Racine Unified highlights student STEM and art projects; Wadewitz reports gains in early literacy
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Summary
The board heard two student presentations: Starbuck IB showcased SeaPerch ROV teams and recent regional competition placement; Wadewitz displayed a community kite art project and reported kindergarten letter-sound recognition at 91% and a district SRSD writing pilot.
At its March 23 meeting the Racine Unified School District board heard student highlights from two schools, including demonstrations of student work and updates on instructional goals.
Starbuck IB representatives and students described two SeaPerch robotics teams that designed underwater remotely operated vehicles and competed at a regional contest. A student described the ROVs’ propulsion (DC motors, sealed housings and a handheld controller), 3D-printed ergonomic components and competition tasks (navigating PVC structures, retrieving rings and moving weighted objects). The presenter said Starbuck’s Panorama survey showed increased sense-of-belonging for elementary students (from 56% to 79%) and for middle-years students (from 52% to 68%). The school reported a baseline forward-exam math proficiency of about 11% as a merged K–8 and set goals to reduce chronic absenteeism among students with disabilities (from 42% to 37%) and to increase math and ELA proficiency at least 5 percentage points for Black, multiracial and students with disabilities.
Wadewitz teacher Charice Smith described a downtown public-art kite project that incorporated Root River imagery and nine languages to reflect the school’s students; she noted vandalism to several metal kites downtown and thanked Horlick High School for helping make the pieces safe for display. Wadewitz principal Don Casor reported kindergarten letter-sound recognition finished last year at 91% (goal 90%) and said the school is piloting the district’s SRSD writing curriculum with a current goal of 65% proficiency by SRSD standards. Casor also reported an attendance rate of 88.97% last year with a target of 91% for the current year and described PLC and data practices used to monitor progress.
Board members asked technical questions about the robotics projects and teaching strategies, thanked staff and students for their work, and encouraged continued community engagement and recruitment of younger students into STEM and arts programs.
The board paused for photos and applause during the student presentations.
