St. Mary's School Marathon, Wisconsin - Excellence in Education

St. Mary's Past Events

Science Experiment: Eagles (Gr 2) and Eaglets (4K) did an experiment on solids turning to liquids. They talked about how everything is a solid, liquid, or gas. Solid is hard, liquid and gas fills the space, and gases are invisible.
All Saints Day: First graders learned about the saints and then chose their favorite saint to portray in the Parade of Saints in celebration of All Saints Day.
Packer Tailgate Party: Thank you to everyone that supported our Packer Tailgate Party. It was a tremendous success. God provided the beautiful day, businesses, parishioners, and families provided baskets, silent and regular auction items, monetary donations, Mrs. Martin and crew provided the delicious food, and a good time was had by all. St. Mary's School and Parish are blessed by your generosity.
Autumn Art Collages: The falling autumn leaves provided a wonderful sensory material for the second grade students to create beautiful autumnal collages with.
Silly Pumpkins: 4K students worked their fine motor muscles with stickers and pounding golf tees to make silly pumpkins!
Generosity Experiment: 4K students once again joined Grade 2 as they learned more about the virtue of Generosity. Our activity started out with a little Science experiment using an egg, water, and some salt. As the egg was placed in the water the students saw that it sank. They were asked to associate the sunken egg to a classmate or other student that was all alone out at recess. Next, students were asked what they could do to make that student feel better, as generous acts aren't always something physical that you give. Suggestions included a smile, asking them to play, talking to them, and giving them a hand. As each suggestion was made a spoonful of salt was added to the water. The more generous acts the more salt. Once salt was added and stirred in the students were amazed to see that once the egg was placed in the water again, IT FLOATED! The afternoon concluded with the second graders giving some of their time and reading stories to the 4kers.
Walk-a-Thon: Miss Baeseman organized a walk-a-thon to raise money for the Never Forgotten Honor Flight. The 3rd - 6th graders solicited pledges from family and friends. It was a special honor to have Bob Plant, Honor Flight veteran and his daughter, Mrs. Paul, who was his guardian on the Never Forgotten Honor Flight to help us kick off the walk-a-thon. Bob thanked them for the cards and letters they wrote for "Mail Call" on the flight home. We also were excited to have Jim Campbell, co-founder of the Never Forgotten Honor Flight, walk with the students to start the walk-a-thon. It was important for them to hear from the veterans themselves what an impact they make by raising money for this very important organization.
Wilke's Pumpkin Patch: 4K - 2nd graders enjoyed a day at Wilke's pumpkin patch. Even though the weather was brisk, they were bundled up and had a lot of fun and came home with their own special pumpkin.
Autumn Leaves: Some of God's most beautiful landscaping is during the months of Autumn when the leaves turn colors and are falling all around. Students enjoy the changing of the seasons and play in the leaves, enjoying God's beautiful gift.
AgCountry Donation: Thank you, AgCountry Farm Credit Services for the generous donation through the Giving and Growing Program and thank you to employees, Joe Murkowski and Amy Kramm, for helping to secure this gift.
8th Grade Night (VB): The 8th graders had their final home volleyball game and the 7th graders gave them a little good-bye/thank you gift. "We hope you guys will remember all the great memories that we shared together throughout this season, and we can't wait to play with you again in high school." Izzy and Taunna
"A Bushel and a Peck": The 2nd graders had a good time practicing their math facts while playing the game "A Bushel and a Peck".
Blessing of the Animals: With the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4th) also comes the blessing of our pets. Families bring their pets to be blessed by Father Joe.
Pumpkin Patch: God blessed us with a gorgeous day for the annual Pumpkin Patch. Special thanks to Kamenick Farms for the donation of pumpkins, gourdes and apples, and for the young men who harvested the pumpkins. Thanks to Suzie Martin, Ms. Cook, & crew for coming in to make delicious cinnamon rolls and bread. Thanks to all who donated items, to all who helped with set up, selling during the event, and clean up. We are very grateful for Kaci & Brian Sessions and family for chairing the Pumpkin Patch. Finally, thank you to all who came to support our fundraiser.
Scavenger Hunt: After finishing the book, “My Side of the Mountain” by Jean Craighead George in Literature class, 8th graders went on a scavenger hunt at the grounds of St. Anthony’s Spirituality Center.
Little Red Schoolhouse: The 4th graders look forward to going back in time to 1904 at the Little Red Schoolhouse. Thank you to the Marathon County Historical Society for providing this wonderful experience for our students.
