TEACHING
TODAY
Winter 2017, Volume 1
WISCONSIN’S 4K–12 EDUCATION CONNECTION
A n n ou n c in g t h e w in n er s o
WI
™
f
t
s
e
t
n
o
C
r
e
e
r
a
C
m
a
e
the 2016 Dr
fro m T eac h in g T o day W I!
High School Contest Winners:
W
e would like to say a big hearty
thank you to all of the high
school students and middle
school students that shared their Dream
Careers with us! Again this year, choosing the Winning and Honorable Mention
entries was a very difficult task. As always,
some entries brought a laugh, a smile and
even a tear. Never before were there more
tears and smiles than for this school year’s
contest.
This competition was open to the
middle school students as well as the high
school students. There were many wonderful
essays from the older students but we were
pleasantly surprised at the number of middle
school entries! We got “snowed under”.
Due to the increased number of winning
essays we are including four from each age
group (8) in this issue. The next issue will
have the other four winners and we will start
to publish the Honorable Mentions with the
rest coming out in early spring.
Winning essays can be found on pages
10–13 of this issue.
It is an honor to be able to share these
dreams with you, our readers, and without
further ado here they are.
The six winners of $200.00 each from Teaching Today WI are:
Tyler A. — Automotive Technician, Monticello School
District
Anna W. — Music Educator,
Greenfield School District
Karl S. — Civil Engineer, Monticello School District
Katherine C. — Financial
Manager, Luck School District
Leah M. — Pediatrician, New
Berlin School District
Abbigail R. — Lawyer, New
Berlin School District
The six Honorable Mentions
and winners of $75.00 each
from Teaching Today WI are:
Nathan P. — Chemist, Cornell
School District
Kaitlyn G. — Musician, Gilman
School District
Anna N. — Make a Change,
Greendale School District
Anna K. — Political Journalist,
Greendale School District
Amelia H. — Accounting, Luck School District
Caitlin B. — Clinical Pharmacist, New Berlin School District
Middle School Contest Winners:
The six winners of $100.00 each from Teaching Today WI are:
Katelyn V. — Veterinarian, Green
Bay School District
Anthony D. — NFL Player and
Humanitarian, River Ridge
School District
Madelyn P. — Trauma Surgeon,
Northland Pines School
District
Josie L. — President of the
United States, Wisconsin
Rapids School District
Annabelle S. — Novelist, StanleyBoyd School District
John S. — Chef, Cuba City
School District
The six Honorable Mentions
and winners of $25.00 each
from Teaching Today WI are:
Morgan B. — Veterinarian, Cuba
City School District
Mikey K. — Sports Statistician,
Stanley-Boyd School District
Maria C. — Psychiatry, Abbotsford School District
Matthew C. — Automotive Engineer, New Berlin School District
Rose T. — Veterinarian, Northland Pines School District
Lauren P. — Teacher, Cuba City School District
Read the Winning Essays
beginning on Page 10!
thank you to our advertisers for your generous support!
Meemic Foundation • Angel On My Shoulder • Concordia University Wisconsin • UW Platteville • Carthage College
UW Milwaukee • Marquette University Opus College of Engineering • Bellin College • Bemidji State University
Destinations Career Academy • WEA Credit Union • Kohl’s Wild Zoo • Chippewa Valley Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Wisconsin School Counselor Association • WEA Member Benefits • Penfield Children’s Center
Page 2 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
Hurry, all nominations for the current grant round
must be made by March 31, 2017.
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
TEACHING
TODAY WI
™
Publisher/Editor: Renee Feight
Editor: Andria Reinke
PAGE COMPOSITION: Andrew Clausen
WEBMASTER: Scott Bayerl
SPECIAL ASSISTANT: Allie Zacharias
Account Executive: Shaw Liljeqvist
Please direct articles, advertising, questions or
comments to:
Teaching Today WI™
PO Box 1704
Eau Claire,WI 54702
Phone/Fax 715-839-7074
www.teachingtodaywi.com
Page 3
From the Teaching Today WI™ Educational Blog
teachingtodaywi.wordpress.com
Meemic Grants
The Meemic Foundation has
partnered with Office Depot®/Office
Max to provide up to $500 for supplies
for a school* you wish to honor. Foundation Club members can apply for a
For Our Schools grant through March
31, 2017.
The opinions expressed in Teaching Today WI™
are not necessarily the opinions of Teaching Today
WI™. We reserve the right to edit any and all
materials submitted due to grammar, content and
space allowances. Articles, photos and artwork
submitted to Teaching Today WI™ are assumed to
be released by the submitter for publication.
Teaching Today MN™
Transportation Today WI™
Manufacturing Today WI™
Schools Tackling the Benefit of
STEM Programming at an Early Age . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
Dream Career Contest
Winners
Logan High School Students Building
Exoskeleton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
Watch our Facebook and blog
pages for the winning essays and more.
It was so very difficult to choose! In
the coming months we would like to
share some of the other essays with
you and we hope you will enjoy them
as much as we did.
Innovation, Design, Engineering in
Sheboygan Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8
Building Bridges at Phoenix Middle School . . . . . . Page 8
Dream Career Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 10–13
Wisconsin has Eight New National
Board Certified Teachers (Part 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14
Educator’s Roadmap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16
CONNECT WITH TEACHING TODAY WI™!
Please direct all inquiries to:
[email protected]
Teaching Today WI™ is an independent
publication for educators.
In this Issue
Watch for updates,
contests, grant
deadlines, and
breaking news!
facebook.com/TeachingTodayWI
Four Educators are Wisconsin Finalists
for Presidential Teaching Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16
Kimberly Area School District Receives
Platinum Well Workplace Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 17
Hour of Code: Piquing Student Interest
in a High-Demand Career Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18
Critical Conversations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19
Karen Grieve is the 2017 Wisconsin
School Counselor of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19
New Tutoring Program is ‘Paying It Forward’ . . . . Page 20
Big Bend Elementary in Mukwonago
District Works to Nurture Literacy . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20
Reading To Succeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 22
Page 4 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
Apply for a
Grant
Meemic Grants
The Meemic Foundation has partnered
with Office Depot®/Office Max to provide up
to $500 for supplies for a school you wish to
honor. Foundation Club members can apply
for a For Our Schools grant through March
31, 2017, with the selection of grant recipients made no later than May 1, 2017. Grant
recipients will receive special instructions on
how to purchase their supplies through Office
Depot®/Office Max. The grant must be used
with Office Depot®/Office Max by September
30, 2017.
Through our partnership with Office
Depot®/Office Max, the For Our Schools
Grant program will provide up to $500 that can
be used for any and all of the winning school’s
needs.
Ready to get started? Login to your Foundation Club member account to apply for the
For Our Schools grant. Not a Foundation Club
member? It’s easy to join. Register now!
Website: www.meemic.com/the-meemicfoundation
AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant
Program
The AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant
program promotes aerospace education activities in classrooms from kindergarten through
grade 12. The program encourages development of innovative aerospace activities within
the prescribed curriculum.
Grants up to $250 are awarded
Deadline: Applications are due February 12,
2017
Website: www.aiaa.org/Secondary.
aspx?id=4184
Air Force Junior ROTC Grants
The Air Force Association Junior ROTC
(AFJROTC) grant program was established
to promote aerospace education throughout
classrooms and units. Applications are judged
by the importance and the impact the selected
aerospace activity will have on students.
Funds may be used for any aerospace education related activity from purchasing textbooks
or videotapes, to going on a field trip to an
aerospace museum, Air Force base, or other
aerospace facility.
Grants up to $250 are awarded
Deadline: Applications are due February 10
and October 10, annually
Website: www.afa.org/afa/informationfor/
teachers/k12grants/airforcejuniorrotcgrant
Toshiba America Grant Program for
6–12 Science and Math Educators
Toshiba America Foundation accepts
applications from teachers who are passionate
about making science and mathematics more
engaging for their students. The foundation
seeks to support teachers by providing funds
to support classroom projects. The foundation
strongly encourages projects planned and led
by individual teachers or teams of teachers
for their own classrooms. Successful projects tap into the natural curiosity of students,
enable students to frame their own scientific
questions, and incorporate the expertise of
community partners. Applications must be for
project-based learning.
Grants up to $5,000 are awarded
Deadline: Applications accepted year-round
Website: www.toshiba.com/taf/612.jsp
Education, Youth, and Development
Grants
The Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund
makes grants in the areas of education, child
development and welfare, and the environment
and conservation. Examples of previously
funded programs include expanding music
education for students in kindergarten through
grade 12 and promoting professional development for music teachers; hands-on botanical
and art museum experiences for children who
are underserved; and employment and leadership support for people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
Deadline: Applications accepted year-round
Website: www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/
corporate-social-responsibility/community
ecoTech Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation, Inc.
(CPF) is offering grants through a competitive program for schools and nonprofit
organizations. Grants are awarded to support
inquiry-based projects in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields
that leverage technology or use nature-based
designs to address environmental problems in
local communities.
Seventeen grants of $2,500 each are
awarded
Deadline: Applications are due March 15,
annually
Website: captainplanetfoundation.org/
ecotech-grant
More Grants on Page 21
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making
mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living,
pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world.”
— Neil Gaiman
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
STEM — Engineering
Page 5
Schools Tackling the Benefit of STEM Programming at an Early Age
By Glenn W. Schilling, Ph.D., Superintendent
Hartland-Lakeside J3 School District
The latest trend streaming across educational venues is STEM, Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math. As a long time educator, I have witnessed a plethora of educational
‘fads,’ that promised to be the essential component of learning come into the educational
arena, only to dwindle from eye after a few
years. Thus, it’s prudent to ask if this too will
pass to the wayside of educational buzzwords
and sound bites that offer little to real learning? What would set STEM learning apart
from recent educational hits such as Twentyfirst Century Skills, Blended Learning, and
Professional Learning Communities, as well
as a host of other reform methods?
In my experience and professional view,
there is one key aspect of STEM that all the
others lack in practicality, and that is a strong
and direct connection to real world application. So why is STEM different? In a CNN
interview, Scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson,
summed it up eloquently stating, “Innovation and creativity in science, technology,
engineering, and math will be the drivers of
tomorrow’s economy…. Jobs, and if you are
not a participant on that frontier, you will
trail behind it and possibly get left behind
entirely,” January 2013. That is a powerful
statement that has major implications for edu-
cation. Further, SuJeet Chand, Senior Vice
President and Chief Technical Officer at an
industrial automation company, stated at a
2015, Automation fair, “We live in a world
that is driven by technology, so the people
working have to have more STEM knowledge. What we really need are students who
can come out of college with a passion to
apply their mathematics knowledge quickly.”
I cannot think of any trend that so profoundly emphasizes the importance of skills
being taught in school that directly connect
to the career and workforce future of our children as STEM does. Yes, the content areas
of reading, science, humanities, math, and
the arts have always been important to our
children’s education, and that will continue.
