Daily Archives: February 19, 2018

Kenosha Unified School District’s college tour can help close achievement gap, organizer says

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Kenosha college toru image

Kenosha News: When Alvin Owens talks about the Spring Break College Tour, which takes mostly African-American Kenosha students on a whirlwind tour of colleges in the South and East Coast, he also isn’t afraid to talk about the elephant in the room: the achievement gap.

It refers to the academic gap that exists in the Kenosha Unified School District between black students and their white counterparts. It is considerable — Owens calls it the biggest in the country — and it bothers him.

“Our academic achievement gap is getting bigger. That is something we cannot accept or tolerate,” he said. “It’s up to us to close the gap.”

When he says “us,” he’s referring to parents and the larger community.

At a recent meeting with parents about the upcoming tour, he and Gary Vargas, student liaison at Bradford High School and an adviser to the African American Male Initiative, goaded parents to stay on top of their children’s academics, telling them they need to be checking school websites, perusing online grades and meeting with guidance counselors and teachers to learn of opportunities for their children.

Read more about the Kenosha Unified School District’s college tour.

Horicon elementary school becomes Blue Zones approved

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Horicon Blue Zones award image

Daily Citizen: Van Brunt Elementary in Horicon has been recognized as the newest Blue Zones Project Approved school in Dodge County. This designation reflects the school’s commitment and focus on not only building a stronger and healthier community, but also making well-being a priority for young learners to prepare them for a lifetime of better health.

“The Blue Zones Project initiative at Van Brunt is changing the culture of our school in a variety of positive ways. We are bringing awareness to healthy choices for our students including being active, eating right and being mindful,” Assistant Principal Cynthia Borgstorm said.

Van Brunt Elementary enhanced the school environment by removing unhealthy advertising and vending machines. They also incorporated Go Noodle brain breaks into classroom time. Students made their own homemade pizza through a Kids in the Kitchen class, providing an opportunity to gain a hands-on understanding of food. Meanwhile, parents were given ideas of non-food alternatives, activities and other recognition for classroom birthday celebrations.

In addition, the school wellness team chose to make this the year to incorporate a school fun run as a school fundraiser. The fundraiser was a huge success, creating a positive and healthy way to move naturally for students.

Read the complete article on Horicon elementary school award.