Capitol West Neighborhood Association

Fall 2010 CWNA Newsletter--2

TWO MAJOR PUBLIC SCHOOL MOVES IN THE CAPITOL WET AREA

The start of school this fall saw major changes in two of the largest public schools in the Capitol Wet area. The Morse Middle School for the Gifted and Talented, long located on North 84th Street, moved to the Marshall High School site to create the Morse-Marshall School for the Gifted and Talented. The move allows the Gifted and Talented Program to expand into a middle-high school program.  This returns Marshall to the grade 6-12 levels that were there when the school was first opened.

This fall the school will include students in grades 6-10, with growth to include 11th graders next school year and seniors the year after.  The programs formerly at Marshall have all been moved elsewhere except for the Special Education Program for the Severely Handicapped which remains in the building.

The Morse-Marshall program is open to students city-widw who qualify. Parents and students interested in learning more about he program should contact the school at 393-2300 as soon as possible since enrollment generally takes place in the fall and the school has traditionally had a waiting list.

The other major move was that of the Hmong-American Peace Academy (NAPA) to the former Morse siet on 84th Street. The NAPA is a Milwaukee Public Schools Charter School which began several years ago in the south side of the city. Its program was directed toward the needs of young students of Hmong lineage with strong emphasis on the development of the skills in English, Math and Reading needed to be a productive citizen of the United States while maintaining knowledge of the Hmong language and culture. The program proved so successful that it expanded to a second south side facility and added more grades. Soon these two facilities proved too small and the program sought alarger home on the north side where many Hmong had purchased homes. The Morse facility was the answer to their needs.

The program at the school begins at K-4 and currently extends through grade 11. Next year they will have their first seniors. Because of the continuing emphasis on academics and strong parental support, the test scores of the students at the school has far exceeded MPS averages and they look forward to meeting and exceeding those for the state. Persons interested in learning more about this unique program should contact the school at 383-4944.

CWNA has been actively involved in supporting these two moves. We believe that strong academic programs in local schools add strength to the City and to our West Side community.

POLICE DIST. #7 BLOCK WATCH COUNCIL LAUNCHES A COURT WATCH PROGRAM

Over the past 4 months, the monthly Police Dist. #7 Crime and Safety Meetings have focused on the Milwakee County judicial system. Attendees were introduced to how cases go through criminal courts.

We learned how hard it is to convict someone and even to keep individuals in jail at the time of bail and sentencing. Often, due to a variety of circumstances, the person who police arrested is righ back in his/her neighborhood committing crimes again.

All neighbors, not just Block Watch Captains, are invited to continue their study of the judicial system at future Crime & Safety meetings (usually at 6:30 pm on the third Monday of each month). In Dec. we expec to discuss the Children's Court and the Municipal Court-courts that deal with crimes that are most common in our neighborhoods.

Also, at the Crime & Safety Meetings, you can take the opportunity to talk to Mr. Steve O'Connell who is arranging three hour tours of the Courthouse. This tour includes a meeting with Chief Justice, Jeffrey Kremers. So far, there have been four tours and everyone who has takent he tour has expressed surprise at how complicated the judicial system is.

Dist. #7 Block Watch Council is working to monitor seven cases that have originated in our area and enable all who have been affected by the individuals involved in the cases to atually contat the Judge who is presiding over the sentenecing of the persons convicted of the crime. The one thing everyone has learned from the tours is that the victim impact statements carr weight with judges when it comes time to sentence the convicted person. In this way, judges will know the extend of community outrage and will be more willing to take this into account and deliver a sentence that is more representative of the community will.

CWNA believes that it is time for all citizens to get involved in making sure that individuals are held accountable for their criminal behavior.