OSHKOSH, Wis. — Menominee Elementary School has been open for less than a year. This weekend, the community attended an open house to see what the new school has to offer.
Beth Galeazzi has been a principal for more than a decade. She had a hand in nearly every aspect of Menominee Elementary School’s creation. She said it will give the students many opportunities to succeed.
“This school really represents so many opportunities for the students,” Galeazzi said. “Most of our kids were in buildings that were over 100 years old, so having a new facility for them and the technology it brings, the collaborative spaces it brings will, I think, continue to help them love coming to school and that will support their academic growth.”
Galeazzi said the school is built on tribal land. It’s why those involved in its creation chose to honor the Menominee tribe with the naming of the school and its mascot, a blue jay. The bird is revered by the Menominee people.
“We were very cognizant when planning for Menominee Elementary that we wanted it to fit into the neighborhoods, the setting and near the landscaping of the area,” Galeazzi said. “The building runs along the line of the lake, and then in the front of the building, you'll see a lot more blues. As we head more into the neighborhoods, just like we're in the neighborhood of Menominee Elementary, you will see more greens.”
One of Galeazzi’s favorite parts about the school are its classrooms. She said there are many additions to help students learn better.
“In between the classrooms, you'll see that we have a door or a patio sliding door that opens up so teachers and students can move between the classrooms,” she said. “Which works really great when we're doing different small group instruction, along with being able to move into the neighborhood collaborative spaces for instruction.”
There are nearly 600 students enrolled in kindergarten through fifth grade. Galeazzi said she is excited to see what the rest of the year has in store.
“My goal is just to make a strong tradition of Menominee, where kids love to learn, where they are curious, and where we teach them to be resilient so we can build off of the traditions from the past as we look forward,” Galeazzi said.