Have you ever wanted to spend more time volunteering, but are not sure where to start? The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District is always looking for committed people to support our wonderful school community. Getting involved with our alma mater is a great way to stay connected with our schools, while also making a positive impact on the lives of our young people.

Here’s how you can get more involved with Chippewa Falls schools:

Mentor a student

Students benefit from having trusted adults who they can talk to as they navigate this important time in their lives. All young people need someone in their corner, but not all students have that person readily available to them. Mentorship programs help kids form social skills and build useful life experiences. Learning from someone from their hometown will help students think about what they can achieve, too!

Coach a sports team

With Thanksgiving behind us and winter break quickly approaching, the season of giving is in full swing. 

One way you can make a big difference in the lives of our students is by contributing to the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Foundation. A nonprofit organization, the foundation's mission is to request, receive and administer contributions for advanced educational opportunities for students in Chippewa Falls. In fact, the foundation has given more than $165,000 in scholarships to deserving students since 1987!

Here are some big reasons to consider a donation this December:

Chippewa Falls students, staff and alumni enjoyed a wonderful week as they showed their Mighty Cardinals pride during homecoming 2019. The big game was Friday, October 11, but plenty of homecoming fun took place throughout the week. There was something for everyone to enjoy during this exciting Chippewa Falls community tradition. 

Couldn’t make it? Here’s what went down at Chi-Hi homecoming this year. 

A week of school spirit

Students and staff celebrated with wacky spirit days all week long. Chi-Hi staff received their own spirit day when students had the chance to dress like a staff member for a day. Matching attire ranged from bow ties to Hawaiian shirts. Other spirit days included themes such as dress like a meme, pajama day and jersey day. 

On Wednesday, the Chi-Hi girls proved their toughness by continuing the powder puff football game tradition, pitting the juniors against the seniors. Students braved the cold weather to cheer on their classmates. 

Elementary and middle school students also shared in the homecoming fun, participating in spirit day and dressing like their favorite teachers. Students at Parkview Elementary created festive paper footballs with red and white ribbons to cheer on the Mighty Cardinals. 

High school students held a pep rally on Friday to prepare for the big game. The homecoming court were good sports as they participated in a Q&A before the king and queen were crowned. The homecoming parade featured creative student-decorated floats representing different campus clubs. After the game, a mighty bonfire celebrated the victory and students and fans enjoyed hot dogs. 

The homecoming dance on Saturday night capped off the week’s fun festivities!

Cardinals defeat Eau Claire North

The Mighty Cardinals handed the Eau Claire North Huskies a loss on Friday, by a score of 35-7. While this was the homecoming game, it was also senior night, giving the team its second win this season and a memorable final home game for the eight seniors. 

WOGO Radio 101.3 FM streamed the game so that alumni who couldn’t make the game could still participate in the homecoming festivities. 

Homecoming is a great time to reconnect with old friends and build new relationships with fellow Chi-Hi alumni. If you joined us this year, we’re so glad you could help make homecoming 2019 special. If you weren’t able to make it, we hope to see you at an event soon. 

No matter where you are, we hope you’re showing your Mighty Cardinals pride!

Every generation is defined by its slang. You may have been a hippie in the 1960s or a goth in 1990s. When you were a Mighty Cardinal, you most definitely used some kind of far-out slang. 

Just as in high school, today's Chi-Hi students have their own slang they use when chillaxin' with their peeps. Some words are seemingly timeless ("bad" and "cool" can still mean "good"), while others may not make sense to us old folks ("tea" has nothing to do with a hot beverage).

This list is not exhaustive, and you likely had your own special phrases you used when you were a Mighty Cardinal. Even if you don't know what on Earth the kids are saying these days, it's fun to explore how slang has changed through the decades.  

When you greet your friends

For Chippewa Falls students, teachers and parents, now is a truly exciting time of the year. That’s right — it’s back to school season!

What’s happening in Mighty Cardinals Nation this fall? Below you will find some recent news and highlights, along with some opportunities for you to get involved:  

Mighty Cardinal student-athletes receive $145,000 donation

The Chippewa Falls Booster Club made a sizable donation to Chi-Hi's athletic department, just in time for another victorious school year. The gift will be used for various Mighty Cardinals programs and teams, including costs for uniforms, equipment, travel and other needs. 

The donation allows students to only pay $20 to join a sports team, an uncommonly low rate for high school athletics in Wisconsin and a big point of pride for our district. 

Chippewa Valley school districts work to make student commutes safer

Three local school districts are working to identify safe commute routes for students heading to and from campus. The initiative promotes walking or biking to school, and letting parents feel comfortable enough sending kids to school on their own. Part of the effort is aimed at reducing traffic in school zones. 

The Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire and Altoona school districts joined the West Central Regional Planning Commission to lead the initiative. The group surveyed parents and community members to identify the safest routes. Students and parents will receive information about the routes, plus other safety tips. 

Construction projects on track as busy summer ends

Summer saw great progress for construction projects districtwide. The new location for Stillson Elementary School in Lafayette now has complete foundation and footings, and structural steel is in progress. The Chippewa Falls Middle School parking lot and building renovations are nearly finished. The district took over renovations from the primary contractor as the school year began. 

The funding for the project came from a $65 million referendum voters passed in April 2018. It included the new 36-acre site for Stillson and key improvements to the middle and high schools. 

Mark your calendars for Homecoming 2019! 

For Mighty Cardinals, fall means a great opportunity to show our pride! Join fellow Chi-Hi alumni and current students for Chi-Hi's homecoming festivities. 

Homecoming week begins Monday, October 7 and runs through Saturday, October 12. On the football field, the Cardinals will take on Eau Claire North on Friday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m. Students will finish the week with a homecoming dance on Saturday evening. Stay tuned for more events and how you can participate as an alumnus!

