Pines district earns 4-star state rating

The Northland Pines Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting two weeks ago and one of the key discussion topics was the latest report card results from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

The report cards are produced annually for every publicly funded school and district in the state and the Northland Pines School District received an overall score of 71.8, which earned a four-star rating of Exceeds Expectations.

Report cards include data for multiple school years across four priority areas: achievement, growth, target group outcomes, and on track levels to graduation.

The district as a whole not only earned its four-star rating, but the scores in each category were higher than in the 2023-24 report cards. Two of the district’s seven schools, Eagle River Middle and High School and the Montessori Learning Center, earned marks that were well above the district average.
Compared to other school districts in the region, the Pines score was just behind that of the school district in Three Lakes, but was substantially higher than school districts in Phelps, Lakeland and Rhinelander. The report cards and scoring process are governed by state law, and according to the Department of Public Instruction, provide transparency to hold school districts accountable for how well they educate students.

During the meeting, Northland Pines District Administrator Scott Foster shared some comments about the scoring process which he said can make it difficult for the public to fairly compare the report card results, but said that he is pleased with overall results.

“I am very proud of this district,” he said, “as we went from Meets Expectations to Exceeds Expectations which is where we want to be. This community deserves for us to have a high number and we are going to work to keep doing that.”

Foster also commented on the staff and student efforts that fueled the higher report card scores.

“Our staff really holds itself to high accountability levels. They are caring about kids and preparing them for life in addition to teaching them how to read, write and do math. And our students are the ones who work hard at learning and have to take these (assessment) tests. The staff and leadership team in front of you tonight have got us headed in the right direction.”

Sue McKay, director of Teaching and Learning for the Pines school district, walked the board members through report card highlights, including the fact that 60.8% of third grade students in the district have been tested to read at grade level while the statewide average is 50.3%. She also shared that the district is well above state averages in the categories of achievement and on track levels to graduation.

Cheeto the therapy dog

On a separate topic, the board heard from Gretchen Mattson, who shared the podium with her certified therapy dog named Cheeto. Mattson is a dog trainer and former school teacher of 25 years. She also currently serves as a substitute teacher in the district and shared some of her recent experiences bringing Cheeto to Eagle River Elementary School to help uplift students.

Since her last visit, Cheeto has been certified by the Alliance of Therapy dogs and Mattson hopes to expand opportunities for more students to have access to the benefits of time with a therapy dog.

“My passion is children, teens, and young people in general,” Mattson told the school board.

Part of the passion she says is in the field of mental health where she feels therapy dogs can play a role in bringing joy and hope to young people with life struggles such as depression.

“Therapy dogs like Cheeto can make a significant difference in the school setting by providing emotional support and comfort to young people,” she said. “These dogs help create a calming atmosphere and reduce stress among students which can enhance their learning experience.”

Mattson invited the principals in the district to reach out to her for the possibility of having Cheeto visit students at each location. As she closed her formal presentation, Foster provided supportive comments regarding the amount of work and training required by Mattson and by Cheeto to become certified, and the value for students who have the opportunity to engage with therapy dogs.

Following brief reviews of administrative reports, the school board then went into closed session before adjourning.

The next regular meeting is scheduled on Monday, Dec.15, at 6 p.m. in the large group instruction room at Northland Pines Middle and High School.