School Notes: March 8

Wisconsin Hills students compete in spelling bee

Two Wisconsin Hills Middle School students competed in the regional spelling bee held at Wauwatosa's Longfellow Middle School on Feb. 18.

Seventh-grader Kalina Zhong finished third and eighth-grader Iman Nadeem finished eighth out of 29 participants from public and private schools in Brookfield, Elm Grove, New Berlin, Shorewood, West Allis and Wauwatosa.

The bee lasted nearly 26 ½ hours and concluded with the two top spellers, Rishil Mehta, an eighth-grader at New Berlin Eisenhower, and Hannah Dion-Kirschner, an eighth-grader at Longfellow, battling it out into round 22, when Dion-Kirschner misspelled "masala" and Mehta spelled "alchemy" correctly. Mehta then spelled "scherzo" correctly to become the official champion and the region's representative at the state spelling bee, to be held March 20 at Edgewood College in Madison.

Nutrition tips to be offered at Burleigh on March 23

Learn healthy tips to feed your family right at the presentation "Raising Healthy Families: Nutrition Tips You Can Count On: Infancy Until School Age" from 6:30 to 8 p.m. March 23 at Burleigh Elementary School, 16185 Burleigh Place, Brookfield.

Julie Slicker, a pediatric registered dietitian from Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, will present the program, which is part of an ongoing series of free events for parents of preschoolers offered by the Elmbrook Early Childhood Program.

For information, e-mail Pat Barina at barinap@elmbrookschools.org.

Parents invited to get involved in educational network

The Elmbrook Parent Network is seeking members and volunteers to join in providing educational programs and resources to parents.

Join the group at 9:30 a.m. March 23 at Panera Bread, 2095 N. Calhoun Road, Brookfield, to learn how you can become involved. Complimentary coffee and bagels will be served.

For information, e-mail parentnetwork@elmbrookschools.org.

Heritage Christian names new superintendent

Heritage Christian Schools, which has an elementary campus at 1275 Elm Grove Road in Brookfield, has hired Wendall Harris as its superintendent.

Harris has a master's degree in educational administration from North Texas University, and has more than 30 years of teaching, coaching and administrative experience in Christian education, according to a news release from the school. He has served as superintendent for Christian schools in Minnesota and Texas.

Harris, Heritage's third superintendent in 37 years, will replace Mark MacKay, who will become principal of the high school.

Honor society's doors now open to Brookfield Academy

The Cum Laude Society has granted Brookfield Academy a charter, which allows the academy's upper school to nominate students for membership in the academic honor society.

Student seminar tackles health care reform topics

Brookfield Academy will host a student seminar on health care reform from 8:15 a.m. to noon Friday in Patriots Hall, 3460 N. Brookfield Road.

The seminar will feature local and national speakers who will lead discussions about various aspects of the debate over health care reform and related health industry topics.

Three keynote speakers will begin and end the morning seminar with the following presentations: Dr. Donald C. Harrison, "Opportunities Ahead for U.S. Health Care: Quality, Cost and Access;" Dr. Roberta Herzberg, "What Happened to the Health Care Debate? An Analysis of the Politics of Health Care Reform;" and Matt Strong, "Crazy Pills: The Economic Illogic of Health Care Reform."

Between keynote presentations, breakout sessions will cover myriad health-related topics, including biomedical engineering, medical innovation, robotic surgery, the history of U.S. health care, the fine arts and medicine, insurance industry perspectives on health care reform, tort reform/medical malpractice and career paths in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, fitness and physical therapy.

Brookfield Academy opens summer school registration

Brookfield Academy is now enrolling students in its Summer Days summer school program.

Course offerings and registration forms are available at brookfieldacademy.org. Online registration and payment is available. Call (262) 783-3200 to request a printed catalog of course offerings.

Education foundation serving pie for pi day

Fans of pie and pi can join the Elmbrook Education Foundation for a celebration of Pi Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Discovery World, 500 N. Harbor Drive, Milwaukee.

Win a prize by reciting the irrational number pi to a further decimal place than other competitors, make a pi bracelet or key chain, get a pi tattoo and more.

The Elmbrook Education Foundation will hold a pie sale, sponsored by WaterStone Bank, with proceeds benefiting the foundation.

