By the time May 22nd rolls around, six Luxemburg-Casco students will have already had the thrill of being handed a diploma. Those seven students will be the first UW-Green Bay’s Rising Phoenix program graduates since Kewaunee County’s three high schools signed on to participate last year. Over 100 students in the state, including those from Marinette, Manitowoc, Green Bay, Mishicot, and Two Rivers, will graduate from UW-Green Bay with Associate’s degrees, allowing them to enter the next phase of their academic life as third-year students. Luxemburg-Casco students Bowie Bredael, Aleece Jandrain, James Nimmer, Chris VanderWielen, Savannah Bailey, and Morgan Westlund will be among them. As they took their high school classes, students enrolled in the Rising Phoenix program took college-level courses, earning approximately 60 credits towards their Bachelor’s degree. Luxemburg-Casco School District Director of Learning Services Mike Snowberry says it will allow those students to enter their program areas sooner at a substantial savings.
Even with students having to pay for approximately two-thirds of the credits opposed to the free ride the Class of 2024 received thanks to a grant, Snowberry says the Class of 2025 from Luxemburg-Casco more than doubled to 17 students. The Rising Phoenix celebration for the students will take place on May 10th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the UW-Green Bay- Manitowoc campus before they participate in the spring commencement ceremony at the Kress Events Center on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
The district also celebrates its youth apprentices at a signing day special ceremony on Thursday. Caleb Delebreau (Sheet Metal Fabricating), Max Ronsman (Plumbing), and Tanner Veeser (Plumbing) will continue their apprentice work at Tweet/Garot in Green Bay after going through NEWYA the past year.
