By Marian Cracraft
Whoopensocker, an arts education residency program based in the UW–Madison School of Education, is bringing its unique curriculum focused on creativity, expression, creative writing, and collaboration to the Verona Area School District in a new three-year partnership. The program, which empowers elementary school students to be creative artists, will serve all Verona elementary schools by the end of the three years.
During a Whoopensocker residency, which takes place over six weeks, Whoopensocker’s teaching artists encourage students to share great ideas through writing and performance. This culminates in a live performance and celebration where adult performers bring student-written stories to life on stage.
This year, third graders at Sugar Creek Elementary kicked off the partnership in Verona, contributing more than 730 stories — 20 of which were adapted for a high-energy sketch comedy show.
An article in the Verona Press spotlighted the Sugar Creek residency. In the article, Whoopensocker artist Meredith Milliron noted that “each lesson in the six-week residency emphasizes a different style of writing, from scripts and nonfiction to fiction and picture-based ideas. Students work individually or collaboratively to fill journals with stories inspired by the theme.”
Milliron described Sugar Creek students’ literacy skills as “out of control.”
“We started and they were ready to go – pencils ready,” she said.
As Sugar Creek offers a Spanish Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program where students spend half of the day learning in Spanish and the other half in English, Milliron noted how Whoopensocker was able to bring in some dual-language teachers as well.
“The fact that we were able to have dual-language teaching artists at this residency and (TWI) students being able to write by choice or preference of their heart language was really wonderful,” she said.
Sugar Creek third graders had the opportunity to see their work come to life in performances for their school and community in February.
Another Whoopensocker teaching artist, Casem Abulughod, shared in the article that the best part of Whoopensocker shows is the “excitement in the crowd when students’ names are announced.”
“Seeing that support, of other little humans supporting other little humans, is the thing that keeps me coming back,” said Abulughod, who has been a teaching artist since 2017.
He recalled his first performance ever at Thoreau Elementary School in Madison, which featured a song written by a student refugee about missing home. “The student started crying when Whoopensocker actors performed his song, but was immediately joined by classmates for extra support.”
Whoopensocker is led by Professor Erica Halverson in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction and is housed in the School’s Office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE).
To learn more about the program’s partnership with Verona schools, check out the full article in the Verona Press.