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On Valentine's Day, five middle school teams traveled to the Door County Y in Sturgeon Bay to compete in the local SeaPerch Underwater ROV competition. This year featured 4 Door County schools and 15 teams. Each team designed a one-of-a-kind ROV to drive through an obstacle course, maneuver through a Coral Restoration-themed mission course, and present their team's Engineering Design process to a set of judges.

Of all 15 teams, Washington Island had 3 teams land in the top three spots:

Team Spiderman in 1st (Jaida, Nia, Madison, Devon)

Team Killer Whales in 2nd (Tug, Opal, Isaac)

Team Aqua Vanguards in 3rd (George, Gabe, Lilian)

Congratulations! All THREE TEAMS have advanced to the Regional Competition in Green Bay, Saturday, March 1. Top TWO teams will advance to the SeaPerch International Competition in Maryland.

Find out more about the SeaPerch program https://seaperch.org/programs/2025-season/

On Valentine's Day, five middle school teams traveled to the Door County Y in Sturgeon Bay to compete in the local SeaPerch Underwater ROV competition. This year featured 4 Door County schools and 15 teams. Each team designed a one-of-a-kind ROV to drive through an obstacle course, maneuver through a Coral Restoration-themed mission course, and present their team's Engineering Design process to a set of judges.

Of all 15 teams, Washington Island had 3 teams land in the top three spots:

Team Spiderman in 1st (Jaida, Nia, Madison, Devon)

Team Killer Whales in 2nd (Tug, Opal, Isaac)

Team Aqua Vanguards in 3rd (George, Gabe, Lilian)

Congratulations! All THREE TEAMS have advanced to the Regional Competition in Green Bay, Saturday, March 1. Top TWO teams will advance to the SeaPerch International Competition in Maryland.

Find out more about the SeaPerch program https://seaperch.org/programs/2025-season/

On Valentine's Day, five middle school teams traveled to the Door County Y in Sturgeon Bay to compete in the local SeaPerch Underwater ROV competition. This year featured 4 Door County schools and 15 teams. Each team designed a one-of-a-kind ROV to drive through an obstacle course, maneuver through a Coral Restoration-themed mission course, and present their team's Engineering Design process to a set of judges.

Of all 15 teams, Washington Island had 3 teams land in the top three spots:

Team Spiderman in 1st (Jaida, Nia, Madison, Devon)

Team Killer Whales in 2nd (Tug, Opal, Isaac)

Team Aqua Vanguards in 3rd (George, Gabe, Lilian)

Congratulations! All THREE TEAMS have advanced to the Regional Competition in Green Bay, Saturday, March 1. Top TWO teams will advance to the SeaPerch International Competition in Maryland.

Find out more about the SeaPerch program https://seaperch.org/programs/2025-season/

On Valentine's Day, five middle school teams traveled to the Door County Y in Sturgeon Bay to compete in the local SeaPerch Underwater ROV competition. This year featured 4 Door County schools and 15 teams. Each team designed a one-of-a-kind ROV to drive through an obstacle course, maneuver through a Coral Restoration-themed mission course, and present their team's Engineering Design process to a set of judges.

Of all 15 teams, Washington Island had 3 teams land in the top three spots:

Team Spiderman in 1st (Jaida, Nia, Madison, Devon)

Team Killer Whales in 2nd (Tug, Opal, Isaac)

Team Aqua Vanguards in 3rd (George, Gabe, Lilian)

Congratulations! All THREE TEAMS have advanced to the Regional Competition in Green Bay, Saturday, March 1. Top TWO teams will advance to the SeaPerch International Competition in Maryland.

Find out more about the SeaPerch program https://seaperch.org/programs/2025-season/

On Valentine's Day, five middle school teams traveled to the Door County Y in Sturgeon Bay to compete in the local SeaPerch Underwater ROV competition. This year featured 4 Door County schools and 15 teams. Each team designed a one-of-a-kind ROV to drive through an obstacle course, maneuver through a Coral Restoration-themed mission course, and present their team's Engineering Design process to a set of judges.

Of all 15 teams, Washington Island had 3 teams land in the top three spots:

Team Spiderman in 1st (Jaida, Nia, Madison, Devon)

Team Killer Whales in 2nd (Tug, Opal, Isaac)

Team Aqua Vanguards in 3rd (George, Gabe, Lilian)

Congratulations! All THREE TEAMS have advanced to the Regional Competition in Green Bay, Saturday, March 1. Top TWO teams will advance to the SeaPerch International Competition in Maryland.

Find out more about the SeaPerch program https://seaperch.org/programs/2025-season/

On Valentine's Day, five middle school teams traveled to the Door County Y in Sturgeon Bay to compete in the local SeaPerch Underwater ROV competition. This year featured 4 Door County schools and 15 teams. Each team designed a one-of-a-kind ROV to drive through an obstacle course, maneuver through a Coral Restoration-themed mission course, and present their team's Engineering Design process to a set of judges.

Of all 15 teams, Washington Island had 3 teams land in the top three spots:

Team Spiderman in 1st (Jaida, Nia, Madison, Devon)

Team Killer Whales in 2nd (Tug, Opal, Isaac)

Team Aqua Vanguards in 3rd (George, Gabe, Lilian)

Congratulations! All THREE TEAMS have advanced to the Regional Competition in Green Bay, Saturday, March 1. Top TWO teams will advance to the SeaPerch International Competition in Maryland.

Find out more about the SeaPerch program https://seaperch.org/programs/2025-season/

On Valentine's Day, five middle school teams traveled to the Door County Y in Sturgeon Bay to compete in the local SeaPerch Underwater ROV competition. This year featured 4 Door County schools and 15 teams. Each team designed a one-of-a-kind ROV to drive through an obstacle course, maneuver through a Coral Restoration-themed mission course, and present their team's Engineering Design process to a set of judges.

