Recently, 8th grade health students explored and celebrated Red Ribbon Week - a time of year dedicated to learning about drugs and drug addiction. Some students made awareness posters, some tied ribbons around trees and poles outside the school, others made podcasts.

This episode is the first in an occasional series called Student Voices. We hear the two podcasts the students created and what they learned about drugs and drug addition.

Math is math, right? Yes.

However, how we teach it and understand how students learn it is constantly in flux. In this episode, we hear what the day-to-day math class looks like at each level, what the K-12 goals for math education are, and what parents can do, particularly at the elementary level, to build mathematical confidence in their children.

Eighth graders are choosing their courses for freshman year very soon. We're asking them to sketch out all four years of their high school career now - knowing that it will change - so we can think about the end goal and life after high school.

Hear about how that's done, what a parent or guardian's role is, and how to prepare your student to make some of these big decisions.

Professional lights, a full size stage and orchestra pit, theater seating - a generation of students have benefited from having a professional performing arts center located in their building. We meet PAC Executive Director Rachel Abraham at center stage to talk about the history, the work, and the business of a performing arts center.

On this episode we meet two high school English teachers and discuss what a modern English Department looks like.

Wisconsin's newest reading law, Act 20, led to an examination of South Milwaukee's curriculum and practices - many of which were already part of the practice of SDSM.

In this episode, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Christie Gajewski discusses new literacy practices this year with elementary teachers and instructional specialists.

Today we’re talking about the district’s new STEM program for elementary students. But in a bigger sense we’re talking about engaging curiosity in a hands-on way to look at something and learn how it works and why – or better yet, to build something and figure out how to make it work.

I’m excited to introduce you to our STEM teachers who are on an exploration of their own – building a new program from the ground up, fueled by the natural curiosity of our youngest students.

In this episode, we meet Mike Arendt, the newly appointed high school principal. We talk about the role of a principal, how he sees students in their path to adulthood, and what plans he has for South Milwaukee High School.

Mike comes to South Milwaukee after the departure of former principal Bryan Terry. He’s spent 17 years in education, has taught social studies, coached football and baseball, and was most recently the principal and athletics and activities director at Racine St. Catherine’s High School. He attended UW Milwaukee for his bachelor's and master's degrees.