READ ACROSS MKE
Mission Statement
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"Read Across MKE is a program designed by students, with students in mind. The driving goal is to promote literacy among the youth of Milwaukee. The traditional classroom setting has left thousands of students behind across Milwaukee, especially within low income communities. By providing children with the opportunity to develop their reading skills outside of this setting we hope to set them on course for a successful future both academically and in the real world."
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~Sydney Kyzar, Founder of Read Across MKE~
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WHAT DO WE DO?
What is our mission?
Read Across MKE will have conducted three 10 week book clubs at Capitol West Academy by the end of the academic year. These small group settings give students an opportunity to build literacy skills, critical thinking skills, and a community within the school environment. These weekly book club meetings give students a safe, non-threatening space to grow both academically and personally.
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Our community partner, Capitol West Academy, is a public charter school on Milwaukee's northwest side. Their mission aligns with Read Across MKE: to help students strive towards excellence. Collaboratively we not only hope to improve literacy skills, but also gain deeper insight into the world around us through literature. Titles read this year include, A House on Mango Street, Drtia, My Homegirl, and Warriors Don't Cry. Novels are specifically chosen to tailor to the group of students that have been selected by their teachers to participate.
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If you or your school are interested in Read Across MKE's program, feel free to contact Dr. Michael Carriere or Ms. Bridgette Binczak. We look forward to helping to make a positive impact on your school!
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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Online Learning
During this uncertain time, Read Across MKE is committed to serving its schools. When reaching out to teachers, staff, and families, an overwhelming majority expressed concerns regarding feeling disconnected from their school community. Read Across MKE asked teachers and staff to take a photo of themselves holding a hand-made sign saying "Hello!" to their students. Along with this, teachers were asked to give some tips and tricks for getting through quarantine. The photos and tips were made into a video that was sent out to all families and staff. Here is a link to check it out:Â https://youtu.be/uh4HPd4FQro
LEARN ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER
Capitol West Academy
Capitol West Academy is located on the Northwest side of Milwaukee and is a public charter school with around 300 students grades K4-8. They were gracious to allow Read Across MKE into their school to try and make a difference with literacy. They are a school focused on character development and togetherness. Their school motto is "Better Together", and it has been an honor to work with the amazing Capitol West students and staff. This experience has been eye-opening. The power of reading, togetherness, and literacy is unmatched. The dedication shown by CWA students and staff each week to allow for these book clubs to grow and flourish was incredible. To learn more about this school visit their website: https://cwacademy.org/
HOW HAS THIS PROJECT BEEN MEANINGFUL?
There is not a perfect way to explain what this project has meant to the Read Across MKE team. It has been thought-provoking, eye-opening, fun, difficult, and amazing all at once. We first saw ourselves as moderators for a book club once a week. In fact, we were the students much of the time. The students in our book club showed us what deep thinking looked like, what community building looked like, and what voracious reading looked like. Some words and phrases that come to mind when thinking about this project? Powerful. Life-changing. Fun. Fascinating. Once-in-a-lifetime experience. For those who will be part of this project in the futre, keep an open mind and let the students guide you as to what they need.
Read Across MKE Volunteers
Sydney Kyzar
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Sydney is a nursing student at MSOE and will be graduating with the class of 2023. She is an avid reader and loves to get new books about anything and everything. She is passionate about literacy, as her mother, grandmother, and aunt are all educators in Wisconsin public schools. She hopes to inspire students to love reading and find their passion in books. In her free time she likes to swim, read books, cheer on the LSU Tigers, and go on hikes with her 3 dogs: Rascal, Bubba, and Burreaux.