Monthly Archives: March 2018

Hudson High School theater wins national grant

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Photo of Hudson High School theater production

Hudson Star-Observer: When the call came out nationwide for exceptional theater programs, more than a thousand people applied. Music teacher Kari Heisler was one of them, representing the Hudson High School theater program.

With the premier of the new theater drama “Rise,” the Education Theater Foundation held auditions of a sort for Recognizing Inspiring Student Expression (R.I.S.E) grants, awarding $10,000 to the chosen theater departments.

Only 50 were selected in the end, and Hudson made the cut.

“That’s pretty amazing to be one of the 50,” Heisler said.

Heisler first heard of the opportunity through social media.

“I saw it and I got goosebumps,” Heisler said. “And I thought I don’t care if we ever get it we’ve got to apply for it.”

That was on a Thursday, the deadline for the application was the following Monday.

The application required a 500-word essay from Heisler, a letter of recommendation from an administrator and a two-minute video submission showcasing the theater department.

Read the complete article on Hudson’s national theater grant.

Whitefish Bay Students Win CNN Documentary Contest

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Patch.com: C-SPAN announced today that students from Whitefish Bay High School in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, are winners in C-SPAN’s national 2018 StudentCam competition.

Will Foote and James Dyer are first-prize winners and will receive $3,000 for their documentary, “WI Votes Count?,” about gerrymandering and the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause. This documentary will air on C-SPAN at 6:50 a.m. ET and throughout the day on April 20.

Patricia Mathu, Emma Mitchell and Jong Jung are third-prize winners and will receive $750 for their documentary, “Neither Snow Nor Rain,” about the Postal Clause.

Each year since 2006, C-SPAN partners with its local cable television providers in communities nationwide to invite middle school students (grades 6-8) and high school students (grades 9-12) to produce short documentaries about a subject of national importance. This year students addressed the theme, “The Constitution & You: Choose a provision of the U.S. Constitution and create a video illustrating why it’s important to you.”

Read the complete article on the Whitefish Bay students’ award-winning documentary.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra helps Oshkosh music students put on “electrifying” concert

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Oshkosh photo

WeAreGreenBay.com: This week, students in the choir and orchestra programs at the Oshkosh Area School District have been working to put together an “electrifying” concert.

It’s a part of the “Electrify your Strings and Choir” program that has been helping students open up through music for almost 20 years.

Mark Wood is a founding member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and says that the program is meant to stir things up for young musicians.

“We come in to sort of traditional choir and music programs and we rattle the cages and let the kids stretch a little bit,” he said.

Read the complete article on the Oshkosh Area School District concert.

Madison East High School will represent Wisconsin in national culinary competition

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Channel3000.com: Madison East High School won first place at the Wisconsin ProStart Student Invitational Culinary Competition held in Milwaukee March 13, according to a release.

At the ProStart Invitational, 21 high schools and 112 students from Wisconsin competed in the management and culinary competition.

Madison East High School participated in the culinary competition, where students needed to make a three-course meal. They are judged by food industry professionals and college educators on teamwork, presentation, cooking procedures, knife skills and sanitation.

Read the complete article on Madison East High School’s culinary team.

Spencer students help boy with disability get around a little easier

Stand Up for Public Ed,

photo of Spencer School District student

WSAW.com: A student in Spencer is able to get around a little easier thanks to the help of Spencer School District staff, Northcentral Technical College and his family.

Noel is a student at Spencer Elementary and was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that limits his mobility.

Students made a self-motorized car just for Noel that has unique switches designed to help him get around easier.

“It gives Noel the opportunity to move independently and explore. It really helps prepare him for more advanced mobility such as a power wheelchair later on,” said Kristin Jacobson, Assistant Director of Special Education.

Read more about the Spencer School District’s mobility project.

Washington-Caldwell receives national recognition for STEM education

Stand Up for Public Ed,

The Journal Times: The Washington-Caldwell School District announced Monday that it has been recognized as a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Distinguished District for providing broad access to learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines through PLTW programs.

The district, serving the north end of the Town of Waterford, is one of just over 30 districts across the U.S. to receive this honor. PLTW is a nonprofit organization that serves K-12 students and teachers in over 10,500 schools across the U.S.

PLTW is designed to help students develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. As PLTW students progress through grades K-12, they engage in problem solving and process thinking, develop technical knowledge and skills, build communication skills, and explore career opportunities.

The recognition honors districts committed to increasing student access, engagement and achievement with PLTW programs. To be eligible for the designation, Washington-Caldwell had to have had 20 percent or more of its students in each grade, K-12, participate in a PLTW program during the 2016-17 school year. Washington-Caldwell had 100 percent participation, PLTW said.

