08/28/2026
Kiel eSchool Celebrates Quarter-Century of Online Learning!
In a world before high speed internet, smart phones, Zoom calls and AI, a virtual school grew from “a group of forward-thinking individuals [who] strongly supported their local school district. They passed a referendum to expand and enhance four school buildings. The referendum also helped develop the technology infrastructure, including networking, hardware, and software, for students in the school district. The community was Kiel, Wisconsin—“The little city that does BIG things.” (from Sue Steiner’s A HIstory of Kiel eSchool, 2024)
So, when most schools were just starting to expand digital offerings and shifting from the early days of dial-up internet, this referendum led to the formation of the Kiel eSchool. As Steiner explains in her History, “This was a very committed group. The committee devoted hours to brainstorming, studying, reviewing, and consulting with educators experienced with the charter school concept and its implementation, and conducting personal visits to districts already using the system. The committee also tackled administration, management, curriculum assessment, high school credits, diplomas, and financial implications. Although committee members did not always agree, they could still reach a consensus. Every person on the committee brought their expertise to this project and was involved in some capacity. (ibid., 2024)
In the end, that committee wrote that mission statement that is still featured on the eSchool website:
“All Kiel eSchool students will be provided an environment that promotes their social, emotional, academic, and vocational growth and development in a nontraditional school setting. The Kiel eSchool will: foster a safe, caring environment that accepts and encourages diversity; nurture personal growth through increased self-awareness, individual responsibility, and healthy risk-taking; maintain a learning environment characterized by academic achievement; encourage students based on their needs and life-long interests; strengthen school, community, and family partnerships; and contribute to the community through developing a well-trained workforce.” (Steiner, 2024)
From those humble beginnings, the Kiel eSchool grew to be a force in virtual learning, not just in Kiel. Together with the Appleton eSchool, Kiel eSchool founded the Wisconsin eSchool Network (WEN) in 2007, allowing other virtual schools to pool resources for purchasing curriculum, share best practices, and provide support for one another. From those early days, WEN has grown to
represent most of the virtual schools in the state, including Kiel. We are proud to share that our amazing program director, Jennifer Owen, was just chosen by that innovative group to be president-elect of WEN!
One thing many people do not know about both of our virtual school programs – Between the Lakes Virtual Academy which serves 4K-8th grade students, and Kiel eSchool, which serves students in grades 9-12, is that we provide services not just for Kiel students, but for students in 26 partnering districts across the State of Wisconsin. In addition to our own small but growing group of direct-enrolled students, we have a large pool of partner students who come to us for full and part time learning, special education services (recently added to our charter school) and sometimes short-term solutions to family travel, health emergency/recovery, and temporary placement for students in need. We also added a fully online GEDO #2 program, an alternate path to a high school diploma designed for students who struggled in traditional high school, but are motivated to prove mastery of the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.
We are planning for about 225 full time students this fall between our two school programs: some resident, some open-enrolled, and some partner students, as well as part time students. Last year we graduated our biggest class yet of direct-enrolled students, most of whom were able to join us at the Kiel Area School District graduation last June. About one third of our students graduated a full semester (or more) early!
We hope to celebrate throughout this year the milestone of a quarter-century of online learning! Two great ladies who were there from the beginning still proudly serve on the Governance Board: Sue Steiner, recently retired after 58 years teaching for Kiel in person and then online, and Dr. Deb Sixel, retired Director of Instruction.
In the words of our beloved late vice-president, Don Mogenson, who had also been on the Governance Board since its beginnings, “[We] went from a charter that was a paragraph long, to a whole set of opportunities for all kids.”
Happy 25th birthday, Kiel eSchool!
