With two individual and one team advancement to the national competition, a Leadership Award, plus a School Spirit Award for all 21 members of the Sheboygan Chapter, it is safe to say that the Educators Rising organization in the Sheboygan Area School District is not just rising, it is soaring.

Educators Rising is a network of students, teachers, and education leaders aiming to inform and inspire young people to pursue a career in education. Both Sheboygan North High and Sheboygan South High Schools have organizations comprised of students who want to serve their community as future educators, and together they form the Sheboygan Chapter of the organization.

The chapter recently attended the Educators Rising Summit at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Nearly 300 high school students from 30 school districts across the state attended this event, which had the theme of “The Power of You.” Students attended breakout sessions led by award-winning teachers, social workers, statewide university faculty, and Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction staff. Several competitive events and contests were held for lesson planning, leadership, public speaking, research, and ethics. The top two contestants in each competitive event qualified for the national competition, which will take place at the end of June in Orlando, Florida.

Brooke Hess, a junior at North High School, advanced to nationals and received the Leadership Award based on her design, creation, and implementation of a Sensory Pathway for children at her 4K-8 alma mater, Sheboygan Leadership Academy. Her innovative design is visually stimulating and gets kids moving and using their gross motor skills. Students can take a break from their school day to self-regulate, problem-solve, and follow the creative path laid out for them in Brooke’s colorful and playful design. Her goal was to make a difference in the lives of the students at the school and foster a decrease in potential behavioral disruptions.

Grace Vue, a senior at South High School, also advanced to the national competition. Her compelling Ted Talk-style presentation on student mental health was insightful and bravely honest. She shared her personal struggles, provided hope, and gave examples of the resources she utilizes at South High to help her.

A five-person team comprised of North High students Brooke Hess, Elizabeth Kaufmann, Emily Presti, Juliana Bergman, and Emily Allen earned their spot at the national competition with a dynamic presentation on North’s transition to a 3-Dimensional Classroom model for their science curriculum. Within this new curriculum, students learn concepts as a whole and form connections between key areas and applications. The focus is shifted from memorization to guided inquiry under the oversight of our dedicated teachers acting as facilitators for a more immersive experience in the classroom.

The entire 21-student Sheboygan Chapter won the School Spirit Award at the Educators Rising Summit by showing their sincere enthusiasm for their projects, team, and the field of education as a whole.

“Educators Rising has been a life-changing organization for me. Through Educators Rising, I have found that I am able to experience leadership opportunities locally and nationally while inspiring and gaining work experience with young people. I am hoping to pursue an elementary education degree and Educators Rising has given me leadership skills, organizational skills, and opened the door to so many opportunities for myself and my peers. I have taken education-based classes where I gained field experience, received early education degrees, learned how to create lesson plans, and gained experience working with children. Our student-led, diverse community of future educators at North truly shines,” says Brooke Hess.

The Sheboygan Area School District is proud of these hard-working future educators, and we cannot wait to see their bright futures unfold.