Fall, 2015

Letter from the Principal

Sherry Tolkan

414.389.5560

stolkan@seedsofhealth.org

As I stand outside each morning greeting students

and waving to parents, I marvel at the school that

Veritas has become over the past 15 years. With

the support of our incredible staff, families like yours,

and students who are committed to learning, the

vision of creating a small, safe, academically

challenging school that prepares students for post-

secondary opportunities has become a reality.

Rest assured that we will remain a small school

despite the fact that we have a long waiting list of

students who want to attend Veritas. We are built

on strong relationships and will not risk losing our

identity and effectiveness. Looking back, it is

amazing to see how far we have come. Each year,

more Veritas students are being accepted to first

rate colleges and universities based on their strong

academic achievements and their extensive

involvement in extra-curricular activities and

community service.

The Milwaukee Community has also taken notice of our

accomplishments. On Nov 14th, Veritas High School was honored

by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee with the prestigious

“Marty Stein Champion for Children Award.” The award was

presented at the Big Brother Big Sisters Gala at the Pfister Hotel.

Accompanying me to the event was: Marcia Spector, Executive

Director of Seeds of Health; staff members Brenda Jeske,

Shentel Manresa, and Mandy Adams; and nine Veritas

sophomores who volunteered their time to help raise money for

Big Brothers Big Sisters.

As we approach the holiday season, we wish all of our wonderful

families good health and happiness. In the spirit of the season,

please mark your calendars for January 13th for the 2nd Annual

Family Ties Event, sponsored by the Veritas High School Service

Learning Class and Parent Council. On that evening, Veritas

students and their families will come together to create tied

blankets that will be donated to those in need in the Milwaukee

area.

Please know that all of us at Veritas High School remain

dedicated to providing the best educational opportunities for

your child while instilling in each of them the importance of hard

work, good character, and service to the community.

My door is always open to you.

Yours Truly,

Sherry Tolkan

Veritas High School is a program of Seeds of Health, Inc.

The Veritas High School mission is to

prepare Milwaukee students for post-secondary

education success through completion of an

academically challenging, values-based curriculum

in a safe and supportive environment.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Dec 14—Early Release

Day

Dec 21-Jan 1—Winter

Break (No School)

Jan 4—School Resumes

Jan 18—Martin Luther King

Day (No School)

Jan 19-21—Semester

Exams (Early Dismissal

11:10 AM)

Jan 22—Record Day

(No School)

Jan 25—Semester 2 Begins

Jan 25-26—Interim

Jan 27—ACCESS Testing

Feb 1—Staff Professional

Development Day

(No School)

Feb 8—Early Release Day

Feb 15—Mid-Semester

Break (No School)

Mar 1 & 2—ACT Testing

(11th Grade)

Mar 4—Staff Professional

Development Day

(No School)

Mar 14—Early Release Day

Mar 16—Parent/Teacher

Conferences (4—8 PM)

Mar 17—Parent/Teacher

Conferences (1—8 PM)

Mar 18—Teacher Day (No

School)

Mar 25-Apr 1—Spring

Break (No School)

Volume 3 Issue 1

Veritas High School News

© Seeds of Health, Inc. © Seeds of Health, Inc. Fall, 2015

The Tenor/Veritas soccer season came to an

unfortunate end with a 5-3 loss to St. Anthony's in the

most difficult division 3 regional in the state. It was

the most successful season in the program's history,

as the team accumulated 15 wins (6 losses, 3 ties) on

their way to the Indian Trails Conference

Championship. Many athletes received 1st team

and honorable mention conference awards. High-

lights of the season included a 4-0 win against

division 4 honorable mention Racine Lutheran, the

great atmosphere at the homecoming game

against St. Anthony's, the 7-1 stomping against

Reagan, and finding the back of the net 111 times

(compared to 34 goals against) this season (5th

highest scoring team in the state across all divisions).

The October 2015 results of the Vocabulary Bowl have

just been released. We're excited to announce

that Veritas High earned the following achievements:

Wisconsin State Runner-Up October 2015

Wisconsin State Top 10 School October 2015

Every month, thousands of schools across the US and

Canada compete in the Vocabulary Bowl. Winning

these awards is quite an achievement. Keep up the

good work!

The Tenor/Veritas Girls Volleyball Team had a great

fall season! Varsity finished with a record of 7-16,

while JV finished with a record of 4-6. The girls showed

a lot of improvement from previous seasons, a result

of working out during the summer and showing

dedication at every practice. This was the team's first

season participating in the Indian Trails

Conference. The "Thunder-Titans" finished with a

conference record of 3-7, putting them in 4th place.

The Varsity team was led by Captain Lauren

Conway, libero Kirstin Larson, and setter Nancy

Juarez. The JV team was led by Clara Gallegos and

Rosa Luna. Highlights from the season include

beating St. Anthony twice, winning against Salam in

a nail-biting 5th game, and tying for 2nd place in our

pool at the Conference Tournament. Great season

ladies, and good luck next year!

Veritas continues its long-term relationship with the

Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.

This year we continue to be

a part of an amazing

program that we've had

the opportunity to be a part

of for many years. The

M i lwaukee Repertory

Theater and its Education

Department has provided

us with thirty tickets to see four shows this year:

Dreamgirls, The Mousetrap, Of Mice and Men, and

Fences. In addition, they'll bring out the professional

actors from the shows to discuss with the students the

major themes, historical contexts, and technical

aspects of the show in pre and post show

workshops along with a backstage tour of the

theater. We will also participate in a Rep Immersion

program, which is a full day of fun and education

with the actors of the show at the theater, with lunch

provided by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. This

opportunity gives students an inside peek into the

magic of creating live theater and is provided to us

practically FREE! This year, our Journalism class will be

lucky enough to experience this great program. We

saw Dreamgirls on October 15th and the students

were wowed by the dazzling, inspiring

performance. Next up, The Mousetrap, a classic

Agatha Christie whodunit, on December 3rd.