Science 4K: 4K students explored their sense of touch in Science class. They could identify the objects that were hard, soft, rough and smooth.
Volleyball Parent's Night: Volleyball girls had the opportunity to thank their parents for all their support taking them to practices and games.
Art Class: Second graders learned the art technique of pointillism. They had a great time decorating their fall trees.
First Day of School: It was pretty special to capture a few of the staff/students on the first day of school.
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: In celebration of the birthday of Mary, Our Mother, students and staff attended Mass and brought cakes to share with the class.
Q4 Wrap Up: Another year has come to a close and we are proud of all that our students accomplished throughout the year. Congratulations to all on your hard work and successes.
Talent Show: The last day of school is filled with excitement and students have one more opportunity to show off their talents. The talent show ended with Layla, Rehgan and Paityn leading the whole school in the Cupid Shuffle.
Employee Recognition: St. Mary's is blessed with dedicated faculty and staff members. This year we celebrate the years of service of the following employees: Mr. Koch, principal - 5 years; Mrs. Hahn, 2nd grade teacher - 10 years; Mrs. Lenard, 3rd grade teacher - 20 years; and Mrs. Wilichowski, librarian - 25 years. Because of their dedication to Catholic education, St. Mary's remains a school of excellence.
8th Grade Graduation: We are proud to announce the 8th grade graduates of St. Mary's School. Congratulations to Sam Altenhofen, Briggs Baumann, Madalyn Blume, Logan Gore, Martin Gruetzmacher, Mylee Haehlke, Parker Hale, Luke Hoenisch, Nathan Hoenisch, Alex Kaiser, Anika Kolka, Javier Pintor, Lindsay Putnam, Leah Schulz, Taylor Schulz, Spencer Seubert, Blake Sternberg and Riley Werner. May the Lord always be your center, your guide and your protector.
Volunteer Appreciation: St. Mary's School is blessed with some pretty amazing volunteers. A volunteer appreciation Liturgy was held and after Mass students were outside cheering on our volunteers. Then volunteers were invited to school for a social and Bingo with some of our younger students. "A volunteer is a little pencil in the Hand of God, who is writing a love letter to the world." Mother Teresa

Service Day: Our 5th - 8th graders spent a morning doing services projects throughout the community and in Wausau. They had a great time, all while helping others. Check out the collage to see their handiwork.
Field Day 4K - 1st: : What do you do with 4K - 1st graders that are full of energy? You have a field day and let them run races to burn off the energy. You can tell by their faces that this was a favorite activity to cap off the year.
Track Grades 2 & 3: Tug-o-war, hurdles and other fun races made up the track meet for our 2nd and 3rd graders.
Retreat: 7th graders had the opportunity to go on retreat at St. Anthony's Spirituality Center. The focus of the retreat was on being leaders and good role models as 8th graders next year. Mr. Koch talked about leadership, Mrs. Meyering spoke about how words can help or hurt, while Mrs. Kind prayed the Stations of the Cross with the students. It was a wonderful morning of reflection.
Kids Heart Challenge: Mrs. Drexler organized the Kids Heart Challenge to raise money for the American Heart Association. It was a beautiful day to show off their jump roping/hula hoop skills, all while raising $2000 for such a worthy cause. Great job, students!
Honor Flight Check Presentation: Jim Campbell and Mike Thompson, co-founders of the Never Forgotten Honor Flight, visited St. Mary's to receive the check in the amount of $5915 which was raised by the 3rd and 4th graders. The students had a chance to talk with them and learn a little about the Honor Flight.
Walk-a-thon: The 3rd and 4th graders had a Walk-a-thon to raise money for the Never Forgotten Honor Flight. In two hours time they walked a combined total of 916 laps, with Nathan Schroder walking the most laps with 43. They had a total of 116 pledges with three students, Parker Gage, Ryker Seubert, and Quinn Borchardt each getting 10 pledges. The two classes raised at total of $5,915 for the Never Forgotten Honor Flight, with Tucker Bohn raising the most amount of money at $1,196! We are so proud of our students and so very grateful to our veterans. Thank you to Miss Baeseman for organizing this worthwhile event.
Recycling: Thank you to Amanda and Eric Bohn for the presentation on recycling. Students received a tree and box from Graphic Packaging. They were able to plant the tree they were given inside of the decomposable box.
Science Experiment: The young scientists in 4K were watching flowers bloom! First they watched some folded flowers, that were made, bloom as they placed them in the water. Then they cut their own paper flowers, folded them, placing them in the water and watched them bloom.
