Waukesha Education Foundation, Inc. Award Recipients to be Honored October 21

-

The Waukesha Education Foundation, Inc. (WEF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the annual Waukesha Education Foundation Awards for both 2020 and 2021. Both groups will be recognized at the 2021 Evening for Education event, being held on October 21 at the Milwaukee Marriott - West (Waukesha). 

The recipients of the WEF Corporate Partner Awards are Meijer--Waukesha (2020) and Delzer Lithograph Company (2021) 

  • Meijer joined our Waukesha community in August of 2016.  In just a few short years, Meijer has stepped up as a partner in our community to support our schools and classrooms throughout the district. A dozen nominators shared many examples of Meijer’s generous contributions to our elementary, middle, and high school programs in the School District of Waukesha with gift cards and donated school supplies to athletic and playground equipment and even support after a flood! Meijer has become the kind of corporate neighbor that any community would be thrilled to have.  

  • Delzer Lithograph Company has been a part of the Waukesha MADE (Manufacturing*Automotive* Design*Engineering) program from the start, being a sounding board for curriculum and equipment, advocating for career and technical education, opening its doors to our students and families, and creating real world projects that students complete as part of various courses. They have contributed financially to support our technical education programs and MADE scholarships. In addition, Delzer has become a printing partner to the school district, the planetarium, and the WEF.

The recipients of the WEF Community Partner Awards are Eras Senior Network (2020) and St. Luke’s Lutheran Church (2021) 

  • Eras Senior Network has increased intergenerational role modeling and academic support for students within the School District of Waukesha (SDW) since 2007. They have placed an average of 150 volunteers in our schools per year since 2007, for a total of 34,709 hours of volunteer service over the twelve-year partnership. The program started with reading support activities, and expanded to include pen pal programs, Intergenerational Heritage Fairs, Readers Cafes, high school history programs, and middle school reading nights. These volunteers in 12 schools and 48 classrooms have helped to support school staff and give desired 1-on-1 attention to support students' academic success. 

  • As St. Luke's Lutheran Church celebrates 100 years of serving the Waukesha  community, they are also proud to have served working families for 25 years with their Child Life Ministries (CLM) program. St. Luke's CLM provides infant and toddler care, preschool, before- and after- school care and transportation to elementary schools, and their 4K program is a SDW community partner.  The transportation and wrap-around care is a significant benefit for many families. In 2008, members volunteered at Saratoga in an After-School Homework Club and with the VEX Robotics team. St. Luke’s partnered with the Salvation Army to distribute food-filled backpacks every weekend. That partnership moved to Whittier in 2010, and St. Luke's continues to support the students, staff, and families at Whittier Elementary in many ways. In response to the pandemic, St. Luke’s provided 140  food packs every weekend to Whittier students through Blessings in a Backpack.

The recipients of the Sally Jo Michalko Lifetime Excellence in Education Award are Dr. Todd Gray (2020) and Diane Voit (2021)    

  • Dr. Gray served as Superintendent of the School District of Waukesha (SDW) for 12 years, retiring in 2020. When Dr. Gray assumed the role, SDW was facing challenging financial and funding issues. He utilized his background in finance to develop a solid foundation for the future financial stability of the district earning an impressive AA (Standard and Poor’s) bond rating. He and his team were instrumental in developing a plan that led to the successful passage of a referendum in 2019. Dr. Gray was very forward thinking when developing and implementing curriculum for the skills today’s students will need to be successful in tomorrow’s workplace. He also implemented the “Casual for a Cause” Campaign, which has raised thousands of dollars for the WEF grant program  each year. 

  • Diane Voit has dedicated her life to supporting high-quality educational opportunities in the SDW since 1976. For 38 years, she taught Business Education and Special Education at North High School & eAchieve. For decades, she collaborated with local employers as the Business Co-Op Coordinator, placing high school seniors in work experiences which provided valuable skills while earning wages and credits. She has also been a dedicated volunteer and leader for the WEF since 2013, chairing committees, serving on the Board of Directors, creating two legacy scholarships among other things. Mrs. Voit also served on the SDW Board of Education from 2018-2021.  

All six award recognitions will occur at the Evening for Education to be held at the Milwaukee Marriott-West (Waukesha). The community is invited to this popular event which celebrates education in Waukesha. Tickets are now on sale, with sponsorship opportunities still available. Please visit http://sdwone.us/eveningforeducation to order tickets or explore sponsorships. This event sold out in 2019, so don't delay.

Since its inception, WEF has awarded over $600,000 to support projects and initiatives that directly benefit the students of the School District of Waukesha through their grant program and scholarship programs. WEF relies on donations from the community to further the educational experiences of Waukesha students. Event and organization information can be found at their website: www.waukeshaeducationfoundation.org.

An abridged version of this story was run in the Waukesha Freeman on 9/16/21. You may link to that story HERE.
Location: Waukesha, WI, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GRANT SPOTLIGHT: Social Emotional Learning at The Elementary Level

-
Image
Problem-solving. Empathy. Relationship skills. Emotional management. Social emotional learning (SEL) skills equip students of all ages with strategies and tools to help them regulate their emotions and responses. Numerous research studies have shown that SEL can have a positive impact on students’ academic performance. Additionally, it can help reduce misconduct in students. Many students across the United States are finding themselves feeling anxious, depressed, sad or stressed. As a result, an increased focus on SEL tools and concepts, particularly at the elementary level, can help SDW students feel more at ease, learn coping skills they’ll use into the future, and reduce conflicts in the classroom. In 2021, Prairie, Bethesda, Rose Glen and Summit View elementary schools received grants from the Waukesha Education Foundation to help enhance and increase SEL programs at their schools to positively impact and support students. “The use of social emotional books is helpful for teachers
Read more

Wolverine Wardrobe Launch

-
Image
On Friday, May 20th, the Wolverine Wardrobe at Waukesha West High School had its grand opening celebration. As a recipient of a 2021 grant from the Waukesha Education Foundation, members of our board were excited to participate in the unveiling event. The ceremony was led by Jeff White, special education teacher at West. On-hand were many of the students from the Live & Learn class that helped build the new Wolverine Wardrobe. Morgan Baker, one of the founders of the Wolverine Wardrobe, did the official ribbon cutting. Students from the Wolverine Wardrobe Club led faculty, students, staff and parents on tours of the new space.    The Wolverine Wardrobe was an idea that originated from former students Sarah Powers and Morgan Baker as part of their Trek class. The mission of the space was to help other students in need by providing an easily accessible place where they could go for clothing and accessories. It was originally located in the back of student services but it quickly outg
Read more

Launching an Idea

-
Image
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 is of
Read more