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DPI VISTA: Current Sites and ProjectsCurrent Sites and ProjectsLINKs Go to the Project DescriptionFor more information on our VISTA project, please check out our Google Page.
Current Sites and Projects
Name: Colleen Douglass The Vaughn Public Library (VPL) is located in Ashland, Wisconsin on the corner of Vaughn Avenue and West Main Street. The city of Ashland is located on the shores of the Chequamegon Bay on the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Superior. VPL serves a local population of 8,500 and a service population of approximately 16,000. Current Projects Assignments for Colleen include the establishment of partnerships with organizations, businesses, individuals and schools to develop and facilitate services and programming to assist the unemployed, underemployed and their families. Part of the project for Colleen, involves the recruitment of volunteers. The areas of focus are: employment and job skills training, financial planning, health and nutrition, education, and home foreclosures and housing assistance.
Name: Sara Byrnes and Josh Cowles The Fond du Lac Public Library strives to serve the Fond du Lac community by promoting literacy, lifelong learning, and diversity through customer-friendly access to services that inform, entertain, and inspire. Over the past year, the library has seen use of the library go up, as circulation statistics rise and more patrons are coming into the library to use public computers for job searching purposes. Current Projects Our VISTA members are developing programs to address unemployment and economic recovery in Fond du Lac County for both adult and young adult populations. One of the services we are looking at is turning the library’s main training room into an Opportunity Center, where computers will be available for extended use for people seeking jobs. Volunteer staff will be available during open hours to assist job seekers in using Microsoft Office, as well as provide support in internet job searching and resume/cover letter writing. We are also working to schedule workshops and classes in both the FDLPL and in libraries across the county to provide additional information on such topics as resumes, interviewing, job success, etc. We also plan on working closely with the United Way to help establish support groups for the unemployed to come and discuss their experiences.
Name: Erica Spurgeon The Phuture Phoenix Program helps at-risk children from Northeast Wisconsin believe that a college education is in their future. The Phuture Phoenix program starts in fifth grade where the students have a chance to come to campus and experience the university. Throughout middle school and high school, Phuture Phoenix students are mentored and tutured by UW-Green Bay students. The Green Bay school district has many resources, effective community partnerships, strong after-school programs and a firm commitment to family and community involvement. Families are the first source of learning, so parent involvement is key. Current Projects Our VISTA is currently working on strengthening parent outreach in four schools. She is also working to strengthen the relationship between the schools, parents and community by developing and implementing an action plan with the schools to reach out to parents and the community. In doing so, she is working on grants to fund these opportunities. Our VISTA is working closely with the Phuture Phoenix program to implement community and parent involvement. Top
Name: Penny Bruskin, VISTA Leader
The DPI is the seat of the VISTA Project. The Community Learning and Partnership Team which supports the VISTA Project incorporates the partnership idea into nutrition, early childhood education, service-learning, AmeriCorps, and community education as well as VISTA. Current Projects We currently have 19 members serving across the state of Wisconsin. Having completed Pre-Service and DPI Orientations in August, new and continuing members are hard at work building partnerships in their schools and communities. To help them achieve their goals we are working to increase and improve communication between the DPI and all of our sites. We have done this through regular teleconferences and online WisLine web meetings. We are also working on ensuring that each site receives the most up to date partnership research findings and training materials from the National Network of Partnership Schools. This involves site visits with the VISTAs, on-site trainings, and regular communication between the VISTAs and the Project Coordinator. We're all excited about the VISTAs' projects and are looking forward to seeing how their service unfolds!
Name: Abby Churchill Education Outreach and Partnerships (EOP) is a center for the exchange of educational information and ideas. It brings together UW-Madison faculty, professional staff, and other educational leaders with teachers, administrators, counselors, artists, child-care providers, home schoolers, children and adolescents, and parents. Together they explore current educational issues pertaining to precollege and adult learners. Current Projects Some of the projects that the VISTA will be working on include: organizing a Spring Pre-College Fair, submitting a proposal for a pre-college program about youth gardening, recruiting tutors for WCATY (Wisconsin Center for Academically-Talented Youth), establishing connections and partnerships with various schools in Dane County and Beloit, and creating a consolidated PTO/PTA contact list for all of Dane County.
