Winona Area Public Schools
Barrie Schank, a language arts teacher at WSHS, was awarded the Foundation for WAPS Dare to Dream grant for a project that will help students plan for their future.
Barrie Schank, a language arts teacher at Winona Senior High School, is the recipient of the Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools Dare to Dream Grant.
Schank was awarded the $5,000 grant for The Purpose Project, a unit in her Practical 12 English class which will work in conjunction with the Minnesota Career Information System to help students pinpoint areas of personal interest. The Purpose Project will require students to write yearly, monthly and weekly and use daily action steps to achieve specific goals. Students will be required to read books, annotate articles, take notes during video clips, organize information, journal daily and chart results.
Schank found multiple resources to enhance The Purpose Project and relate it to what students are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that she sees students who are unsure of the future and, as a result, are not planning for it. Dare to Dream funds will be used to purchase classroom book sets, planning pages, binders and digital notepads. This unit will help fill the gap to help students prepare for their future when they are unsure how it will begin.
As stated in the Harvard Business Review in 2011: “Success is a progression of small tasks done consistently.” This unit will help students create a system of consistent, small tasks which could lead to reaching many goals and accomplishing great results. It is based on reading, writing and communication habits, which are proven to help people’s lives overall. The material will include resources from: Jack Dorsey, Benjamin Franklin, Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Harvey, Warren Buffet, Jim Carrey, Richard Branson, Fergie, Jack Canfield, Tony Robbins, John Spencer, Emma Stone, Drake, Terri Savelle Foy, Zig Ziglar and Mark Walberg, among others. Schank said she hopes to help students see the value in pinpointing and accomplishing personal goals. The Dare to Dream grant money will help provide resources for students to do just that and to give them hope for the future when they need it most.
The Foundation for WAPS started the Dare to Dream project as a way to encourage and support the creative spirit within the district. The goal is to provide an opportunity to apply for a grant for up to $5,000 to completely fund a new innovative program that will support ideas or enhance learning or provide new opportunities for students of Winona Area Public Schools.
For more information on the project or the foundation, visit foundationwaps.org.