Criticality: The Passions Project

The Passions Project: Elevating Student Voice to Create Learning Environments Where All Students Can Thrive

Course Dates: Live sessions will be held on Wednesdays, April 10, 17, 24 and May 1 from 4-5:15pm CST. Sessions will be recorded and made available to you in case you have to miss any.

Course Description: Sessions will explore the power of engaging and collaborating with diverse interest holders to celebrate the greatness of students and the amazing things that individual students contribute to school communities each day. We will critically analyze the opportunity to leverage the power of aligning goals of educators, school and community leaders, community advocates, and other co-conspirators to elevate student and educator voices and create spaces where all students can feel empowered. We will examine the impacts that implementing equity-minded school policies and student affinity spaces had on school data outcomes at Case High School in Racine, WI and efforts for further growth. We will also explore how Case staff and students collaborated with our local union and a local artist and public education advocate to launch The Passions Project: Racial and Social Justice which celebrates the unique talents and greatness of our students. 

Sessions will cover the background and journey of Case High School, overview the organizing efforts that made The Passions Project at Case High School possible, and collaboration/brainstorming for how to create similar movements in your school or community. Guests will include Heidi Wagner, artist and creator of The Passions Movement and Angelina Cruz, President of Racine Educators United.

Course Facilitator: Nick Schwei is a National Board Certified English teacher in Racine, Wisconsin. He has taught English Language Arts for grades 6-12 for fourteen years, and currently teaches 9th grade ELA at Case High, the largest school in Racine. Though his teaching background is in secondary education, Nick is also a certified K-12 Literacy Specialist and has a passion for elevating literacy across the content areas. He serves as an Executive Board member for his local union, Racine Educators United, and also leads within the Racine Community Coalition for Public Schools, an organization which leverages the ESSA Law to advocate for inclusive and equitable public schools for all students.