Tag Archives: Region 12

DeForest middle school students create biographies of local people

Stand Up for Public Ed,

DeForest Area School District News Blog: Earlier this month students in Laura Kruschek’s and Holly Mair’s 7th grade English/Language Arts classes interviewed individuals older than themselves about their lives and created biography presentations.  Students in six of the classes interviewed older adults in the community, while two classes interviewed local business people, and two more classes interviewed high school seniors.

After the interviews, students used their writing skills to create a biography about their guest.  Then, using their technology skills, created an electronic presentation.

Throughout the day on April 14, the volunteers returned to the school to hear and see the finished projects.  Students were able to hear about what it was like to have a party line for a phone, be the first woman to be hired by UW-Madison to milk cows, and have a grandpa who owned the “jot it down” store.  “We were reminded many times that we read about history, but these older adults have lived through history,” said Laura Kruschek.

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Lake Mills Elementary Nationally Recognized as Pinnacle of K12 Project Achievement

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Eppstein Uhen Architects: Engineering News Record (ENR) has recognized Lake Mills Elementary as the “Best of the Best K-12 Education Project” in the nation. The elementary school was designed by Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) and constructed by Miron Construction. All of the “Best of the Best Projects” will be featured in the March 14th issue of ENR.

The competition began in March 2015 with a call for entries to the construction industry, which resulted in nearly 750 project teams submitting their best work to the regional Best Projects competitions. Once the regional winners were selected, the top projects in each category from each region were entered into the national competition. A new set of judges from across the country examined each project distinguishing the best from the best in terms of teamwork, safety, overcoming challenges, innovation and quality

Madison program offers alternative path

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Madison Magazine: As a freshman at East High School, Ivan Lozada found the traditional learning environment challenging. He simply couldn’t concentrate. Plus, he says “certain classes catered to certain kids,” which he felt did not include him. His parents noticed a change in him too—something he describes as “going into a dark place.” Yet one teacher recognized Lozada’s work ethic and recommended him for the Alternative Education Resource Options program through the district’s Innovative and Alternative Education program. He checked it out and enrolled, and eventually landed an office job at Goodman Community Center, one of Innovative and Alternative Education’s fifty program partners.

Although that job wasn’t the right fit for him, Lozada returned to East High School and eventually found something that suited his interests through the school’s Work and Learn program. As a junior, he landed an apprenticeship with Smart Motors, another IAE partner. He graduated this January and is attending Madison College’s auto technician program. Last semester he went to school daily, worked every day for credit, attended night school once a week and helped out at the family’s bakery. While traditional schooling was not his thing, hard work was.

Work and Learn is one of six core programs offered through IAE at eight different sites throughout Madison. The IAE has 364 students across all programs, but historically that number grows in the second semester and can hit five hundred.

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Student proposals aimed at increased sustainability at Monona Grove schools

Stand Up for Public Ed,

The Herald-Independent: Students at Monona Grove High School are gaining real world experience, as they work to complete sustainability projects as part of Tyler Kuehl’s environmental science class.

“The whole premise that I give to them is that they have to come up with a goal that in some way helps the environment and involves members of the school or the community,” said Kuehl.

This is Kuehl’s third time doing this project, but this is the first time he has done it “Shark Tank” style, selecting the top projects from the class to be completed. Monona Mayor Bob Miller and District Superintendent Dan Olsen acted as “sharks,” listening to students present their project proposals and helping Kuehl decide which projects should be completed.

“It’s great for collaboration skills,” said Kuehl, explaining that students are responsible for contacting the people necessary to make their projects happen, as well as working together to create a presentation.

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Madison East High principal wins Roberto G. Sánchez Award

Stand Up for Public Ed,

As the only Latino high school principal in the Madison Metropolitan School District, East High Principal Michael Hernandez takes lessening the racial achievement gap that has plagued Madison schools very seriously.

“We still need to build trust and we still need to repair relationships,” Hernandez told Madison365. “I had lunch with a group of students today, and we were talking about ways we can develop student leadership in our building. We need to find ways to engage all of our parents and get people in the door. Because of some of the poor experiences they’ve had in the past, they just don’t want to come to school – not for the lack of love or support for their child.”

Hernandez really gets the issues that MMSD is facing right now and has been working for years to support students, bridge gaps and to be a pioneer in education. Earlier this week, Centro Hispano acknowledged his work by announcing that he was the 2015 recipient of the Roberto G. Sánchez Award which honors an individual, group or organization that has demonstrated leadership in advancing educational and career opportunities for Latinos.

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Waunakee teachers help students find love for reading

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Within the Waunakee Community School District, the goal is to build a foundation of lifelong reading in each student.

September was Rotary International’s Literacy Month. During the Waunakee Rotary Club’s Sept. 17 meeting, Amy Johnson, the school district’s assistant director of instruction, discussed how Waunakee teachers go about instilling a love of reading in students.

Johnson focuses on curriculum for 4K to sixth-grade students and teachers. Her background is in early learning and she has been a reading specialist. She said the goal at the state and district level is to have all students be college and career ready when they graduate high school.

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Verona Area International School receives designation as Confucius Classroom

Stand Up for Public Ed,

The Verona Area International School is the first and only Chinese immersion school in Wisconsin, and now it is the first public school in the state to receive designation as a Confucius Classroom by Hanban Institute Headquarters in Beijing.

“We are a 50/50 Chinese immersion, so anytime you walk into a Chinese classroom, one of the things that you’re going to see is that the lessons are taught entirely in Chinese.”

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