Tower Projects Underway

University School of Milwaukee students are hard at work on their Tower Projects, in which they spend a semester or the entire year pursuing their own interests and taking their learning beyond the boundaries of the classroom. As a result of their Tower Project work, students gain academic skills such as research, writing (both academic and reflective), critical thinking, analysis and synthesis, and project creation. They also gain confidence and abilities in public speaking, problem solving, time management, relationship building, risk taking, and more, all in a supportive and encouraging environment.  

Lower School
Students in 4th grade have been paired with their adult mentors and are busy completing their initial research on their subject. Beginning in January, they have started to work on the “action component” of their projects, in which they translate their research into a physical or digital representation of the subject matter. Click here for a list of Lower School students and their projects.

For the second year, 4th grade students have been paired with 8th grade students who will provide further guidance and support on their Tower Projects. The students meet throughout the year to discuss updates, assist with research, and help with action components.  

Middle School
Tower Project is a spring semester elective class for 8th grade students, and the list of participating Middle School students will be updated on the website when it becomes available.

Upper School
Upper School students are nearing the completion of the research and discovery phase of their projects. In fall, they visited the Golda Meir Library at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where they worked on creating essential questions and utilized the library’s resource materials. While there, they met with USM alumnus Djdade Denson ’14, owner of Coffee Makes You Black, who shared his experience at USM and Marquette University, and his career trajectory that led him to where he is today.    

In February, Upper School students will hold Tower Talkbacks, in which they present an overview of their topic and their research and action plan to faculty members and students. The audience members ask questions and provide feedback to the presenters, which the presenters use to further adjust and improve their project.

Click here for a list of Upper School students and their projects, as well as podcast episodes from students. 

Many thanks to 4th grade teachers Laura Blanchet, Leann Erickson, Jill Stephanie, and Kelley Sovol; Matthew Gagnier, PK-8 academic technology coordinator; and Upper School faculty Laura Klein, Tom Lewandowski, and Drew Mullen, who serve as Tower Project program directors. In addition, thanks to the many faculty and staff volunteers who serve as Tower Project mentors.