Of all 15 teams, Washington Island had 3 teams land in the top three spots:

Team Spiderman in 1st (Jaida, Nia, Madison, Devon)

Team Killer Whales in 2nd (Tug, Opal, Isaac)

Team Aqua Vanguards in 3rd (George, Gabe, Lilian)

Congratulations! All THREE TEAMS have advanced to the Regional Competition in Green Bay, Saturday, March 1. Top TWO teams will advance to the SeaPerch International Competition in Maryland.

Find out more about the SeaPerch program https://seaperch.org/programs/2025-season/

On Valentine's Day, five middle school teams traveled to the Door County Y in Sturgeon Bay to compete in the local SeaPerch Underwater ROV competition. This year featured 4 Door County schools and 15 teams. Each team designed a one-of-a-kind ROV to drive through an obstacle course, maneuver through a Coral Restoration-themed mission course, and present their team's Engineering Design process to a set of judges.

Of all 15 teams, Washington Island had 3 teams land in the top three spots:

Team Spiderman in 1st (Jaida, Nia, Madison, Devon)

Team Killer Whales in 2nd (Tug, Opal, Isaac)

Team Aqua Vanguards in 3rd (George, Gabe, Lilian)

Congratulations! All THREE TEAMS have advanced to the Regional Competition in Green Bay, Saturday, March 1. Top TWO teams will advance to the SeaPerch International Competition in Maryland.

Find out more about the SeaPerch program https://seaperch.org/programs/2025-season/

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The Island History Project

By Marleen EhrlichJohnson

Like the Voyages the Washington Island students took some years ago, the whole student body K-12 dove into studying Washington Island History this fall, which concluded with a community presentation at the Trueblood Performing Arts Center on November 20th.

The goal of the Island History Project was to provide a learning experience, not only through research but also through interaction with community members and hands-on activities where students would be exposed to the diverse cultures and resilient people that shaped Washington Island’s history. To culminate their experiential learning, the students were expected to present their new knowledge to the community as they did at the TPAC.

The coordinators of the Island History Project, Mary Grezlak and Kayla Mann, gave each grade level a focus (with flexibility to adapt) that was unique to their group with the purpose that students will grow in their depth of Washington Island History knowledge as they repeat the project biennially and progress in their schooling at Washington Island School.

The Kindergarten, First, and Second-grade students took a field trip to visit four early Island homes. Then, while looking at pictures from the archives of the same homes from a long time ago, they drew their own interpretations of them. During the culminating event at the TPAC, their pictures of the early Island homes were shown in a slide show while they sang the Fishermen’s Song with Julian Hagen.

The 3rd and 4th graders presented information from the formation of Rock and Washington Islands, through the time when only Native Americans lived on the Islands and were visited by French explorers, and up to the time when early white settlers started making Washington Island a permanent place to call home.

The 5th and 6th-grade students learned about the Scandinavian immigrants and their cultural influence on Washington Island. Each student was given a topic to research, but before they could begin, they first had to learn about the Archives. That’s where Steve Reiss’s expertise was a big help! After researching, each student interviewed a community member knowledgeable about their topic, and to add to their experience, they learned rosemaling, a new Scandinavian dance, and how to make a rubbing of a gravestone. On the last day of working together, the 5th and 6th grade students visited the places on the Island that each of them studied. Then, at those places, each student taught the others in their class about what they learned.

The 7th and 8th-grade students focused on the economic development of the Island. By taking the opportunity to visit with local experts on the topic, students were able to gain a better understanding of the overall development of the Island’s economy throughout the years. Students created a video that was shown at the TPAC to showcase their learning.

The 9th and 10th-grade students focused on historical and cultural landmarks on the Island. Photos were taken, dates and changing ownership were noted, and the usage of certain buildings over the years was researched. Older photos were found primarily in the archives, and many Islanders were interviewed for additional information.

The 11th and 12th-grade students focused their research on the historical evolution of Washington Island and its cultural heritage. Students utilized the Archives and community interviews to gain insight into the Island’s past and present. Their research focused on three main topics: Washington Harbor, Death’s Door, and the cultural significance of Island baseball.

Emily, a sophomore, was the Master of Ceremonies at the Island History program, and just before the end when Kindergarten - 4th-grade students led the audience in singing Northern Lights with Julian Hagen, she announced... “Generations of hardworking, resilient, passionate people have shaped our Island and still are today! Washington Island’s history is a testament to the strength of community and the enduring connection between people and place. As we look back on what we learned, remember that we are all part of this ongoing history. The legacy of Washington Island continues through each of us—whether we are preserving traditions, sharing stories, or simply appreciating the beauty and uniqueness of this place we call home.”

The students, staff, and administration would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this Island History Project possible—without those who helped us research, from the archives to the countless community members who took time out of their busy schedules to meet with us—-your participation helped keep the spirit of Washington Island alive for future generations. We are incredibly grateful.

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SeaPerch Regional Competition

There are currently no announcements.

On May 13, 2023 two teams from Washington Island traveled to the University of Maryland to compete in the International SeaPerch Competition. We competed against 56 other middle school teams. 148 total teams from 5 continents were present at the competition! Our results are as follows:

Team Flounder

Overall 22nd

Mission Course 27th

Obstacle Course 23rd

Video 8th

Engineering Design Report 42nd

Team Sea Angels

Overall 40th

Mission Course 22nd

Obstacle Course 44th

Video 44th

Engineering Design Report 37th