Granton School Board
Named Honored Citizens
 

Granton School Board Named Honored Citizens

The Granton Area School Board was named this year’s Granton Fall Festival Honored Citizens.
Board members include (front, l-r) Theresa Hasz, Cheryl Steinbach,  (back, l-r) Paul Knoff, Doug Eichten and Dennis Kuehn.
Submitted photo.

 

By Valorie Brecht  

People often say that the school is the lifeblood of the community, and many Granton residents would likely agree that’s true for their village. That makes the work of year’s Granton Fall Festival Honored Citizens all the more important, and they are being recognized for the support and guidance they have brought to the Granton Area School District.

The Granton Rotary Club has named the Granton School Board as this year’s Honored Citizens.

“We had no nominations this year, so we thought we would select the school board for all the thing they did to help with the pandemic and keep school running. Everyone thought it was a great idea,” said club’s secretary Chip Chadwick.

The board members, their approximate length of time on the board include Theresa Hasz, president, 20 years; Dennis Kuehn, vice-president, 20 years, Paul Knoff, 11 years; Doug Eichten, clerk, eight years and Cheryl Steinbach, one year.

“We were surprised to be nominated and selected. We’re very honored and humbled,” Hasz said, speaking on behalf of the board.

“It is a big honor; there are a lot of realty deserving people in Granton,” said Eichten.

The board will be recognized at the Granton Fire Station this Friday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. at the queen coronation. Also recognized will be Arlene Beilke, last year’s honored citizen, as there was no Fall Fest last year. The board will also have a spot reserved for them in the parade.

Hasz said the biggest decision the board had to make in relation to the pandemic was how to offer instruction.

“The decision that we made, which I feel was right for our district, was to keep school in person bur also offer online learning. It was a compromise, but the best thing for our students. We wanted to make sure our students had the opportunities they needed to learn,” she said.

Hasz did not grow up in Granton; however, her kids attended school in Granton.

“I love the family atmosphere and wanted to continue that,” she said.

After a position on the board opened up due to a resignation, Hasz was selected and has been on the board ever since.

Hasz said one of her favorite parts of being on the board is “seeing the impact of what we can do for students in the community.”  

For example, she has enjoyed seeing kids take part in the PAWS [Positive attitude + Work= Success] Program. With PAWS, students work in groups spanning all grade levels to complete community service projects like a fall cleanup and to participate in fun activities. The high school students get to interact with younger students who may no have older siblings, and guild positive relationships with them.

“It's some of the things that a bigger school can’t do. We’re giving things that kids might not get at home. And they get to give back to the community. It’s nice for them to be able to give back to the people who really support them,” said Hasz.

Eichten chose to run for school board after being asked by several teachers at school to do so. He said he’s always been a big believer in the school to district and wanted to support it. Over the past several years being on the board, a few highlights stood out.

“The decision to have in-person school, I’m really proud of that. I’m proud of all our decisions to maintain the school and staff we have. We have a great group of people that are really like a big family. They get along with each other and everyone knows everyone.

“The remodel of the pool was also a big deal, how the community rallied around to support it. I’m very proud of that,” he said.

Knoff had similar thoughts as the other school board members. He is a Granton alumnus, having graduated in 1995. He chose to run for the school board as a way to serve the community.

“Public service was always engrained in Granton students by the FFA and the community in general. I’ve always loved the quote from Teddy Roosevelt that says it’s not the critic that counts, but the person in the arena. In other words, it’s pretty easy to sit on the sidelines and lob criticism at people, it’s much more difficult to actually do the work. The Granton community has always been extremely supportive and proud of their school. It is an honor to do some of the work on their behalf,” he said.

Some of the things he finds rewarding about being on the board are seeing students succeed and finding ways to keep the district viable for the students who benefit from the small, close-knit atmosphere.

“More recently, I’ve found it rewarding discussing how we can further compensate our great staff and seeing a new crop of young parents getting involved and taking ownership of the future of the school,” he said.

Knoff said the school board being named the Honored Citizens came as a surprise to him too.

“Not to be coy, but it doesn’t seem like we’re deserving. The importance of the school board pales in comparison to that of the school staff and support staff, but that being said, it is nice to get recognized and it is an honor,” he said.

The Granton Area School Board has its regular meeting once a month, typically on the first Monday. Their next meeting will be this Monday, Sept. 13, at 6:45 p.m. in the central gym.

 

From the Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

September 8, 2021

Transcribed by Dolores Mohr Kenyon, September 8, 2021

Web page by James W. Sternitzky PhD, September 9, 2021.

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