Southern Door Celebrities

Mr. Toneys, a volunteer at Southern Door Elementary, sits beside Andrew Kluth as he reads the book “The Mittens,” providing a little help along the way when the student needs it. Photo by Kelly Avenson.

Mike and Carol Toneys are the kind of employees that a school principal dreams about: they are generous, loving, and have boundless energy. They come up with new ideas and create lasting relationships with kids and other teachers. And, to boot, they are volunteers.

“The Toneys,” as they are universally known, have been volunteering at Southern Door Elementary School since 2006, when then-guidance counselor Sue Jahn recruited them. Since then, they have become a fixture at the school, with Mike working three days a week and Carol two.

“Our two sons graduated from Southern Door,” says Mike, “and we were so happy with the education they received that we wanted to give something back.”

So Mike, a retired fisheries biologist with the DNR, and Carol, a former medical assistant, got right down to it. They just said: “Use us however we can help.”

At first, that meant assisting in classrooms with small groups, or providing administrative support for teachers. Mike says, “Sometimes we just spend time with kids who needed it.”

But soon, Mike and Carol found a special place that was right up their alley – the school forest. In the fall and spring, they accompany classes on hikes through the 200-acre school forest, providing support for teachers or acting as lead naturalists for the group.

“It’s amazing what kids absorb and learn when they are out there in Mother Nature,” says Carol. One wide-eyed child reported to her dad that “The Toneys told me if you inhale the powder from puffball mushrooms, they can grow in your lungs!”

Mrs. Toneys, a volunteer at Southern Door Elementary, helps children understand the Aboriginal culture a little better by painting tribal symbols on their arms or faces. Photo by Kelly Avenson.

Mike chuckles at this and corroborates, “That would be quite rare, but it could happen. We try to discourage the kids from breathing in the spores.”

Mike and Carol worked with teachers and the DNR to create a School Forest Education Plan, in which all classrooms have regular access to learning opportunities out of doors. While they were at it, they helped out with renovating a historic log cabin into a nature center and re-established a pond for students to explore.

They also began a yearly “sugaring off” with Southern Door’s fourth graders, an experience that enriches the Wisconsin History curriculum and gives kids a chance to experience the process of making maple syrup. Angie and Mel Jonas, Southern Door parents who make their own maple syrup each spring, have the expertise, says Mike, “and we couldn’t do it without them.”

Last year, The Toneys were intimately involved in the Clay Tile Mural project that resulted in the largest-ever school mural led by Jeanne and David Aurelius of Clay Bay Pottery in Ellison Bay. Mike and Carol loved being involved in the whole process – from laying out all those tiles, to the painting, to the firing, and, of course, being there when the kids were getting their hands dirty.

To get an idea of how adored The Toneys are, consider this: Of all the rewards that children can earn as part of the school’s positive behavior reinforcement program, “Time with The Toneys” is one of the most coveted. Kids save their tickets, bypassing plastic trinkets and stickers, for the chance to have their face painted by Mrs. Toneys or go for a walk in the woods with Mike and Carol.

“The best part of this work is hearing the laughter and pure joy of discovery when we are outside with the kids,” says Mike. “And the questions!” beams Carol, her face lighting up.

Elementary principal Laurie Connell is effusive in her praise of The Toneys. “They are valuable beyond measure,” she says. “The kids love them, the teachers love them, and I love them.”

Mike and Carol got a chance to understand how important they are to the children of Southern Door when, a couple of years back, Mike suffered an aneurism. Upon his return after a prolonged absence, he found the school decorated with huge banners proclaiming “Welcome back Mr. Toneys” and “We love you.”

“It was truly humbling,” says Mike. “For a couple of days, I would just cry.”

Carol agrees that the rewards of their volunteer work are great. “We have gotten so much back,” she says. “And when I walk down the halls, I feel like a celebrity.”