But having a STEM conceptual framework in
the curriculum, especially at an early age, is
linked to what is currently happening in our
economy and across the globe. As stated in the
Occupational Outlook Quarter, “Data from
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS)…
Employment in occupations related to STEM
— science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics — is projected to grow to more
than 9 million between 2012 and 2022. That’s
an increase of about 1 million jobs over 2012
employment levels,” (Spring 2014 — www.
bls.gov/ooq). This is supported by reports
from the U.S. Department of Commerce,
Economics and Statistics Administration that,
“STEM
occupations
are expected to grow
by 17% from 2008 to
2018, compared to 9.8%
growth for non-related
STEM
occupations,”
(July 2011). These are
just a couple of many
indicators regarding the
importance of having
students engaged in
STEM curricular programming.
(www.
esa.doc.gov/sites/
defalut/files/stemfinalyjuly14_1.pdf)
Over the past
several years, STEM
and Robotics curriculum have mainly
been restricted to middle and high schools.
However, districts such as Hartland-Lakeside
understand that early exposure and experience with engineering concepts and STEM
related instruction must begin at an early age.
In April of 2016, Hartland-Lakeside put forth
a plan that would develop engineering centers
in a Kindergarten thru second grade school
and one in their third thru fifth grade building. Further, the middle school added a full
robotics lab in addition to their current STEM
lab. What’s more important is that the district
is implementing a science and engineering
curriculum that will attend to STEM learning.
During this school year, children in
digital classrooms in kindergarten through
fifth grades will begin working with coding
and robotic programming. Yet, all students
in the district will have opportunities to
Continued on Page 6
ENGINEERING —
A FUN WAY TO LEARN.
K–12 Outreach and Academics
Problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity — those are the hallmarks of the outreach and
academic programs offered by Marquette’s Opus College of Engineering. We offer a variety
of courses to challenge students of all ages, as well as continuing education for teachers.
Students can expect to solve challenging problems, explore the world of engineering and
have fun learning something new. Regardless of their age, students leave the program thinking
differently and understanding how they can make a difference as an engineer.
All of our programs take place in Engineering Hall, the state-of-the-art home to the
Opus College of Engineering on Marquette’s campus.
Programs
• High School Leadership Program
• K–12 School Visits
• K–12 Engineering Academies
• Continuing Education for Teachers
• Community Partnerships
Learn more about the programs available and view schedules at
marquette.edu/engineering/k12-outreach.
Page 6 STEM — Engineering
Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
Logan High School Students Building Exoskeleton
Nick Marcou
Community Outreach Coordinator
School District of La Crosse
The PLTW Digital Electronics class at
La Crosse Logan High School is partnering
with local industries to design and build a
Repetitive Work Exo Arm.
Exoskeletons contain rigid and
resistant components that fulfill a set of
functional roles including protection,
support, and as an assistive technology
to improve the quality of life. They are
fabricated out of steel or aluminum and
move with the use of actuators or servo
motors. A microcontroller is separately
programmed dependent on the function of
the exoskeleton.
“Working with our business partners
to create high level engineering projects
of this nature generates a more authentic
learning experience for our students,” said
Logan High School Technology and Engineering teacher Steve Johnston.
The students will focus on designing,
programming, and fabricating an Exo Arm
with the following targeted goals – create
an authentic engineering learning experience, design and fabricate an Exo Arm for
a repetitive work related job (grinding) in
manufacturing, and with the completed
arm be able to relieve the tension and
lifting forces that a worker experiences
with a grinding operation.
“The project is incredibly interesting
because of the practical application of our
work,” said Logan High School junior Ben
LeDocq. “Everyone in this class is here
to learn something, whether that be electronics, engineering, or math and this is
a real life use of the skills we are learning. If we do continue into careers in these
fields, what we are doing now with this
project will help us see what the process is,
because it’s very different to sit in a classroom and learn about something compared
to actually doing it.”
STEM Programming at an Early Age
Continued from Page 5
learn and apply knowledge of engineering as
part of their weekly curriculum. The district
strongly feels that having designated centers
and space designed for teachers to guide
students in the application of engineering
concepts was essential for students learning
of STEM processes.
The Hartland/Lakeside District has been
involved in Robotics for several years, and
has many teams from fourth grade through
eighth compete in Lego and Flex Robotic
competitions. They have also been active in
annual competition in Fluid Challenge. The
district anticipates that students’ experiences
with engineering and STEM learning will
grow rapidly over the next two years and they
hope that connecting with manufacturing
companies in the greater Hartland area will
enhance their objective of preparing children
for post high school and college careers.
Research indicates that girls generally
shy away from robotic STEM courses compared to boys in high school and college
careers. According to a 2016 report from
the National Girls Collaborative Project,
“Women remain underrepresented in the
science and engineering workforce,” (https://
ngcproject.org/statistics). A 2016 article in
The Atlantic, corroborates that “Girls and
women are underrepresentation in STEM,
advanced coursework, degree programs, and
Careers.” However, what’s interesting is that
the data indicates that girls do just as well
and even better on early science and math
assessments. Moreover, there are many other
groups that are not represented well in STEM
programs, such as minorities and those social
economic conditions. (May 2016 Educational
Writers Association).
Hartland-Lakeside is applying strategies
that will heighten and maintain the interest
girls in STEM programs, beginning in kindergarten and through high school into college.
But the district is also focusing engineering
and science concepts to all students beginning
at the four-year-old kindergarten level. By
making STEM fun, challenging, and exciting, the district anticipates that their STEM
curriculum will be a beneficial and significant learning experience for students from all
backgrounds and genders.
www.hartlake.org
(262) 369-6700
The Exo Arm will be designed and
fabricated at Logan High School in the
Technology and Engineering Department.
The businesses will provide technical
support and help define the parameters of
the project.
In recent years, the PLTW Digital
Electronics class has worked on projects
to build remote-operated underwater and
aerial vehicles, as well as a self-driving car.
The project’s targeted completion date
is the summer of 2017.
www.lacrosseschools.org
(608) 789-7600
anufacturing
TODAY
wi™
In Manufacturing Today™ WI,
you and your students will explore
the world of manufacturing in
Wisconsin, including:
Manufacturing events in Wisconsin
Manufacturing careers
Manufacturing in K–12 schools.
Look for Manufacturing Today™ WI
in your classroom with the next issue of
Teaching Today WI™
www.manufacturingtodaywi.com
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
Page 7
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are among the fastest growing fields today.
DISCOVER HOW THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS
AND SCIENCE CAN PREPARE YOU FOR A CAREER IN STEM
In the College of EMS, you will find:
uHigh-quality STEM programs in:
• Broadfield Science
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Engineering (Civil, Electrical, Environmental, Industrial, Mechanical, Physics, and Software)
• Mathematics
• Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems
uExcellent professors offering personal attention in an engaging educational environment
uReal-world experiences through hands-on laboratories, internships and co-ops, and undergraduate research
opportunities
u Study abroad opportunities including humanitarian engineering projects all over the world
u Award winning student success programs, providing a wide array of services designed to enhance your college
experience
EVERY DAY IS A GREAT DAY TO BE A PIONEER
877.UWPLATT • WWW.UWPLATT.EDU/EMS
SUMMER
EXPLORE
ENGINEERING
June 18–23 or
June 25–30
OPPORTUNITIES
CHEMISTRY AND
NEXTGEN TECH
July 23–28
CAMP
VISIT
CAMPUS
Choose a DAILY CAMPUS
VISIT or register to attend
the following event:
SATURDAY, APRIL 8
Pioneer Preview
Find us on
Page 8 STEM — Engineering
Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
Innovation, Design, Engineering in Sheboygan Falls
A demonstration of the 33 ton plastic injection molding machine in the new Innovation and
Design Center.
Sheboygan Falls School District
Thinking like engineers means taking a
project from concept to reality, with planning,
creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in
between.
Going beyond the limited benefits of specific technical skills that may be needed right at
this moment, the overarching ability to think like
an engineer will benefit students and the workforce for many years to come, through industrial
sea-changes and technological advances.
That’s how Jean Born sees it. The superintendent of Sheboygan Falls School District, she’s
been in discussions with educators and business
partners for about three years on how to improve
engineering and manufacturing education in the
district.
Rather than limit discussions to a few technical courses at the high school level, the district
expanded its vision to implement a K–12 curriculum to help students learn to think like engineers.
Beginning at the elementary level and continuing through high school, kids in Sheboygan
Falls learn about the thinking, planning, and
doing that goes into creating a product.
Project-based learning, maker spaces,
STEM education, and the FIRST Lego/FIRST
Robotics programs help achieve that goal. Community partners from local businesses talk to
students about real-world applications.
Another key piece is enhancing off-site,
experiential, work-based learning.
The district unveiled, this fall, a new Innovation and Design Center in a room which used
to be the high school auto shop.
To start, this room will be a place for
high school students to apply their engineering
thinking in a hands-on way – conceptualizing,
planning, and creating things that didn’t use to
exist.
The new center will allow the high school
to offer a Computer Aided Design and Engineering class next fall for the first time. Students
taking the STEM Geometry class will also be
using the equipment in the lab. And members of
the county-wide robotics team, which is hosted
by Sheboygan Falls, will be using state of the art
robotics equipment to build their projects.
Other engineering classes will be added
later, and eventually, younger grades may also
use the facility.
Starting with computer-assisted design
and moving all the way into creating something
is quite an attraction, according to Sophomore
Raymond Kulow as quoted in a story by WHBL
radio. Kulow thinks the new facility will help
students connect with good careers they enjoy.
“They’ll learn how to make stuff in computers, and they’ll see how it comes from what
they make on the computer into a part, and it’ll
be something they physically can hold,” he told
WHBL.
One of the highlights of the new lab is a
33-ton plastic injection molding machine, identi-
cal to ones used in industrial facilities, that comes
to the high school through a partnership between
the district and a local manufacturing company.
According to the machine’s manufacturer, this is
the first time this exact unit has ever been used in
a high school.
The manufacturer and Sheboygan Falls
have worked together before including collaborating on a highly successful summer externship
program for teachers where educators spend a
week touring the company and its suppliers and
learning more about the manufacturing process
and the types of careers available there.
Over the summer, teachers of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education
got together to create curriculum integrating the
Innovation and Design Center into their courses.
The State Superintendent attended the
design center’s ribbon-cutting, and commended
the approach. He has often commented on the
educational power of learning to “think like” a
professional in a given field. He also noted that
Sheboygan Falls is lucky to have a large number
of local companies who partner on curriculum
and equipment needs.
Source – Wisconsin DPI ConnectEd
sheboyganfalls.k12.wi.us
(920) 467-7893
Building Bridges at Phoenix Middle School
Courtesy of Delavan-Darien School District
Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math (STEM) all rolled into one project!
The opening of the new Fab Lab at
Phoenix Middle School has opened up new
opportunities for Science, Technology Engineering and Math lessons.
All four subject areas were recently
blended together into one extraordinary
learning activity for a group of advanced
seventh grade math students in Mr. Steve
Fouts’s class.
Two sections of math students constructed balsa-wood bridges in a friendly
competition to see which group could hold
the most weight. Each bridge also had to
meet other mathematical and
engineering requirements, such
as being able to span an eightinch gap, use no wooden pieces
longer than 12 inches, and each
bridge needed to have a variety
of required geometric figures
incorporated into its design.
The students first had to
make and test an initial prototype, which they did over the
first three days of the activity.
