WiRSA Award Recipients 2023
● Support Staff Member of the Year: Jodi McMahon, North Lakeland
● Teacher of the Year: Jodi Resch Brownell, Crandon
● Principal of the Year: Shari Hougan, Riverdale
● Administrator of the Year: Kyle Luedtke, Sevastopol
● CESA Employee of the Year: Charlie Schneider, CESA 10
● Board Member(s) of the Year: Debra Nelson,River Valley; Cliff Gerbers, Gillett
● Community Partner of the Year: Chief Szvon Conway, Monticello
● Rural Advocacy of the Year: McFarlane Manufacturing, Sauk Prairie
MONTICELLO — Rural educators throughout Wisconsin have nominated their peers to be recognized by the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance (WiRSA), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping address the issues of rural school districts. These awards focus statewide attention on individuals, organizations, or businesses who have made outstanding contributions to their rural school district, community, and students.
The winners of these awards were announced at a luncheon on Monday, Oct. 23 at the Rural Schools Conference. This year’s conference theme is “Rural Schools and Communities — Stronger Together.” The conference was open to school administrators, board members, teachers, CESA employees, high education professionals, public library administrators, elected officials, and citizens interested in rural school and community issues.
More information on the conference can be found on our WiRSA website at wirsa.org.
The Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance (WiRSA) was formed to help rural school districts address the unique issues that affect rural schools as they seek to achieve the highest quality education for every student. Members include a cross-section of educators, school board members, rural community members, business leaders, and other concerned individuals who want a strong voice for rural education.
