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Teaching, Learning & Equity
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THE SPASD HAS AN EXPLICIT FOCUS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, STUDENT PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, ACADEMIC GROWTH, GAP CLOSING, AND POSTSECONDARY
READINESS FOR EVERY CHILD, EVERY DAY. We strive to increase our outcomes through access and opportunities both in and out of the classroom.
24 senior students participated in youth apprenticeships in a variety of fields:
Construction Information Technology Nursing Assistant Finance Engineering Automotive Technician Diesel Technician Biotechnology Manufacturing/Welding Vet Technician
Community-Building Circles at Cardinal Heights
Students and staff members take part in community-building circles at Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School. The circles involve students and teachers sitting in a circle in their classrooms with the intent of discussing some tough subjects and building community. At the start, everyone agrees on some simple rules or guidelines that are based on the school’s “CARES” framework, which stands for Community, Accountability, Respect, Empathy, and Safety.
In these weekly circles, the groups discuss a certain topic by passing around a “talking stick” item, with the
Miles Hanson, a graduating senior and manufacturing Youth Apprentice with E.K. Machine, and now an employee. He was also on the home construction crew that built a Habitat for Humanity home.
idea that whoever is holding the object can share. The process allows students to have a voice and share it with others, helps students develop leadership skills, and lays the groundwork for a further restorative justice process. Staff members usually facilitate the circles, but they are also training students to facilitate.
The school is building toward everyone knowing how to process conflict, work through harm that has been done in the community, and come up with solutions through restorative justice circles run by students. For example, when students are caught fighting, instead of receiving a suspension, they could repair the harm they caused through a circle. This is a very low-risk opportunity for kids to learn about one another.
This model was created by Tom Cavanagh, an instructor at Colorado State University, who started the Restorative Justice Education nonprofit organization.
Hour of Code
Over 2,850 students from Sun Prairie elementary and middle schools participated in an Hour of Code in December 2019. Hour of Code brought together parents, high school students, college professors, college students, and professionals from area tech companies— including Google in Madison—to learn more about the importance of computer science in our daily lives and to try their hand at coding.
Computer Science for All in Sun Prairie
Computer science has changed our world. It’s essential to know how the devices we interact with work and how to use them responsibly, safely, and ethically. Computer programming is accessible to all students in the Sun Prairie Area School District. Students in elementary school learn the basics of computer programming through fun and interactive programs (like Scratch) in the Library Media curriculum. Middle school students learn the importance of digital citizenship, access makerspaces, and take courses in computer science. Students at the high school can choose to learn advanced skills in programming and cybersecurity.
The Second Annual Black Excellence Achievement Makers (BEAM) Awards were mailed to students this year because we could not have an in-person event. Families were encouraged to send in photos of their students holding the award.
457 nominations were received. 356 students received an award. 79 students received more than one award. 22 staff members
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received an award.
We received a 2020 Best Communities for Music Education award! We have amazing educators who share their passion for music with our students.
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Congratulations to the high school Footloose production team, cast, and crew! This amazing show was nominated for more than a dozen Jerry Awards. The Overture’s Jerry Awards is one of Wisconsin’s High School Music Awards that encourages, recognizes, and honors excellence in high school musical theater.
Survey results show that 75% of students felt that their culture and identity was valued at school.
In Ms. Harmon’s science class at Cardinal Heights, students are working together to identify leaf types and calculate the frequency of their occurrence in samples.
Scott and Dan from our Grounds staff had the opportunity to work with some of the kids at Prairie View Middle School planting new trees that were awarded to the school through American Transmission Company “Trees for Threes,” thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks. They planted four “Autumn Blaze” maples around the front of the school. Scott and Dan had a lot of fun teaching the kids about the process of planting and maintaining new trees.
AVID Program Nationally Recognized
In 2019–2020, 97% of our AVID students took at least one Advanced Placement (AP) course. Nationally, only 39% took at least one AP exam, while 74% of our own AVID seniors took at least one AP exam.
AVID is an elementary through postsecondary college readiness system designed to increase schoolwide learning and performances for students. Currently in Sun Prairie, AVID is offered in 7th–12th grades. AVID targets students in the academic middle who have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard. These are students capable of completing rigorous curriculum and desire extra support to reach their goals.
42 AVID students graduated this year, were offered over $800,000 in scholarships, and received 75+ letters of college acceptance at over 35 different schools. 100% met four-year college entrance requirements.
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military students for the month of the Military Child.
Congratulations to the Forensics Team! They were the Watertown tournament champions.
EdCamp: Social Justice
The District hosted the first-of-its-kind EdCamp event in the Midwest, focused on equity and social justice. The event hosted Our leadership team “purpled up” in April to support our
300 registrants, 90 of whom were Sun Prairie staff! Dr. Jamila Lyiscott was the keynote presenter. Dr. Lyiscott is the author of Black Appetite. White Food. Books were purchased for all attendees by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Presentations throughout the day were hosted by fellow educators and students from SPASD and MMSD. An event of this magnitude in the Midwest put Sun Prairie on the map nationally, and will continue to move our work forward as a District and within the region.
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THE BOARD OF EDUCATION RECOGNIZED FEBRUARY AS
BLACK HISTORY MONTH! In partnership with our African American Parent Network (AAPN), we had over 40 events to celebrate and learn more about black history including a Soul Food event.
