Curtis Strange Elementary School

Shoutout to our G.O.A.T. teaching staff members who were nominated by their peers for their excellence! 🐐✨

Being recognized by fellow educators makes this honor even more meaningful. These staff members go above and beyond every single day — inspiring students, supporting colleagues, creating meaningful learning experiences, and making Curtis Strange a place where kids thrive.

Thank you for your passion, dedication, teamwork, and the countless ways you make a difference both inside and outside the classroom. We are lucky to have such an incredible team leading, encouraging, and impacting our students every day.

Congratulations to our nominees — your hard work does not go unnoticed! ❤️📚

Great schools don’t happen by chance… they happen because of GREAT people.

What an incredible night at our 11th Annual Learning Fair & Art Walk! 🎨📚✨

Every hallway was filled with creativity, innovation, and pride as artwork from EVERY student was proudly displayed, alongside learning fair projects from 90 Curtis Strange Leaders in Learning students. The talent, hard work, and excitement shining through our school made this event so special.

A huge THANK YOU to our amazing students and families for their support, encouragement, and participation. Events like this only happen because of the incredible partnership between home and school.

We are also so grateful for the dedicated staff members who helped make the evening such a success — Mrs. Herman, Ms. Walecki, Mrs. Borst, Mrs. Rules, Mrs. Sauceda, Mrs. Burke, Ms. Iglehart, Ms. Stassen, Mrs. Kilps, Mrs. Powers, Mrs. Jackson Lewis, and SOOOOO many more who helped with check-in, supported students, and spent the evening visiting and celebrating our learners.

Curtis Strange is truly a special place because of the people in it. ❤️

11th Annual Learning Fair · Tuesday, May 19 📸 Shared album · Tap to view!

Tonight’s PTO Meeting has been canceled.

So grateful for Lynn Thurston and St. Peter’s Church & Knights of Columbus. They have done so much for our school and families! ❤️💕❤️

We were proud to celebrate our Friends in Education who were nominated for the time, care and attention they give to our students and staff. Their support and dedication strengthen our learning environments and help students learn and grow.

Please join us in thanking our Friends in Education for the positive impact they make across our school community every day! 👏

1HOPE

Beverly “Bunny” Stoops

Joy Falcon

Mary Kueppers

Melanie Mikula

Michael Redding

Mike Middleton

Samantha Jacquest-Zura, Blue House Books

St. Peter’s Church & Knights of Columbus

Here's a fun little video made by our awesome Ms. Walecki including all of our staff recognized this week, plus a few extras so that we could cover as many years as the video would allow.

New video · Friday, May 8 🎬 Tap to view!

Awards, milestone years, and recognitions are wonderful opportunities to celebrate people — but the truth is, every single person in this building contributes to making Curtis Strange an incredible place for students, families, and staff.

Whether you are a teacher, paraprofessional, custodian, office staff member, lunchroom supervisor, nurse, therapist, specialist, substitute, volunteer, or support staff member — your work matters deeply. The care, patience, flexibility, humor, teamwork, and heart you bring every day do not go unnoticed.

And let’s be honest… the district has a very specific and sometimes confusing way of calculating years of service — consecutive years, completed years, partial years, transfer years… it can get a little tricky! So there are likely people in our building who absolutely deserve milestone recognition this year, even if the official numbers say otherwise.

But please know this:
We see you.
We appreciate you.
And we are grateful for ALL you do.

Thank you for giving your jobs your all and for helping make Curtis Strange the very best place possible for our students, families, and each other.

Now let’s give one final HUGE HOORAY for everyone who makes this school community so special! 🎉👏

Thank you Ms. Wrenger for making these and for the donuts!

What an incredible honor for Curtis Strange! 🎉

Out of all the nominations submitted across the district, not just one, but THREE of our nominees were selected as SPARK Award recipients! We could not be more proud to celebrate these amazing educators and staff members who truly make our school shine every single day.

✨ Mrs. Torres — for somehow keeping EVERYTHING running smoothly, often long after the school day ends. Her dedication, organization, and willingness to do whatever it takes for students and staff are unmatched.

✨ Ms. Walecki — one of the most fun Physical Education teachers of all time! Students absolutely love her class, her energy is contagious, and she makes movement, fitness, and fun something every child looks forward to.

✨ Mrs. Wickersheim — our incredible Special Education teacher of the year, serving our youngest learners with patience, heart, and a personality that brings joy wherever she goes. She helps build the foundation that prepares students for success throughout the rest of their educational journey.

These three represent the heart, passion, and positivity that make Curtis Strange such a special place for students and coworkers. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition! 💙💛

Today we celebrate a true Curtis Strange icon — Mrs. Burke! 💙📚

For 43 incredible years, Mrs. Burke has poured her heart into generations of students, families, and staff. Since 1983, she has been more than an educator — she has been a constant source of kindness, wisdom, dedication, and love within our school community. Her impact reaches far beyond the classroom walls and will continue for years to come through the lives she has touched.

As she begins the countdown to retirement, we want to say THANK YOU for the laughter, the memories, the guidance, and the unwavering commitment to Curtis Strange. A legacy like yours cannot be replaced.

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement, Mrs. Burke — you will always be part of the heart of Curtis Strange! 🎉🍎❤️

Happy National School Nurse Day! 💙

Today we celebrate and thank Ms. Casarsa for the incredible care, compassion, and dedication she brings to our school each and every day. From supporting students’ health needs to offering a comforting presence when it’s needed most, she plays such an important role in keeping our school community safe, healthy, and ready to learn.

We are so grateful for all that you do—your kindness, expertise, and commitment make a difference in more ways than we can count.

Thank you, Ms. Casarsa! 🩺✨

Thirty years of dedication. Thirty years of impact. Thirty years of heart. ❤️

Today we celebrate and thank Mrs. Maack and Mrs. Krug for an incredible 30 years of service to our school and district. Their commitment to students, families, and colleagues has helped shape generations and strengthen our community in ways that truly matter.

We are so grateful for the passion, experience, and care they bring each and every day. Their legacy is felt in every classroom, every hallway, and every student they’ve supported along the way.

Thank you, Mrs. Maack and Mrs. Krug, for 30 amazing years! 🎉