Staying engaged is an important part of being an active alumnus. Thank you for your ongoing support of the students of the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District. And Go Mighty Cardinals!

We’ve hit peak road trip season, a time when families pack up the car and head north to the cabin or to a high-flying theme park destination. Kids today will form lifelong memories of these summer trips, just as you did all those summers ago. However, their experience may look a bit different.

Set the AM dial, grab a cheese sandwich and hop in the Buick as we take a road trip down memory lane to see how times have changed. 

Over the past several months, the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District has been hard at work on several key projects funded through a successful referendum last spring. These projects will help expand learning opportunities for our students across the district, significantly enhancing their college and career readiness. 

Check out the progress we have made on these efforts:

Chippewa Falls STEAM Lab

Through STEAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math, our students learn incredibly valuable skills that prepare them for a highly competitive world after graduation. Our new STEAM Lab, on which we broke ground in May, will feature equipment, spaces and technology through which students can explore a wide variety of interests. 

Chippewa Falls Middle School renovations

The referendum projects also include a renovation of Chippewa Falls Middle School. This encompasses the repair and improvement of the existing building, along with an expansion to provide better technology and more space for students.

At a May event, students, administrators and parents took part in a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the start of the third and final phase of our district's referendum projects.

New Stillson Elementary School

Ground broke in May on the new Stillson Elementary School, which is being built on a 36-acre site in Lafayette. The increased space of the new property provides room for parking, playgrounds and athletic fields for our students, families and staff. Plans are underway to widen the road leading up to the new elementary school to ensure safer transportation for drivers, cyclists, buses and pedestrians.

We would like to thank the entire Chippewa Falls area community, including our alumni, for your support of our students and schools. These exciting projects would not be possible without you! #MightyCardinalsNation

Seeing that invitation for your class reunion can stir up a lot of emotions, including excitement, nostalgia and (perhaps) some anxiety. You may not have seen these people in a long time, and the prospect of walking into a room with your old classmates makes you feel like an awkward teenager all over again.

If you are a little nervous about attending your upcoming reunion, below are some tips to help you out:

Do some research

Bust out your yearbooks to jog your memory of names and faces. There may be people you’ve lost touch with, but are hoping to see at the reunion. If you feel comfortable, reach out to people on social media ahead of time to learn who plans to attend and build a group of familiar faces you’ll be eager to talk to during the event.

However, don’t expect everyone to have done this. Be prepared to re-introduce yourself to classmates. After all, it has been a long time since you've seen one another!

Use the buddy system

The buddy system worked for you in school, and it will certainly work for you now. Reach out to a school friend to see if he or she will attend, and make a plan to go together. Chances are, your friend has the same anxieties and will be eager to hear from you.

Be prepared with questions

When in doubt, ask people questions about themselves. What have they been up to since high school? How did they enter their career path? What do they miss about living in your hometown? If you’re nervous to open up yourself, steer the conversation to others.

Leave past grudges behind

If your nerves stem from childhood drama with an individual or clique, try to leave those feelings in the past. It’s been a long time since high school, and hopefully everyone has grown. Chances are, that person regrets his or her past behavior. Be kind to everyone—and you may even leave with new friends.

Have fun!

Class reunions provide an opportunity to reconnect with a group of people with whom you had a unique, shared experience. You’ll relive hilarious memories and forge new bonds with old friends. Keep an open mind and appreciate the evening for what it is: a celebration.

Would you like to get more involved with the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District? Join Mighty Cardinals Nation today!

There are many reasons why it's important to be civically involved, from contributing to your community in meaningful ways to the health benefits often found in those who actively serve as volunteers and on boards and committees of nonprofits and government agencies.

Although you may want to be more civically involved, it can be difficult to know where to start. Work, family and various other responsibilities can make it feel as if you don't have time for anything else in your life. However, civic engagement can be easier than you might think. There are several simple things you can do to support your community without a huge investment of your time, energy or money.

Below are six simple ways you can get more civically involved today:

There are always exciting things happening in the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District!  From new construction planning to charitable initiatives from our wonderful students, we have a lot of exciting news to share. Below are a few recent highlights:

Design phase for Stillson construction, CFHS renovation complete

Plans have been finalized for the construction of Stillson Elementary and the renovation of Chippewa Falls Middle and High Schools. The $65 million project will expand facilities for students, teachers and faculty members and enable the district to enhance its programs and services. The projects are moving forward after community members approved a referendum question on the ballot last November. Track the progress via the district's website.

Students honored for charitable work, community engagement

The Kiwanis Club of Chippewa Falls, an organization focused on investing in charitable efforts and encouraging young people to get involved with the community, has recognized two CFHS students. The Kiwanis Club donated $50 in honor of each of the students to the charities of their choice.

We are proud of the great work of these students, as they have contributed to their community in meaningful ways!

Students collect donations for Recovery Court

Two CFHS students collected a wide variety of donations for the Chippewa County Recovery Court, an intensive rehabilitation and recovery program. The students collected donations of clothes, backpacks and toiletries from the community to give to participants in the program. Great job on an impactful community service effort by these students!

Former CFHS student folds hundreds of paper cranes

When Alan Fox was a senior at Chippewa Falls High School, he came across a college admissions essay example that referenced the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who was affected by the bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. Inspired by her goal to fold 1,000 paper cranes, Fox decided to take on the challenge for himself.

Now in college, he has steadily been working his way up toward his goal.

There are so many great things happening in Chippewa Falls, it's difficult to cover them all on the Mighty Cardinals blog. Please stay tuned for further news and updates from your alma mater!