Saying cheerio to the Chads of Cedar Grove-Belgium

The Cedar Grove-Belgium School District last month said goodbye to two Chads — Supt. Chad Brakke and longtime School Board member Chad Hoopman.

Brakke left for the Baldwin-Woodville School District to be closer to his wife’s workplace in Minneapolis. Since being hired in 2020, he helped the district navigate a return to in-person school during the pandemic, led the effort to start Rocket Academy — the district’s charter school focusing on technical education and skilled trades — started a hall of fame, led a referendum effort, and was in charge when the district reached a top-five ranking on the state report card.

Brakke said those are team victories.

“I wouldn’t say I accomplished anything,” he said. “I am proud of collaborative approach the board, administration and staff used to manage Covid, and complete a referendum project all while continuing to improve student achievement. I am thankful I was able to be a small part of that for four years. I  am excited to follow the growth of the district and Rocket Academy in years to come.”

Hoopman and his family moved to Florida, their longtime favorite destination.

He has been on the School Board since 2008 and president for the last 14 years.

“It was truly an honor and a privilege for me to serve my hometown community.  As a youth growing up in Cedar Grove, I had numerous adults next door neighbors such as Dave Watry, Sharon Justus, Gary Meeusen, Terry Eernisse and Brian Obbink that all served the Cedar Grove-Belgium community as School Board members, and that has always stuck with me,” Hoopman said.

“I’m most proud of what our students have been able and continue to accomplish in and out of the classroom. I’m proud of the staff and coaches that have provided daily guidance to help show the path to success for our students. I’m proud of the administration team that has fostered a culture and environment where staff and students are able to excel. When you have an environment where it’s enjoyable to work at, enjoyable and productive to attend class and practice then the moon’s the limit for all the stakeholders involved. That becomes a product that the entire community gets behind and is truly supportive of.”

Others have started to take notice of the district’s success and want to be part of it, Hoopman said, drawing record enrollment from other districts. Last year’s freshman class president was a student from Sheboygan, he said.

Hoopman returned last month for the Rocket Rumble, an outdoor wrestling tournament held on the high school’s football field that draws hundreds of competitors from across the Midwest that he organizes.