WiRSA State Conference 2025 OVERVIEW - (In Progress) 

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

• Registration / Vestibule (Map Location Link) (3:00 - 6:30 PM)

• Welcome Reception / Commons (Map Location Link) (7:00 - 8:30 PM)

Thursday, October 30, 2025 (7:00 AM - 12:00 PM) -  Registration / Vestibule (Map Location Link) 

• Breakfast Buffet (7:15 - 8:30 AM) - Expo Center - (Map Location Link)

• Welcome - (8:00 - 8:25 AM) - DPI - Expo Center

• General Session (8:30 - 9:40 AM) - Expo Center

  • Keynote - Mark Mambretti (8:30 - 9:40 AM)

    • Mark Mambretti

  • Exhibitor Time now and throughout the day

Breakout Session #1 - (10:00 -10:50 AM)

• Spruce 1 - The Human Advantage: Preparing Rural Students for a Workforce Shaped by AI

• Evergreen 2 - Rooted in Rural Referendum Results

• Stonefield 3 - Better Together: Building Vibrant Community Engagement Through Collaborative Partnerships

• Woodland 4 - Hodag Readiness – Creation of Career Academies in Rural High Schools

• Sands 5 - Auction Items / Available for Meetings / Discussions

• Frontier 6 - Administrators that Lead: Empowering Student Services for Student Success

• Harvest 7 - Creative Restructuring of Student Services in a Rural Environment

• Trillium 8 - Open room for meetings/phone calls, etc.

  • Exhibitor Time now and throughout the day

Breakout Session #2 - (11:00 - 11:50 AM)

• Spruce 1 - Voucher Transparency for Rural Districts: Accountability in Action

• Evergreen 2 -  If a Mouse was your boss

• Stonefield 3 - Strategic Planning: Progress Without the Pain

• Woodland 4 - The Science of GRiT: Building Resilient, Future-Ready Students in Rural Schools

• Sands 5 - Auction Items / Available for Meetings / Discussions

• Frontier 6 - “Project 180 – Students Making a Difference, A Multi-District Collaboration”

• Harvest 7 - Sharing K-12 Teachers, Courses, and Educational Programming Through Distance Education Partnerships

• Trillium 8 - Open room for meetings/phone calls, etc.

Lunch | Sandstone - (12:00 - 1:00 PM)

1. Special Posthumous Recognition Honor - Mark “Gus” Gustafson

2. CESA Employee of the Year - Heather Fish (CESA 5)

3. Support Staff Person of the Year - Judy Makovec (Riverdale School District)

4. Teacher of the Year - Julie Korish - (School District of Turtle Lake)

5. Advocacy Award - Lexi Allen - (Rhinelander School District)

6. Principal of the Year - Erika Steweart - (Clinton Community School District)

7. Administrator of the Year - Mitch Wainwright - (Mineral Point School District)

8. School Board of Education Member of the Year - Gerald Roethel - (Westby School District)

9. Community Partner of the Year - Ronald and Joyce Wanek Foundation & Ashley Furniture Industries

• Exhibitor Time now and throughout the day

Breakout Session #3 - (1:20 - 2:10 PM)

• Spruce 1- SUPPORTSMANSHIP: Raising the Standard for Rural School Athletics

• Evergreen 2 - Leveraging Staff Members as Instructional Coaches in Rural Schools

• Stonefield 3 - Addressing Mental Health Needs Through Community Connections

• Woodland 4 - Empower, Don’t Prohibit: Student Ethical Use of AI to Help Curb Cheating

• Sands 5 - Auction Items / Available for Meetings / Discussions

• Frontier 6 - Creating a Culture of Excellence: A Focus on Student Achievement and Growth

• Harvest 7 - Small School, Smart Tools: Using AI to Win Big on Grants

• Trillium 8 - Open room for meetings/phone calls, etc.

  • Exhibitor Time now and throughout the day

Breakout Session #4 - (2:30 - 3:20 PM)

• Spruce 1 - “From Point to Purpose: Advancing Rural Education Through Partnerships with UWSP”

• Evergreen 2 - "Who's Coaching Your Coaches?"

• Stonefield 3 -  Flexible Coaching and Mentoring Models for Rural Schools

• Woodland 4 - EMPOWERING SCHOOL COMMUNITIES: See Stakeholder-driven planning in action

• Sands 5 - Auction Items / Available for Meetings / Discussions

• Frontier 6 - What Drives Parent Satisfaction? A Data-Informed Roadmap for Rural Schools

• Harvenst 7 - Available for Meetings / Discussions

• Trillium 8 - Available for Meetings / Discussions

  • Exhibitor Time now and throughout the day

Breakout Session #5 - (3:30 - 4:20 PM)

• Spruce 1 - Formative Assessment Practices (and How AI Can Help)

• Evergreen 2 -  From Teacher to School Psychologist: Bridging the Gap in Rural Schools

• Stonefield 3 - A Dual Enrollment Introduction to Education Course Model for Rural Schools

• Woodland 4 - Driving District Growth with SWOT-KPI-SMART Integration: How Fennimore’s Administrative Team Translated Organizational Strengths into Measurable Student Outcomes for 2025–26

• Harvenst 7 - Available for Meetings / Discussions

• Trillium 8 - Available for Meetings / Discussions

  • Exhibitor Time

WiRSA Social (Silent and Live Auction 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.)    Location Map

Friday, October 31, 2025

• Continental Breakfast -  Expo Center

• Exhibitor Time (7:30 -10:00 AM)

• Welcome Back / Final Sessions / Prize Winner for Friday Attendees - (8:10 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.) - Expo 1 & 2

  • Friday attendees will have an opportunity to win a free registration to our WiRSA 2026 conference.

• Special Presentations - (8:40 - 9:40 AM)

  • Spruce & Sands - Anne Chapman - The price of parallel systems: How state policy shapes the public resources for three systems of K-12 education

  • Stonefield & Harvest - Attorney Alana Leffler and Attorney Ella Wolle, Renning Lewis & Lacy - Legal Update: Free Speech, Student Discipline, and Title IX

• Special Session(s) - (10:00 - 11:00 AM)

  • Spruce & Sands - Mike Beighley & Cory Kulig - From Tradition to Transformation: Rural Schools Leading the Future of Learning, shaped by automation, AI, and advanced manufacturing

  • Stonefield & Harvest - Chris Saldana - Shifting Dollars, Shifting Students: Understanding Wisconsin’s K-12 Finance Trends

WiRSA Annual Meeting - (Following Special Session.)
WiRSA Board of Directors Meeting - (Following Annual Meeting)