Waukesha Education Foundation Inc.

When the love of hobbies and career collide, innovation and opportunity arise. Brian Cieslak, of Horwitz-DeRemer Planetarium, enjoys teaching about astronomy and is a member of the Ham Radio Community where he is known worldwide by his call sign, K9WIS. Through his connections in the Ham Radio Community, Cieslak began making plans to launch balloons with GPS devices. Cieslak, whose job is also part of the School District of Waukesha, applied for a grant from the Waukesha Education Foundation, Inc. during the 2019-2020 school year.  The grant entitled “High Altitude Balloon-Circumnavigating the World” proposed to lift ‘Pico Balloons’ into the jet stream and catch a ride around the world. The two pancake-shaped, jellyfish-looking balloons are 36 inches in diameter and 15 inches thick. By applying physics, Cieslak determined how much helium gas the balloons would need to match the density of the atmosphere at the altitude he wanted the balloons to float. Hydrogen gas, which i...

Congrats to our 2021 MOVE FORWARD Winning Schools: Bethesda Elementary/Bethesda PTO and Les Paul Middle School. Bethesda racked up an incredible 235,069 movement minutes, averaging just over 527 minutes per student. Les Paul MS achieved 11,701 minutes, averaging 19.69 minutes per student. Each school won a $1000 grant to use toward a wellness initiative, sponsored by The Equitable Bank, Lee Recreation LLC and the Waukesha Education Foundation.  The PTO at Bethesda also won a $200 wellness grant for their part in promoting this great event! Congrats to all of our winners. Thank you to our sponsors and all those that participated!  #WEFMoveForward