Then, they had three more days
to analyze what went wrong and
how to improve on the design
before fixing it or rebuilding it
and testing a second time.
Some of the bridges —
made with just 1/8th-inch wood
and glue, held more than two
pounds of water hanging from it
in a five-gallon bucket.
Despite seeing their hours of hard work
destroyed under the weight of a bucket
of water, the students really enjoyed the
research, creativity and learning that were a
part of the Phoenix Fab Lab STEM activity.
www.ddschools.org
(262) 233-6800
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
Page 9
Student Contests and Awards
EngineerGirl Essay Contest
The annual EngineerGirl Essay Contest
encourages students to write about the role of
engineering in society and the impact it has on
our world. Essays for the current contest, which
is entitled, “Engineering and Animals,” should
explain engineering ideas to improve life for
endangered, critically endangered, and vulnerable animals.
First-place winners are awarded $500,
second-place entries $250, and third-place
entries $100
Deadline: Essays due February 1, 2017
Website: www.engineergirl.org/GetThere/
Contest.aspx
Extreme Redesign Contest 3-D
Printing Challenge
The Extreme Redesign Contest 3-D Printing Challenge is an annual competition open to
students worldwide. Students work alone or in
a team of two to design an original piece of art,
jewelry or architecture, or to make an existing
design better. Winning entries must be creative,
mechanically sound, and realistically achievable. There are three contest categories:
•Engineering: secondary education is open
to students in middle school and high
school.
•Engineering: postsecondary is open to
university, college, or postsecondary
school students.
• Art, Jewelry and Architecture: open to
students of any grade level.
Scholarships of $2,500 for a first-place
winner, and $1,000 each for second-place
winners are awarded
Deadline: Entries are due March 9, 2017
Website: www.stratasys.com/industries/education/extreme-redesign
World of 7 Billion Student Video
Contest
Population Education is sponsoring a video
contest open to all middle and high school students in grades 6 through 12. Contest entrants
create a short video of 60 seconds or less that
illustrates the connection between population
growth and one of the three following global
challenges: (1) climate change, which includes
weather events and patterns, impact on agriculture, impact on coastal cities, human health,
and ecosystem disruption; (2) ocean health,
which includes overfishing, coral bleaching,
climate regulation, habitat loss, pollution, and
dead zones; and (3) rapid urbanization, which
includes sprawl, sanitation, air and water
quality, megacities, migration, slums, and informal settlements. All videos must include how
population growth impacts the issue and provide
at least one idea for a sustainable solution.
For high school, one first prize of $1,000;
one second prize of $500; and two honorable
mentions of $250 are given, for a total of 12
prizes. For middle school, one first prize of
$500 and one runner up prize of $250 are given
for a total of six prizes.
Deadline: Entries are due February 23, 2017
Website: www.worldof7billion.org/studentvideo-contest
International Interdependence
Hexagon Project
The International Interdependence Hexagon
Project is a visual arts opportunity for young
people aged four to 18 worldwide to explore
global themes, issues, and ideas in school. The
project asks students to create art within the
interlinking shape of a hexagon, a metaphor for
interconnectedness. Any art form in a variety of
media, such as a drawing, painting, collage, print,
digital, and relief sculpture, is acceptable as long
as it can be displayed on a plasterboard gallery
wall or on a pedestal or floor.
Deadline: Entries are due June 30, annually
Website: hexagonproject.org
American Association of Physics
Teachers High School Physics
Photo Contest
Photos may be entered in one of two categories: (1) natural photos are those that involve
everyday situations that may demonstrate a
variety of physics concepts; and (2) contrived
photos are those that are set up to show a particular physics concept or related set of concepts.
Photos with multiple images or other computer
manipulation will be placed in a separate category. They may be displayed at the national
meeting and judged for special recognition
ribbons, but not for prizes.
Deadline: Entries are accepted annually from
March 1 to May 15, 2017
Website: aapt.org/Programs/contests/photocontest.cfm
We the Students Scholarship
Essay Contest
The Bill of Rights Institute seeks to help
high school students understand the freedom
and opportunity that the Constitution offers
through programs such as the We the Students
Essay Contest.
The grand-prize winning student receives
$5,000 and a scholarship to Constitutional
Academy; six runners up receive $1,250 each;
eight students receive honorable mention and
$500 each; and teachers of winners receive
$100 each.
Deadline: Applications due February 5, 2017
Website: www.billofrightsinstitute.org/engage/
students-programs-events/scholarship
BioenergizeME Infographic
Challenge
What is biomass? Where does biomass
come from? How are biofuels made? What is
bioenergy? Participate in this contest from the
U.S. Department of Energy to explore these
questions and learn about how bioenergy affects
you. Teams of students in grades 9–12 will use
technology to research, interpret, apply, and
then design an infographic that responds to one
of four cross-curricular bioenergy topics.
Selected infographics are promoted
nationally on the challenge website and via
social media. One team of students will be
selected to present its infographic at the Bioenergy Technologies Office’s annual conference
in Washington, D.C.
Deadline: Register by 6 p.m. February 3,
2017. Submissions due 6 p.m. March 3,
2017
Website: www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/
infographic-challenge
Young Eco-Hero Awards
Action for Nature seeks applications from
students ages 8-16 for its Eco-Hero Awards
Program. This program recognizes the individual accomplishments of young people whose
personal actions have significantly improved
the environment.
Winners receive a cash prize and a special
certificate of achievement, as well as public
recognition on a website and elsewhere.
Deadline: Apply by February 28, 2017
Website: actionfornature.org/eco-hero-awards/
application-form
Photo Competition — Gathering Waters
Celebrating the Seasons: One of the best
things about living in Wisconsin is the seasons.
Capture them with your camera. Summer,
spring, winter, fall—landscapes alone or with
people and/or pets enjoying the various types of
outdoor activities that Wisconsin is known for
each season. Winner receives $100
People Outside: We want to see folks outside
in Wisconsin: Hiking, fishing, skiing, swimming, hunting, exploring, camping, or just
sitting and reflecting in nature. These are just a
few examples of the kinds of activities we want
to see. Winner receives $250
Please submit your photo(s) and photo
release form to Outreach & Development Intern
Kevin Meyers at [email protected].
Deadline: April 1, 2017
Website: gatheringwaters.org/newsand-events/gathering-waters-events/
gathering-waters-2016-photo-competition/
Items of
Interest
Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award
The Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award rewards excellence in the
development and delivery of technology programs. Programs that focus on aerospace or
aeronautics are given priority to other programs. Applicants must demonstrate how their
programs ultimately benefit the students in a
school or organization.
The winner receives a cash award of
$1,000
Deadline: Applications are due February 1,
2017
Website: www.astronautsmemorial.org/alanshepard-award.html
National Arts and Humanities
Youth Program Awards
The National Arts and Humanities Youth
Programs Awards recognize and support
outstanding after-school and out-of-school
arts- and humanities-based programs for
underserved children and youth that operate
on a regular basis in the afternoon, on weekends, or during the summer. This annual
award is presented to 12 programs that best
meet all award criteria. The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities presents
the awards, with a ceremony at the White
House. Winners are also invited to attend the
Annual Awardees Conference in Washington,
DC in the summer and are featured on the
National Arts and Humanities Youth Program
Award website.
Grants of $10,000 are awarded to 12 programs
Deadline: Applications are due February 8,
2017
Website: www.nahyp.org/how-to-apply/
Sara Jaffarian School Library
Program Award
The Sara Jaffarian School Library
Program Award is an annual award given to a
school library that has conducted an exemplary
program or program series in the humanities
during the prior school year. The humanities program can be focused in many subject
areas including, but not limited to, social
studies, poetry, drama, art, music, language
arts, foreign language, and culture. Programs
should focus on broadening perspectives and
helping students understand the wider world
and their place in it. The humanities program
should be initiated and coordinated by the
Continued on Page 21
Exploring Dream Careers
Page 10 Essay Contest
High School
Winner
Automotive Technician
Tyler A.
Monticello High School
My dream career is to be an automotive
technician because I’m a person who likes to
take things apart, figure out how they work,
and then put them back together. Ever since
I was a little kid I’ve taken apart toys, electronics, pedal bikes, and more. I’ve wanted
my own car for the longest time so that way
I could have something that I could take apart
and put back together or even fix the problems
that it has. When I turned fifteen I bought a
1994 Ford F150 XLT with a V6 and an automatic transmission. I spent almost two years
fixing and replacing parts on my truck till it
Essay Contest
Middle School
Winner
NFL Player and Humanitarian
Anthony D.
River Ridge School Middle School
Ever since I was a kid, I have always
wanted to be in the National Football League
(NFL). Everyone always tells me that I will
never be in the NFL, but that just makes me
strive harder. I’ve always looked up to one
guy and that is Cam Newton. He has always
has been my role model after I saw him play
on TV. He is an amazing athlete to me and
I’ve always wanted to see him play in real life.
The reason I look up to Cam Newton is
because he has earned many awards. Cam was
selected NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
in 2011. He has gone to 3 Pro Bowls, starting
Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
was totaled.
Then at the beginning of my senior year
right after I turned 17 I wanted a vehicle that
I had an interest. The one vehicle that I had
an interest in was a Ford Mustang. At first my
family told me “NO”, but then as I showed
them that I would be responsible owning a
vehicle like that I started changing their minds.
Then one day my grandma walked up to me
and said “ok if you can find one under $4,500
I’ll help you pay for it. So then I was pumped,
I went upstairs and looked everywhere I could
online.
Finally, I found the one, it was in Milwaukee. The owner wanted $1,600 for it, so I
texted him and he said he’d go down to $800.
I was so happy I showed my grandma and she
said ok so we scheduled a time with him to
meet. I ended up buying it and it needed its
work which is normal for a used vehicle. I
found out that it needed a new catalytic converter on the driver’s side, so I figured out the
prices and then fixed it. But, in the process of
fixing it I found a misfire. Now I had to worry
about if it was the spark plugs, wires, or coil
packs. If it was a spark
plug it would be an
easy fix, if it was wires
it’s a little pricy but
challenging, and then
a coil pack that’s a different story there is so
much labor but at the
same time your spending $45 to $50 just for
one coil pack. Now
that gets expensive.
With my vehicle I was
fortunate, it was only
a spark plug. But, the
thing that upset me was
when I pulled the spark
plug out there was oil
in the cylinder. So then my guess with the oil
leak was head gasket so now I have to find
time to fix that.
In the end, it was very informational
and educational I really like this career and
I hope everything works out how I want it. I
am almost done with senior year and I plan to
in his rookie year. Cam
was selected the NFL’s
Most Valuable Player
last year. He was also
the NFL’s Offensive
Player of the Year last
year. I hope that I can
win as many awards as
he has in his career.
I really want to
be in the NFL. I would
play without being
paid a single cent. I
know I’m going to get
paid, but I really don’t
want to take it, but I
guess I have to pay the
bills and have money
for food. It would be nice to have a decent
amount of money. I would use the money to
help my family and homeless people.
I visited Washington D.C. last year at
Thanksgiving and was really shocked at the
number of homeless people there. I would be
able to earn enough money to help the homeless. I would use my money to build more
shelters and food pantries. The shelters will
have beds, showers, bathrooms and a kitchen
for the people to prepare their own meals. I
would also start programs for job training to
give the homeless people a “new way to make
a living”. I would also get involved in the
community and help with the food pantries,
soup kitchens and other programs.
