The Capital Times recently spoke with more that 20 Asian American and Pacific Islander high school students in the Madison area in publishing the article, "Asian students want their culture represented in Wisconsin classrooms."

“It’s definitely important for us to learn about Asian Americans because we kind of all have different histories (of) how Asian Americans first came to America,” Madison East High School junior Logan Moua said. “We’re very generalized as a stereotypical Asian, like ‘we’re all good at math.’”

Those generalizations can make AAPI heritage even more complex to teach about, especially for teachers who are unfamiliar with the culture. But the misinformation also adds to the importance of doing so to combat the stereotypes of Asian people.

While it’s admittedly a big challenge ahead, Moua, the East High junior, said teaching about the full spectrum of AAPI experiences “builds appreciation and community.”

“Even though we can’t learn everything about Asian Americans’ history or their culture right now because there’s so many different types of ethnicities and cultures and groups, I would just like to see a bit more appreciation of our struggles and our successes in America,” he said, “as well as how we differ from each other.”

The United Asian Consortium of East High School, in partnership with MSCR and other groups, will hold a free Asian-American Celebration Night event at 5:30pm on Friday, May 12th.

The event, at Sun Prairie East High School, 888 Grove St., Sun Prairie, is free to attend and will feature an Asian cuisine dinner, children’s arts and crafts, activities, a multicultural fashion show, dancing and singing.

For more information, contact Maichoua Lor at mlor2@madison.k12.wi.us or Mayder Lor at mlor@madison.k12.wi.us.

MSCR East High School's United Asian Club and American Family Insurance sponsored and organized the 1st Asian American Youth Leadership Conference in Dane County. Students and staff from Madison East High School, Sun Prairie East High School and Verona Area High School attended. MSCR United Asian Club members took a big part in organizing the event from timekeeping to even moderating the panels as a part of this leadership experience. The conference featured 6 Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) professionals who came to talk about their roles and what leadership meant to them. The program also featured a keynote speaker, and a therapist guest speaker who touched base on mental health. Participants learned how to meditate to get through hard times and attended breakout sessions to meet other AAPI students from different schools. They also talked about the different things that they're doing at their school sites regarding their own AAPI experiences.

Vote for East Students who are finalists in the Project Teen Money competition. They created videos on how teens can protect their money from scams. Finalists are in the running for a $3000 grand prize. Project Teen Money is a unique challenge to help young adults achieve financial success – not just the participants, but also the peers who learn from them. Vote by April 23rd!

Science Teacher, Emma Watermolen, and Senior, Aliyyah Wiley, recently wrote an article that was published in the Northside News after discussions in their Anatomy & Physiology class. "The students that contributed to this article deserve a huge shoutout for being vulnerable, open minded, and committed to researching this conversation in a scientific and authentic way," commented Watermolen.

The East Math Club recently participated in the Wisconsin Mathematics Council State Math Meet. The following students participated in the meet:

Tessa Clark scored high enough to earn a spot as 2nd Place All Team. This makes it three years in a row now that East has had a student place in the WMC State Math Meet...Let's go for four next year!

Friday, April 14th is the Day of Silence. This is an annual day that began in 1996 with the goal to spread awareness about bullying and harassment of queer students. Every year, on the Day of Silence, hundreds of thousands of students take a vow of silence to represent the silencing of queer voices and to stand in solidarity about the silencing effect of harassment and bullying. Day of Silence brings attention to the hatred, oppression, and prejudice that queer people face. Many students may be participating in taking a vow of silence and not speaking for the day. It’s important to respect any students choosing to remain silent.

East's very own "31 Days " Black and African American East student Art show is having a second opening at Communication Gallery on Friday, April 14th from 6:00-8:00pm. The free event will have artists present, a musical performance, a film screening and a poetry reading, all by Black & African American students from East.

Applications for MSCR's Summer Driver's Ed Scholarship Program are due Friday, April 14, 2023. It is not first come first serve. Any application received by the deadline will be considered, however there is a selection process due to limited spots in the class. The program is offered Monday-Thursday, June 20 - July 20, 2023, 12:30-2:30pm at O'Keeffe Middle School (due to construction at East High School).

East is hosting a Career Exploration Fair on Wednesday, April 19th from 9:00am-1:00pm. We are excited to have companies who are hiring, looking for volunteers, mentorship opportunities and apprenticeship careers. This is a great way for our students to network with various employers and build connections for their future. The Career Exploration Fair will be open to all students during lunch in the SPEC Gym. From 9:00am-12:00pm the fair is only open to classes that have signed up. To enter the fair, students should sign up for a ScanFactor account and retrieve their personalized QR Code. This QR Code will allow both employers and students to share contact information easily.

Rising 11th and 12th grade students can sign-up to be a Purgolder Mentor next year. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 21st. Mentors must be able to commit to a Spring training, end of summer training and 9th grade first day.

Registration for the Goodman Community Center's High School Summer Programming is open to all MMSD students entering 9th-12th grade.

Incoming 9th grade students can register for the two-week 9 ON TIME program.

All forms must be completed by May 5th. 🌞

Check out these slides with next week's new scholarships, jobs, events, and college visits.