When she spoke at a Milwaukee Press Club luncheon yesterday in Downtown Milwaukee, Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver spoke of the many partnerships the district has with local nonprofits, trade associations and corporations.
This morning at a press conference, Driver will announce that Junior Achievement of Wisconsin and MPS are again teaming up to expand the Learning Journey for district fifth graders at Junior Achievement BizTown, at JA Kohl's Education Center, 11111 W. Liberty Dr.
A series of grade-level experiences offered to every MPS student, created during the tenure of Dr. Driver's predecessor, Dr. Gregory Thornton, Learning Journeys, according to the district web site, "connect MPS’ rigorous Common Core-aligned curriculum to hands-on experiences at the region’s best community learning opportunities including Discovery World, the Junior Achievement Kohl’s Education Center and the Milwaukee Public Museum."
Last year Junior Achievement provided programs to more than 166,000 students – including more than 100,000 elementary school kids – in the state through BizTown and other programs.
This year's new partnership allows 5,000 MPS fifth grade students to experience life as an adult at BizTown, which seeks to educate kids about the real-life responsibilities they will face as adults.
Students can manage a simulated town and work at one of the town's 15 businesses, including a bank, a newspaper, a restaurant and city hall. Through the experience they will learn about economics and other concepts they study in their classrooms.
More than 200 MPS fifth grade social studies teachers take part in a curriculum training session before the kids visit BizTown.
Over 1,000 community volunteers also take part, serving as professional role models and helping kids manage their BizTown businesses.
"The JA BizTown program provides MPS students with a realistic opportunity to experience how basic economic concepts are used in the real world. By participating in JA BizTown, our students experience the responsibilities and opportunities of citizenship in a free enterprise system," said Dr. Driver in a statement.
"It’s an honor to be able to serve all 5th grade MPS students through the JA BizTown Learning Journey," added JA of Wisconsin President Tim Greinert.
"With the help of our community volunteers, we are equipping these students with the skills and confidence they need to become successful economic citizens in our community," "It is our hope that we ignite their passion for a particular career or industry."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
