Sanfelippo leaves an impression on Reedsville staff

Feb. 28, 2019

By David Nordby The Brillion News

REEDSVILLE – Live podcasting, mental exercises, and even a game of rock, paper, scissors. It was an energetic finish to an energetic in-service day last week for the Reedsville School District.

Fall Creek School District Superintendent Joe Sanfelippo spent the day with teachers having fun and letting them know it’s up to them to tell the world about the great things that happen in their classrooms.

“I just think we need to start talking about schools differently and I don’t think people outside of school are going to change the way they talk about schools until we change the way we’re talking about schools,” Sanfelippo told The Brillion News.

Sanfelippo has been in education for 22 years and in his 15th year as an administrator. He’s originally from Fond du Lac, went to St. Norbert College, and taught at Pulaski and Ashwaubenon.

“Our job is to try to figure out ways that we can tell the great stories of the ways things are happening in these spaces to people who are not always in these spaces,” Sanfelippo said.

There was a reason for each of his games. Live podcasting and the usage of social media can help get the positive messages out to the community, he said. The game of rock, paper, scissors? If teachers can get excited over a game like that, they can get excited about spreading the good news about schools.

“There’s amazing things happening in schools. We need to talk about them more often,” he said.

Sanfelippo says that people in the community aren’t aware of what’s happening in a school in 2019.

“A lot of times what ends up happening is people’s perception of school is what happened to them when they were in school 25 years ago and that’s not what’s happening today,” he said.

Please see the complete story in the Feb. 28, 2019 print edition of The Brillion News.