Homestead High School’s Robotics team among best in the world

Stand Up for Public Ed,

photo of Homestead High School robotics team

TMJ4.com: Homestead High School’s robotics team ranks among the best in the world.

In February, they were even ranked number one overall for a week. They’ve since dropped to a measly 8th out of 6,000 teams but have their eyes on the top spot with two more competitions coming up.

An impressive feat by kids who mostly can’t drive yet but drive robots with the best of them.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Kaitlyn Donley, a junior on the Kraken Pinion Robotics team said. “I love competing with other teams. It gives me real-world experience and prepares me for what I want to be when I grow up which is an engineer.”

Read the complete article on Homestead High School’s Robotics team.

Sun Prairie music students get a chance to premiere their compositions

Stand Up for Public Ed,

photo of Sun Prairie music students

Wisconsin State Journal: The Resonance program not only teaches middle and high school students how to compose music, but also how to recruit musicians and arrange and direct rehearsals to premiere the students’ work before a community audience.

The Resonance 2018 concert on Saturday at the Sun Prairie Performing Arts Center was the final component of the music composition program created and taught by Jon Nelson and William Smith.

“I knew nothing about composing when I walked in the first day. I got all the way to here somehow,” said Ryan Sellek, a freshman at Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School, before the concert. “I’ve had a lot of fun building up everything I know from the ground up.”

Sellek premiered his composition, which was a quartet for piano and percussionists. The other students and their compositions were Jacob Couch, junior at Sun Prairie High School, sonata for cello and piano; Hans Fuerst, senior at Waunakee High School, string quartet and tuba; Miles Gleason, sixth-grader at Patrick Marsh Middle School, chorale for brass ensemble performed by Sun Prairie’s music faculty in the district; and Isaac Meyer, sophomore at Sun Prairie High School, brass ensemble with piano.

Read the complete article on the Sun Prairie student music compositions.

New Berlin Students, Teacher Earn Tech Recognition Through NCWIT

Stand Up for Public Ed,

New Berlin award photo

Waukesha Patch: Nine School District of New Berlin students have been selected for recognition by the Wisconsin Affiliate of the National Center for Women & Information Technology organization. Each of these students were endorsed by a member of the district’s technology team.

The following students were selected as a winner of the Wisconsin NCWIT Aspirations in Computing award:

  • Naisha Bepar, New Berlin Eisenhower (endorsed by Aaron Chamberlain)
  • Emily Cebasek, New Berlin West (endorsed by Aaron Chamberlain)
  • Megan Choy, New Berlin Eisenhower (endorsed by Aaron Chamberlain)
  • Kayla Kugel, New Berlin West (endorsed by Saghar Homayounpour)
  • Anja Schwobe, New Berlin Eisenhower (endorsed by Devin McKinnon)

The following Eisenhower students were endorsed by Aaron Chamberlain and selected as a 2018 honorable mention in the award program: Faith Derengowski, Kate Martino, Melissa Tharaniyil and Emma Torres.

The NCWIT Aspirations in Computing award program recognizes young high school women for their computing-related achievements and interests as part of an effort to encourage more young women to choose careers in technology. Award winners were selected from high schools across Wisconsin for their outstanding aptitude and interest in information technology and computing, solid leadership ability, good academic history, and plans for post-secondary education.

Read the complete article on the NCWIT recognition.

Milwaukee Reagan High School hosts ‘Opportunity Fair’ connects students to jobs

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Reagan HS job Fair photo

MilwaukeeNNS.org: For Reagan high school students who are seeking to participate in an internship before graduating, stepping into the workforce just got easier.

Ronald W. Reagan High School, located on the South Side, recently hosted its first Opportunity Fair, an event that exposed students to at least 20 employers, internships and volunteer opportunities. The fair is one way the school helps students build career-related skills.

“Reagan supports students’ career readiness by reinforcing their academic skills, technical skills and employment skills,” said Molly Schuld, science teacher and coordinator of the fair.

Students on Reagan’s International Baccalaureate Career-related program track take a personal and professional skills course, and are encouraged to complete a 120-hour, paid internship related to their career interests. Gabriella Gonzalez, a Reagan junior, recently landed an internship with Aurora Health Care as a dietary aide.

“I’m quite a nerd,” she said, “I’ve always wanted to go into the military to help people. I want to go into medicine.” Gonzalez participated in a program with the Medical College of Wisconsin, where she dissected a heart and an eyeball, and is coordinating a blood drive later this semester. She explained that students must have the drive to pursue their career interests, but Reagan makes it easy for students to connect with opportunities.

Read the complete article on the Reagan High School Job Fair.