I also would be a role model for the
youth of America. I would create a charity
called Anthony’s Kids of America. This
charity would help cancer patients receive
treatment and provide financial help for the
families. Money would be given to the families to pay for hotels, foods and help with bills
since they won’t be able to work. My charities
would also provide money to small struggling
school football programs to keep the program
running with little expense to the parents and
players.
I know that I must practice hard, but I am
willing to give it a shot. I may struggle in the
heat of practice. I might be nervous in front of
a crowd, but I will play my hardest each time
go to college in the fall of 2017 at Blackhawk
Technical college to become an Automotive
Technician. I plan to get into a great profession in that required field that I’m interested in
and to succeed at the same time. This is why
I’d like to become an Automotive Technician.
I step onto the field. I have always dreamed
of walking out of a tunnel and hearing the
roar of the crowd. I know that with the help
of my family anything is possible. Someday
my dream will come true! Hope to see you in
the stands.
GET BACK IN THE GAME
C
elebrating more than 30 years as the Team
Physicians for UW-Eau Claire and serving area
high schools and surrounding communities in the
Chippewa Valley by providing a team of licensed
athletic trainers for top-quality sports medicine care.
Student athletes: have your injuries evaluated by
a Physician Assistant at our walk-in clinic.
Monday–Friday, 12 pm–8 pm
Saturdays & Sundays, 10 am–6 pm
at our Altoona location
1200 Oakleaf Way
Altoona, Wisconsin
715.832.1400
CVOSM also located at
757 Lakeland Dr. Suite B
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
715.723.8514
www.cvosm.com
WE ARE YOUR DEDICATED SPORTS MEDICINE TEAM
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
Essay Contest
Middle School
Winner
Trauma Surgeon
Madelyn P.
Northland Pines Soar Middle School
A Trauma surgeon is someone who
works with other surgeons with different specialties to help stabilize a patient that is in
critical condition. For example they got hit
by a car or their appendix
burst or even if something
happened were there lung
collapse, (pneumothorax)
a Trauma Surgeon could
take care of it. This type of
surgeon is one who has to
be on their toes and is ready
for anything. Most if not
all of their work is under
pressure. While under that
pressure they have to make
life or death decisions for
their patients.
I would like to become
a Trauma surgeon because
so many of family members
Exploring Dream Careers
and my friends’ family members had to go see
a Trauma Surgeon because something happened to them. When nothing like this happens
to you yeah of course you appreciate them but
when it does happen to you, you look at them
through a whole new perspective. I would like
to become one to help save people’s lives. I
would like to say I have saved someone’s life
because two of my friends almost got pulled
into the undertow of Lake Superior and I
pulled them back out. That was one of the
greatest feelings in my life I would like to do
that all the time.
I would like to make a really positive
Continued on Page 18
Essay Contest
High School
Winner
Pediatrician
Leah M.
New Berlin West High School
As a senior in high school everyone
asks me, “What do you want to do with
your life?” Many people my age are exasperated by this question, but I actually have
Page 11
a pretty clear idea of how I want my future
to be. Throughout my life I have been
influenced by many experiences that have
helped me to reach the conclusion that I
want to be a pediatrician.
Ever since I began babysitting in sixth
grade I have known I want to work with
children in my career. Furthermore, an
experience that increased my interested
in being a pediatrician is a mentorship
that I currently participate in through my
school in which I shadow a pediatrician. I
absolutely love this position! I have been
shadowing the pediatrician for a semester, and I have seen such a wide range of
cases. I’ve seen everything from a simple
checkup to sport injuries
to a fluorescein exam to a
MRSA examination and
everything in between.
This experience has definitely grown my interest
in becoming a pediatrician in the future.
Another goal I have
is to use Spanish in my
career. I hope to use
Spanish because I have
been taking classes all
throughout middle and
high school and plan to
Continued on Page 18
A career in nursing or medical imaging
promises a GREAT future
Did You Know?
The median earning potential for nurses is over $67,000,
radiologic technologists over $58,000,
and diagnostic medical sonographers over $63,000!*
Program Options:
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing • Master of Science in Nursing
• Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences
• NEW! Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Medical Imaging
Why Bellin College?
• Earn a bachelors degree—making yourself more marketable when seeking employment.
• Direct entrance into programs of study. Once you are accepted to Bellin College,
you are accepted into your program—no waiting!
• With more than 85 clinical partners, you’ll get extensive hands-on experience
across various specialties.
• Small class sizes and an intimate campus setting. The student to faculty ratio is 11:1.
• Newly expanded Health Resource Center with advanced simulation labs.
• Exceptional results. Bellin College consistently reports passing rates of graduates above the national average for the nursing licensure, and radiologice sciences licensure exams.
*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics, [August, 2016] [www.bls.gov/oes/].
www.bellincollege.edu | Green Bay, WI | (920) 433-6650
Applications are now being accepted for fall 2017!
Exploring Dream Careers
Page 12 Essay Contest
Middle School
Winner
President of the United States
Josie L.
Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School
My name is Josephine. People call me
Josie, Jojo, JZ, Fifi, or Joey! I am 11 years
young and I am in 6th grade at WRAMS.
People tell me I can be whatever I want to
be when I grow up. But when I tell them that
someday I would like to be President of the
United States when I am older and wiser, they
tell me that I can never accomplish such a
lofty goal. Then I remember that people also
told me that I can’t do things because I have
Trevor’s disease, a disease that makes my
body grow extra bone where it’s not needed.
Essay Contest
High School
Winner
Financial Manager
Katherine C.
Luck High School
Let’s be honest, no one knows exactly what
they want to do at eighteen or seventeen years
old, some people in their thirties still don’t have
a clue. People tend to go into careers they have
personal interest in or something that may challenge them and stuff we also like to do.
My dream career is to be a financial
manager, I am a very self-motivated person
and driven by the progress I see being made.
Not only can I benefit from the financial skills
in my own life this career will give me, I also
have advancement opportunities to go into as
well such as: loan officer, accountant, securities
sales agent, financial analyst, and even own my
own business.
High school can even prepare you for your
Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
They told me I’m weak and could never run
long distances or change the world because I
am just a girl in 6th grade that doesn’t stand
out from the crowd.
I kept letting every horrible thought into
my head about not being able to become president. About not being able to make the world
a better place. About how I would always
get treated less than I should because I have
a disease. I don’t want to sit around getting
treated unfairly and being bullied all my life. I
want to show that even though you have problems you can still do anything you want to,
whether it’s running long distances, helping
children find homes, helping people with
disabilities, or being president of the United
States of America.
But just like Hillary Clinton said, “For all
the little girls that stayed up tonight to watch
this, someday this could be you!” I will always
remember that night when I first wanted to
become president. Bill Clinton was talking
about first meeting Hillary, and how she never
stood out of the crowd; how she wore big,
thick glasses, and no
makeup; how she was
just a normal girl like
me. And then all those
thoughts were rushing
through my head about
not
accomplishing
such a big goal, and
that I couldn’t change
the world to make it a
better place. I remember how boys told me
that girls can’t change
the world because they
are too weak and that
men are stronger and
they can rule better than woman. But there is a
shirt that sits in my dad and stepmom’s closet
that says, “A woman’s place is in the White
House.”. And one day I was listening to a song
from Greatest American Hero and I thought
about how he changed from a normal man to
a super hero, and how someday I can be able
to stand out and become what I have always
future career as well. Accounting, algebra, finance, English,
and business management are
all things in high school you
can take to help with college
to receive a bachelor’s degree.
Learning these things early on
can also give you an idea of what
you like and what you’re good at.
Knowing your weaknesses and
strengths can help you early on
before you decide if this career is
right for you.
A financial manager is
responsible for the financial
health of the organization. Financial managers need to have a bachelor’s degree
and some organizations like the government
wants you to have at least five years or more of
experience. The finance manager should manage
funds in such a manner as to maximize return
on investment while minimizing risk, and while
also ensuring that an adequate control structure
is in place over the transfer and investment of
funds. The finance manager engages in financial
analysis in such areas as forecasting, budgeting,
engaging in cost reduction analysis, and reviewing operational performance.
The employment outlook is pretty good
with salaries ranging from $63,020 - $187,200
a year. While being a financial manager you also
have to look towards being full time, at least 40
hours a week, but this may vary from company
to company. Being that the outlook on payment
tend to pay pretty well this also means more
responsibility which leads to a high stress level.
The first major federal financial management reform took place just after World War I
(1919). Although the predecessors of today’s
Fiscal Service organizations were established in
1919, most federal payment functions remained
decentralized until 1933. A new era began in
January 1974 when a Fiscal Service reorganization plan established the Bureau of Government
Financial Operations (BGFO) and merged all
of the Bureau of Accounts’ functions under the
new bureau. In 1984, BGFO was renamed FMS.
Treasury Fiscal Assistant Secretary, Carole
Jones Dineen explained the reasoning behind the
change in name being Financial Management
Service “It reflects the bureau’s new emphasis
on achieving greater efficiency and economy in
wanted to be since I was 4 years old. So now
I am not going to listen to what anybody says,
because women are just as strong as men no
matter what people say. Someday women will
lead, and guide us into battle. And someday I
can become president.
government financial management”.
My strengths are: accounting, algebra,
finance, English, and business management.
I know how to budget my time and money
wisely. I am a leader and I push myself forward.
Working with others and fixing problems are all
things I enjoy doing. That is why being a financial manager is my dream career.
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
Essay Contest
Middle School
Winner
Novelist
Annabelle S.
Stanley-Boyd Middle School
My name is Annabelle Sanchez and my
chosen career is novelist. The skills you need
are usually a bachelor’s degree in creative
writing, an active imagination. You have to
be content with working alone, often for long
Exploring Dream Careers
periods of time. You
must be able to work
whenever
creativity
hits, and work weekends and well into the
night.
Why would I be
a good novelist? Well
first, literature has
always been a large part
of my life, from Fairy
Tales being read to
me as a young child to
my librarians knowing
me by name. Second I
constantly find myself
writing scenes and characters in my mind,
plots and storylines spiraling into short stories
just sitting there, waiting for me to breathe life
into them and give them meaning. I’ve always
had an active imagination, so why not put it
to good use? Third, I am what you may call
a loner, I am content with my own company
and perfectly pleased with the idea of working
alone.
Novelists, to put it simply, write books
and novels to be published and sold. And
while, yes, Novelist may not be the most realistic of careers, I am following a pursuit of
passion and happiness, not one of greed and
money. This country is failing in literacy as we
are becoming more consumed by technology.
It is imperative for us creative writers and novelists to pick up our pens and create beautiful
Explore a Career in the
Construction Industry
Our exclusive
Operating Engineer
Pre-apprenticeship
program gives students
the opportunity to:
Destinations Career Academy of
Wisconsin, a tuition-free, online
public charter school, prepares
students in grades 9–12 to enter
apprenticeship training to become
a journeyman operating engineer.
These are the skilled professionals
that operate heavy, power construction
equipment, such as graders, bulldozers,
and cranes
to move and grade earth,
www.buildingwisconsintogether.com
erect structures or pour concrete.
