Menomonie High School

Faculty

In May 2009, Menomonie High teacher Susan Turgeson was named 2009 National Teacher of the Year for Secondary-School Food Science Program by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS).

Extracurricular activities

Clubs and extracurricular activities include FFA, DECA, SAGA, HOSA, Forensics, KEY Club, FCCLA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Multi-Culture Club, Science Olympiad, Technology Club, FBLA, Chorus, Musicale, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Student Council, Academic Decathlon, and fall and spring plays.

Athletics

Menomonie belongs to the Big Rivers Conference for athletics. It has teams in football, cross country, soccer, golf, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, hockey, wrestling, dance, baseball, softball, and track.

Basketball

• State championship – 1909
• State championship – 2021–22

Football

The Menomonie football team plays in Division II WIAA football. It is a five-time Wisconsin state champion (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2002), having made eight total appearances in the state championship game (1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003). Menomonie High plays its home football games at Don and Nona Williams Stadium, which is also used by UW-Stout.

Boys' hockey

• State championship – 1991

MHS Athletic Booster Club

The Menomonie High School Athletic Booster Club supports MHS athletic programs. A highlight each year is the Alumni Basketball Tournament, which includes alumni of all ages. Held on the weekend before Easter, the alumni basketball and volleyball tournaments help the MHS Boosters raise money for MHS sports.

Mascot controversy

In the late 1990s, the school eliminated the use of the "Indian" mascot. After a contentious school board election, the new school board members re-instated the Indian as the mascot.

A group of 11 Menomonie residents petitioned the school board to change the Indian logo. They asserted that "Schools ought to be teaching humanity along with other subject matters" and "The use of the Indians nickname sends a subliminal message to children that flies in the face of efforts to teach valued humanitarian principles." Ultimately, Menomonie decided to retire the Indians nickname and imagery, adopting "Mustangs" as the new nickname in 2012.

Athletic conference affiliation history

• Middle Border Conference (1931-1951)
• Big Rivers Conference (1963-present)

Science Olympiad

The Menomonie High School Science Olympiad team won the state championship and represented the state at the national competition in Washington D.C., on May 30–31, 2008, where they were awarded the Division C Team Spirit Award.

On April 4, 2009, the team took home the state trophy for the second consecutive year, with a combined score of 46 points, using the National Science Olympiad scoring system.

On April 2, 2011, Menomonie High School reclaimed the state title, beating the closest team by 59 points. The team went on to represent Wisconsin at the national competition in Madison, on May 21, 2011, at which they took 12th place overall, earning a third-place medal in Towers, a fourth-place medal in Optics, a fourth-place medal in Mousetrap Vehicle, and a sixth-place medal in Mission Possible.

On April 5, 2014, Menomonie High School won the state title, beating Madison West team by 53 points.

Forensics

Menomonie High School has a large Forensics Public Speaking team, and they have placed in the top five percent of Wisconsin at state every year since 2008.

Notable alumni

• Edmund G. McGilton, 11th lieutenant governor of Nebraska
• James D. Millar, politician
• Clint Moses, politician
• Luke Schleusner, college football coach
• Mike Schmidt, college football coach
• Nate Stanley, former quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings
• Terrin Vavra, baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles

References

References

1. "Menomonie High". National Center for Education Statistics.
2. (May 10, 2009). "Local Teacher Takes Home National Award for Work". WQOW.
3. [http://www.menomonieathleticboosters.com] {{webarchive. link. (April 7, 2012)
4. [http://www.menomonieathleticboosters.com/photo-gallery/2011-alumni-basketball-tournament] {{webarchive. link. (March 7, 2012)
5. Chippewa Herald. "Dunn County News". Dunnconnect.com.
6. (September 20, 2011). "Mustangs is choice for new nickname, ending long battle over Indians moniker". Leader-Telegram.
7. "Science Olympiad 2008 George Washington University". eHealth Science's Weblog.
8. (April 4, 2009). "State Olympiad Championship Held at UW-Stout". WQOW.
9. "Menomonie Science Olympiad 2011 State Champs". Menomonie High School.
10. "MHS Science Olympiad Ranked 12th in Nation". Menomonie High School.
11. "City and Rural Directory, Menomonie, Wisconsin, 1948-1949".
12. (2008-07-20). "Schmidt begins coaching career". [[The Dunn County News]].
13. (25 April 2021). "Vikings’ Nate Stanley to give up No 7 to Patrick Peterson, and Menomonie High will get some shoulder pads out of it".
14. (31 July 2022). "Menomonie native Vavra makes MLB debut".