Familiar faces with new jobs in school district

WAUPACA – The 2025 to 2026 school year in Waupaca is starting off with many new fresh faces and changes in leadership throughout the district.
A new district administrator, a new high school principal and seventeen new teachers are starting off the new semester.
Mark Flaten, the new district administrator, is not a new face to the district, but certainly a new to the position.
Flaten was previously the Director of Teaching and Learning for the last eight years. Before Waupaca, he worked in Nekoosa, Green Bay and Grafton, where he served as a science teacher, associate principal and head principal.
Flaten has a bachelor degree in education broad-field biology, a master’s degree in educational leadership and an educational doctorate in educational leadership and policy.

Jennifer Erb, the new high school principal in Waupaca, may be new in her position as principal, but she is not new to the district as she has served in roles as a teacher, a career and technical education coordinator and associate principal.
Erb was originally hired as an FFA advisor as well as an agricultural education teacher, something she has a wealth of experience being she grew up on a dairy farm in Navarino. She also has a 38-acre farm she lives on.
Erb said she is looking forward to providing a safe environment for students and teachers to foster growth and help students build emotional, social and technical skills to help them succeed into the future.
“I want to create an environment where every student feels confident to take risks and learn from mistakes,” Erb said.
This also includes embracing innovation, said Erb, where she also wants to build the skills to tackle an ever-changing world.
Overall she hopes to create a community at the high school, building relationships among students and teachers as well as with parents, local businesses and organizations.
“I am so proud to be the principal of Waupaca High School,” Erb said. “As we begin the 2025-26 academic journey, I want to express my profound gratitude to the entire school staff. To our teachers and educational assistants who dedicate countless hours to shaping young minds; to our coaches and club advisors who teach invaluable lessons in teamwork and perseverance beyond the classroom; and to all our support staff—from the front office to the cafeteria and custodial crews—who ensure our school runs smoothly and safely.”
There were also a lot of new teachers that are coming in to start the new school year.
The Waupaca Learning Center (WLC) hired five new teachers with Emma Schoneck, fourth grade teacher; Brooke Zietlow, special education; Nolan Spanbauer, special education; Lauren Gerards, speech language pathologist; and Mellissa Borst, a physical therapist at the district and WLC.
The Waupaca Middle School hired seven new teachers, including Pamela Piencikowski, fifth grade teacher; Elizabeth Potratz, fifth grade teacher; Ainsley Vlietstra, intellectual disability special education; and Cielo Gutierrez Kahaupt, part time multi-lingual coach.
Of the seven new teaching hires at the middle school, three of them were English and language arts teachers with Erika Wilson, teaching sixth and seventh grade; Trisha Seyfert, at seventh grade; and Zoe Zalewski, teaching at the seventh and eighth grade levels.
The Chain Exploration Center hired Anthony Markon as CEO and administrator.
The Waupaca High School hired five new teachers including Jessica Erickson, a part time Spanish teacher and part time multi-lingual coach; Tyler Bouressa, alternate education; Kristi Ruggles, English teacher; Jeremy Albright, transportation and auto; and Kayla Ashley, band director.