Name: Becky Smith Site: Madison School District/Leopold Elementary School Site Location: Madison End of service: 8.21.10 Work Number: 608-204-4334 Email: rsmith1@madison.k12.wi.us Supervisor: Teresa Carranza Brief Description of the Site Leopold Elementary School is the largest elementary school in the Madison Metropolitan School District with approximately 675 students in grades K-5. The size of the school as well as its diversity of families and students makes it a unique and exciting place for a VISTA. This year Leopold began a Dual Immersion program in three Kindergarten classrooms and continues to support many Spanish/English bilingual classrooms as well. Current Projects The VISTA will be working to increase family and community partnerships and help expand the opportunities for parent engagement in their children’s education. She will be implementing an Action Team at the school, helping to organize Bilingual Family Literacy and Math Nights, and working towards establishing a Family Resource Center within the school. Her work focuses on the needs of bilingual families and students particularly in the Dual Immersion program.
Name: Dustin Young Site: Madison Metropolitan School District/Midvale Elementary School Site Location: Madison End of service: 06.05.10 Work Number:608-204-6767 Email: youngdus@gmail.com Supervisor: Teresa Carranza Brief Description of the Site Midvale Elementary (K-2) and Lincoln Elementary (3-5) are partners in elementary education on Madison's near-south side. The Midvale-Lincoln partnership serves the same diverse population of students, but in two separate neighborhoods. This provides unique challenges for the VISTA project as each school strives to improve family and community involvement. Midvale-Lincoln is in the process of implementing MMSD's Dual Language Immersion program, along with a number of equity-focused projects, in order to become more responsive to their students and families. Current Projects The VISTA at Midvale-Lincoln will be focusing on making family and community involvement opportunities more equitable. He will improve and strengthen family and community involvement practices as Midvale-Lincoln moves toward implementing DLI. This will include mobilizing an Action Team, developing a stronger minority volunteer/mentor network, researching funding sources for an Intercambio program, and improve availability of resources for families. Name: Ellen Carpenter Site: Madison Metropolitan School District/Sennet Middle School/Nuestro Mundo Community School Site Location: Madison End of service: 11.20.10 Work Number:608-204-1948 Email: ecarpenter@madison.k12.wi.us Supervisor: Teresa Carranza Brief Description of the Site Nuestro Mundo Community School is a Spanish-English dual-language immersion charter school that operates within the confines of Frank Allis Elementary School on Madison's east side. The philosophy of NMCS’s dual language immersion is to develop literacy in both languages, preparing students for success in an increasingly global economy, and to promote acceptance and understanding of cultural differences and strengths. Next year, the 5th graders of Nuestro Mundo will be moving on to attend Sennett Middle School. Sennett offers a uniquely designed program to address the developmental needs of a diverse population of students through the multi-age House system. Of it's seven Houses, one will be made into a dual-language immersion class, eventually composed of 6th, 7th and 8th graders from Nuestro Mundo. Current Projects The VISTA will be working to increase family and community partnerships and help expand the opportunities for parent engagement in their children’s education. She will be implementing an Action Team at the school, helping to organize Bilingual Family Literacy and Math Nights, and working towards establishing a Family Resource Center within the school. Her work focuses on the needs of bilingual families and students particularly in the Dual Immersion program. Name: Brittany Williams Site: Wisconsin Educational Opportunity Program Site Location: Madison End of service: 12.05.09 Work Number: 608.267.1058 Email: brittany.williams@dpi.wi.gov Supervisor: Alexis Anderson-Reed Brief Description of the Site The Wisconsin Educational Opportunity Program seeks out, in the Wisconsin high schools and communities, students with college potential and encourages them to go on to higher education. It also provides students with educational counseling to raise their career aspirations and confidence to succeed. Current Projects The work the VISTA will develop and implement – a strong parental/family and community component within the GEAR UP / EIP Program will have a lasting positive impact on the program. The positive and constant involvement, support and motivation of the community, family members, and parents have proven to be a leading predictor in a child’s future decisions and opportunities. The legacy of the VISTA will therefore be to empower disadvantaged students and family members to believe in education and break the cycle of poverty in the community. The VISTA will have institutionalized a significant and lasting plan, that will have an impact on individuals, schools, the community, and the ability of the WEOP Programs to continue to serve and organize people in the Madison area that need it most.
