It started with an e-mail in mid-November:  “Texas cat located near you.  E-mail me for details.”  Pam Watzka, our Office Manager, thought, “Another scam - a new twist to the ‘free puppies to a good home - e-mail me for details’ scam.”  She pressed “Delete”.

The majority of last Monday's Denmark School Board meeting was spent analyzing and discussing this year's Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School District Report Cards. District Director of Teaching Lance Grishaber provided an in-depth presentation on the 2024-2025 results, what they mean and how they will be used.

During last Monday's Denmark School Board meeting, two new classes were presented for the 2026-2027 school year. Board members were asked to review, and ultimately approved, a retooled Personal Finance class as well as a brand new course--Global Issues in Agriculture.

For more than ten years, the Mishicot FFA chapter has played an important role in helping provide holiday meals for families in need within the community. This effort began when FFA partnered with the Snack Pack Program under the leadership of Zach Sand and Heather Baugniet. Their shared goal was to ensure families had access to meals and support during challenging times.

Mishicot School District Superintendent Cory Erlandson is focused on one main goal this year: ensuring every student achieves one year of academic growth. The district uses tools such as IXL, AimsWeb, and Progress Learning to track progress and provide targeted interventions when students need extra support.

On Tuesday, December 16, the Mishicot Elementary School had its annual holiday concerts directed by Mrs. Deb Mueller. The concerts were based on “Holidays at the Movies” and featured songs from well-known holiday movies.

On December 16, 2025, Mishicot High School senior Kensington Rosenow scored her 1,000th point against Sheboygan South. Rosenow went into the night needing to score 17 points. She scored her 1,000th point in the last three minutes of the game, shooting her three-point shot from the volleyball line. Rosenow ended the game scoring 21 points.

In August, we reported on a number of issues residents of the Olympic Village mobile home community had been experiencing in the midst of an expansion project that is set to double the number of units on the site. Residents at the time cited safety concerns, unfair pricing practices and overall issues with management leading to a deteriorating quality of life in the community.

Recently, downtown Denmark gained a brand new business aimed at offering patrons a range of professional beauty services as well as a "customized beauty experience". Founded and operated by cosmetologist Stella Schley, the Stella Siren Beauty Bar opened its doors in the former home of Dave's Hometown Haircare in October promising to bring "big-city beauty to small-town charm".

Next month, the Denmark Community Cupboard will be one of six organizations to receive much-needed funds through a one-of-a-kind event that fuses healthcare, the arts and community. This year's Doctors in Recital performance will take the stage at the Weidner Center on January 24 with an array of local physicians lending their musical talents to raise funds for deserving organizations and programs.

On Saturday morning, the acclaimed Kris Kringle braved the bitter cold to make his annual appearance with the Denmark FFA. Claus, who is of course accustomed to the frigid temperatures, joined the FFA and a number of his young fans for this year’s Movie with Santa in the Denmark High School (DHS) cafeteria and Performing Arts Center (PAC).

Last Monday, the Denmark Performing Arts Center was filled with people and the holiday spirit as the Denmark Middle School (DMS) and Denmark High School (DHS) presented back-to-back winter concerts. Over two musical hours, hundreds of talented students delighted audiences with a number of Christmas classics as well as a variety of other holiday tunes.

During the week of December 1-5, the Denmark High School Student Council rallied their peers to give back to their community this holiday season. The Student Council hosted its annual Toy Drive in which any donations would be distributed around the community. The four classes competed rigorously to donate the most toys. In the end, the seniors won with 86 toys. Overall, the Student Council received 174 donations.

On Saturday, the Denmark American Legion Johnson-Hershman Post 363 hosted this year's district level of the Legion's High School Oratorical Scholarship Competition at Denmark High School (DHS). That morning, two DHS students competed by each presenting two timed speeches on subjects relating to the United States Constitution. The Denmark News stopped by to learn more.

On Friday, the Maribel Lions Club welcomed its newest member with Riley Norman being sworn in during the organization’s annual Christmas Party at Gatherings 43! Pictured: (from left to right) Maribel Lions President Pat Hickey, Former Lions District Governor Shirley Dahlke, Lion Riley Norman and sponsor Lion Greg Charney. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Kralovetz)