Feb. 17, 2026
By ANASTASIA PENCHI
DE SOTO, Wis. – Creative expression is growing in the De Soto Area School District as students sell their artwork to fund field trips and teachers begin offering specialty classes to the community.
High School Principal Tim Fergot said he remembers French classes being offered to community members when he joined the district about 26 years ago, but he isn’t aware of any formal Community Education classes since.
Until this year.
After cycling through three superintendents in three years and three operational referendums that failed during the past two years, Fergot said the district is focused on four strategic areas: Long-range facility planning, academic excellence, employee retention and community engagement.
A Community Engagement Committee made mostly of district staff began meeting last fall to brainstorm ways to connect with community members who might not have kids in sports or school. Fergot said the district wants them to “see value” in having a school nearby.
As a result, committee members began proposing events that could bring people into the school, whether it was to show off student wood projects or teach community members charcuterie board-making and bookbinding.
Residents can register for classes on the district’s Web page at Community Education | De Soto Area School District.
At the same time, high school students in the De Soto Art Club are creating other connections in the community with their artwork. Art teacher Carissa Brudos said students have sold 28 pieces of art based on submitted pet photos for their year-long Pet Portrait fund-raiser.
Proceeds will help fund an annual field trip and other special events for the Art and Biology Clubs, which need about $2,000 for an overnight visit to an art museum and a science museum. This year’s trip is to Milwaukee.
“Who doesn’t love their pet,” said art teacher Meg Buchner. “It was very cute.”
When it came time to paint the cat portraits, De Soto High School juniors Holly Adams and Jaycee Sandry both decided to focus on the cats’ eyes. For Sandry, that was better than thinking about having to create several shades of black for the cat in her watercolor.
“(The cat) was really expressive, too,” Sandry said. “It looked like he had a smile.”
Sandry and some classmates met in the De Soto High School Art Room recently to carve designs into pieces of Linoleum that will later be covered in ink and printed onto canvas tote bags and sold.
Junior Lena Isbell carved a shark to make an ocean-themed beach bag. Junior Taylor DuCharme focused on tropical flowers.
“I really like hibiscus flowers and palm leaves, too,” DuCharme said. said. “I just like looking at them and drawing them.”
The tote bags and other student-created wares will be offered for sale during the annual Arts in Education Night, which will be held May 6. This is a K-12 art show where visitors can see art projects student have worked on during the school year and also purchase the extra items they made after school in Art Club.
“Some of our kids are not in sports or any other clubs,” said Brudos. “We want things for them to do, too.”
Anastasia Penchi is veteran writer who spent 13 years as a newspaper journalist and now works as a freelance writer. You may have seen her work in Coulee Region Women’s magazine, the Great Rivers Road blog and Explore La Crosse. Her passions are helping people in poverty and trying to save traditional journalism. She resides in Genoa and is a board member with Couleecap Inc. She can be reached at callmeloislane@hotmail.com.
Add comment