Posts from the ‘Member News’ Category

Ideas to Action: Tomahawk School District Creates Community with eSports Club

Paula Norman, Tomahawk School District

What in the world is eSports? To be honest I knew nothing about eSports until a year ago. Simply put, eSports is a form of sport competition using video games. eSports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. In our case, we compete against teams in other school districts who have enrollment sizes similar to ours, much like “athletics.” There are Varsity and JV teams. And, just like “physical” sports, we have a roster, select captains, and keep stats for kills, assists, etc. In-season records determine which teams make it to State. Participants, based on their stats, can receive 1st Team All Conference, 2nd Team All Conference, and Honorable Mention status. eSports is the fastest growing “sport” and students can receive college scholarships for eSports just like “regular” athletes. Read more

Ideas to Action: Sun Prairie Public Library Creates Paths into Stories

Lynn Montague, Sun Prairie Public Library

The Sun Prairie Public Library, through WiLS Ideas to Action Funds, is providing an opportunity for the entire community to engage in Story Walks which promote literacy, community and family engagement, physical health, and mental well-being. Diverse picture books, book chapters, poetry, and short stories are deconstructed and laid out along an accessible path so participants can experience the story as they stroll along. The initial plan for Sun Prairie’s Story Walk was delayed and its installation was not completed until Fall 2020. Read more

Ideas to Action: Madison Trust for Historic Preservation Shares Its Archives with the World

With help from the WiLS Ideas to Action fund, the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation is digitizing its archives and making them accessible to the public through Recollection Wisconsin and participating in the Recollection Wisconsin Digital Readiness Community of Practice Launch Committee. As part of that work and to help others who are considering their own digitization projects, Jennifer Gurske of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation prepared the case study below, detailing the project inspiration, some challenges and successes, and upcoming activities. Read more

Ideas to Action: Kenosha Public Library Helps Keep Community Active and Healthy

Kenosha Public Library’s original plan for our KPL Mind and Body project was to help keep patrons physically active and entertained while safely waiting outside the Bookmobile and Book Truck for their turn to board through dance, but the project has changed a bit since its inception. Due to the pandemic, the city parks were closed for most of the summer and fall, the pools did not open, the summer parks programs were canceled, and chess in the park was canceled. We requested permission to do some dance parties at our after-school stops but were denied by the district because they don’t want any gathering or lingering. Read more

Ideas to Action: Appleton Public Library Strikes Community Chords

by Pa Ja Yang, Appleton Public Library

In celebration of Hmong American Day on May 14th, the Appleton Public Library developed an initiative with WiLS Ideas to Action Funds, Community Chords: Engagement through Music & Art, that will bring everyone together through a shared love of music, art, culture, and literacy – all components that make Appleton a thriving community. As part of Community Chords, we are seeking donors to provide functional upright pianos and local artists to use the pianos as their canvas. The reinvented pianos will then be placed throughout the community to enjoy visually and play instrumentally throughout the month of May. After the pianos are placed, the public is encouraged to share their positive piano engagement experience on social media using #CommunityChordsAPL. Maintenance and cleaning of pianos will be done regularly, but piano players will be asked to sanitize them before and after every usage. Read more