A strong support network helps prepare students for a successful transition to high school.

Artist Residencies

Roosevelt’s artist-in-residence program brings professional artist-educators to campus two to three days every week. Resident artists help students prepare for the spotlight as actors, set designers, directors, and dancers in our annual dinner theater, spring musical, and gallery events.

• Visual Arts
  Bob Danner is a master printer, potter, and stained-glass artist who maintains studios at Lincoln Center of the Arts and Roosevelt Creative Arts Middle School. A Milwaukee Public Schools educator from the 1980s to early 2000s, Danner became a resident artist after his retirement. He’s been a creative guide and mentor to thousands of Milwaukee youth, beautifying their schools with large-scale installations and individual works. At Roosevelt, Danner’s workshops and projects introduce students to stained glass, screen printing, and digital photography.
• Theater
  Brandite Reed is an educator, writer, director, and actress whose professional portfolio spans First Stage, Next Act Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, and Waukesha Civic Theatre. Reed works with students in our theater arts classes and artist-in-residence studio. Reed’s leadership and mentorship roles at Roosevelt include directing our annual dinner theater and musical.

Brewers Community Foundation

The Brewers Community Foundation is the charitable arm of the Milwaukee Brewers. In the past decade, foundation events, programs, and donations have raised more than $55 million for organizations improving the lives of children and families. Approximately 200 nonprofits in Greater Milwaukee and statewide receive funding annually through foundation initiatives. Roosevelt students who meet or exceed attendance goals can earn Milwaukee Brewers tickets.

Danceworks, Inc.

Founded in 1992, the mission of Danceworks, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is to enhance joy, health, and creativity by engaging the community through dance. Students participate in Danceworks’ Mad Hot Rhythm, an innovative educational dance program that provides arts and physical education.

First Stage

First Stage touches hearts, engages minds, and transforms lives by creating extraordinary theater experiences for young people and families. Students attend First Stage Milwaukee performances and First Stage educators bring theater-skills and arts-integrated workshops to Roosevelt Creative Arts Middle School.

Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run have fun, evidence-based programs that inspire girls to build their confidence, kindness, and decision-making skills. Dynamic lessons instill valuable life skills including the important connection between physical and emotional health.

Kids From Wisconsin

Kids From Wisconsin (KFW) empowers Wisconsin youth through performance and music enrichment experiences. Through the Milwaukee Public Schools Partnership for the Arts & Humanities, KFW brings its Realize Your Dream program to Roosevelt. During after-school and summer workshops, collaborative projects and performances, students learn about notation, composing, and performing. They strengthen their music comprehension skills and develop a deeper appreciation for music’s role in their lives.

Milwaukee Rep

One of America’s largest professional theaters, Milwaukee Rep welcomes up to 300,000 people yearly to its performances. For over 65 years, Milwaukee Rep has gained a national reputation as an incubator of new work, agent of community change, and forward-thinking provider of arts education programs.

The Milwaukee Rep brings its Reading Residencies curriculum to Roosevelt. Students work on reading comprehension, literacy, and social and emotional skills through the lens of a Milwaukee Rep production. The Reading Residency classroom experience can include text analysis, read alouds, and performances. Most students will attend at least one Milwaukee Rep performance through our school’s theater arts curriculum.

Smart Smiles Dental Program

Ascension Smart Smiles is the largest provider of school-based oral health care in Wisconsin. The Smart Smiles program specializes in preventative oral health of children from birth through adolescence. Smart Smiles dental professionals make twice-yearly visits to Roosevelt, providing free oral health education and screenings, fluoride treatments, placement of sealants, and more.

The Kennedy Center | Turnaround Arts

Turnaround Arts is a national program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that transforms elementary and middle schools through the strategic use of the arts. Founded in 2011, the program brings high-quality, arts-integrated programs, professionals, and resources to schools in communities facing deep racial and economic inequities. The Herzfeld Foundation and Zilber Family Foundation support the Turnaround Arts program at Roosevelt Creative Arts Middle School.

Urban Ecology Center

The vision of the Urban Ecology Center is to inspire generations to build environmental curiosity, understanding, and respect, restoring hope and healing our urban natural world, neighborhood by neighborhood. Roosevelt students visit the Urban Ecology Center for field experiences.

Wisconsin Community Services

Wisconsin Community Services (WCS) is a nonprofit human services organization that provides access to a continuum of services for individuals facing challenges with justice system involvement and behavioral health needs as they bridge the gap between where they are today and where they would like to be. WCS brings the Violence Free Zone program to Roosevelt.

Wisconsin Conservatory of Music

The Wisconsin Conservatory is more than a community music school; it guides and inspires children and adults alike to find their voice, discover their desired instrument, and develop their music-making capabilities, whether you are just beginning or a seasoned professional. The conservatory’s performer-educators support our arts curriculum by providing instruction to 30 Roosevelt students learning guitar, percussion, or piano.