Black Arts MKE

Black Arts MKE’s mission is to increase the availability and quality of African American arts and culture. They execute their mission by: Inspiring creativity in youth through culturally relevant arts programming, providing MKE-based artists of color with employment, access, visibility, and development opportunities through high quality public performances, and strengthening community through engagement and quality arts partnerships. MacDowell elementary students can participate in two 10-week after-school arts residencies led by performer educators from Black Arts MKE.

Danceworks Mad Hot Rhythm

Danceworks Mad Hot Rhythm inspires our students to move their bodies and work together to create performing art. Participation in Mad Hot Rhythm helps our students boost their self-confidence and creativity, respect and work well with others, and learn that creative movement feels great!

Dual Enrollment-Early College Credit Program

High school students at MacDowell can earn college credit through the Early College Credit Program (ECCP). A student selected for the program may be permitted to enroll in a UW System Institution, or an alternative private, nonprofit institution of higher education, taking one or more courses and earning high school credit, postsecondary credit, or both. Under ECCP, the costs of the courses are shared among the college or university, the school district, and, in some cases, the student’s family.

FoodRight

FoodRight, Inc. partners with Milwaukee schools to offer gardening and culinary nutrition education programming in the classroom. Led by registered dietitians or trained classroom teachers, FoodRight’s hands-on, standards-aligned curricula increases students’ engagement in learning while building healthy eating habits that track into adulthood. To support classroom lessons, FoodRight provides take-home meal kits and virtual culinary workshops to families and works with community stakeholders to create healthier school environments through policy and systems initiatives. Parent volunteers are always welcome.

Junior Achievement of Wisconsin

We have a strong partnership with the Junior Achievement of Wisconsin program, which inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy. Junior Achievement of Wisconsin provides activities, guides, field trips, and other resources to share lessons on leadership, career preparation, money management, and more. Lessons are organized according to the Milwaukee Public Schools Social Studies curriculum and are implemented in K5 classrooms, continuing through eighth grade.

M3 (M-cubed) College Connections Program

The M3 College Connections program is a dual-enrollment program of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM) that allows eligible students to complete their high school graduation requirements while earning college credits from both MATC and UWM at no expense to the student.

MPS Youth Apprenticeship Programs

Youth apprenticeships give MPS students real-world work experience. Junior and senior students at MacDowell are eligible to apply for apprenticeships, spending half their school day in a trades shop and getting paid for up to 15 hours of work/week. MacDowell students have participated in this program as apprentice plumbers, electricians, steam fitters, sheet metal workers, carpenters, auto and large machinery mechanics, and We Energies line mechanics and design engineers.

MPS Youth Internship Programs

Milwaukee Public Schools internships allow high school students to work for employers for a limited period of time to learn about a particular industry or occupation. An internship is designed as an exchange in which the student agrees to complete work that will benefit the employer and, in return, learns new skills, expands their knowledge of a particular field, and explores career options. Activities undertaken by interns may include special projects, sampling tasks from different jobs, or performing tasks from one specific job. MacDowell students in the Education Pathway program work with students in early childhood and elementary grades to prepare for education careers.

Nature’s Classroom Institute and Montessori School

Fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students spend one week each year at the Nature’s Classroom Institute and Montessori School. Students, teachers, and parent chaperones embark on an educational excursion through the natural and agricultural world during the institute’s Overnight Adventures program.

PEOPLE Program

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Precollege Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE) started in 1999 with sixty-six high school students from Milwaukee. Within MPS, the PEOPLE program supports high schoolers from 17 schools, including MacDowell Montessori. Participating students are assigned a precollege advisor and receive support through all four years of high school, including summer camps at UW–Madison, tutoring, and college visits. Conferences, travel, and other opportunities are available. Students also get help with the college application process. Those who are accepted by UW–Madison may be eligible for a four-year tuition scholarship and support services from the PEOPLE College Scholars Program.

Peace Learning Center of Milwaukee

Peacemakers workshops welcome second through fifth grade students for a day of cooperative games, small group study, and role play. Students practice healthy ways to communicate, manage conflict, build self-esteem, and think critically about the impact peaceful action has on their community.

PEARLS

This popular, twice-weekly program for MacDowell adolescents supports youth identifying as girls in developing skills for their personal and professional growth. PEARLS girls make positive decisions, lead lives they can be proud of, and help build stronger, healthier communities.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Milwaukee Public Schools uses PBIS to promote positive student behavior. After years of use, districts across the country – MPS included – are reporting increases in student achievement, more positive school environments, and fewer classroom disruptions and disciplinary referrals.

PBIS uses a three-tiered approach. Tier one teaches expectations to all students and promotes collaboration and consistency in the classroom: Teachers and students co-design agreements and routines that align with school expectations. Tiers two and three provide structure, interventions, and follow up for students who need more support.

Rite-Hite Family YMCA

For over 25 years, the Rite-Hite Family YMCA has been a steadfast resource for the kids and families of Brown Deer, Mequon, Glendale, and other northeast Milwaukee communities. The Rite-Hite Family YMCA features a full array of programs and facilities to help individuals grow in spirit, mind and body, including optional, fee-based swim lessons at MacDowell Montessori School for fourth through eighth graders.

STARBASE Wisconsin

STARBASE Wisconsin is an interactive academic program that helps youth increase their knowledge in STEM. Fifth grade students are taken on a five-week odyssey into the exciting world of the sciences though hands-on activities and experiments, technology projects, and interaction with professionals in STEM fields. The US Department of Defense has funded STARBASE programs around the country for over 20 years. As the largest employer of civilian and military scientists and engineers, the DoD recognizes the importance of inspiring students to pursue STEM fields. STARBASE Wisconsin is located on 51st and Silver Spring Drive, and we are proudly sponsored by the Wisconsin Air National Guard.

Upham Woods

Seventh- and eighth-graders enjoy two annual overnight trips to Upham Woods, a residential outdoor learning center opened in 1941 and managed by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension. The center sits on a prime location on the Wisconsin River, two miles north of the Wisconsin Dells, offering an excellent “river classroom” to study both the natural and cultural history of Wisconsin. The center rests on 318 total acres of forested land, including a 210-acre island called “Blackhawk Island.”

Urban Ecology Center

The Preschool Environmental Education Project (PEEP) engages classes through field trips to local green spaces that enrich the classroom curriculum. Urban Ecology Center educators engage students through hands-on activities, indoors and outdoors. Students may learn about local habitats, identifying plants, finding signs of animal life, or building forts with classmates! Rain or shine, snow or wind, every trip has a portion outdoors and is engaging for all students and parent chaperones. Urban Ecology Center has outerwear available to borrow so all participants may explore in any weather. There are three Urban Ecology Center locations; most schools partner with one less than two miles from their school.

Wisconsin Interscholastic Chess Federation

The mission of WSCF is to promote chess for students throughout Wisconsin as a tool to enhance analytical thinking, critical problem solving, social skills and academic achievement. Elementary and middle school students participate in after school chess programs to provide instruction for chess players from the beginner level to advanced players.

YMCA Camp Minikani

High school students enjoy annual overnight trips to Camp Minikani, a residential outdoor learning center operated by the YMCA. The center is located in Hubertus, Wisconsin, just outside Milwaukee. This facility gives our high school students the opportunity to connect with nature, and connect with each other as they engage in outdoor and environmental education programming, team building, and ropes-course activities.