➤ Embrace Technology
➤ Prepare for
Apprenticeship and
Earn While You Learn
➤ Create a Legacy
Learn more:
www.buildingwisconsintogether.com
works for young minds to read. A writer can
do so much good in this world, books can even
be their own worlds. I have seen people turn
their life around because of a book.
My goal in writing my books is not to
make money or to become well known. My
goal is to simply give a story to the masses,
give them something to think about and a
wholly imperfect hero that they can relate to
and find solace in. I want to say something and
leave the world better than when I came into
it. I seek not immmialization within history
textbooks nor do I seek fofttune or fame. I will
Page 13
follow my dreams down the rabbit hole and
create a new world with my pen. I will create
new laws of time and space, new social constructs to be broken!
Many people say that in order to make
something out of yourself you must be rich or
well known. That you have to go to college
and get a degree in business or law. But is
that truly what we are as people? Mindless
machines? I say cast away your premonitions
of how little money you make, pick up your
pen, and begin writing.
college life (of usually
4 years) is largely
based on their desired
field of engineering.
Civil engineers have to
more than just a mathematician, they have
to be artistic to design
the projects, outgoing
to communicate with
the people they will be
coordinating with to
finish the project. They
will also need to be
detail oriented to find
any structural flaws or
design flaws in their projects blueprints.
Civil engineers don’t work in just the
office or just the job site, they work in a mix
of both. There’s no telling which place you’ll
have to work in but it heavily depends on the
igh chool
projects that you are working on at the time.
inner
Engineers also work normal office hours
unless they are working on a project or have
to meet a deadline to finish it on time. One
Civil Engineer
downside is that you may also not only have
to work extra hours but you may have to be on
Karl S.
call for 24-hours at a time.
Monticello High School
Salaries are very important when considA dream career to me would be to be
a civil engineer because it’s a very well ering a job and a civil engineer is satisfying of
respected career and there are many different that demand. The median average is around
Explore
a Career
Construction
Industry
80,000 of an annual salary, with most entry
ways
you could
go inina the
career
path point of
level
positions starting around 55,000. Seaview
after
becoming
a
civil
engineer.
There
Destinations Career Academy of Wisconsin, a tuition-free,
online
is public
a lot charter
of math
involved
with
being
a civil9-12 soned
school,
prepares
students
in grades
to enter or moderately experienced engineers
apprenticeship
becomethat
a journeyman
operating
can make around 100,000. One of the things
engineer
so thattraining
is oneto thing
I wouldn’t
engineer. These are the skilled professionals that operate
heavy,
that
makes an engineer’s salary so good is all
appreciate.
power construction equipment, such as graders, bulldozers, and
Being a civil engineer would be a very the math involved in getting the title of engicranes to move and grade earth, erect structures or pour concrete.
well respected career because of all the neer. A civil engineers job is also a very good
job to look into going into a different career
schooling
needed
to beEngineer
one. Many
schools in program
Our exclusive
Operating
Pre-apprenticeship
gives students
opportunity
to:
Wisconsin
are the
schools
of engineering.
There paths perspective. Mechanical engineer is
Embrace
Technology
is a• large
difference
between just being a civil easily transferable or environmental engineer
• Prepare for Apprenticeship and Earn While You Learnis just as easy to transfer to after you receive
engineer
and being any other kind of engineer.
• Create a Legacy
Civil
engineers oversee the construction of the title. You can also be government conbuildings, roads, sewage systems, levees, and tracted or privately owned and operated.
Equipment is very useful to complete
dams. They don’t just oversee they also design
and help build or survey the work area. If high most of the engineers’ jobs or projects. They
school students are thinkingLEARN
or preparing
to work with surveyors’ rods and transits. A lot
MORE
of the engineers’ job is surveying whether its
be a civil engineer, they are
recommended
K12.COM/OEProgram
to take advanced math classes. Even into an stadia or topographical.
So my dream job is to be an engineer
engineer’s college life they855.773.3255
are required to
take 6 advanced math classes. The first year because it’s a well-respected career, it fits with
of an engineer’s college life is focused mainly a lot of the requirements I am already planon their advanced math classes and also some ning on having filled. Also because the pay
science classes. The second half of their scale is very satisfactory.
Essay Contest
H S
W
In the Classroom/Leadership
Page 14 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
Wisconsin has Eight New National Board Certified Teachers (Part 1)
Another 75 educators renewed their national certification
Eight teachers from Wisconsin public schools joined the ranks of those holding national
board certification, considered the gold standard in teacher certification. Another 75 Wisconsin
educators renewed their national certification this year.
The class of 2016 includes 533 new and 3,384 renewed National Board Certified Teachers
for a total of 112,000 nationwide. Wisconsin now has 945 active National Board Certified Teachers and is ranked 20th in the nation for the number of teachers who hold the national credential.
National board certification is open to all educators who have a baccalaureate degree and
three years of classroom experience in either a public or private school.
(Source – WI DPI)
years to attain my certification from the National
Boards! It was a lot of time and hard work, but
I am extremely excited it paid off in the end.”
Natalie Buhl, English Teacher
West De Pere High School
Natalie has been teaching high school
English in West De Pere for 16 years. She
holds a Master’s of Science and has been a
member of WDP Education Association and is
currently serving her third year as president.
Natalie has spent 16 years coaching forensics
through WHSFA, 6 years coaching the English
Academic Games Team, and 10 years advising
the Gay-Straight Alliance.
Lindsay Falkowski
4th Grade Teacher
Lake View Elementary, Madison
Debra Bowman,
Music/Choir Teacher
Spring Valley School District
Debra has been teaching for 22 years. She
taught Middle and High School Choir, and 6th
grade general music at Boyceville School District for 12 years. She has now been in the Spring
Valley School District for 10 years, teaching
Middle and High School Choir as well as K–6
General Music. Debra holds a Bachelor’s in
Music Education and a Master’s in Masters in
Professional Education. “It took me a LONG 3
Kathy Noteboom, 5th Grade Teacher
Bayfield School District
Kathy has been teaching at the School
District of Bayfield for 17 years. She taught
English/Language Arts in 6–8th grades for
seven years, then moved to the 5th grade,
where she teaches all subjects. “I really enjoy
working here!”
Lindsay has been teaching for seven
years in the Madison Metropolitan School
District. She spent 3 years teaching fourth and
fifth grade at Leopold Elementary and four
years teaching fourth grade at Lake View Elementary. Lindsay holds a Bachelor’s Degree
in Elementary Education and Geography and
a Master’s Degree in English as a Second Language.
School of Education • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Providing leadership and
inspiration for learning
Masters degree in
Curriculum & Instruction
For more information
call 414-229-4721
or email
[email protected]
Additional Graduate degrees in
• Educational Psychology
• Administrative Leadership
• Cultural Foundations of
Education
• Exceptional Education
uwm.edu/soe
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
Page 15
WISCONSIN EDUCATORS
CHANGE LIVES
At Concordia University Wisconsin, we honor the calling of educator. That is why our programs
bring together Wisconsin's most passionate teachers and pairs them with faculty comprised of
Wisconsin's most distinguished educators. The outcome is a transformative degree program with
a real impact on the lives of your students.
PROGRAMS
• Alternative Education
• Master of Science in Curriculum & Instruction (MSCI) *
English as a Second Language Endorsement*
• Master of Science in Educational Leadership (MSEL)**
• Master of Science in Education - Counseling*
• Master of Science in Education - Early Childhood Education
• Master of Science in Education - Educational Administration *
• Master of Science in Education - Educational Design & Technology *
• Master of Science in Education - Environmental Education
• Master of Science in Education - Family Life *
• Master of Science in Education - Graduate Teacher Certification
• Master of Science in Education - Literacy *
• Master of Science in Education - Special Education *
• Master of Science in Education - Special Education Learning Disabilities*
• Master of Science in Education - Student Personnel Administration
• Master of Science in Education - Teaching and Learning *
English as a Second Language License*
English as a Second Language/Bilingual License*
Secondary Teacher License*
• ESL Certificate**
• ESL/Bilingual Certificate**
• Superintendent Licensure**
* denotes programs also offered online
** denotes programs only offered online
NOTE: Concordia University Wisconsin is the only Concordia with programs
leading to licensure in the state of Wisconsin
UP TO
TUITION DISCOUNT
FOR PREFERRED
EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS
As a Preferred Educational Partner,
teachers who join a cohort leading to a
license or master’s degree are eligible for
up to 24% off their entire tuition in our
School of Education. For more info visit:
www.cuw.edu/pep
EXPLORE NOW:
ONLINE.CUW.EDU/ED
1.877.289.1897
Page 16 In the Classroom/Leadership
Educators’ Road Map
to Graduate Studies
How to Become a
Postsecondary Teacher
Educational requirements vary with the
subject taught and the type of educational
institution. Most commonly, postsecondary teachers must have a Ph.D. However,
a master’s degree may be enough for some
postsecondary teachers at community colleges. In career and technical schools, work
experience may be important for getting a
postsecondary teaching job.
Education
Postsecondary teachers who work for
4-year colleges and universities typically
need a doctoral degree in their field. Some
schools may hire those with a master’s
degree or those who are doctoral degree
candidates for some specialties, such as
fine arts, or for some part-time positions.
Doctoral programs generally take
multiple years after the completion of a
bachelor’s degree program. They spend
time completing a master’s degree and
then writing a doctoral dissertation, which
is a paper presenting original research in
the student’s field of study. Candidates
usually specialize in a subfield, such as
organic chemistry or European history.
Community colleges or career and
technical schools also may hire those
with a master’s degree. However, in some
fields, there are more applicants than
available positions. In these situations,
institutions can be more selective, and
they frequently choose applicants who
Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
have a Ph.D. over those with a master’s
degree.
Postsecondary teachers who teach
career and technical education courses,
such as culinary arts or cosmetology, may
not be required to have graduate-level
education. At a minimum they must hold
the degree of the program in which they
are teaching. For example, the teacher
must hold an associate’s degree if they
teach a program that is at the associate’s
degree level. In addition, work experience
or certification may be just as important
as education for getting a postsecondary teaching job at a career or technical
school.
Other Experience
Some institutions may prefer to hire
those with teaching or other work experience, but this is not a requirement for all
fields or for all employers.
In health specialties, art, or education
fields, hands-on work experience in the
industry can be important. Postsecondary
teachers in these fields often gain experience by working in an occupation related to
their field of expertise.
In fields such as biological science,
physics, and chemistry, some postsecondary teachers have postdoctoral research
experience. These short-term jobs, some-
times called “post-docs,” usually involve
working for 2 to 3 years as a research
associate or in a similar position, often at a
college or university.
Some postsecondary teachers gain
teaching experience by working as graduate teaching assistants—students who are
enrolled in a graduate program and teach
classes in the institution in which they are
enrolled.
Some postsecondary teachers, especially adjunct professors, have another job
in addition to teaching.
Advancement
A major goal for postsecondary teachers with a doctoral degree is attaining a
tenure—a guarantee that a professor cannot
be fired without just cause. It can take up to 7
years of moving up the ranks in tenure-track
positions. The ranks are assistant professor,
associate professor, and professor. Tenure is
granted through a review of the candidate’s
research, contribution to the institution, and
teaching.
