Wittenberg teacher awarded WICPA grant

WITTENBERG — Cheryl Muscha, business and information technology instructor at Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School, was awarded a 2019 Accounting Career Awareness Grant from the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants Educational Foundation Inc.

Wisconsin high school accounting and business teachers who attended the WICPA High School Educators Accounting Symposium on Nov. 15, 2019, were eligible to apply for an accounting career awareness grant from the WICPA Educational Foundation. Muscha was one of 32 teachers to receive a grant.

Many of the grant projects involve multiple teachers, administrators, college or technical school faculty, and CPAs. The foundation encourages teachers to be innovative with their grant activities and to share the activities with other teachers.

“My students and I were able to attend career events at Lambeau Field and talk to their accounts, spend time at accounting firms like CliftonLarsonAllen in Green Bay and WIPFLI in Wausau, and hear entrepreneurial stories while we eat at places like Doc’s Harley Davidson and Wausau on the Water,” said Muscha.

The sole purpose of the grant is to expose students to an accounting career, Muscha said. She was awarded $981 for 2019-2020. Muscha and her students were able to take their trips before the shutdown.

“Students love these trips. It opens their eyes to private and public accounting and business in general,” said Muscha. “WICPA pays for everything, so students have no cost. Even their meal and fun experiences like laser tag at Wausau on the Water are covered.”

In the past two years, she was awarded grants that were about twice the amount awarded this school year and she was able to purchase materials for class, but the WICPA are reducing funds available for materials because they would rather see the out of classroom experience, said Muscha.

“The WICPA Educational Foundation’s Accounting Career Awareness Grant Program is an exciting opportunity for teachers and students to explore a variety of career opportunities available to those with an accounting degree,” said Michael E. Friedman, CPA, former president of the WICPA Educational Foundation. “It also reminds them that accounting can be fun.”

mnelson@newmedia-wi.com