Waunakee Community School District

Committee Members

Kelli Kline Committee Chair

Growing up, being active and playing sports helped shape the person that I have become. I enjoy the competitive side of athletics and how people can push their bodies to do more. It has always been fascinating to me just how much our bodies can endure. I became enamored in how our body can perform and recover from injury leading me into pursuing a degree to become a Certified Athletic Trainer from UW-La Crosse.
I later received my degree to teach Health & Physical Education. I enjoy being able to take what I have learned from the healthcare side of things into the Health classroom where I currently teach. I still enjoy the competitive side of athletics, but as an adult I have also come to enjoy the tranquility that other forms of exercise has to offer. My view of wellness has evolved to encompass other aspects of health besides exercise. I believe to be truly well a person needs to have balance in their life and I strive to find new hobbies that I enjoy, eat moderately well, and keep learning to keep that old mind sharp!

If interested in joining the Wellness Committee, please reach out to Kelli or any of the District Wellness Committee members!

Anne Dahlie, Heritage/Prai

Ken Penfield, Heritage

Melissa Hlavacka, Prairie

Lindsey Laufenberg, Int.

Heidi Sadler, Int.

Jen Grabarski, M.S.

Cathy Keenan, M.S.

Christina Gascho, H.S.

Rose Nadler, H.S.

Pani Weber, H.S.

Jenny Sydow, School Nurse

John Cramer, Director of Facilities

Brian Grabarski, Director of Human Resources

Steve Summers, Executive Director of Operations

Jenny Endres, Human Resources

Chris Mand, Associate Director of Student Services

Kelly Nemo, Dean Prevention & Health Promotion Coordinator

Sara Anderson-Kim, Family Nurse Practitioner

Here's what some of our committee members have to say about wellness!

Anne. I have always been a promoter of as healthy active lifestyle. I grew up with parents in the health field and listening to them talk about how important it is to take care of your body. I have carried this message into my adulthood. I enjoy and stay active with many outdoor activities no matter the season: beach volleyball, kickball, hiking, biking, swimming, water skiing, cross-country skiing, and the list goes on. But wellness is more than just exercising, it is also maintaining your brain health as well as your stress level. Some activities that I enjoy that help those areas of my life are reading, crocheting, and other hand needlework crafts. So I am a member of the Wellness Committee to be available to other staff that would like to make healthy lifestyle choices. Personal Goal: Finding easy, healthy small portion meal options that are yummy. Keeping on track with cleaner eating and maintaining my physical fitness.

Ken. I want to make “wellness” a priority in my life. I have found myself taking many things for granted and not making time for my health. I had cancer in 1997 and went through two surgeries and four months of intense chemotherapy. It was a scary experience and keeps me grounded in my thinking since I am a survivor and have been given a second chance. Since then, I have been fairly active... yet become sedentary as of late. I need to get off my duff and do more to improve my mind, body, and soul. So, I am hoping my involvement with the Wellness Committee will help give me the energy and support to make a lifestyle change. Not everyone gets a second chance...so I want to make the most of mine. Personal Goal: Lose weight and run my first 5K in almost 25 years.

Lindsey. Staying active and focusing on wellness has always been an important part of my life. Throughout high school and college, I continued to stay active and participate in different sports. I also loved the team aspect of competing in sports and the community I gained, even after the season was over. After college, I had to find the time to make fitness a priority. I thrive on a structured schedule and staying active is a large part of my daily routine. I feel more productive and have more energy after a workout. I have also enjoyed dedicating my time to coaching. I believe that teaching future generations the importance of wellness is an opportunity to give back to the community that encouraged my own fitness journey. Personal Goal: Find the balance between fitness and nutrition. I have more experience in fitness and staying active. Now, I want to focus on adding the nutrition piece into my life and being more intentional about fueling my body.

