Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - On April 28, University of Wisconsin-Platteville alumna Shelley Joan Weiss, Waunakee, was presented with the Stoltenberg award at the Wisconsin Association of Middle Level Education (WAMLE) organization's annual conference in Stevens Point. WAMLE's most prestigious honor, the Stoltenberg award is presented to an educator who demonstrates a long-lasting commitment to improving early adolescent education in innovative ways.

Most recipients of the award are notified prior to the conference, but this year was a little different. The award came as a complete surprise to Weiss, who, being responsible for part of the program for the conference, had to attend anyway. "It was a shock like I cannot describe," she confesses. To provide even more of a shock, members of WAMLE had also secretly invited her family and close friends to Stevens Point for the occasion. "I am not the crying type - but I started crying and couldn't stop. Pretty soon everyone at my table (including the guest speaker and food servers) was also crying," she says.

The Stoltenberg award is named for Dr. James C. Stoltenberg, who is considered to be the "father" of middle level education in Wisconsin. He was also an integral part of WAMLE's formation, and his ideas prompted the Transescent Seminar, a gathering of middle level teachers that is celebrated annually on the UWP campus. Before retirement, Dr. Stoltenberg devoted his time to issues of certification and licensure for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Adds Weiss, "I was very close to Dr. Stoltenberg and his wife Dorothy and respected his work tremendously." Prior to attending UWP, Weiss earned an undergraduate degree in education at UW-Madison. She graduated from UWP with a graduate degree in education and an emphasis in middle level education. "I think that the staff and students from UWP demonstrate the values that are important to me - honesty, integrity and a powerful work ethic," says Weiss, adding that she appreciated the creative freedom the staff allowed the students to take. "The staff treated me more like a colleague than a student."

Weiss isn't one to stop learning after graduation, though. "I love learning and continue to pursue every aspect of education I can," she says. Weiss went on to earn a graduate degree in strategy and policy studies from Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Currently, she is close to completing a Ph.D. at UW-Madison in educational leadership and policy analysis; all she has left to finish is her dissertation. "Of course, one of the most important parts of my life was my time running the Center of the Young Adolescent, teaching graduate courses, and supervising student teachers for UWP," adds Weiss. "I learned and grew more during my time at UWP than I could have ever imagined. I made lifelong friends with students and staff." The experience at UWP helped her to successfully combine two of the things she loves most about life: middle level education and traveling. After working at UWP, Weiss held positions as the associate principal of Sun Prairie Middle School and a teacher at De Forest Middle School. She is currently the principal of Waunakee Community Middle School. As well as these jobs, she is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, and has gone on active duty several times. She has served in numerous other positions within the Wisconsin Air National Guard (including chief of military equal opportunity, wing executive officer and inspector general).

Weiss is an extremely active participant in numerous education organizations throughout the state. She's held several positions at WAMLE, including that of president and conference chair. She has recently returned from presenting at the National Association of Elementary School Principals national conference in San Antonio, Texas, and has likewise presented at the national conferences of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Weiss is also a contributing member of the National Middle School Association, where she will be presenting at their annual conference in Nashville, Tenn., this autumn. Currently, she is on the board of directors for the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA), where she serves as the lead administrator for the AWSA mentoring program. As if that weren't enough to keep her occupied, Weiss works diligently on projects with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Her latest project with the DPI is in collaboration with several other people to develop the Wisconsin Master Educator Assessment Project for administrators. This project provides special licenses to "master educators," those who have demonstrated an advanced level of proficiency and have made numerous contributions to the profession and the students they teach.

As busy as she may be, Weiss hasn't forgotten her UWP roots: she continues to work on a regular basis with Wally Iselin, David Chellevold and David Allen of the educational administration classes at UWP, often coming in as a guest lecturer. In addition, many of the UWP staff members, former students, and local citizens still keep in touch with Weiss, and she feels strong ties to the area. "Everyone is extremely welcoming whenever I return," she says. When she's not dedicating her time to improving middle level education in Wisconsin, Weiss loves to read, grow plants, cook and clean house. But her favorite hobby, she explains, is traveling. Weiss grew up in an Army family and had the opportunity to travel quite a bit when she was young, and says that the wanderlust has never really left her. Weiss is also very close to her family: her parents, Willard Weiss and Jean Weiss of Columbus; her sister Rhonda Warren of Cambridge; her sister Jillann Kelp of Madison; her brother Bradley Weiss of East Moline, Ill.; and her lifelong partner, Brownie Ehlers.

Contact: Shelley Joan Weiss, Waunakee Community Middle School Principal, sweiss@waunakee.k12.wi.us

Prepared by: Kym Bliven, Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,blivenk@uwplatt.edu