Track Meet Grades 4 & 5: Fourth and fifth graders were invited to the Newman Track Meet. The students had a wonderful time testing out their running skills. We are grateful to Newman for the invitation and to Home and School for providing the bus.
Rosaries: 8th grade students enjoyed making rosaries for the 2nd graders. They had a social of donuts and juice and presented their gifts to the First Communicants. The 2nd graders felt pretty proud that the 8th graders would do such a thoughtful thing for them. This project was under the direction of Mrs. Meyering.
Rain Clouds: Mrs. Drexler had her students mezmerized as they made rain clouds out of water, shaving cream and food coloring. This was a cool science experiment for 4K students.
May Crowning: May is the month of Mary, our Blessed Mother. To honor her student representatives from each grade brought a rose up to place in the vase by the statue of Mary. Eighth graders, Leah and Taylor Schulz placed a floral crown on her head and second graders wore their First Communion clothes for the May Crowning.
First Holy Communion: Congratulations to St. Mary's 2nd graders who celebrated their First Holy Communion. May they always take the love of God with them wherever they go.
Adopt a Classroom: Employees from Menzner Hardwoods visited the Kindergarten classroom and read a story titled "Little Critter: The Green Green Garden", teaching them about Earth Day. Thank you to Menzner Hardwoods and United Way, Adopt a Classroom.
Grade 2 Retablos: Second Graders made retablos in preparation for their First Holy Communion. A retablo is a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. (Wikipedia)
Madison Field Trip: The 4th graders study Wisconsin and the highlight of their studies is being able to go on a field trip to Madison and tour the Capitol, the Historical Museum and then visit the Henry Vilas Zoo. We appreciate the tour guides, Home and School and Fischer Transportation for helping to make this trip possible.
CWES: Students in grades 5 and 8 had the opportunity to take an overnight field trip to the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station (CWES) and enjoy the outdoors while playing games, exploring and even watching the beavers in the lake. Thank you to the students of UW-Stevens Point for providing this educational experience.
Diocesan Awards: Congratulations to Mrs. Drexler who won the Early Childhood Educator of the Year award and Miss Schroeder who won the Middle School Educator of the Year award. Over the past three years, St. Mary’s staff has won six awards or one-third of the possible awards to win. Also, congratulations to the other staff members who were nominated: Mrs. Meyering for both the Saint Mother Teresa Award and Holy Family Award, Mrs. Eckardt for Support Staff of the Year, Miss Baeseman for Elementary Educator of the Year and Mrs. Borchardt for Middle School Educator of the Year.
Thank you to those that nominated staff members.
Seder Meal: A great tradition at St. Mary's is to celebrate the Seder Meal. The Seder is a traditional meal eaten on the first and second nights of Passover. The Seder is followed by lunch and Mass. It's a special day that 5K - 8th grade share together.

Track Records Broken: Eighth grader, Matt Annis was determined to break the school record in either the 100m or 400m run. His persistance paid off because he has set the new school record in both! Two new school records: 2019 Matt Annis 100M 11.84 (Previous record, 2006 Travis Schumacher 11.93) 2019 Matt Annis 400M 54.54 (Previous record, 2016 Aaron Schumacher 56.39). Matt also tied the school record of 9' 0" in the pole vault. That record was set by Preston Wirkus in 2012. Congratulations, Matt!
Military Presentation: Jake Salber is a military/history buff and over the years has attained uniforms and a lot of memorabilia. Jake has items from the Civil War, WWI, WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam. He enjoys re-enacting different scenarios and takes great pleasure in sharing these items with others. The students were fascinated by his collection. Jake involves his audience and helps them to learn about history by giving hands on demonstrations. Thank you, Jake for sharing this collection with us and helping us to understand history and the military. Seder Meal: During Holy Week we celebrate the Seder Meal together. This helps us to understand the Passover. Salt water, bitter herbs, matzah and fresh greens represent the tears of slavery, the exodus out of Egypt, freedom and new life. After the Seder we shared a meal together and then celebrated Holy Mass.
Minion Monday: Although Mother Nature kept cancelling our Catholic Schools Week plans, we persisted and finally were able to have a little fun with Minion Monday. Persistance pays off.
Kindness Day: St. Mary's May Kindness Team packed goody bags of Puppy Chow for our volunteers. After packing bags the students each received a certificate and a bag of treats themselves in appreciation for being good examples for others throughout the school. Kindness...start a ripple, create a wave. It begins with YOU. Thank you to all who sprinkle kindness throughout our school.