THE FOLLOWING IS FROM THE DECEMBER 3 EDITION OF THE DENMARK NEWS

New bank opens

Bank First welcomes community to new branch

This holiday season, The Denmark News organized our 3rd Annual "Best Lights in Town" Christmas light decorating contest to determine who has the biggest and brightest display in the greater Denmark area. We began our quest by compiling a list of must-see displays before photographing each display to compare and determine a winner. 

While The Denmark News is no stranger to big interviews, last week, we secured a sit-down conversation with the most famous figure to ever grace our pages. Besides Jesus himself, no figure is as symbolic to the Christmas season than the one and only Santa Claus. Thanks to some Christmas magic, we were able to meet with Santa in person to share his thoughts on the Denmark area and the Christmas season in general.

Over the past two weeks, a number of local groups of caring volunteers have found ways to spread a little love--and Christmas cheer--to those less fortunate. In the lead up to the big holiday, parishioners from All Saints, Faith Formation students and staff from St. James, and Lions from both the Maribel and Denmark Clubs undertook their own care package initiatives, each with their own unique touches.

This year, we partnered with Denmark Elementary School first grade teachers and their students to share their biggest gift requests for Christmas morning. This year, first grade boys seem to be hoping for video games and legos, while first grade girls are more interested in Labubus, UGGs and makeup.

On Thursday, just a week before Christmas Day, crowds filled the Denmark Performing Arts Center (PAC) for two back-to-back performances that showcased the musical talent of some of the community’s youngest students. That night, the Denmark Elementary School (DES) first and second grade classes presented their annual Christmas concerts under the direction of DES music teacher Tammy Carley.

On Tuesday night, the Denmark Middle School (DMS) gymnasium was filled with people and the sounds of the season as all three of the school’s bands presented their annual winter concerts. Both individual and group talent were showcased during the concerts with each grade level delivering holiday hit after holiday hit under the expert leadership of Director Bill Dennee.

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.