Some tenured professors advance to
administrative positions, such as dean or
president.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department
of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,
2016-17 Edition
Four Educators are Wisconsin Finalists for Presidential Teaching Awards
tary School, Sun Prairie Area School
District; and
• Leigh Kohlmann, science finalist,
sixth grade teacher, Rock River Intermediate School, Waupun Area School
District.
Four Wisconsin educators are finalists
for the 2016 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching,
one of the nation’s highest honors for mathematics and science teachers.
The 2016 awards will recognize
teachers at the elementary level (K-6).
Wisconsin’s finalists for the Presidential
Teaching Awards are:
• Susan Hammer, mathematics finalist,
first grade teacher, Sauk Trails Elementary School, Middleton Cross Plains
Area School District;
• Rebecca Saeman, mathematics finalist, interventionist (K-4), Sauk Trails
Elementary School, Middleton Cross
Plains Area School District;
• Jay Garvey Shah, science finalist,
fifth grade teacher, Creekside Elemen-
“Wisconsin’s finalists for Presidential
Teaching Award inspire their students to
learn complex math and science concepts,”
said The State Superintendent. “They nurture
mathematical thinking and problem-solving
and let their students be scientists through
hands-on learning. We wish them well in
the next steps of the Presidential Teaching
Awards program, which brings needed recognition to the work of our teachers and
their dedication to students and the teaching
profession.”
Nominations for the award can be made
by principals, teachers, parents, students, or
members of the general public. Nominees
must complete an extensive written and
video application that demonstrates their
mastery of mathematics or science content;
use of appropriate instructional methods and
strategies; effective use of student assessments to evaluate, monitor, and improve
student learning; reflective practice and
life-long learning to improve teaching and
student learning; and leadership in education
outside the classroom.
Applications for Wisconsin’s four finalists will be judged at the national level by
a committee organized by the National
Science Foundation. The panel may select
one teacher of mathematics and one of
science to receive Presidential Awards from
each state and four U.S. jurisdictions. In
addition to recognition and professional
development events in Washington, D.C.,
winners receive $10,000 and a citation
signed by the president.
The National Science Foundation
administers the Presidential Awards for
Excellence in Mathematics and Science
Teaching on behalf of the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Since 1983, more than 4,700 teachers have
been recognized for their contributions to
mathematics and science education. Nominations for 2017 awards that will be made
at the seventh- through 12th-grade level are
due April 1.
For more information and nominations
go to www.paemst.org
Source – Wisconsin DPI
“Pure mathematics is
the world’s best game. It
is more absorbing than
chess, more of a gamble
than poker, and lasts
longer than Monopoly.
It’s free. It can be played
anywhere — Archimedes
did it in a bathtub.”
—Richard J. Trudeau



“Equipped with his five
senses, man explores
the universe around him
and calls the adventure
Science.”
—Edwin Powell Hubble
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
In the Classroom
Page 17
Kimberly Area School District Receives Platinum Well Workplace Award
Only school district in the nation to be recognized at Platinum level
Kimberly Area School District
The Wellness Council of America
(WELCOA), with local affiliate Wellness
Council of Wisconsin, recently presented its
coveted Platinum Well Workplace Award to
the Kimberly Area School District (KASD).
The Platinum Well Workplace Award recognizes an organization for its commitment to
the health and well-being of their employees.
KASD is the only school district in the nation
to have earned Platinum level recognition.
By achieving the Well Workplace Award,
KASD is recognized for its long-lasting commitment to the health and well-being of its
employees. As stated by WELCOA President
Ryan Picarella, “Good companies know that
their employees are their most valuable asset.
Great companies adopt policies that support
employees’ efforts to reduce health risks and
are bold about motivating them through bold
strategies, programs, and tactics. Great companies know that by improving their employees’
health, they can reduce health care costs.”
The Kimberly Area School District is
at the forefront of continuous innovations in
health and wellness as recognized by receiving
the Platinum award. The District’s Wellness
Program is an all-encompassing initiative that
supports the mental, social and physical well-
being of its staff. “Our District’s success is
made possible by Board policies and practices,
a supportive environment and the dedication
of our 16-person Wellness Committee who
plan and help carry out wellness initiatives
all year,” said Bob Mayfield, Superintendent
of the KASD. “Just like we strive to ensure
our students reach their potential, we want our
staff to reach their potential and that means
supporting their well-being any way that we
can.”
“We consistently seek input to shape the
program and bring innovative ideas to life,
such as our Health & Wellness Center for staff
and their families,” said Cindy Vandenberg,
a School Nurse and the Health and Wellness
Manager for KASD. “Our Wellness Committee works very hard to support staff and
their families to be healthy by choice, not by
chance.”
“The KASD Wellness Program has
changed my life and my husband’s because it
has given us the opportunity to improve our
health through knowledge gained and support
given in the different programs,” said Beth
Kinzel, a Music Teacher at Westside Elementary School. Kinzel and her husband Nate
have changed their lifestyles for the better. “I
knew I needed a change and saw the oppor-
tunity to get involved in
the District’s Wellness
Program,” said Kinzel.
“My husband joined me
in my wellness journey
after he suffered a heart
attack last May.”
Through nutrition
and fitness habits, the
couple has significantly
improved their health
and together have lost
over 115 pounds. “I
think KASD’s Wellness
Program deserves the
Platinum level recognition because it is organized and multi-fold.
There are so many choices and levels available for people wanting to improve their
well-being,” added Kinzel.
The Well Workplace Awards initiative
is driven by a rigorous set of criteria outlined
in WELCOA’s seven benchmarks to a resultoriented Well Workplace. Since its inception
in 1991, over 1,000 organizations, ranging
from educational institutions to non-profit and
profit sectors, have joined the list of “America’s Healthiest Companies” by receiving the
Well Workplace Award. “The Kimberly Area
School District worked hard to successfully
meet the rigorous standards set by the Well
Workplace process. It is our pleasure to recognize them as the newest Wisconsin employer
to achieve Well Workplace status,” said
Wellness Council of Wisconsin’s Executive
Director, Jessica Raddemann.
www.kimberly.k12.wi.us
(920) 788-7900
BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY
Graduate Programs in Education
and Special Education
• Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) with emphasis areas in Online Teaching Certificate, Reading
Certificate, Special Learning Disabilities (SLD), Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD), Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Health and many others.
• NEW ONLINE DAPE Licensure, Spring 2016.
• SLD, EBD, or ASD licensures lead to Master of Special Education with three additional classes.
• Affordable degrees you may complete in 2-4 years!
• Know someone who wants to be a MN elementary or high school teacher? If so, go to:
Elementary: www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/dlite/
*High School: www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/fastrack/
*Standards of Effective Practice courses may be used toward the MAT.
218-755-2027 or 1-888-386-8464 | [email protected]
www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/graduate_studies/
!
e
n
i
l
n
O
100%
A member of the colleges and universities of Minnesota State, Bemidji State University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. BSU Communications & Marketing EXL-17-003
In the Classroom
Page 18 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
Hour of Code:
Piquing Student Interest in a High-Demand Career Field
Badger High School
Lake Geneva Schools
On Dec. 9, 2016, students at Badger
High School joined millions of other students around the globe participating in Hour
of Code (HoC), a tagline created by a former
Microsoft Software Engineer who noticed
a large deficiency in the field of Computer
Science and Information Technology.
Intended to reach individuals from ages
4-104, according to their website, HoC is
simply a one-hour, guided tutorial in basic
Essay Contest
Middle School
Winner
coding.
Participants have several
options to choose
from to create a
video game or
other coded application
ranging
from basic skill
of click-and-drag,
to typed code
and everything in
between.
Coding
is
another term for
computer programming. Today, most
people have some
kind of computer,
be it a laptop, desktop, smart phone or tablet.
Using them has become second nature, even
for youth. But behind every device, app, and
software is programming: a detailed set of
instructions written to complete even the
simplest activity. The process of teaching
the computer what to do and how to do it is
known as computer programming or coding.
Led by Computer Science teacher Jake
Popanda, this year 837 Badger students
participated in HoC, nearly 60 percent of
Essay Contest
High School
Winner
Trauma Surgeon
Pediatrician
Madelyn P.
Northland Pines Soar Middle School
Leah M.
New Berlin West High School
Continued from Page 11
Continued from Page 11
impact on many people’s lives. I know how it
feels to have someone go to the hospital and
it is not the greatest feeling in the world. I do
not wish that on any other soul on the planet.
I want patients to come and know that they
are going to be ok. Knowing you made a difference in someone else’s life, even if you do
not know that person, is possibly the most
amazing feeling on the planet.
Yes, trauma surgeons can be put on the
spot, and not everything goes their way. I
would be willing to give so much so everything does go right. Now to most people it
most likely is not the most fun job but to me
it is amazing and possibly the coolest surgeon
out there. It is what I want to be and what I
want to do. I would give so much and do so
much to get that job, because they make a
huge difference in world and that is what I
want to do. I want to make a difference.
continue learning the language in college.
Also, this past summer I was given the
chance to travel to Ecuador through the
Bertie Green Travel Award from La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica. One place we
volunteered at was the St. Vincent de Paul
orphanage. It was amazing to see the connections we students made with the kids
by simply being able to communicate with
them in Spanish. I understand the importance of knowing a second language and
being culturally aware, and as a result I
plan on using Spanish in my future occupation.
One final interest of mine that I would
like to incorporate into my future career
is helping those in need. I realized this
passion when I helped organize and run
a Hunger Banquet through my school’s
chapter of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica,
the student body. Of those, 44 percent were
female students, a highly underrepresented
demographic in a workforce where only 18
percent are women.
Popanda said that many students beginning their HoC did not think they would be
able to understand code writing. “I polled
many students on the way into the event
and most seemed very skeptical of computer
science for various reasons,” he said. From
thinking it would be too hard, to thinking it
would be boring, to thinking it would not be
important to their personal career plan, there
was doubt.
The sentiment changed as students concluded their HoC and feelings of success
were expressed by many as they left. “After
I figured it out I made a Monkey Game and
got to level 17,” said Diana Cordova. “It
made me feel pretty nice because I accomplished it.”
“I impressed myself,” said Reese
Mikrut of her HoC experience. Mikrut opted
for an Angry Bird game and was able to
move the character through code writing.
Popanda currently teaches Computer
Science Essentials, the first in a series by
Project Lead The Way. Next year, the second
level course, Computer Science Principals,
El Sol. For this banquet students paid to
learn about malnutrition around the world
and even experienced it personally by
receiving a small, typical Guatemalan meal
made of only a tortilla, beans, and rice for
lunch. This Hunger Banquet brought me
to realize not just how significant world
hunger truly is, but also how many people
are not as fortunate as I to have access to
basic necessities. From this event I realized I have a passion for helping others,
and I want to use my career to help people
around the world.
Through my future career I hope to
incorporate all three of these interests:
working with children, using Spanish and
learning about cultures around the world,
and helping those let fortunate than I. To
work for Doctors Without Borders or a
similar organization that provides international medical relief would be ideal
because they relate to all my interests and
strengths.
