03 May 2013

Ayad Akhtar, a 1988 graduate of Elmbrook’s Brookfield Central High School, has been notified that he will be awarded this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Disgraced.

In 2012, the play won the Jeff Equity Award for Best New Play and is scheduled to premier at the Bush Theater in London in May 2013 after playing at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York in 2012.

Mr. Akhtar’s novel, American Dervish, has won numerous awards and been published in 25 languages around the world. In addition to being a playwright, he is also a screenwriter. He co-wrote and starred in The War Within, which was released internationally and nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. Finally, as an actor, he starred as Neel Kashkari in HBO’s adaptation of Andrew Ross Sorkin’s non-fiction book, Too Big to Fail.

While at Brookfield Central, Mr. Akhtar participated in a number of activities including student government. After graduating from Brookfield Central High School, Mr. Akhtar graduated from Brown and Columbia Universities with degrees in Theater and Film Directing.

“We are very proud of the accomplishment of this esteemed alumnus and we hope to continue to provide the foundation that allows our graduates to thrive and excel when they leave our school,” said Don LaBonte, principal of Brookfield Central High School.

24 April 2013

BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Scores released on April 23rd by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction indicate that School District of Elmbrook students continue to perform well on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concept Exam. Administered every November, the test provides a basic measure of overall student success, with results falling into the categories of minimal, basic, proficient and advanced. The district’s scores outpace the state average by a wide margin, with high percentages of students scoring proficient or advanced in math, reading, language arts, science and social studies.

News of the Elmbrook Schools’ success comes on the heels of tougher benchmarks implemented on the WKCE this year, aligning the test with more rigorous standards used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

"Despite the change in Wisconsin’s proficiency requirements, Elmbrook students continue to score better than the state average by a wide margin, something we attribute to our quality teaching staff and dedicated students and parents," said Dana Monogue, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. "As a district, we continue to raise the bar for what our students should know and be able to do. We embrace the Department of Public Instruction’s increased expectations to ensure college and career readiness."

Data for Elmbrook and all Wisconsin school districts can be found on the "Data Analysis" section of the Department of Public Instruction Wisconsin Information Network for Successful Schools (WINSS), available at http://dpi.wi.gov/sig/index.html. The full district news release can be found using the link below.

WKCE Results 2013 

22 April 2013

Out of more than 1,900 high schools in America, both public and private, Brookfield Central and Brookfield East have made the list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools by The Washington Post.  In the national rankings Brookfield East was ranked 674 while Brookfield Central came in at 837. Looking at their placement within the state of Wisconsin, Brookfield East ranked 7th and Brookfield Central 9th.  For the past 15 years, this list has been compiled by a formula using the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. The entire list can be found at http://apps.washingtonpost.com/local/highschoolchallenge/.

28 March 2013

Dan Pavletich, currently the principal of Brookfield East High School, has been selected to be the District’s new human resources director.

In the new position, Mr. Pavletich will lead the district’s efforts towards implementing the state of Wisconsin’s educator effectiveness model that promotes high quality teaching, benefit design and administration, employee recognition, and establishing a talent management strategy that develops leadership across the district. A search for the new principal of East High School will begin immediately.

"The success of the Elmbrook School District is the result of outstanding educational opportunities provided to students, as well as the continuing professional development of our staff. These efforts are even more critical with the rapid changes happening in education," said Mark Hansen, Superintendent. "Mr. Pavletich is an outstanding educational leader whose work as director of human resources will have a significant and positive impact on our staff—and by extension—all of our students."

Mr. Pavletich, who is in his third year as principal of East High School, has worked in the district since 1996. Before joining the Elmbrook staff, he was a teacher at Northwestern Academy in Lake Geneva and Pius XI High School in Milwaukee.

"Although it is difficult to leave Brookfield East, I will work hard to ensure a smooth transition for the new principal. I am thrilled to join the district staff as the director of human resources," said Pavletich. "This is a fascinating time to be in education, and I feel very fortunate to work in such a great school district."

Mr. Pavletich will begin his new position effective July 1.