Heidi. I’m that typical “I’ll workout later” person. That changed for me when the Intermediate School Fitness Center became available to staff. My co-workers and I started walking on the treadmill a couple of times a week. Then came the Wellness Committee Challenges: the Step Challenge and Maintain - Don’t Gain. Feeling better about working out and seeing a change in my weight, I decided to do something I never would have thought! I completed my first 5K with a co-worker. Our goal was to complete in under an hour and we did it!
Jen. Physical fitness and wellness has always been a part of my life. It began with my love of sports and my high school health classes sparked a huge interest in digging deeper into the “How” of movement and all the different facets of wellness. Basic human movement and the study of how to make corrections to make the body move at peak performance has always interested me. I pursued a degree in Kinesiology - Human Movement at UW-Eau Claire and did a lot of work in the athletic training rooms and the sports medicine clinics. I then went on to get my Physical Education and Adapted Physical Education Teaching degrees at UW-Madison. They all tie together to allow me to teach, coach, and do personal training. I love helping others and people of all ages to discover what works for them, both on the track and in life! Personal Goal: Work fitness and healthy eating into my life always and continue to help others find fitness activities that they love and that work in their lives. I also want to continue to challenge myself to try new things and not become “stuck” repeating the same patterns.

Cathy. Living an active and healthy lifestyle has been a part of who I am for as long as I can remember. I simply love being outdoors and challenging myself to be the very best I can be. As an avid runner, road cyclist and swimmer, I spend many hours out on the road and in the pool. This has helped me to maintain that work/life balance we all strive for each day. Having a healthy body and healthy mind are key components to managing the stress in our lives. I firmly believe that we need to take care of ourselves before we can take care of others. Creating that balance of self care/work/life is crucial to maintaining proper mental and physical health.
Personal Goal: My goal is to continue finding balance each day with my training and my work/ home life. I want to continue to encourage people to find what activity/positive choices makes them happy while fitting their lifestyle. I am a member of the Wellness Committee to be able to connect with others to help them find and make positive choices that will allow them to have that balance in life.
Jenny S. As a Registered Nurse with most of my experience being in Pediatric Primary Care, I've learned the importance of preventive health maintenance and care. I'm a big believer in health education and prevention by following the recommendations of a primary care provider and maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Although I learned what having a primary care provider meant since becoming a nurse, I give my mom some credit for offering healthy foods with lots of veggies as a kid and often encouraging a walk around the block after dinner or some leg lifts or sit ups on the floor during commercials during a tv show. My husband and I enjoy staying active with our 3 young kids with biking, hiking and many neighborhood walks. I enjoy cooking and find a huge benefit in meal planning and weekly food prepping. I'm often trying new recipes, some to never make again, while others end up in the rotation. One of my personal wellness goals is to organize and prioritize my recipes and cookbooks to help make meal choices and prep easier and less stressful.
John. I love being outside, and I love riding bikes and helping others discover the joy of riding bikes. I am a NICA mountain bike coach for 6th to 12th grade student-athletes, and I also race mountain bike, cyclocross, and road bikes competitively. I have learned the hard way that I need to fuel my body correctly and workout if I’m to remain healthy and competitive. I have also discovered that eating the right foods, and more so, not eating unhealthy food, is the foundation for a sharp mind, feeling good, and staying healthy. I believe in lifestyle, not “a diet”.Bob and Gillian from from the Biggest Loser (TV show) said it best when they stated a simple phrase that has stuck with me… “Put less in [your mouth] and move around more.” These two simple things have helped shape how I approach health. My motivation to be on the Wellness Committee is to help others by advancing the simple strategy of eating well and moving more.
Brian. An active lifestyle has been important to me since childhood. It has evolved from competitive sports to personal wellness, in both mind and body. I value exercise, eating healthy, and maintaining my mental well-being. It's a priority for me to support our employees as they pursue all aspects of their health.
Kelly. Kelly is ready to assist the district’s health and wellness-related needs with: Wellness Committee Consultation, Biometric Screenings and Health Assessments, Navigation of WebMD portal (Registration to Rewards, Campaigns and Challenges, and Education for Self-Care).

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