Name: Jim Handorf Madison Public Library has 8 branches and a downtown headquarters. The purposes of my work involve increasing communication between branches about volunteers and community partnerships, using these community partnerships to provide job assistance to library patrons, and assisting with teen literacy efforts. Although Lisa is my main supervisor, I will be working closely with the head of reference, Carol, the web resources coordinator, Tana, the youth librarian, Krissy, and the teen librarian, Jesse. Lisa is our library’s outreach coordinator. Current Projects Compiling user-friendly database to manage volunteers (over 100 currently), building a working relationship with the Dane County Job Center, forming partnerships with community centers and Madison Metro School District to increase teen buy-in and programming at the Library, providing joint programming for non-English speaking parents and young children at branches and throughout the community, grant-writing. PARENTS PLUS, MILWAUKEE Brief Description of Parents PlusParents Plus is a Wisconsin parent information and resource center. The mission of the organization is to support the development of positive parenting skills and to increase parental involvement in Wisconsin schools for the purpose of improving student achievement. This mission is carried out through several services such as Action Team training and assistance, Parents as Teachers, Poverty Training and more. Current Projects As VISTAs, our roles are to work with schools in the Milwaukee area to establish an Action Team, help connect resource centers with the school in their neighborhood and set up parent groups within schools in hopes of increasing the parent participation. We do this by visiting the schools and resource centers and figuring out their needs and how we can meet them. Having the 8th highest poverty rate of large cities in America, about one in four of Milwaukee residents live in poverty. With numbers as staggering as those, being a VISTA in Milwaukee means looking at how the education system can be changed in order to improve the quality of life for children and their families.
Name: Sarah Glassman
Name: Angela Rumsey
Name: Casey Burns
Name: Hannah Schulz
Brief Description of the Site
Current Projects
Name: Robyn Krimke
Name: Cara Slingerland Brief Description of the Site
Urban Day School
School for Urban Planning and Architecture Current Projects
Urban Day School
SUPAR
Name: Tracy Steffens Washington School prides itself in serving a diverse student population. The individual needs of students are better met by offering differentiated instruction and other support programs. The high expectations established by parents and staff continue to be realized, as Washington Elementary School has qualified as a Wisconsin School of Promise in 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2007-2008, and 2008-2009.
Current Projects
Name: Lizzy Lowrey The mission of the Racine Public Library is to enhance our community's quality of life by providing information, ideas, and creative works. The library includes a location on the shore of Lake Michigan in downtown Racine along with a mobile library with 20 stops throughout the community Besides providing books, video, Internet access and audio materials, the library also hosts a wide range of activities and programs for both children and adults.
Current Projects Name: Anna Morgen Located in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin, the School District of Rhinelander serves nine surrounding townships and the City of Rhinelander. The district serves approximately 2,800 students in its three elementary schools, middle school, high school, elementary charter school, secondary charter school, and environmental academy. A secondary alternative education program and a variety of virtual opportunities are offered to the students, and the district has developed partnerships with those families who have chosen home-school education for their children. The schools offer area students exceptional academic programs, as well as athletic, cultural, and community opportunities. As a result of an active community, outstanding staff, a comprehensive curriculum, and an emphasis on technology in the classroom, the School District of Rhinelander is proud to provide educational excellence to its youth. Current Projects Anna is focusing on increasing family involvement in the literacy education of district 4K-3rd graders at three schools: Northwoods Community Elementary School, Pelican Elementary School, and Crescent Elementary School. Another goal is to create sustainable partnerships between the school district, families, and community members. A district-wide Action Team has been established to assist with these goals. This team gives more responsibility to school district staff and families, as well as encouraging them to voice their opinion and participate in decision-making.
