Maple Grove Charter School receives WCSP grant

Maple Grove Charter School, a public school District of Athens K-5 school, was recently named as a recipient of the Wisconsin Charter Schools Program (WCSP) grant. The school is receiving $550,000 in funding that runs during the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years. The funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Education to support public charter schools like Maple Grove. While the funding cannot be used to support maintenance or ongoing operational expenses, it can be used to begin new and unique programming and to increase student enrollment.

Agriscience and outdoor education are the main focuses of the grant programming. Through partnerships and curriculum, Maple Grove hopes to expand its existing maple syrup and chicken projects, as well as start gardening curriculum. Additionally, funding is being used to integrate outdoor learning projects and topics into daily reading, writing and math work. The school is partnering with Field Edventures to provide training on the outdoor curriculum and CESA 9 to provide professional development and coaching in Reading/English Language Arts curriculum.

Projects that have been supported by grant funding so far have been field trips to outdoor locations such as Amco Park to study marine life and water quality, and weekly outdoor learning that leverages Maple Grove’s on-site school forest to help students study wildlife and vegetation. Grant funding will also support installation of maple sap pipeline in the school’s maple forest, which will allow students to compare sap production of pipeline trees and traditionally tapped trees. Each student has selected and adopted a tree in the maple forest, which they will care for throughout the year and tap during the spring season. Plans are to use proceeds from the school’s maple syrup to sustain the unique curriculum, even after grant funding ends.

Additionally, grant money will fund marketing and public relations expenses to spread the word about the learning opportunities available at Maple Grove Charter School and increase enrollment. The school has already seen growth of 20 percent over last year’s enrollment, with 91 learners enrolled currently. Sixtyone of the current learners are open-enrolled, meaning they reside in districts outside of the School District of Athens. The school hopes to become a hub for families around the region who are looking for outdoor learning opportunities for their children.