Karen Noel

"We were all so excited," Thorson Principal Karen Noel said of the MRI results."It feels like all of that positive spirit is at least working."

Felix returns to Children's Hospital today, where he will continue to undergo high-dose radiation.

With that exhortation, the three parents approached Eastview Principal Karen Noel for advice, and Noel identified two families in need of extra support for the holidays.

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"They've gotten an unbelievable response," said Noel."It shows what a community can do.What these women have accomplished is phenomenal; it's really heart-warming."

The goal of the giving tree project, the volunteers said, was to give needy families a good holiday.But the gift drive also has had positive effects on many other members of the Eastview community.

New career challenge sends Karen Noel

After 10 "really wonderful years" working for the Lake Geneva Area Elementary (Joint 1) School District, Eastview Elementary School Principal Karen Noel has decided to take on a new career challenge.

Noel, who submitted her letter of resignation to the Joint 1 School Board Tuesday, June 8, is leaving Eastview to became the principal at Thorson Grade School in Cedarburg.

"I came in with (Badger High School Principal) Dr. (Mark) Pienkos ... and now we're the senior administrators" in the local school districts."This is the longest period I've been in one district," Noel said.

"I think it's important to change.It would be very easy for me to stay here until I retire ...I love the staff, the kids and the community," Noel said.

Working in the same place for a decade has resulted in Noel getting to know all the children in some local families, which resulted in very good and long-lasting friendships, she said.It was a decision between staying comfortable with all the personal connections she developed during the years, or taking on a new challenge when Noel was offered the the Cedarburg position out of about 150 applicants.

"In this business you have to push yourself to change and to grow.The status quo is dangerous in the education business," Noel said.

Thorson Grade School is for kindergarten through fifth-grade students.It is a little larger than Eastview with 19 classrooms.Eastview only has 16 classrooms, and it is a SAGE school.The SAGE program limits class sizes to 18 students.Noel said the average class size at Thorson is 25 to 26 students.

"There are some similarities between the schools, but it definitely will be a new challenge," Noel said.
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Noel will miss kids

The hardest part of leaving Eastview was informing the students on the last day of school, Noel said.It is important for young people to understand change, so Noel said she "had to tell the kids before I left."

"It's important not to shock kids ...I didn't want them to show up in the fall and ask 'Where Is Mrs. Noel,'" she said.

"I told the kids I was leaving for another position ... it was a very sad end of the school day.But I told them you have to accept change and use it to grow ... to be the best people we can be," Noel said.

"I fell apart (emotionally) when I told them ...I think I hugged 280 kids.You work hard for a good relationship with children in this business ...I accomplished what I set out to accomplish with our Eastview family," Noel said.

Noel said at first she will commute to Cedarburg from her family's Delavan Township home.
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Tony and Karen Noel have a 7-year-old son, Jacob.
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"I don't know what the future holds ... we'll see," Noel said.

Letter of resignation

Noel submitted the following letter to the Joint 1 board:
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Karen Noel

New career challenge sends Karen NoelAfter 10 "really wonderful years" working for the Lake Geneva Area Elementary (Joint 1) School District, Eastview Elementary School Principal Karen Noel has decided to take on a new career challenge....more >>