Name: Heather Knops The Shiocton Public Library is the center of community life, offering opportunities for people of all ages to learn, know, gather and grow. The library is a dependable source of reliable information and of challenging ideas that enlighten and enrich, and of materials in many formats that enhance leisure time and expand knowledge of current events. The library encourages the love of reading and the joy of learning, and offers the assistance people need to find, evaluate, and use electronic and print information resources that help them live successful and rewarding lives. Current Projects Our focus in Shiocton is Community. We will be working to strengthen our community by creating a chamber of commerce and a web presence. Strengthening children’s body and minds by proper nutrition, experiencing nature through outdoor activities, helping to enforce family values, teaching proper reading and study habits, and promoting our community through volunteerism. Name: Sara Hubin Spooner is located about 1 1/2 hours north of Eau Claire. A yearround playground for campers, boaters, antiquers. Spooner boasts several fun-filled family weekends for ex: Jack Savage Pine Days, Washburn County Fair, Jack O Lantern Festival to name a few. Our center is located in the heart of Spooner in an old church filled with stain-glass windows to let the sun shine through. Current Projects As the first VISTA to be utilized in the family resource center I have my work cut-out for me. I am building bridges with a new school district and expanding partnerships with 2 others. I am involved in programs for families and the schools to build relationships on and excited about getting the resource centers' name out there. As I forge this new path I am humbled and really excited about the course that I will be taking.
Name: Sylvia Sedrak The heart of the Wausau School District preschool program is its strong developmentally-appropriate curriculum delivered by caring, talented teachers specifically trained to teach young children. The experiential instruction prepares children for the opportunities and challenges of kindergarten and beyond. Our Early Childhood Program serves children between the ages of three and five years who exhibit developmental delays. The District's Community Collaboration Program for 4-year-olds provides integrated language, problem solving and decision making, and literacy instruction for four-year-olds throughout our community. Children are able to participate in these programs at the A.C. Kiefer Educational Center, several WSD elementary schools, or at a variety of partner childcare sites across the District.
Current Projects Name: Kristine Nadolski Site: Wausau School District Site Location: Wausau End of Service Date: 8.21.10 Work Number: 715-261-0581 Email: knadolsk@wausau.k12.wi.us Supervisor: Nancy Cedar Brief Description of the Site The Wausau School District is working hard to increase student achievement and close the achievement gaps of our economically disadvantaged students. Our school improvement plans have a clear, unified focus incorporating the research-based framework of the 6 types of involvement: parenting, volunteering, learning at home, decision making and collaborating with community. Our district has many resources, effective community partnerships, strong after-school programs and a firm commitment to family and community involvement. Families as the first source of learning are one of three key areas of focus for the Wausau School Foundation. We have had VISTA's serving at individual sites, which led to the creation of our Parent Partnership Coordinators, currently at four sites, funded by Title One. Current Projects Kristine will be developing a Family University Network (F.U.N.) for the school district this year. The program includes workshops and seminars for parents in the district on topics they would like more information on. A district wide action team (including parent partnership coordinators, teachers, community members and community agency representatives) is working to launch the program at the Title I schools this year, with the goal of launching it district wide next year.
Name: Stephanie Dorman The mission of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District is to partner with families and the community “to provide challenging curriculum and engaging instruction so that every student may attain academic success.” The district, which serves about 8,600 students, has seen an increase in diverse demographics in recent years. Our VISTAs are located at Longfellow Elementary School, Lincoln Intermediate School, and West Milwaukee Intermediate School.
Current Projects
Name:Nicole Stachurski Site: Grove Elementary School Site Location: Wisconsin Rapids End of service: 12.5.09 Work Number: 715.422.6136 Email: nicole.stachurski@wrps.org Supervisor: LeeAnn Schmidmayr Brief Description of the Site Our K-6 elementary schools have a curriculum that emphasizes literacy skills. Teachers work to provide a strong basis in reading and writing to insure success at the secondary level and beyond. Critical thinking, creativity, communication skills, and technology integration are woven throughout the language arts, math, science and social studies areas. In addition, students receive art, music and physical education classes weekly.
Current Projects Summer VISTA Associate Program Term of Service: 6.18 through 8.14
Check out United We Serve's blog for three stories of summer service from our VISTAs! These stories were selected from hundreds submitted from across the country to showcase the kind of impact VISTAs have on their communities.
For more information, contact Betsy Prueter, Project Coordinator Or dial 800-441-4563, and request the above extension
Last updated on 2/1/2010 2:42:42 PM |
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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers
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