2002-2003 River Crossing students after working on a WWA burn site
Since 2002, WWA has been instrumental in partnering with the Portage community schools as a founder of the extremely successful River Crossing Environmental Charter School. River Crossing opened in 2002 with fourteen students. Current enrollment is 21 students with almost one-hundred being turned away due to space constrictions. With the success of River Crossing, a template has been developed for other schools to start their own environmental charter school. This template has been so successful it is being used at a national level. However, as schools begin to develop it is not long before it is realized that providing highly trained field staff to work weekly with each program is an essential part of the programs success. Without this partnership the schools are finding it more difficult to engage the students.
WWA currently allocates one project biologist for twelve hours per week with the students at River Crossing. Eight hours per week are directed at helping students develop and implement their own restoration plans and leading ecology field trips. During these field activities students are given tasks they must perform either individually or in a team setting. This provides the students with challenges where they must take a leadership role and utilize their critical thinking abilities to achieve their task. Another 4 hours per week is spent helping to develop curriculum to supplement the field activities. It is our goal through hands-on instruction to provide the students with an understanding of natural systems and how they are inter-connected with their well-being. In addition, the students are provided with attainable goals to benefit the community and the longevity of the program. As a result of the River Crossing program, WWA has also developed a summer school program. While only in its second year it has already expanded from one to two separate programs.
February 2011 - Charter Schools Update - WWA Project Coordinator Ashly Steinke is actively working on exciting projects with students from Wildlands Charter School in Augusta, WI. One large project currently in progress involves digitizing all of the farmed wetlands in the Lower Eau Claire River Watershed. This project already has helped create two restoration projects with the hopes of generating interest from more landowner in the watershed. Studens from Wildlands proudly displayed this project at an environmental expo at UW-Stevens Point. WWA and Wildlands are excited for all of the projects that are in store in the future.
Ashly is also working with the Red Cedar Environmental Institutes (RCEI) in Chetek, WI, a newly created 7th and 8th grade environmental charter school. He currently sits on the RCEI School Board and will be leading field days once the schools is open in the Fall of 2011. Ashly and Mike Steiner, the lead teacher at RCEI are busy planning projects and field day ideas for the students. The application deadline for students to open enroll at RCEI is February 28, 2011
January 4, 2010 - WWA Announces Expansion of Charter School Program - It is with great pleasure that WWA is able to announce our partnership with the James E. Dutton Foundationto expand our outreach in the environmental charter school community of Wisconsin. Special Project Coordinator Ashly Steinke will be working with the currently operating Wildlands School in Augusta, WI and on the planning stages of a new charter school in Chetek. Read more...
November 6, 2009 - River Crossing Wins Two Awards at the Second Annual Wisconsin Charter School Conference! - WWA is extremely proud to announce that our partner charter school won the award for 2009 Charter School of the Year High Achievement Gold Award and River Crossing teacher Victoria Rydberg won the 2009 Teacher of the Year Platinum Award. Both awards were certainly earned and have again put River Crossing on the map as THE charter school to be modeled after.Congratulations to Ms. Rydberg and all who have worked to make River Crossing the award-winning program we are so proud to be partnered with! For more information and photos from the awards ceremony please visit www.wicharterschools.org