In all, I want to provide children in
need all around the world with medical
care as a pediatrician for Doctors Without
Borders. Although my plans may slightly
change, I look forward to the challenges
and adventures the future has in store.
When people ask me how I want my future
to be, I can’t even begin to explain the
myriad of amazing adventures I hope my
future entails
will be added to the pathway.
According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) Computer Science and
Information Technology careers have
median salaries ranging from $51,000 to
$110,000 with most careers earning $75,000
and more. Job growth between 2014-2024
in the fields ranges from 9-27 percent, significantly higher than the average for other
careers. These statistics factor into the
importance of teaching coding to all.
Freshman Ashley Kaddatz said she now
understands why coders get paid so much.
“It’s difficult and takes a lot of education.
The entire world is getting more technically
advanced.
Next year, Popanda is aiming for 100
percent participation. To learn more about
HoC or try coding, visit their website at
Hourofcode.com/us.
www.badger.k12.wi.us
(262) 348-1000
Thank you for
sharing your
DREAM
CAREERS!
These are eight of the twelve winning
Dream Career Contest essays. We will be
featuring the other four along with some of
the Honorable Mentions in the next issue
if Teaching Today, WI™. The rest of the
Honorable Mention essays will be published in subsequent issues.
We wish that we could have had fifty
winners! There were so many wonderful
essays! It was very hard to choose and we
are going to be sharing as many entries as
we can on Facebook and our blog pages.
Thank you to Wisconsin’s students
for sharing your dreams with us and our
readers!
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
Counselor’s Corner
Counselor’s Corner
Critical Conversations
A
Adriana Plach, WSCA Director
Academic and Career Coordinator,
Pewaukee School District
s educators and counselors, our worlds
revolve around having “critical conversations”. We are regularly presented
with opportunities and obligations to address or
respond to others in ways that feel uncomfortable for us. By nature, many of us are wired to be
“peace-keepers”, and we seek ways to smooth
out tension, mend relationships, and calm
rough waters. However, in our field it is equally
important — albeit often anxiety-producing
— to engage in tough dialogue with others to
ensure that we are advocating for our learners. It
is challenging to make that shift, especially if it
does not come naturally. However, perhaps now
more than ever, it is paramount that counselors
fully embrace having critical conversations in
order to advocate for our students.
By encouraging counselors to engage in
critical conversations, I am not encouraging
arguments. Critical conversations are unique
and powerful in that they remain learner-cen-
tered, and are grounded in the philosophical
underpinnings of best practice. When optimal
critical conversations take place, a mutual
respect exists for all involved in the conversation, and there is a willingness to truly listen
to the perspective of others. In addition, it is
vital to be receptive to feedback — regardless
of how it is delivered. Adding another layer
of complexity, we also need to recognize
and honor the fact that we are often entering these conversations with people that we
hold in high esteem or consider friends. In
sum, entering this type of dialogue requires
courage on all fronts.
If this seems overwhelming, here are
some pointers for how to successfully engage
in critical conversations:
• Prepare: Consider your thoughts ahead
of time, and map out how evidencebased practices support your opinions
or proposals.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE: FEBRUARY 21–23
MONONA TERRACE, MADISON
• Think “Big-Picture”: How does this
impact ALL? Does this create a domino
effect that you haven’t foreseen?
• Face-to-Face is Best: Schedule a
meeting to discuss this in person, and
avoid catching others by surprise. Be
respectful, and don’t draw an audience.
• Remember the Focus: Frankly, this
isn’t about you. It isn’t about your
colleague, your administrator, or the
parent. It is about your student. In this,
you share a solid connection with the
other person in the conversation.
• Don’t be Afraid to Table It: If the
conversation starts to go south, agree to
disagree for the moment and return to it
at a later date and time.
• Listen: Avoid preparing your rebuttal
while the other person talks. Listen with
your whole self.
• Process: This isn’t about “being right”.
Process what the person is saying, and
what you are hearing. Ask questions
for clarification if needed. Miscommunication and misunderstandings
can send a critical conversation in an
unproductive direction.
• Reflect: This is perhaps the most critical element. Reflect on feedback you
gave and received in the light of how this
helps your learner, helps you as a professional, and supports your organization.
The 2017 WSCA Conference will be focused on providing school
counselors with tools, ideas, and resources to most effectively
Answer the Call. Participate in workshops and hear from keynote
speakers you won’t want to miss!
For more information or to register, visit:
www.wscaweb.org/2017-Conference-Home
Forms for vendors or sponsors also available at the website above.
Becoming a member of the
Wisconsin School Counselor
Association is a tremendous asset
to your professional career. It is an
organization that is comprised of
school counselors throughout the
state of Wisconsin.
Learn more at: www.wscaweb.org/Why-Be-a-Member
After over a decade in the field of
school counseling, I don’t know that I will
ever say that I am comfortable initiating or
being drawn into “critical conversations”.
That being said, I didn’t enter this field to
be comfortable. Teachers and administrators
don’t enter this field to be comfortable. We
followed our passion to make a difference in
our future generations, to keep children safe,
and guide them in reaching their true potential. Empower yourself to be reach your true
potential in advocacy. Engage in critical conversations.
Karen Grieve is the 2017
Wisconsin School Counselor of the Year
Register
before
Jan. 20
to avoid
late fee!
Mark your calendars now and clear these dates!
Page 19
Karen Grieve, Elementary and Middle
School Counselor at Bayfield School District,
has been selected as the Wisconsin School Counselor of the Year.
School Counselor for 23 years in the
School District of Bayfield, Karen puts her heart,
soul, and creativity into her work. Karen is a
skilled professional school counselor and leader.
She is a positive force in students’ lives through
creative programming that enhance students
learning and overall school climate. The Bayfield Mentor Program is a pillar of our school
leadership programming. Karen coordinates this
program, along with middle school students, providing social skills lessons alongside elementary
children. The weekly meetings are profound and
highly valued. Most recently Karen has been fulfilling her
lifelong career goals of expanding and facilitating middle school team building and school
climate programs. The result has been an introductory teambuilding/leadership program for
the incoming 6th grade at Madeline Island in
the Fall, an enhancement program for the 7th
grade at Camp Manito-wish in the Winter and
a capstone program for the 8th grade on Stockton Island in the Spring. Students participate
in extensive environmental, cultural, historical,
and team building activities during these annual
events and the significance and depth of connection created between students and staff are
monumental.
Karen will be recognized at the Wisconsin School Counselor Association’s (WSCA)
annual conference February 22–23, 2017. She
will also represent the state of Wisconsin as
WSCA’s School Counselor of the Year and
be considered for the 2018 American School
Counselor of the Year.
www.bayfield.k12.wi.us
(715) 779-3201
Page 20 In the Classroom
Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
New Tutoring Program is ‘Paying It Forward’
Courtesy of Delavan-Darien School District
It’s kind of a thing across school districts
nationwide . . . middle schools don’t hang out
with high schoolers. High schoolers don’t
hang out with middle schoolers.
Well, not in Delavan-Darien.
A new tutoring program — which is
also a mentoring program, big brothers/big
sisters-type of program and anti-high school
anxiety program all rolled into one — was just
launched at Phoenix Middle School.
Six freshmen and sophomore students are
volunteering to come over to the middle school
on Tuesdays and Thursdays to tutor sixth,
seventh and eighth
graders in language
arts, social studies,
math and science.
“We noticed a
need for more academic support for our
middle school students
here,” said Phoenix
counselor
Steve
Gross, who started the
program. “So, this is
an opportunity for students at the high school
to pay it forward and
make a difference in
the lives of the students
in the grades below
them.”
Good news about the program travels fast
and after the first night on Thursday, Dec. 8,
Gross said he already has more middle school
students coming forward and self-identifying
that they need help, and he has gotten emails
from additional high school students who
didn’t sign up initially but want to help now.
“These students couldn’t wait to come
back and pay it forward for the teachers and the staff here at Phoenix who have
helped them become successful,” Gross said.
“They’re not only being tutors for our middle
schools, they’re in almost a big brother or big
sister kind of a role and they will be mentors
for these kids when they get to high school in
a year or a couple of years.”
It’s a program that will bring more
success to the district on many levels, Gross
said.
• Middle school will receive 45-minutes or
more of extra academic help.
• High school students will get community
service hours if they want to apply for
them.
• Middle school students will have less
anxiety when they get to high school
having built relationships with high
schoolers who may still be there.
• High school students are building up
their résumés for college and job applications.
• Middle school students are showing
courage and coming forward, not afraid
to admit that they need help in a subject
area.
• High school students are seeing the value
of giving back and providing a service
that is improving the school culture and
community.
sign up and saying it’s something they want
to be a part of.
“(Tutor) Alex Banda said he’d come
every day if necessary. Another tutor, Kaitlyn
Kraayeveld, came up to me after working
with one of the girls and said, ‘I never thought
it would feel this good… actually helping
someone like this.’
“It’s powerful to see a group of high
school kids, teens, wanting to make a difference. On the flip side, it’s powerful to have
middle schoolers coming up and having the
courage to say I want some help and I don’t
mind if high school kids help me.”
Powerful. Successful. And it will continue to grow.
This program will cycle itself,” Gross
said. “The middle school kids who are in it
now, I know they will want to come back and
tutor when they’re in high school.”
And Gross said he’d take them all back in
a second. Any student who is willing to help
and willing to say they need help, is welcome
into this new tutoring program.
“There are high school kids who said, ‘I
know it’s already 3:30, but if you want me to
stay, I’ll stay.’ We have kids in middle school
hearing about the opportunity and wanting to
be a part of it,” Gross said. “More high school
kids are hearing about it who didin’t initially
www.ddschools.org
(262) 233-6800
Big Bend Elementary in Mukwonago District Works to Nurture Literacy
Julie L. Hanisch
Coordinator of Technology and
Communications
Mukwonago Area School District
Last school year, literacy assessment
data showed that while students at Big
Bend Elementary School were performing much higher than the state average,
literacy scores were slightly below the
Mukwonago Area School District average.
As a result, BBES staff were motivated to
hone their understanding of the foundations
of literacy development and implement
best practices for teaching reading across
all grade levels. To assist with their goal,
Rhonda Schoonover, a reading consultant
from a nearby university, joined BBES
teachers this past spring for five interactive
workshops during Wednesday professional
development sessions. Their focus areas
were the five pillars of reading instruction:
phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary,
fluency, and comprehension.
Reflecting on her takeaways from the
workshops, second grade teacher Carrie
Jester summarized, “The motto, ‘Verbalize
to Internalize!’ is the key to reading success.
Teachers must model thought processes to
teach students how to verbalize their understanding in all subject areas throughout the
day. Modeling, practice, and feedback are
essential.”
In addition to welcoming an external
reading audit from the university and participating in Rhonda Schoonover’s professional
development, ten staff members also worked
with the Wisconsin RTI (Response to Intervention) Center to reflect, analyze, and
implement the same key tenets — or, as Big
Bend staff refer to them: Guiding Principles
— of universal reading instruction. Fourth
grade teacher Mary Johnson, describing the
effects of those efforts, observed, “I have
implemented Big Bend’s Guiding Princi-
ples in my classroom by personalizing my
reading and language instruction. My students participate in literature circles, readers
workshop, writers workshop, vocabulary
instruction, and word study groups at their
instructional levels. Moreover, as a parent
of two Big Bend students, I am a first-hand
witness to the success of Big Bend’s Guiding
Principles as my own children have become
more comprehensive readers.”