Soul Food Event Showcased during Black History Month
In many African American families, soul food is a way for multi-generational family members to gather together and bond over a meal cooked with love and care. Our Black Student Union (BSU) took that concept and extended it to our community in hopes of bridging some of the cultural gaps in the school.
Soul Food Night was an event where students, teachers, administrators, parents, family members, and community members gathered to learn why soul food is so important and what makes it SO DELICIOUS. Great job to the BSU students who put so much work into this event.
Westside and Northside Elementary
Schools have been celebrating Read Your Heart Out in honor of African American Parent Involvement Day! It is a great opportunity for our community to come together and for our students to grow their love for reading. Thank you to all of the volunteers who shared their love for reading with our students!
#SPCelebratesBHM20
Five students from SPHS and PPA were amazing contributors at the Second Annual Dane County Youth Social Justice Forum planning meeting.
Creekside 4th-grade faculty working with instructional coach Brianne Pitts, digging deeply into standards and culturally relevant practices to make classrooms even better for kids.
Thirty-sixth Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Outstanding Young Person Award recipients. SPASD middle school and high school students recognized for their academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, and service to the community.
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Every Wednesday in February, Prairie Phoenix Academy (PPA) students visited elementary classrooms to read books in honor of Black History Month. Thank you to our PPA scholars!
Superintendent Brad Saron, Assistant Superintendent Stephanie Leonard-Witte, School Board Members Bryn Horton and Steve Schroeder, and Principals Keith Nerby and Cynthia Bell (pictured with State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor), presented at the National Summit for Courageous Conversation with our equity partner, The Pacific Educational Group.
In January, eighteen of our 11th-grade students traveled to Tennessee to visit three historically Black colleges and universities. This experience was made possible thanks to high school staff and funding by American Family Insurance.
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Sun Prairie Students Are College and Career Ready
Students completed
classes
Living Out Our Vision and Mission: Pivoting to Distance Learning
On March 18th, 2020, education changed forever, and students, families, staff, and community members began our courageous journey into the uncharted territory of distance learning during a pandemic. While all school districts grappled with the significance of the transition, the SPASD not only led the State of Wisconsin in our innovative approach to serving students and families but also lived our mission of Every Child, Every Day, when our students needed us the most. Last spring, Sun Prairie schools were faced with an unprecedented challenge of meeting the needs of our students in a virtual setting. at least one college-level course
205
Graduation rate
2,055
Career and Tech Ed courses offered
110
Students achieved for the National Merit Scholarship program
Average ACT composite score
191
Students took Project Lead the Way
93.8%
finalist status
Potential college credits earned on AP exams
71
Seniors in the class of 2020 earned one or more certifications (up 14 from 2019)
5
This shift happened without warning as COVID-19 moved into our region. The technology that teachers in Sun Prairie used in their classrooms became the technology they used to teach from their living rooms. Sun Prairie’s commitment to erasing the digital divide
meant that every student had access to a mobile device to use at
home, whether it was an iPad, a Chromebook, or a laptop. It also meant that our staff all had access to mobile technology to reach out to their students. In addition to providing mobile devices, SPASD also provided hundreds of wireless hotspots to students and staff.
While the SPASD staff are very familiar with technology from experience and use in the classroom, we are exceptionally proud of the amount of professional learning our teaching staff participated in to sharpen their skills. This learning continued throughout the summer to ensure an exceptional learning experience for students in the fall.
Mrs. Volenberg, the reading specialist from Horizon Elementary
School, put together summer reading bags for her students. She planned, ordered, and organized the “Reading Never Stops’” book bags and delivered them to her students’ homes. What a great way to keep our students reading throughout the summer!
Westside Elementary Principal,
Nikki Burke, was in the community dropping off student devices and learning materials to get students ready for distance learning.
Mrs. Volenberg
Principal Nikki Burke
Did You Know?
Since 1967, only three people have directed the Sun Prairie
High School Wind Ensemble: Ray Hawkinson (1967–1978), Bernie Powers (1978–2004), and Steve Sveum (2004–2020).
The spring 2020 Sun Prairie High School band concert went virtual. The concert bid a farewell to our seniors and also two SPHS band directors, Mr. David Rush (6 years) and Mr. Steve Sveum (35 years). The concert featured the four Sun Prairie High School concert bands, a guest appearance by the Hikarigaoka All Girls High School band from Japan, and a performance by our district band directors.
The 1st-grade team, Mrs. Johnson, Ms. Zahn, Mrs. Linton, and Mr. Johnsrud planning for Summer School students.
Virtual Summer School
We welcomed almost 1,600 students to Summer School 2020 in a distance learning environment. In a 5-week program, we offered our K–8 students reading, writing, and math and our 9–12 students a variety of initial credit and credit recovery classes. We are proud that our teachers engaged students in curriculumdriven activities in a way that students, staff, and families could remain in a safe and healthy place.
Summer School hat day
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Nearly 200 Over 10,000 wireless student hot-spots were and staff distributed to students and devices were staff. supported.
100+ safe Countless hours were and secure spent in professional digital learning learning to support applications staff with the shift were used. to online teaching.
