Root 2 Rise

Fairview Elementary first grade teacher Keri Pierce has welcomed Root 2 Rise Tutor-Mentors into her first-grade classroom for three years running. This year she's been working with the amazing Mauro! Here is what Keri has to say about the program's impact:

"I have been teaching for 18 years. My students enjoy having the Root 2 Rise students come each day. They develop relationships with the high school students and enjoy asking them for help with work and talking to them. I appreciate having another adult in the classroom to help with projects during a busy part of the day. The high school students get an opportunity to be a leader."

Teeli Thao knows what it’s like to sit in a classroom and not quite feel like you belong. Now, as a Root 2 Rise Tutor-Mentor in Madison Schools - MMSD, he brings that perspective to help the students who really need it. In his first year, he's helped a struggling reader hit a big goal, shown up on his days off, and plans to major in education.

With a year of real classroom experience already behind him, he's already made a real difference — and he's just getting started . . .

Read Teeli’s Spotlight Here: https://www.root2rise.org/news-blog/tutor-mentor-spotlight-teeli

La Follette High School

What Happens When High Schoolers Lead: Meet Tutor-Mentor and La Follette High Student Teeli Thao — Root 2 Rise Root 2 Rise trains and compensates high school juniors and seniors to work as Tutor-Mentors in elementary classrooms — building belonging, motivation, and connections to supportive adults while developing real career skills. Meet Teeli Thao, a La Follette (Madison, WI) senior who brought individua...

Our Executive Director Denise Hanson was outside La Follette High School last week meeting with Principal Thompson and Coordinator of Academic and Student Engagement Molly when Tutor-Mentors Deseray, Courtney, and Javeah came walking back from their elementary school placements . . . . they'd just spent the morning on a field trip with their students at the Wisconsin Film Festival's children's matinee — so of course we had to get a group picture!

These are high school students with their own schedules, their own coursework, their own lives. And yet, they show up every day for a classroom of elementary kids — creating the kind of rich, memorable learning experiences that make entire school communities stronger 🩵

Madison Schools - MMSD La Follette High School Wisconsin Film Festival