Pewaukee School District

Education Designed for the Students’ Road Ahead

Preparing Future Ready Students with a Holistic Approach

The Pewaukee School District prides itself on creating an environment that opens the door to each child’s future. This core mission has been the guiding philosophy for over 15 years, driving both curriculum development and instructional approaches from 4K through 12th grade. The district’s unique structure, with all grades situated on a single campus, offers a strategic advantage that fosters continuity and a sense of community. As Superintendent Dr. Mike Cady, emphasizes, the focus is on “each kid as an individual,” exemplifying the district’s holistic approach to student success.

A defining characteristic of Pewaukee School District is its commitment to personalized learning experiences. “It really comes down to each individual child getting the experience that they need to be highly successful, and the innovation being in place that prepares them for their future,” expands Dr. Cady. He shares that in 2013, the district was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for excellence in continuous improvement, becoming only the fifth public school system in the U.S. to receive the honor.

Play-Based Early Learning

Pewaukee School District’s 4K program is designed to inspire a love of learning, starting with the youngest students. Drawing inspiration from Mansfield ISD in Texas, Pewaukee’s 4k classrooms incorporate thematic, play-based environments which foster the natural  development of literacy and numeracy skills. Dr. Cady describes, “It’s very immersive, and it’s tied to research about the importance of background knowledge and how that helps learners master literacy and mathematical concepts.”

Each classroom is thoughtfully crafted around a theme, such as nursery rhymes, the ocean, or farm-to-table concepts. In the Land Before Time classroom, students engage in hands-on activities like exploring a fossil dig pit, while their literacy and math lessons are naturally integrated into the theme. “So, when you walk into our 4k classroom and a four year old can tell you that they’re a paleontologist, they actually know what that means,” details Cady. “You only have one chance to make a first impression, and we want kids coming in and just loving being at school. So that begins with our four year olds, and then builds its way up through.”

Future-Ready Students

The district’s dedication to STEAM initiatives starts early and extends throughout the educational journey. Thanks to the passing of multiple facility referendums, Pewaukee’s schools boast maker spaces in every building, from the 4K center through high school. “Maker spaces are places where kids can engage in hands on types of learning, applying those scientific method processes and design thinking concepts to identify a problem empathetically that might be a value to a community that we are involved in, coming up with a concept in terms of a solution, and then iterating different solutions to those things,” conveys Dr. Cady.

He reflects on the challenge of preparing students not just for the near future but for the world they will face in the coming decades. “It’s not enough for us to be preparing kids for walking into the world in 2025, which is what our seniors are going to experience,” he says. “14 years down the road is where our youngest learners are going to be graduating.” With this in mind, the district recognizes the importance of forward-thinking strategies. “You always have to be trying to think ahead. It takes time to change, so you want to try to be really thoughtful and analytical about where you invest your time and your resources,” maintains Cady.

The district’s early adoption of artificial intelligence exemplifies this approach. “This is something we’ve tried to be a leader on, but in a way that’s also very thoughtful. We have ethical guidelines for students and teachers in terms of the use of AI. Those are things that we published last year, and I don’t think that that’s very common to have that in place yet,” Cady remarks, sharing that the district has partnered with two different Tech Ed AI companies.

“We’ve been on the ground floor with them, so we have a lot of influence in terms of the design of those tools,” he adds. Currently most of the focus is on using AI to enhance teachers’ practices. “What we’ve found early on is that artificial intelligence systems can really automate some things that would take teachers hours and hours to do. So, there are some opportunities there to free them up to spend more time on things that are really impactful for kids.”

Of course, the district is aware that students are already integrating AI into their learning and will continue to do so. “We also have to recognize the truth, especially when you’re talking about middle and high school kids, that they are already deeply using ChatGPT and other technologies of that nature. You can put your head in the sand and pretend it’s not happening, or you can try to be more forward-thinking. This is going to be part of the reality that we live in,” stresses Dr. Cady.

Extracurricular Engagement

Extracurricular opportunities are plentiful at Pewaukee Schools, as Athletic Activities Director, Jeff Behrens outlines, “At the high school level we offer  different sports, and we have 32 different clubs that are grouped into three categories of service – clubs, competitive activities and social clubs.” He underscores the importance of student involvement, stating, “About 85% of our students at the high school level are involved in something. We strive for 100% because we know that when kids are involved in something, their likelihood of having a successful, positive experience at the high school level is much more likely to happen.”  Inclusion is a priority, and the district surveys students at the end of the school year to see if there are areas of interest not currently offered.

Behrens elaborates on the athletic program, illustrating, “Our athletic mission statement at the high school is to simply build better people through the athletic experiences. Athletics involves so many people and so many passions, whether it’s the actual students, the parents, the community, or visiting community members. So, we really take an approach at looking at all of our game day experiences, and how we can make it a great experience for everybody involved.”

The core principles guiding the athletic program are -to compete, to commit, to connect, to contribute and to care. He states, “Everything is kind of centered around those core principles. It’s really what we do, it’s what we’re about, and it allows us to define our program beyond wins and losses.”

However, the district is not without accomplishments, as Behrens touts, “I would put our athletic department up against any athletic department in the state. We’ve had 15 different teams go to state in the last four years.”

The department itself was recently honored with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Quality Program Assessment (QPA) Award at the exemplary level, making Pewaukee the first school in Wisconsin to receive this recognition. “It’s essentially the highest award that an athletic department can get in the country,” Behrens says.

“The way I look at it is, this award really illustrates that we’re doing things well, not just accomplishing awards and accolades at the end of the season. It’s about how we do things and why we do things, not necessarily the outcome. So, we’re really proud of that.”

Facilities and Long-Term Planning

When it comes to planning for the future, John Gahan, Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations, says, “We have over $200 million worth of facilities, and our responsibility is to maximize the community’s investment.” To accomplish this, the district conducts an annual assessment to inform its long-range capital improvement plan, which is presented to the school board. This ensures that the Board of Education is well-informed about upcoming projects and maintenance needs.

Gahan notes, “When it does get to the point where we have a capital referendum, our community has been very supportive. In the past 12 years, we’ve passed three referendums in the district for close to $80 million worth of improvements to our facilities that have been completed.”

Along with ongoing maintenance and upgrades, the district is committed to sustainability, including energy efficiency. The benefits are evident in a 2018 HVAC upgrade which Gahan reports was able to reduce energy consumption by 23%, a savings that has been maintained even as the district’s facilities grew by 30%.

Looking Ahead

Moving forward, Dr. Cady says Pewaukee School District’s top priorities include continuing with facility upgrades, specifically an ongoing renovation of the high school’s Career, Technical Education, Art, and Physical Education spaces, to create a state-of-the-art STEAM innovation center. The district will also maintain its focus on literacy, particularly in light of new statewide laws.

Overall, he says, “We’re trying to make sure that we continue to deliver high quality programs, maximizing that sustainability side, and making sure we’re as efficient as possible so that we can continue to provide the best experiences for students.”

AT A GLANCE

Pewaukee School District

What: An innovative 4K to 12 School District

Where: Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Website: https://wi01819897.schoolwires.net/