School District of Waukesha Alumni

02/18/2021

Dear Supporter,

The SDW Alumni & Affiliates group is teaming up with AVID District Coordinator, Amanda Wagner, to create the District’s first-ever Alumni Mentor Program whose goal will be to bridge the divide between students and administration, while also establishing meaningful connections between current and old students of the District. Our vision for this program is to create a space of trust and openness in order to denormalize oppression that is underlying and systemic.

We're very excited by this opportunity to collaborate with the AVID program in hopes of having productive conversations with students in our community. That means...we need YOU!

CURRENTLY SEEKING: Alumni who are interested in working directly with current students and educators in Waukesha schools.

Are you interested in mentoring a student? Would you like to participate in conversation circles first-hand? If so, you can reach us at this email or by filling out the form linked here:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFN2pxO8qouJAGe2rAmAHP8BMc8RBJOfrqhg4LHPhi_mMCIg/viewform?usp=sf_link. All submissions are welcome! We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

Best,
SDW Alumni & Affiliates

The SDW Alumni are excited to begin a new program, the Alumni Mentor Program, to connect current students to alumni through meaningful mentorship, dialogue, and community. We initially envision these relationships as being part of the AVID courses offered at Waukesha's high schools, as a place for a...

01/20/2021

Dear Alumni & Affiliates,

We hope this message finds you safe and healthy as we welcome a new year and continue our commitment to anti-racism, equity, and justice within the School District of Waukesha. Today’s Inauguration marks a step in the direction towards a better future, but also is a stark reminder of how much more work there is to do. We must keep holding our elected officials accountable, from the federal level to local administrators.

Last June, during the summer’s uprising for Black Lives, we called on the Board of Education to implement a set of demands that we believe are imperative to combat white supremacy and center marginalized voices. These included restructuring the role and cost of School Resource Officers in our schools, diversifying and decolonizing the curriculum that is taught to students, and increasing the presence of educators and administrators of color in the district. Since our original letter, we have been working closely with Board of Education Vice President Amanda Roddy, other administrative staff, and serving on the District’s Equity Team and Curriculum Council. While we are grateful for and recognize the potential of these opportunities, it is our priority to ensure our momentum for real change at the District is sustained.

We are excited to announce our partnership with SDW’s AVID District Coordinator, Amanda Wagner, to create the District’s first-ever Alumni Mentor Program whose goal will be to bridge the divide between students and administration. Our vision for this program is to create a space of trust and openness in order to denormalize oppression that is underlying and systemic. While this program is still in development, once more we need your help and input. This opportunity comes with a great deal of responsibility and it is crucial that we properly represent our network of alumni and the myriad identities that students do not often see represented. We invite you to get involved by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/u8gGU1wyA7NAgS4S9. We are looking for alumni who are interested in working directly with current students and educators in our schools.

If you have any questions about updates, action steps, or your own ideas to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our primary organizers. You can also stay up to date through our official page. We look forward to hearing from you, evolving and to having your presence as part of the ongoing conversation towards racial equity and diversity education.

Best,
SDW Alumni & Affiliates

Saudiel Benitez
Guillermo Contreras
Erik Franze
Sammuel Kayiwa
Ashley Semington
Lexus Stokes
Wendy Williams

The SDW Alumni are excited to begin a new program, the Alumni Mentor Program, to connect current students to alumni through meaningful mentorship, dialogue, and community. We initially envision these relationships as being part of the AVID courses offered at Waukesha's high schools, as a place for a...

10/14/2020

CALL TO ACTION! 7:00 PM, 10/14/20, AT LINDHOLM!

SDW Alumni stand in solidarity with the call to action from the Education Association of Waukesha, our local teachers' union, to speak out against the School District of Waukesha's irresponsible and negligent plan to soon move towards increased in-person instruction. Without adequately consulting all stakeholders, district staff and administrators plan to move away from the current hybrid model to a four-day, in-person school week. Particularly amidst the severe rise in cases in Wisconsin recently, this is a dangerous choice to make for our community.

We recognize that these reckless decisions will most impact already marginalized and silenced voices in our district, including students, teachers, staff, and families of color. This course of action once again shows a shameful lack of commitment to real racial equity from our school district.

Please make your voice heard by signing and sharing the petition below from EAW, contacting Board members and the Superintendent to raise your concerns directly, and attending the Board meeting happening at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, October 14th at the Lindholm Administration Building (222 Maple Ave). Gather at 6:15 in the Public Library parking lot across the street to enter the building together in solidarity. Organizers are looking to amass a formidable presence so that we cannot continually be ignored, and ask that supporters come wearing green. Please also follow state mandates on facial coverings and physical distancing.

The School District of Waukesha needs to create GATING CRITERIA before DOUBLING CAPACITY.

09/28/2020

JOIN US! We’re hosting our first-ever panel with our friends over at CERN!

RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJA-IJ8dZAn16aWmADryImraHeOQC_iqCBKmvrwKOhIepqgA/viewform

09/16/2020

CURRENTLY SEEKING: Panelists and Community Speakers to participate in our upcoming VIRTUAL PANEL with Communities Ending Racism Now - CERN.

Are you interested in being a featured panelist? Do you have an experience or anecdote that you would like to share? If so, you can reach us at [email protected] or by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/1RDSRqV9tiKUqViF7

While we want to prioritize voices of color, all submissions are welcome to ensure that we are heard, to keep up the pressure on the School District of Waukesha to listen to the will of the people. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

The SDW Alumni have accepted two permanent seats on the School District's Equity Leadership Team which will begin meeting Wednesday, September 16th, 2020, with monthly meetings to follow in order to discuss and create change regarding racial equity, inclusive & diverse education, and the role of SRO...

09/06/2020

SDW Alumni September 2020 Updates -

08/13/2020

TOMORROW:

SDW Alumni co-sponsored protest alongside SOPHIA, Communities Ending Racism Now (CERN), and other BLM groups!

If you are in the area and identify as Black, this event is designed to amplify your voice. We are looking for speakers, please reach out if you are interested!

Make sure to follow COVID-19 social distancing guidelines and wear a mask if you are attending.

08/13/2020

Latest statement to the SDW Board Education, read below for updates!

08/04/2020

SDW Alumni Spotlight on Shepherd Express written by Christina McAlister

Graduates of Waukesha schools speak out for inclusion and the value of public education.