PERHAPS YOU CAN DESIGN THE BLUGOLD MASCOT
Do you know what a Blugold is? Soon, you will. The UWEC Alumni Association is sponsoring the Blugold Mascot Design Contest, running April 15 through June 15. The contest is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and university friends. The mascot must incorporate the school colors blue and gold, relate to the nickname “Blugolds,” and represent the positive attributes of students and alumni. Contestants must also submit a mascot illustration, narrative, and explain their link between the mascot and nickname. The winner will be announced July 15, with a $500 prize. View official rules at www.uwec.edu/alumni/mascot. – BK

SCHOOL BOARD CUTS $2 MILLION
In an effort to alleviate budget shortfalls, the Eau Claire School Board voted April 5 to eradicate more than 40 full-time positions. The district will save an estimated $2.17 million, which is still insufficient to cover the $4.1 million deficit. Among the jobs eliminated are support staff and custodial positions — meaning a reduction in inspections and cleaning. In addition to personnel cuts, the board scraped further by consolidating kindergarten sites, reducing substitute teacher time, reducing lighting, switching from a quarter to a semester-based scheduling system in middle schools, and eliminating Spanish in elementary schools. – KJ

EAU CLAIRE A RETIREMENT HAVEN
When you think of where you’ll retire when your working days are done, what places come to mind? Sunny settings like Florida, Hawaii, or California? How about Eau Claire? According to US News and World Report, Eau Claire is one of the top 10 low-cost locales for retirees. Highest priority was given to places with affordable housing (all had median home prices below $150,000), access to arts and culture, sports, and health care. Finally, research shows that our college town has great perks and plenty of things to do for retirees unwilling to settle down. – NH

NORTH GETS HEALTH AWARD
North High School was recently honored for its health education program with the inaugural Blue Apple Health Education Award from the American Association for Health Education. North’s program addresses students' emotional, mental, physical, and social well-being, and includes healthy initiatives like printing health articles in newspapers, getting student input about health concerns, mastering healthy curriculum, and promoting wellness activities. Former AAHE president Katherine Wilbur said, “They get it. North knows that healthy, informed students perform better in the classroom.” – NH