachers be paid?

Town of Middleton levy approved

Tis the Season

Times-Tribune photo by Matt Geiger

City wins $266,250 for storm water basin

Local man named AARP presdident. Page 3

A holiday celebration at the PAC. Page 5

Basketball team has high hopes. Page 10

Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 - 7 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Classieds . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Inside this issue:

See GRANT, page 21

Board pushes forward with Pioneer Lands development

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

Get the picture?

David Stella named AARP state president

5th OWI for Schwarz

Thanksgiving meals cost less this year

West Corporation honors veterans

OVK-Bach festival a hit

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

City of Middleton will observe Melharmony Day each year

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

Lost Dogs of Wisconsin

Holiday celebration at the PAC

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

Pleasing the Palate

Support Wisconsins veterans every day

Vinehout took on budget myths at MAT event

School board urged to bargain with local teachers

Sincerely, Rose Sime

I am writing to encourage the Middleton Board of Education to open con-

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

Boys basketball team gunning for big season

Follow Rob Reischel on Twitter at @robreischel

Middleton rolls to third place finish

Swimmers shine at state

Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld

Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld

Boys volleyball team falls short at state tourney

Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

Middletons Mane Bobadilla was named first-team all-Big Eight.

Girls volleyball team lands five on all-Big team

Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

continued from page 10

Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

continued from page 11

Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

All-Big Eight Girls Volleyball

continued from page 10

Middleton Boys Basketball Roster