Riverwest has many diverse partnerships that enhance the educational experiences of our students and build students’ background knowledge through hands-on learning opportunities. Riverwest partners with the Boys & Girls Club to provide after-school tutoring and activities through our Community Learning Center (CLC). We have an ongoing partnership with Woodland Pattern Book Center, a literacy center in the Riverwest neighborhood. Writing instructors from Woodland Pattern teach creative writing classes and also bring artists, poets and authors to Riverwest School to do presentations and work with classes. Pierce also partners with the Urban Ecology Center to provide hands-on science lessons and science-based outdoor experiences. Pierce students have many opportunities in the arts through the generosity of Arts@Large, Danceworks’ Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap dance program, and the Skylight Opera Theater.
Arts @ Large
Our school is a recipient of an Arts@Large grant. This grant brings opportunities for students to learn through the arts. Arts@Large has built an exemplary program that links community artist educators and higher education with teachers and students to create an atmosphere of arts-infused learning.
Danceworks Mad Hot Rhythm (MHR)
Danceworks Mad Hot Rhythm (formerly Mad Hot Ballroom and Tap) is an educational dance program for schoolchildren in the Greater Milwaukee area targeting primarily very low-income schools in Milwaukee’s central city. MHR provides desperately needed arts programming directly in the schools, while building artistic, academic and social skills among students. MHR strives to empower youth to stay in school, gain self-confidence and reach their full potential through the transformative power of dance.
Urban Ecology Center
The Urban Ecology Center gets people outside. On any given day you’ll find…
- classes of students from local schools engaging in hands-on learning about science, nature and how to live more sustainably
- community members using the array of resources we offer
- adventure seekers borrowing our outdoor recreational equipment, climbing the rock-wall in Riverside Park or canoeing in the lagoon in Washington Park
- people just visiting the Center, its staff and volunteers
At the Urban Ecology Center’s locations, people make connections between new and old ideas, their behaviors and their impact, and, most of all, with each other.
Jewish Community Nursing Home
The Jewish Home and Care Center offers skilled nursing services for residents in an elegant high-rise building overlooking Lake Michigan, at the center of Milwaukee’s cultural heartbeat.
Woodland Pattern
Woodland Pattern Book Center is dedicated to the discovery, cultivation and presentation of contemporary literature and the arts. Their goals are to promote a lifetime practice of reading and writing, to provide a forum and resource center for writers/artists in the region, and to increase and diversify the audience for contemporary literature through innovative approaches to multi-arts programming. Woodland Pattern is the only Milwaukee, Wisconsin arts organization presenting contemporary literature to the general public on a continuous basis.
Skylight Opera
Enlighten is Skylight Music Theatre‘s Education program which includes touring shows for students, our Partner School program with Milwaukee Public Schools and internships, Audience Guides and Pre-show talks for adults. Instill an appreciation of the arts, develop future audience members, encourage and guide aspiring young artists, and establish arts education as a vital component of a well- rounded curriculum.
Girl Scouts
In Girl Scouts, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. Through a myriad of enriching experiences, such as extraordinary field trips, sports skill-building clinics, community service projects, cultural exchanges, and environmental stewardships, girls grow courageous and strong. Girl Scouting helps girls develop their full individual potential; relate to others with increasing understanding, skill, and respect; develop values to guide their actions and provide the foundation for sound decision-making; and contribute to the improvement of society through their abilities, leadership skills, and cooperation with others. Our troop is part of the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin – Southeast.
Milwaukee Art Museum Junior Docent Program
For more than thirty-five years, the Milwaukee Art Museum Junior Docent School Program has introduced elementary school students to the vocabulary, elements, and history of art while developing critical thinking skills. Over three consecutive years, students visit nine times, contextualizing art into their life. After a culminating project presented to their peers and family, they become official Junior Docents!
Riverwest Neighborhood Association
The Riverwest Neighborhood Association‘s mission is to empower, educate and advocate for the residents of the Riverwest neighborhood, which is bordered by Capitol Drive, the Milwaukee River and Holton Street.