WCSS STUDENT EXCELLENCE AWARD
Dear WI Social Studies Teacher:
The WCSS is pleased to offer many awards recognizing teachers, leaders and organizations that help support the goals of WCSS. One of these goals is to improve social studies teaching, develop the professional interests of social studies instructors, and cooperate with other organizations working for a better social understanding in the state, nation, and world. While the WCSS shares your passion for teaching and your interest in working with outside groups to improve Social Studies instruction, we also hope to focus on another important stakeholder: our students.
This new award, the WCSS Student Recognition Award, was founded based on a simple concept; our students are capable, and are doing amazing things promoting social studies in our communities, state and around the world. The award was originally suggested and agreed on based on a student in western WI who held several fundraisers, raised awareness, and ultimately sent enough money to provide a new well for school aged students in Uganda. Students who recognize a need and a desire to help people are deserving of our respect and our recognition.
We would like to ask you to consider nominating deserving students for this award.
Thecriteria of the award are based on the same criteria of the Global Citizenship Award:
- *Exhibits responsibility and community activism,
- *Demonstrates uncommon courage or valor,
- *Promotes justice and peace,
- *Aids the oppressed,
- *Protects the environment,
- *Builds a grassroots initiative and/or effectively navigates the political system to promote positive change.
If you have a student who deserves to be recognized by the WCSS for his or her hard work, click HERE to submit a nomination. A great community is built by caring students, teachers and the community working together. Please help us recognize those carrying out this great work. Nominations are due by Decmeber 15, 2024 and student winners will be notified in January 2025 and will be recognized at the annual conference.
Please contact Angela at [email protected] with any questions.
2019 RECIPIENTS
Jake Salm - Cameron High School
Jake has been volunteering many hours working with Somali refugees
in our community. He has been helping them prepare for the naturalization test. Since Jake has been working with our Somali friends, at least ten have passed the test and earned their US citizenship. Jake's knowledge and interest in US history, government, and politics has been an asset to community efforts to help assist our friends seeking citizenship. Jake has also coordinated the involvement of other students in helping compose letters on behalf of refugees attempting to reunite their families by making our government representatives and community activists aware that many of their family members still in Africa are struggling with bureaucracy and their arrival in the US has been delayed. He has. met with our state assemblyman in regards to this issue. Jake's knowledge of representation and local politics have contributed to this endeavor. Jake is making a difference in our community and is deserving of commendation for his leadership and generosity.
Isaiah Zavala - Necedah High School
Several students at Necedah have taken charge of organizing a
series of events to commemorate and build on a community event that happened in Necedah 100 years ago. In 1919, the Necedah business community came together to create an all community homecoming event that celebrated founders of the community and welcomed veterans home from WWI. It was a time for the community to come together to reflect on how far they had come as a town and to think about where they were going. In 2019, the students wanted to commemorate this event by hosting one of their own, culminating in the creation of a veterans’ memorial wall and athletic complex dedication at the high school. They are organizing a parade, “pop-up” historical museum, homecoming dance, cemetery tour, athletic tournaments, and creating fundraisers to pay for the creation of the panels for the memorial wall.
Jana Gharia, Willow Foy, and Isha Shah - Brookfield Central High School
Jana, Willow, and Isha requested to start a club last winter at Wisconsin Hills Middle School. The club proposal was approved and for 9 weeks where 15-20 8th graders met weekly to discuss issues going on in the world in civil manner. The last line of their email to administration stated, "We are listeners, we are talkers and we want to do what we can to make the world a better place." Weekly they took on some of the most difficult conversations of the time. They talked, they listened and left the room better people as a result. This year their legacy for the club will continue as a new group of 8th graders will start the club again...making the world a better place one day, week, year at a time.