In the fall of 2015, Potosi was in need of an Agriculture teacher because our current Ag Teacher, Mr. Uppena was transitioning into the role of principal. At the time, there was a local Ag Teacher who was also looking for a change. Potosi was the perfect fit for Tracy Brunton, although she would have been a perfect fit at any school.
When arriving at Potosi High School, Mrs. Brunton made her impact felt immediately. Potosi now had a full-time Agriculture teacher and could unlock more potential in their programs. Mrs. Brunton started getting more kids involved in activities outside of school like FFA judging teams, earning FFA degrees, and working towards proficiency awards.
One group that has really taken off recently with the care of Mrs. Brunton is the wildlife judging team. The wildlife team has been to state three times now, and each time they placed in the top 10. If you are able to make the team you have to learn to identify 180 different species of animals native to Wisconsin, invasive species, hunting and trapping regulations, and some common trapping and capturing tools. The contest is made up of 3 parts - the identification portion, where you are either looking at pictures, mounts, tracks, or skulls of the different species or tools, a written test regarding different regulations and hunting rules, laws, and other wildlife conservation questions, and a team portion where you get to work with your teammates to solve a problem or answer questions about that subject. Each year the team portion is assigned different areas to know. This year the team practicum is focused on wild turkeys and invasive species, which means that anything regarding those items could be a part of the team practicum.
The 2024 wildlife team is expected to be just as competitive as last year's state team. There are 10 students who are studying and trying to earn their spot on the team. There is only one potential team member who is returning from last year; Tanner Pluemer. Tanner is consistently one of the top wildlife judges in the state and is expected to lead this year's team.
This year the 10 potential members all took part in an online practice test. This test was not to determine who was on the team but for them to see what it would be like if they made the team. There were 27 teams that took part in the online practice test and Potosi was able to place 3rd overall. Tanner led the team in 5th place and Gavin Wunderlin was next for Potosi in 14th. Overall this was a very close and competitive event for Potosi with everyone being close to each other.
The next contest that the Wildlife Team will be competing in is regionals at UW-Platteville on March 21st. This competition determines who will advance to state. 35 teams from around the state will have a chance to advance. There are 5 different regional contests that teams have a choice to attend. The top seven teams from each regional will advance to state. If there are less than 7 teams at a regional then those open spots will be moved to a different regional.
The wildlife team is expected to do well this year. With the guidance of Mrs. Brunton the wildlife team will always be able to compete with the top schools in the state. The wildlife team is thankful for everything that she does and is grateful for all the opportunities that she brings.