Shawano School District officials cut the ribbon to usher in its new district office Jan. 16 while simultaneously acknowledging the renovations and improvements done to Olga Brener Intermediate School, where the new office is, along with Shawano Community Middle School and Hillcrest Primary School.
The new district office provides, among other things, a community room where the Shawano School Board can hold its meetings and community organizations can meet. The office was placed in the northwest corner of Olga Brener, replacing classrooms on that corner due to the student enrollment drops Shawano has experienced for years.
“Today is kind of our first step in our project here, a $51.23 million referendum project,” said Kurt Krizan, superintendent. “This is the first ribbon cutting we’ve had for our projects that have been completed so far in the first part of this milestone.”
Tim Renard, school board president, noted the district office was moved from its original location at Shawano Community High School to make way for a bigger and more improved weight room facility. The classrooms between the old district office and the high school office will also be renovated for the weight room, and those classrooms will be added to the south portion of SCHS to provide family and consumer science programs.
Renard said utilizing existing space for the district office and weight room was preferable to adding on space to existing buildings.
The community room is a vast improvement for the school board, Renard said, which had been meeting in the SCHS library since 2020.
“It’s a very nice room,” Renard said. “It’s an upgrade from what we’ve had previously. This room has a lot more capability to stream the meetings and bring more people. If they can’t be here, they can come in electronically.”
The high school library has just undergone a renovation and recently reopened for students, Renard said.
Improved lighting, electrical work and flooring were among the improvements made to the other three schools, according to Renard.
“A lot of the things that were improved, you can’t see (with) the naked eye,” he said. “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that needed to be upgraded that makes the buildings safer and more efficient. We updated some of the bathrooms for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, and we put in a new boiler for the heating systems.”
Roof work at the middle school has been done, but there’s another part that will be done this summer.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done yet, but it’s great to see progress and finally put these facility upgrades to some use,” Renard said. “We kicked this off quite a while ago, and we’re glad to finally see the fruits of our labors. I think it’s going to make Shawano School District even better going forward.”
Krizan said the ribbon cutting represents much more than giving district office employees a more improved area in which to work.
“This building is just one piece of a much larger story,” Krizan said. “The investment is already improving learning spaces, enhancing safety and modernizing facilities across our district, all with one goal in mind — creating the best environment for our students and staff.”
Hoffman Planning and Design has taken the lead on the referendum work, and Krizan said the company has done a lot to bring the district’s dreams into the real world.
“Their work helped turn ideas into a space that supports the mission of our district,” he said.
Krizan added that the community’s support was what made the improvements a reality when voters approved the referendum in November 2024.
“When you voted to support the referendum, you sent a powerful message that you believe in our schools, in our educators and in our students,” Krizan said. “We take that responsibility seriously, and we are committed to being good stewards of the resources you have entrusted to us.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
