Waukesha North grad's books removed; author wants name off Wall of Stars

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha North High School's Wall of Stars has one less name on it.

A local author no longer wants the recognition.

Of all the stories Kathie Giorgio has authored, this is a chapter she never expected.

What we know:

On Friday, Giorgio wrote to the School District of Waukesha and asked them to remove her name from North High School’s Wall of Stars.

"It’s a hard decision because I really treasure this award. To me, it’s the highlight of my career," Giorgio said. "They put me on the Wall of Stars.  You can see on the trophy, it says for literature. They put me there because of the books."

The backstory:

Giorgio is a 1978 graduate; five years ago she was nominated for and received a plaque at the school recognizing her work as a writer.

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She went on to lead discussions about her novels and poems. But while Giorgio was welcomed back to North, she learned her books were not.

She learned her books were removed "somewhere around 2023."

What they're saying:

In January, she was invited to speak at North's 50th anniversary celebration. She gifted the school copies of 15 of her books, but said the district rejected all of them.

Giorgio said she still hasn’t received a clear reason from the district as to the removal of all her books.

"I thought this was my chance to get the books back into the library – that whatever had happened had been repaired," she said.

FOX6 News: Is there anything inappropriate in these books? Sexuality explicit, for example? Language?

Giorgio: "There’s language – but I think you’ll get language in just about any book these days."

For someone who cherishes her high school experience, Giorgio said this ending just feels wrong.

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When asked about the books, Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Gennerman provided the following statement:

"The School District of Waukesha has spent significant time, energy, and resources to establish guaranteed and viable curriculum resources across many subjects. Our goal is to ensure all students have a common and rigorous learning experience. Similarly, our focus has also been on ensuring that our school libraries offer age and maturity-level-appropriate content. When there is a donation of books, our library media staff has practices in place for when books are donated.

Ms. Giorgio has asked for her name to be removed from the Waukesha North High School Wall of Stars. We will comply with her request.

As we begin the month of May, our focus is to finish the school year strong. Our students, staff, and families deserve nothing less."

WaukeshaEducation