The work begun by the Big Bend Ele-
mentary teachers will continue as the district
reviews its elementary reading and language
arts curriculum over the next year.
www.masd.k12.wi.us
(262) 393-6300
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
Grants
Continued from Page 4
Project Produce: Fruit and Veggie
Grants for Schools
healthy proteins.
Website: www.saladbars2schools.org
The Chef Ann Foundation and Skoop
have teamed up to help schools increase access
to fresh fruits and vegetables for children and
youth, and nutrition education in schools. The
purpose of Project Produce is to create planned
lunchroom activities to showcase and taste
fresh vegetables and fruits. Proposed projects
must be planned with the intention of offering
activities to all students in the school building.
Grants of $2,500 are awarded
Deadline: Applications are accepted yearround
Website: www.chefannfoundation.org/programs-and-grants/project-produce
High School Weight Room Grants
Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools
Grant
K-12 school districts participating in the
National School Lunch Program that serve
at least 100 reimbursable meals are eligible
to receive a six-foot (five-well) salad bar
package. Our goal is for every school in the
United States to have a salad bar as part of
their school food service program so that every
child—from elementary school, to middle
school, to high school—has daily access to
fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and
Items of
Interest
Continued from Page 9
school librarian, and exemplify the role of the
library program in advancing the overall educational goals of the school.
Grants of $5,000 are awarded
Deadline: Applications are accepted from
February 3 through May 5, 2017
Website: www.ala.org/programming/jaffarianaward
Summer Research Education
Experience Program
The purpose of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) Summer Research Education Experience Program is to provide a
high-quality research experience for high
The Lift Life Foundation’s mission is
to help provide young people with tools to
improve their fitness levels and boost selfworth. The foundation provides high schools
across the United States with the opportunity
to have their school weight room transformed
with brand-new equipment. To be considered
for a weight room makeover, high schools
must be nominated. Anyone may nominate a
high school; nominations must be submitted
online.
Deadline: Nominations are accepted yearround
Website: www.liftlifefoundation.org/#spark
Japan Foundation’s Center for
Global Partnership Grants
The Japan Foundation’s Center for
Global Partnership (CGP) awards education
grants for projects designed to increase awareness and understanding of Japan in the United
States by students and teachers in kindergarten
through grade 12. Grants may fund support of
teacher training, curriculum development, and
community outreach efforts.
Grants up to $5,000 are awarded
school and college students and for science
teachers during the summer academic break.
The overarching goal of the program is to
support education activities that foster a better
understanding of biomedical, behavioral, and
clinical research and its implications.
Grants up to $100,000 in direct costs per
year are awarded
Deadline: Optional Letters of Intent are due
30 days before the deadline. Applications
are due March 23, 2017 and March 23,
2018
Website: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/
PAR-15-184.html
Energy Educator of the Year
Awards
KEEP is proud to be launching the ninth
year of the Energy Educator of the Year awards
program. This award recognizes formal and
non-formal educators who take the extra step
to improve energy literacy in Wisconsin. The
award includes $500 to support energy education initiatives.
Page 21
Deadline: Grant applications are accepted
year-round
Website: www.cgp.org/grassroots-exchangeand-education/education-grants
Mary Lou Anderson Reflections
Arts Enhancement Grants
The National PTA Mary Lou Anderson
Reflections Arts Enhancement Grants provide
matching grants to local PTAs to support inschool and after-school arts enhancement
programs. Grants may be used to engage
families, support student success, improve
the health and safety of students and families,
increase access to arts education, and celebrate
advocacy and diversity.
Grants up to $1,000 are awarded
Deadline: Applications are accepted January
10 through March 17, 2017
Website: www.pta.org/members/content.
cfm?ItemNumber=3101
Music Performance Attendance
Grants
The Sharon Gewirtz Kids to Concerts
Fund provides small grants to provide the
opportunity for children and youth to attend
live performances of classical music and
other related programming. Grants are open
to schools and nonprofit music programs
throughout the United States, and eligible
applicants must demonstrate financial need to
be considered.
Grants up to $500 are awarded
Deadline: Applications are due June 30,
annually
Website: sites.google.com/site/gewirtzkidstoconcerts
Amber Brown Grant
The Society of Children’s Book Writers
and Illustrators (SCBWI) offers the Amber
Brown Grant to commemorate author Paula
Danziger. The grant is awarded annually to
one school and includes a visit by a children’s
book author or illustrator to encourage children and youth to read and connect them with
creative influences.
The winning school receives a visit by an
author or illustrator, a $250 stipend, and $250
worth of books by the visiting author or illustrator
Applications are accepted November 1
through April 15, annually
Website: www.scbwi.org/awards/grants/
amber-brown-grant/
Dollar General Literacy Foundation
Youth Literacy Grants
Dollar General Literacy Foundation
Youth Literacy Grants provide funding to
schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations to help students who are below grade
level or experiencing difficulty reading.
Grant funding is provided to assist in the
following areas:
•Implementing new or expanding existing
literacy programs
• Purchasing new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives
• Purchasing books, materials or software
for literacy programs
Grant Amount: $4,000
Deadline: May 18, 2017
Website: www2.dollargeneral.com/dgliteracy/Pages/grant_programs.aspx#ylg
Deadline: The due date for nominations is
February 1, 2017
Website: www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/KEEP/Pages/
Networking/Energy-Award.aspx
Deadline: Apply by March 1, 2017
Website: www.epa.gov/education/
presidential-innovation-award-environmental-educators
Presidential Innovation Award for
Environmental Educators
Wisconsin School Forest Awards
The Presidential Innovation Award
for Environmental Educators recognizes
outstanding K-12 teachers who employ innovative approaches to environmental education
and use the environment as a context for learning. Up to two teachers from each of EPA’s 10
regions, from different states, will be chosen.
Each awardee will receive a Presidential
award plaque and an award of up to $2,500 to
be used to further the recipient’s professional
development in environmental education.
They will also receive a congratulatory letter
from a senior official from EPA and/or the
White House.
Each winning teacher’s local education
agency will receive an award of up to $2,500
to fund environmental educational activities
and programs.
Nominations are now being accepted for
the 2016 School Forest Awards. These awards
recognize individuals and organizations that
have provided leadershipfor local school
forests. LEAF (the Wisconsin K-12 Forestry
Education Program) will recognize individuals
and organizations that have made significant
contributions to school forest programs.
Deadline: All nominations are due by
January 27, 2017.
Website: www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/leaf/schoolforests
In the Classroom
Page 22 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
Reading To Succeed
School District of Sheboygan Falls
Reading IS fundamental to academic
success. And a new effort aimed at preschoolers in the Sheboygan Falls School
District seeks to achieve that goal.
Launched by the Sheboygan Falls
Memorial Library, 1000 Books Before
Kindergarten is part of a national initiative
designed to foster and strengthen per-literacy
skills in young children. Although children
generally learn to
read after they start
kindergarten, being
exposed to books
and
especially
having their parents
or other adults read
to them helps get
them ready to read
on their own.
“It’s huge for
kids to see that pictures have meaning,
that those letters
have
meaning,”
explained
Beth
Anzia, a literacy specialist at Sheboygan
Falls
Elementary
School who was one
of the first to sign up
for the program with her own preschooler.
Ashley Bisterfeldt, another literacy specialist at Sheboygan Falls Elementary, also
signed up for the program with her son.
“My little boy is crazy about reading.
We read every night,” she said. “The more
vocabulary a student knows, the more ready
they will be for kindergarten.”
Lynn Bub, principal of Sheboygan Falls
TEACHING
TODAY WI
™
For you . . .
Because of you . . .
Schools across Wisconsin benefit from the participation of
readers like you. We encourage you to submit articles on
your programs, awards, grants received, and special school
projects. Thank you for your positive contributions to the
educational community in our state.
Submit your contributions to:
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.teachingtodaywi.com
Elementary, pointed out that the program
will help the district since students enter
kindergarten at various levels of readiness.
Learning vocabulary and beginning literacy
skills like how to hold a book the right side
up and which direction to read text – left
to right – will give students a head start on
reading skills.
Tina Beining, children’s programming
librarian at the Sheboygan Falls Memorial
Library, set the program up, making it as
simple as possible so children — and their
parents — aren’t overwhelmed. Children
sign up at the library and get a tote bag and
a library card if they don’t already have one.
They also receive a reading log that has
room for 100 entries. Children color in a
shape to record each book they have “read.”
Once the entire sheet is completed, they
bring it to the library and receive a reward —
a simple toy or other incentive. When they
reach their goal of 1,000 books, there will
be a “graduation ceremony” and the children
will dress up in a cap and gown. Their photograph will be sent to the local newspaper,
posted on the library’s Facebook page, and
hung in a large Wall of Fame display at the
library.
“We’re real excited to get this
launched,” said Beining. “We can’t wait to
see that first smiling face in that cap and
gown.”
Although 1,000 seems like a lot of
books, children can count the same book
more than once. The length of the book
doesn’t matter — picture books and board
books count too.
Bisterfeldt noted that it takes about 30
seconds to read a board book. The program
brochure also breaks down the total in
achievable chunks of time. For instance,
reading 20 books per week for a year adds
up to a total of 1,040 books.
“It’s very doable when they break it
down like that,” Bisterfeldt added.
One of the beauties of this program is
its simplicity, according to Beining.
“They don’t have to spend any money,”
she said. “All they need is a library card and
we have thousands of books.”
Let the reading begin.
sheboyganfalls.k12.wi.us
(920) 467-7893
Teaching Today Wisconsin | Winter 2017, Volume 1
Page 23
Individuals don’t get cancer
– entire families do.
Angel On My Shoulder is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit cancer support foundation that offers
cost-free camps to kids and teens with a sibling, parent, or grandparent living with cancer or lost
to cancer. We provide them with a chance to have fun and grow in their shared experiences.
We have two exciting winter camps coming up soon!
Camp Angel is for kids ages 7-12 and is being held
January 27th -29th, 2017 in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin. Kids
enjoy many fun and exciting winter activities including:
Angel Adventures is for teens ages 16-18 and is being held
February 10th -13th, 2017 in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. Campers
will experience:
Tubing
Ice Fishing
Cross-country Skiing
Sledding
Snowshoeing
Snowmobiling
Broomball
Snow Shoeing & More!
Directed sharing sessions held in a
safe & nurturing environment
All enrollment is on a first come, first serve basis. For more information on these or our
other camps held throughout the year, please contact [email protected]
or visit our website at angelonmyshoulder.org
Page 24 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com
Graduate Programs in Education
at Carthage
Our curriculum is designed and delivered by
educators who understand the current needs and
trends in education, and we are dedicated to providing
the programs needed to advance your career, gain
licensure, or refresh your skills.
Learn more at an Information Session
March 8 | April 12 | May 5
carthage.edu/grad
programs offered: Master of Education | Accelerated Certification for Teachers