Anne Frank’s stepsister breaks silence to help educate youth to prevent a repeat of the Holocaust

SEPTEMBER 13TH 2017
ARTICLE BY: LEADER-TELEGRAM

MENOMONIE — For 40 years, Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss kept silent about living through the World War II Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.

But then the stepsister of Anne Frank, famous for her diary published after her death from typhus in a concentration camp, realized the world was not changing.

War, poverty and discrimination lived on long after 6 million Jews died in ethnic cleansing.

“I realized people are still very ignorant,” Schloss, 88, said, speaking at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts on Tuesday to about 250 area teachers as part of Arts Integration Menomonie. “I think it’s partly because we never learned.”

UW-Stout brings the col­or­ful world of Dr. Seuss to life

March 26th 2016
ARTICLE BY: LEADER-TELEGRAM

MENOMONIE — UW-Stout freshman Lois Cassell has a love-hate relationship with playing the villain in the university’s production of “Seussical.”

“She’s very sassy,” the 19-year-old said of the Sour Kangaroo, who gets Horton, the hero elephant of the show, on trial for trying to save the Whos. “She’s the bully, the villain. I feel kind of bad when I hurt Horton. Everything she is I am not.”

“Seussical” features the main characters from such stories as “Horton Hears a Who!” “Cat in the Hat,” “Yertle the Turtle” and “Miss Gertrude McFuzz.” The musical opens Thursday at UW-Stout’s Harvey Hall Theatre.

A.I.M.-SPONSORED PERFORMANCE OF SEUSSICAL: Cast of beloved characters

MARCH 26TH 2017
ARTICLE BY: The dunn county news

The University of Wisconsin - Stout Theatre presents its spring musical “Seussical”, and A.I.M. (Arts Integration Menomonie) sponsors special performances for local children in the Menomonie school district.

The stage of historic Harvey Hall Theatre at University of Wisconsin-Stout will come alive this spring with some of the beloved characters from the stories of Theodor Seuss Geisel, Dr. Seuss. The musical encompasses arts integration at its best, featuring the story and characters of the brilliant Dr. Seuss, integrated in children’s literature, language arts, poetry, music, drama, storytelling, and visual arts (and more!).

Students of teachers who took part in this year’s CITA cohort will attend the performance at Harvey Hall free of charge.

Star-studded: Wakanda Elementary students create mosaics in partnership with UW-Stout (w/video)

DECEMBER 3RD 2016
ARTICLE BY: LEADER-TELEGRAM

MENOMONIE — Wakanda Elementary School 3rd-grader Skylar McLeod placed a glass tile on one of the white pillars in the school cafeteria.

The pillar is one of four decorated Thursday by all the elementary students and many staff members, and will depict each season.

The season-specific mosaics are part of an art project through Arts Integration Menomonie, and will be a permanent part of the school.

“I’m hoping they’ll like it,” McLeod said, when asked what she hopes future students will think of the tiles. “I’m hoping they will think our hard work was a good thing we did.”

Fellow student Zuma Hazwood said she enjoyed attaching tiles to the pillars.

“It reminds me of the summer and the seasons,” she said. “It’s fun.”

The tile project started in September and is expected to continue until late January, said Jeanne Styczinski, who designed the mosaics and serves on on the Arts Integration Menomonie executive board.

Two UW-Stout students, Marko Pechink and Olivia Revolinski, are teaching the elementary students how to tile as part of AIM’s Program for Arts Integration for New Teachers.

African Art Connection

Menomonie students, teachers make art with children in Botswana

NOVEMBER 2ND 2016
ARTICLE BY: UW-STOUT NEWS

LONG-DISTANCE CONNECTION. Menomonie children connect with children in Botswana via Skype during a PAINT International art session at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. At right is Megan Steinkraus, PAINT coordinator, Menomonie elementary art teacher and UW-Stout alumna.

Arts Integration Menomonie is going outside of Menomonie – actually outside of the country – to bring new art experiences to children in the Menomonie school district.

This fall, AIM is hosting PAINT International on Saturdays at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. PAINT stands for Program for Arts Integration for New Teachers.

Each Saturday morning, local children from kindergarten through fifth grade create art under the direction of two UW-Stout art education students, Molly Brion, of Cameron, and Gabrielle Conway, of Rochester, Minnesota. UW-Stout alumni mentor the UW-Stout students.

During the sessions, the children connect via Skype with children in Letlhakeng, Botswana, Africa, who are working on the same art projects. The children renew friendships each week and compare their art.

Menomonie schoolchildren work with peers in Africa for art classes (w/video)

OCTOBER 12TH 2016
ARTICLE BY: LEADER-TELEGRAM

MENOMONIE — Menomonie second-grader Miranda Boerner used pastel colors to create a swirl of color, depicting motion.

She held her picture up to a computer camera to share it with students working on a similar project in Botswana, Africa. A student from Africa showed Boerner his picture.

Art becomes a catalyst for children across the globe to connect with one another.

Arts Integration Menomonie’s Program for Arts Integration for New Teachers is sponsoring the weekly art classes at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. The classes will be Saturdays through Dec. 10.

“There is really no language barrier,” said Tami Weiss, executive director of Arts Integration Menomonie. “They can communicate through a line, a color. You can still tell what the other person is feeling and saying.”

The idea to have children use video software and connect in real time and share artwork grew out of a former student of Weiss’ in La Crescent, Minn. Kirstin Benish, a Peace Corps volunteer, wanted to start a pen pal group to help children learn English in Botswana. The idea for the art project grew from that. AIM sent art materials to the children in Botswana.

International connection: AIM students, teachers make art with children in Botswana

OCTOBER 9TH 2016
ARTICLE BY: THE DUNN COUNTY NEWS

Arts Integration Menomonie is going outside of Menomonie — actually outside of the country — to bring new art experiences to children in the Menomonie school district.

This fall, AIM is hosting PAINT International on Saturdays at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. PAINT stands for Program for Arts Integration for New Teachers.

Each Saturday morning, local children from kindergarten through fifth grade create art under the direction of two University of Wisconsin-Stout art education students, Molly Brion, of Cameron, and Gabrielle Conway, of Rochester, Minn. UW-Stout alumni mentor the UW-Stout students.

During the sessions, the children connect via Skype with children in Letlhakeng, Botswana, Africa, who are working on the same art projects. The children renew friendships each week and compare their art.