The museum's regular exhibits will be open.

Mention the Elmbrook Education Foundation and receive admission to Discovery World for $10 per person. For information, visit www.elmbrookeducationfoundation.com.

Eighth-graders' video helps them win cash for college

Pilgrim Park Middle School eighth-graders Akshaya Trivedi, Mihir Trivedi and Archit Baskaran took third place in a recent video contest sponsored by EdVest and KnowHow2GoWisconsin.

The students' video depicted one of them going door to door for donations to pay for college. Each of them will get a $500 scholarship deposited into an EdVest college savings account.

Videos were submitted by seventh- through 10th-graders statewide. Submissions needed to demonstrate one of KnowHow2GoWisconsin's four steps to college:

• Be a pain - Tell everyone you know that you're going to college and need their help.

• Push yourself - Study hard and get good grades.

• Find the right fit - Find out what kind of school is the best match for you and your career goals.

• Put your hands on some cash - If you think you can't afford college, think again. There's lots of aid out there.

The first-place winner of the contest was James Oldenburg, a seventh-grader from Madison, who won a $1,000 scholarship.

For information or to view the winning videos, visit KnowHow2GoWisconsin.org.

Seminar helps parents learn about brain development

Dr. Ken Winters, director of the center for adolescent substance abuse, will present "The Teen Years: A Time-Limited Brain Disorder" at 6:15 p.m. March 18 at the Steinhafel's Furniture Community Room, N1013 County Road F, Waukesha.

The seminar, hosted by Waukesha County Drug-Free Communities, is designed to give parents a holistic view of teenage brain development. Attendees will learn about new science about brain development, the impact of drugs and alcohol on the brain and the important role of parents in supporting healthy brain development.

Winters, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota and a member of the National Organization on Effective Treatment for Adolescents, will take questions after the presentation.

For more information or to reserve a space, contact Tracy Mitchell at tmitchel@waukesha.k12.wi.us or call (262) 524-8677.

Elmbrook offers health care education scholarships

Waukesha County students pursuing educational degrees in health care are invited to apply for one of 15 $1,000 scholarships from Elmbrook Memorial Hospital.

The scholarships must be used for tuition or educational purposes in a health career program. To be eligible, applicants must be county residents who are enrolled in an accredited college or university or a high school senior accepted by an accredited school.

The application deadline is March 17. The scholarship is renewable, but recipients must re-apply each year.

Applications also are being accepted for the $1,000 John O. Grade, M.D., Scholarship, which is available to graduate students pursuing medical careers, including veterinary medicine. The application deadline is March 17.

Applications for both scholarships may be obtained by calling (262) 785-2034 and leaving your name and mailing address.

East's chamber choir part of television music special

In October, Brookfield East High School's chamber choir, under the direction of Mary Bigus, recorded with nationally acclaimed composer Tim Janis for his "Celebrate America" musical special, which will air at 7 p.m. March 18 on Wisconsin Public Television.

The special brings together 13 Wisconsin high school choirs. It is intended to highlight the youth of America by joining communities with music that inspires.

Dig out the wedding regalia for club's fundraiser

Join the Elm Grove Woman's Club for its third ladies night out to benefit Fairview South School.

Get glamorous with your favorite ladies in the bridesmaid or mother-of-the-bride/-groom dress you wish the bride had picked out for you, or come in the outlandish outfit she actually did pick out for you at the "27 Dresses" theme party from 6 to 9 p.m. May 6.

The cost is $20 per person. Admission includes boutique shopping, appetizers, a raffle ticket and live music. A cash bar will be available.

Reserve your spot starting April 1 by calling Sue at (262) 781-9464.

Sign up now to take April ACT

Students planning to take the ACT on April 10 must register by Friday.

Registration forms for the college admission and placement exam are available in high school counseling offices. The forms must be postmarked by Friday.

Students may also register online at actstudent.org. The Web site has additional information, free sample items and options for ordering test preparation materials.

The cost of the ACT test, without the optional writing test, is $32. When combined with the writing test, the cost is $47. Students who qualify may apply for a fee waiver through their high school counselor.

Late registration is available Sunday through March 19 for an extra $21 fee.

School Notes submissions must be received at least two Wednesdays prior to the publication date. Send them to

idebruin@cninow.com.