The Connection
Educational Talent Search is located at the
University of Wisconsin-Stout – 13 Harvey Hall – Menomonie, WI 54751
(715) 232-5010 www.uwstout.edu/ets
Spring 2008 Edition
Tiny Frogs
...An inspirational summer note from the Director
ETS Staff
Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered
around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began....
Honestly, no one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the
top of the tower. You heard statements such as: "Oh, WAY too difficult!!" and
"They will NEVER make it to the top." Some even yelled, "Not a chance that they
will succeed. The tower is too high!"
The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one.... except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing
higher and higher....
The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No
one will make it!"
More tiny frogs got tired and gave up....
Kathleen Hirsch,
Director
hirschk@uwstout.edu
Jill Lewis,
Sr. Academic Advisor
lewisji@uwstout.edu
Dale Dahlke,
Academic Advisor
dahlked@uwstout.edu
Carolyn Mertz,
Academic Advisor
mertzc@uwstout.edu
But ONE continued higher and higher and higher....
This one wouldn't give up!
At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny
frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!
Then all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it. A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to
succeed and reach the goal. And as it turned out.... the winning frog was deaf!
The wisdom of this story is: Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative
or pessimistic because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away
from you -- the ones you have in your heart! Always think of the power words have
because everything you hear and read will affect your actions! Therefore, ALWAYS
be POSITIVE! And above all, let negative, pessimistic words fall on deaf ears!
For more information visit www.uwstout.edu/ets
Educational Talent
Search is a federally
funded TRiO Program
serving 700+ students
with $296,548 for the
2007-2008 school year.
Where oh where has the big
school year gone? Oh where
oh where could it be???
Hard to believe, the 2008 graduates are prepping for their final high school days, the eighth
graders are readying themselves for the big move to high school, and the “Stout Lady” is still
wondering where the school year went.
Wittenberg-Birnamwood
I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on some highlights and to thank students, teachers,
and administrative staff for yet another wonderful, worthwhile year.
School Year
in Review
By Jill Lewis
6th graders: Thank you for making teaching so fun. Your lighthearted attitude and excellent
behavior made teaching your grade a blast. I think my favorite teaching lessons were…team
building and careers.
7th graders: Wow-So many changes since last year. As a group, you are really growing up and
yet you have that willingness to be open to new ideas. My best moments in your grade was
“stressing” you out and teaching you how to cope with stress.
8th graders: I greatly appreciate the strides you are making to gear up for high school. Listening
to the excellent questions as you put together the rough draft of your high school courses made
me realize how serious most of you are about best preparing yourself for life beyond high
school.
9th graders: Unbelievable are those moments in Mr. Krolow’s class where I look out and watch
you start to understand that being an individual is “OKAY”. I love teaching you about the links
between personality traits, skill interests, and careers.
10th graders: As a teacher, there is great value in watching students take ownership of their education. I love taking the field trip to
the University of Wisconsin Green Bay because I watch many of you come to the realization that education after high school will be
an important thing to make happen.
11th graders: Unreal!! As a group, I have come so close to many of you because of the time spent prepping for the ACT and UWStout field trip. It has been a heartwarming year that I will cherish for a long time. I am so THANKFUL that I get to teach and learn
from you for another year.
12th graders: It is with mixed emotions that I send you this last newsletter. While I am excited for your future education and life
experiences, it saddens me to think you will not be roaming the high school halls. I will actually
miss the many college questions, sharing of future plans, and helping you figure out the major
amounts of paperwork. I would wish you luck for next year, but I know you do not need it because you have something much better then luck…you have plans, visions and dreams. I truly be-
Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School Juniors take “ACTion” on the ACT
Second Annual ACT Group Prep Conquers the Fears and Phobias of the ACT Test
Last year, a pilot group of Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School (WBHS) juniors broke the school record for the having the best
average ACT score. For the first time ever…these group of juniors beat the national average ACT score and met the state
score. While we know these are a bunch of really smart students, we also know that the majority were part of the devoted Educational Talent Search ACT learning group that spent three months doing ACT prepping.
After reading the evaluations and seeing such a positive outcome from last year’s ACT group prep pilot program, ETS decided to
make this an annual event. Over thirty junior students accepted this year’s challenge of getting ready for the ACT by joining the
“ACTion” ACT group.
(ACT con’t) This dedicated group started in January by focusing on the reading and writing portions of the ACT. The WBHS ACTion
group spent a half day taking computerized tests, analyzing their scores, and learning test taking strategies. Over the month of January, they devoted a set amount of time to reviewing the parts of the ACT they most needed help on. The beauty of this learning group
was their decision to sign self or study-buddy contracts to reinforce a weekly habit of studying the results of their practice test. In February, the ACTion ACT group repeated these steps for the ACT Science and Math tests. After a month of math and science focus, the
group was brought back together one last time and given another ACT practice test on paper.
While the test results are not in from April’s ACT test, the group comments show that practice really helps strategize and build confidence for taking the ACT. The time spent learning from one another added knowledge and made it much more fun to learn! Sophomores, take note….ACT prep time will be here before you know it. If you want to get a jump start by taking “ACTion” on the ACT,
talk to your Educational Talent Search person to find out how to access the practice tests through WisCareers.
Climbing Night Fun by Carolyn Mertz
Do you KnowHow2GO?
On February 26th 13
ETS students from
Menomonie Middle
School participated in
the 2nd annual Climb
Your Way to Success
event. This jam-packed
event was held at Stout
Adventures and focused
on leadership, teamwork, and goal-setting with students
climbing- literally- their way to success atop a 30 foot indoor climbing wall. Way to climb to new heights!
…to college that is! According to the US Dept of
Education, 80% of middle and high school students want to go to college, but many of them
don’t know how to find the help or resources to
get there. The KnowHow2GO campaign presents four steps that young people should take
now to prepare for college:
Be a pain
Push yourself
Find the right fit
Put your hands on some cash
Go to KnowHow2GOWisconsin.org to find out
what these four steps are all about!
Looking for more information about the ETS Program
and what we offer? Check
out www.uwstout.edu/ets
Educational Talent Search
University of Wisconsin-Stout
13 Harvey Hall
Menomonie, WI 54751
1st Class Mail
US Postage Paid
Menomonie, WI
54751
Permit 5
Our Mission:
Educational Talent Search empowers students to make informed decisions on education by
connecting school success with career choices.
A raft that floats your boat!
Juniors working hard to prepare for the ACT
A winning smile
An Exciting Year at Menomonie High School