Poetry Club, a new club here at Veritas,

is open to all. We'll be writing, performing,

watching, reading, and talking about

poetry. We will also look into getting a

Poetry Slam team started, and attending

Spoken Word poetry events.

Service Learning Class—Making a Difference in the

Community!

Below are just some of the many local places that this

class has had a positive impact upon so far this school

year:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee Gala

Held at the Pfister Hotel on November 14th

The following Mentor2.0 students volunteered to help with

this wonderful event: Javier Arroyo, Midalis De La Cruz,

Guadalupe Figueroa, Erika Gomez, Naideliz Gonzalez,

Ramiro Lopez, Zachary Raner, Aryanna Strickland, and

Jorge Sanchez. Thanks for the great job everyone!

Pictured below: Left—Sherry Tolkan & Marcia Spector

accept the award at the Gala. Middle and Right—a recent

Mentor2.0 gathering of students and mentors at Veritas.

Charity Walk for

Robyn’s Nest $1, 343

R o b y n ’ s N e s t

Warehouse work

Make a Difference

Day—5 Groups, 21

Students, 4 Teachers

Interfaith—helping

elderly—12 Projects

Food Drive

Milwaukee Libraries—

7 Times, 35+ Students

Soup Kitchens—20

Different Times

Our Lady Queen of

Peace—Reading to

kids & After-school

care

Cat Shelter—25 Hours

Jingle Bell Run/Walk

VERITAS FALL ATHLETIC AWARDS

SOCCER 1ST TEAM ALL CONFERENCE

Brandon Lopez & Eduardo Sandoval

VOLLEYBALL 2ND TEAM ALL CONFERENCE

Kirstin Larson & Lauren Conway

NEWS Fall 2015

Veritas Receives

the 2015 Champion For Children Award

At their recent awards gala, Big Brothers Big

Sisters of Metro Milwaukee awarded the

prestigious Martin F. Stein Champion For

Children Award to Veritas High School.

In a letter announcing the award it states, “The Veritas-mentor2.0

partnership provides students with a comprehensive continuum of

support that promotes true college readiness, including academic

preparation, non-cognitive skill development, and an increase in

college knowledge. Through the successful implementation of

mentor2.0, Big Brothers Big Sisters worked closely with Veritas staff and

witnessed first hand their commitment to Milwaukee youth.”

Amy Chionchio, President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters said, “High

school is a critical time in the life of a student. We’ve seen the strong

focus Veritas has on educational success, and we are proud to partner

with them through mentor2.0.”

The letter goes on to state, “Veritas High School leadership and staff

understand that our collective investment in young people’s

educational success is life changing for all of us. We are happy to honor

Veritas for its dedication to Milwaukee youth with the Martin F. Stein

Champion for Children Award.”

Seeds of Health, Inc. is a K-12 system of schools offering innovative

options to meet the needs of students. It

includes Seeds of Health Elementary,

Grandview High School, MC2 High School,

Tenor High School, and Veritas High

School,

Staff Spotlights

My name is Alissa Emond, and I teach science at

Veritas—biology, physical science and genetics.

This is my first year at Veritas, and I am definitely

enjoying getting to know all of the students as

well as exploring the Milwaukee area.

I am originally from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, but I

have also lived in Madison, and on Long Island in

Hauppauge, New York. Before I became a

teacher, I had several other jobs including a

911 dispatcher, working on a rescue boat, and

helping to train sea lions. Aside from science,

some of my other favorite things to do include

camping and hiking, most water sports, reading,

and traveling and experiencing new languages

and cultures.

My name is Rebekah Holder, and I teach the

following science classes at Veritas: advanced

anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and regular

anatomy and physiology. This is my first year at

Veritas.

I went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-

Champaign and received my degree in

molecular and cellular Biology. My true calling

was education so I attained my Master’s degree

from the University of Phoenix in Secondary Edu-

cation. I moved to Wisconsin in October of 2012

and am ecstatic to be part of the Veritas team. I

enjoy cooking, baking, eating, shopping for a

deal, and watching sports!

My name is Emily Neitzer, and I am the

Academic Resource teacher at Veritas. This is

my first year teaching at Veritas and my second

year teaching special education. I provide all

the special education services at Veritas.

I originally am from Crivitz, Wisconsin and just

moved to Milwaukee this summer. My summers

are filled with volunteering at a camp for people

with physical and intellectual disabilities and

hanging out with my puppy. Since I am new to

Milwaukee, I have spent much of this year

exploring all the sights and learning my way

around. I like to read, spend time with my family

and pets, and relax and watch TV in my free

time.

© Seeds of Health, Inc. Fall, 2015

Alissa Emond

Science Educator

Emily Neitzer

Academic Resource

Educator

Senior Class at Homecoming Pep Rally

Decades Day during Spirit Week

Dress-up Day during Spirit Week

Photo Gallery See what the students at Veritas have been

up to lately.

Rebekah Holder

Science Educator

A great place to learn

Veritas High School

3025 West Oklahoma Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53215

Veritas High School...Ranked the #3 Public High School in the City of Milwaukee* *based on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction State Report Cards for 2013-2014

Annual Charity Walk