by rsullivan | Jul 20, 2018 | Stand Up for Public Education Blog
Fox6News.com: Pulaski High School in Milwaukee graduated to an elite level of education on Thursday, July 19. The school obtained International Baccalaureate status — meaning students can now take classes and earn college credit.
“This is a momentous day for the Milwaukee Public Schools,” said Keith Posley, MPS interim superintendent.
It’s an achievement three years in the making for Pulaski High School.
“And our young people can gain college credits and go off to the universities and may not have to take as many classes when it comes to the freshman year,” said Posley.
Of those students who looks to benefit from being able to take college courses in high school is Jeremiah Baez.
“I want to go to college and study business,” said Baez.
Baez said being able to earn college credit doesn’t just mean getting ahead in school, but also saving a lot money.
“Kids are going to want to go to class. They’re going to want to learn. It’s going to be more difficult on us, but I think we’re all up for the job,” said Baez.
The process of getting accredited has been tedious to say the least, but officials said this level of elite academics will keep Milwaukee Public Schools at the forefront of a quality education.
Read the complete article.
by rsullivan | Jun 15, 2018 | Stand Up for Public Education Blog
Milwaukee Public Schools: Milwaukee Public Schools announced another record-breaking amount of scholarship dollars earned by students. The Class of 2018 received an eye-popping total of $86,247,467* in scholarship offers, shattering last year’s record of $64 million. This is the sixth straight year, dating back to 2012 ($18 million total), that scholarship offers have increased. This year’s class saw nearly 900 students receiving scholarships; that number has increased by more than 200 since 2015. Scholarship dollars for African-American students doubled this year.
“Congratulations to the Class of 2018 for breaking the record for scholarships earned. Hard work and determination allowed our scholarship winners to accomplish this impressive feat. We know our students could not have achieved this result without the support of their parents, families, school counselors, teachers and administrators,” said Dr. Keith Posley, Interim Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools.
“We always have more work to do to close the achievement gap here in Milwaukee, but something so tangible, and this shows real progress,” Posley said. “This type of work is vital to the success of Milwaukee’s future workforce. Growing scholarships and better preparing all students for success in college, career and life is critical to the future of our city.”
Read the complete article on MPS’s scholarships.
by rsullivan | Mar 5, 2018 | Stand Up for Public Education Blog
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.
by rsullivan | Nov 20, 2017 | Stand Up for Public Education Blog
Fox6Now.com: Some Milwaukee Public Schools students are serving up some tasty dishes in a brand new culinary arts lab.
MPS celebrated the completion of the new lab at Washington High School Thursday, November 16th.
The lab is equipped with commercial-grade equipment so students can learn on the same type of equipment that chefs use.
The principal said getting the new equipment into the building presented some challenges.
“This beautiful, fully-functioning commercial kitchen was brought up four flights of stairs that many of you just walked up, so you can imagine how hard it was for 25 men who struggled to bring up many of the pieces you see in the kitchen,” Angelena Terry, Washington High School principal said.
Read the complete article.
by rsullivan | Aug 21, 2017 | Stand Up for Public Education Blog
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: It was the photo of the three kids on a tractor that struck Milwaukee artist Ken Brown.
The combination of youthful joy and mechanical practicality summed up the spirit and aims of Harold S. Vincent High School on Milwaukee’s northwest side.
So, Brown used that photo, and others like it, as inspiration for six panels that were unveiled Friday.
“The students are in these murals,” Brown said of his painted artwork that focuses on six disciplines at the school, from culinary art to animal science.
Brown’s artistic vision is that the murals “empower the students to embrace their career paths.”
The murals helped kick off Arts @ Large programs at Milwaukee Public Schools. Since 2001, the group has helped integrate arts into the classrooms at MPS.
U.S. Bank and the Brewers Community Foundation also participated in the mural effort as MPS launched what it called “The Year of the Arts.”
“We’re going to maximize what we already do and and show off the good things that we do,” said Deb Jolitz, manager of fine arts for MPS.
Read more.
