The Kaukauna Area School District gathered with community members to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Kaukauna Middle School at 6 p.m. June 8, on the future middle school’s site. Around 150 students, staff, board members and others were in attendance of the ceremony.
The ceremony commenced with remarks from school district leaders and students. Before speaking in front of the crowd, superintendent Mike Slowinski spoke to The Post-Crescent about the significance of this celebration.
“Our community made a promise to our students, for the future and for decades to come,” Slowinski said. “[I’m] just very excited to celebrate that today.”
Between remarks was a performance of the National Anthem, directed by Mr. Michael Vanderscheuren. The River View Middle School Jazz Band performed the rendition and ended with loud applause from the crowd.
Another speaker was student Ryen Askri. A current River View Middle School representative, the incoming sixth grader spoke of his future at the new middle school. If building goes to plan, Askri’s class will be the first eighth graders to attend Kaukauna Middle School.
“I’m so excited for this new school because it will be modern and more accessible for everyone,” said Askri in his speech to the crowd. “I hope that this middle school is not only a place for academic success but also a place to feel safe and meet lifelong friends.”
Askri then, with his fellow middle school representatives, Elias Behling and Ava Verkuilen, participated in the legacy rock placement, an homage to the current sixth, but future eighth grade class that will eventually walk the newly built hallways.
Once completed, the conclusion to the ceremony was the ceremonial shovel turn, where a combination of twelve teachers, leaders, board members and coordinators of the project officially marked the milestone of building the new middle school.
The path to progress: a voter-approved referendum
The new middle school is one of several projects included in the Nov. 3, 2024 voter-approved referendum. This specific project is the $169.2 million replacement for the former River View Middle School. Focused on renovating spaces in the district, the need to fit a growing school system was one of the driving priorities.
“We are incredibly grateful to our community for their support of the November 2024 referendum,” Slowinski said in a press release. “This groundbreaking represents a shared investment in the future of our students and our community. We are excited to celebrate this milestone together as we begin construction on a middle school that will serve Kaukauna students for many generations.”
Construction progress and updates on the project can be found at kaukauna.k12.wi.us/district/project-update
Emma Johnson is the Appleton Post-Crescent’s summer intern. Reach her at ejohnson@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Kaukauna begins construction on new middle school
Reporting by Emma Johnson, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
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By Emma Johnson, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
