Education

“Scholars of Promise” Program Expands

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Thanks to the new “Scholars of Promise” program, 150 students at Madison Area Technical College have access to new opportunities. Created by Madison College along with University of Wisconsin-Madison, qualifying students who complete their associate degree will be admitted to UW-Madison, free of cost, to continue pursuing their education. President of Madison College Dr. Jack Daniels and UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank finalized the groundbreaking decision. “Though financially disadvantaged, these individuals can now pursue the dream of a college degree and the career of their choice,” Daniels said. The first Scholars of Promise class is made up of “hard-working, resourceful and persistent” students, said Daniels.

Achievement Gap

New Mount Horeb High School mural supports mental wellness

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“You are brave,” “You are worth it,” “Breathe,” “Create;” these are a few of the uplifting words and phrases that adorn Mount Horeb High School’s new mental wellness mural. After witnessing the effects of mental illness on peers, a group of seniors at Mount Horeb High School wanted a to create a mural with the power to soothe, uplift, and give hope. Between March 19 and 23, Dane Arts Mural Arts (DAMA) assisted 1,000 students, as well as many community members, in fulfilling that artistic vision. An official mural dedication will be held at the school on May 8. Lead artist Amy Zaremba was touched by the project’s overwhelming support and said the turnout of volunteers was “really amazing.”

“And the kids didn’t just come here and sit around,” Zaremba added.

City Life

What You Need to Know about the Spring Election

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On April 3, Dane County will hold Spring Elections to elect state offices for Supreme Court Justice, Court of Appeals Judge, District IV, Circuit Court Judges, and two school board seats. Here is a brief overview of the positions and candidates voters will elect on Tuesday. 

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the final judge for cases in the state. The seven justices receive thousands of requests for hearings each year. The Court's job is to check the actions of the Governor, state assembly, the state police, and other government officials to make sure they do not overstep their powers. A justice would help to resolve national issues that reach the court systems such as women’s right to abortion or means of U.S. Citizenship. Michael Screnock

Campaign Website: https://www.judgescrenock.com/

Rebecca Dallet

Campaign Website: https://www.dalletforjustice.com/

Court of Appeals Judge, District IV

Appeals courts consist of three judges and do not use a jury.

Education

One-on-One with the candidates for the Madison Board of Education: Gloria Reyes

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Madison Commons reporter, Lauren Thill, interviewed three candidates for the Board of Education in Madison. We present the interviews unaltered in transcript form as part of a three-part series. In part three, we present the comments of Gloria Reyes who is running for Seat 1 against current board member Anna Moffit for the Spring Primary election on April 3. Reyes is currently Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Civil Rights and Community Services. Can you talk about yourself and your experiences?

Education

One-on-One with the candidates for the Madison Board of Education: Anna Moffit

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Madison Commons reporter, Lauren Thill, interviewed the three candidates running for the Board of Education in Madison. We present the interviews unaltered in transcript form as part of a three-part series. In part two, we present the comments of Anna Moffit, who currently holds Seat 1 on the school board, and has served on the board since 2015. Moffit is running for re-election against Deputy Mayor Gloria Reyes for the Spring Primary election on April 3. Moffit works as a Parent Peer Specialist with Wisconsin Family Ties.

Education

One-on-One with the candidates for the Madison Board of Education: Mary Burke

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Madison Commons reporter, Lauren Thill, interviewed the three candidates running for the Board of Education in Madison. We present the interviews unaltered in transcript form as part of a three-part series. We begin with Mary Burke who currently holds Seat 2 on the school board, and has served on the board since 2012.  Burke is running unopposed for the Spring Primary election on April 3. Burke is the current CEO and founder of Building Brave, a nonprofit organization.

Achievement Gap

Board of Education candidates debate in South Side School Board Forum

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Madison Board of Education candidates Gloria Reyes, Anna Moffit and Mary Burke appeared in early March for the South Side School Board forum to debate topics in preparation for the April 3 election. The forum was moderated by Taylor Kilgore from Simpson Street Free Press and Terri Strong from Delta Sigma Theta, and presented by the Cap Times, SSFP, Delta Sigma Theta Alumnae and Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Current school board vice president Moffit is being challenged for Seat 1 by deputy mayor Reyes. Burke is up for re-election for a third term and is running unopposed.

City Life

Media Digest March 15, 2018

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Top Story

Youth plan a walkout Wednesday in honor of the victims of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. 

Education

Madison middle school students will get an hour more to sleep in the morning under a plan to move the start time to 8:40 a.m. in the fall. A high school music concert is about more than the performance; it’s about the composition.  Graduation rates for black students increased between 2016 and 2017. Development

An affordable-housing development doesn’t have money to get started, but it does have the required permits. Hotel Indigo, which will be on the site of an East Washington warehouse, got the funding it needs to move forward.

City Life

Madison students call for gun control on National Walkout Day

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Chants of “no justice, no peace” and “this is what democracy looks like” filled the air as thousands of Madison high-school and middle-school students joined the National Walkout Day Wednesday to protest current gun laws. Students congregated at East High School before marching over two miles to the steps of the Capitol building where they joined other students and community members for a 1 p.m. rally calling on legislators to enact stricter gun control. “I see a lot of stuff happening on the news that I really don’t like, and it’s just depressing,” said Elijah Smith, a sophomore at West High School. “I thought I should be somewhere where a lot of change is gonna happen...I just don’t want to have to see more people go through this kind of thing anymore, and I think it’s time for people to start yelling.”
National Walkout Day marked the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14. The massacre left 14 students and three school staff members dead, making it the largest school shooting since the murder of 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

Education

Candidates Anna Moffit, Gloria Reyes discuss art education at school board forum

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Anna Moffit and Gloria Reyes appeared last Tuesday at an art education forum hosted by the Arts and Literature Lab (ALL) and moderated by the poet laureate of Madison, Oscar Mireles. Moffit and Reyes are both vying for Seat 1 on the Madison School Board for the spring primary election on April 3. Moffit is a current board member running for her second term. Reyes and Moffit discussed eleven questions about the district’s art education that were submitted by community members, with ALL specifically seeking out contributions from art educators, students and parents in the Madison school district. Many questions prompted Reyes and Moffit to talk about the ways in which they would support related arts in schools, from class sizes and budget questions to expanding access to other types of art and increasing support for art educators.