School safety measures here have increased significantly in recent years

By Lisa Curtis - Conley Publishing Group

OZAUKEE COUNTY — Yet another town, this time Uvalde, Texas, is saying they didn’t think it could happen to them. Didn’t think the unimaginable – that an armed person could walk into a school and shoot students — could happen in their hometown.

Whether those who live in Ozaukee County feel that sense of immunity or not, based on the security measures in place at area schools, it would be very difficult for it to happen here.

Every public and most private schools in Cedarburg, Grafton, Mequon and Thiensville have have multiple systems in place to prevent anyone from wandering into the building. Doors must be unlocked by someone from the inside to allow entry into the school. Cameras are everywhere, some even linked directly to local police departments. Bulletproof windows and doors would make it hard to breach a school with weapons.

“I want to reassure you that we take school safety and security very seriously at the Cedarburg School District,” Cedarburg School Superintendent Todd Bugnacki said in a message to parents. “We are vigilant and proactive when it comes to our children’s safety and have clear plans and procedures to deal with emergency situations.”

Referendums approved by the three area public school districts within the past five years all included added security measures, especially in light of other past school shootings, including the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018.

Almost immediately following the Sandy Hook shooting, former Mequon-Thiensville School District Superintendent Demond Means ordered an immediate review of the security measures in place and took steps to better secure buildings.

Current Superintendent Matthew Joynt delivered a message to families last Wednesday, one day after the Uvalde shooting, offering all of the resources the district had available.

“As we begin to navigate another school day, thoughts of yesterday’s horrific shooting in Texas are weighing heavily on many of our minds,” Joynt wrote. “We understand that many students, families, and staff members may still be processing the tragedy, and we want to take this opportunity to offer some resources to help support those difficult conversations.”

The 2020 MTSD referendum for $55.7 million added on to the security improvements of 2012. That included the construction of a more identifiable main entrance at Homestead High School and districtwide improvements to control visitor access.

Improvements at all schools included an adjustment in traffic flow and the installation of electronic safety gates and bollards to control vehicle access to certain parts of each campus, according to MTSD Director of Communications and Engagement Molly Loucks.

The 30th annual Scenic Shore 150 Bike Tour is quickly approaching! We’d like to offer you the opportunity to support this year’s event which will be held on Saturday, July 23nd and Sunday, July 24rd 2022. Without your dedication, our ride would not be the same as our volunteers are the backbone of the Scenic Shore. This year all volunteers will receive a Scenic Shore campfire mug when they register before June 1st!

We look forward to having you join us back in-person as a volunteer for this 150-mile life-changing experience. Last year our riders were able to raise over $1.1 million to fight blood cancers. This year we are anticipating about 1,200 riders for the event. 

Thank you for your time and consideration. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Dj.bruwer@lls.org.

Our riders, staff, and patients all appreciate your contribution very much!

Grants free up Rotary Scholars to learn and build their networks

By Graham Meyer

When Adrian Faiers got married last year, among the assembled friends and family were Sira Lee and Alizée McLorg, two young women whose scholarships he had coordinated while they pursued master's degrees at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He marvels at the women's far-flung connection. Although one is from Korea and the other from California, they go to weddings, conferences, and Rotary meetings together. "They have become best friends," Faiers says.

Of the 1,300 or so Rotary Foundation global grants approved each year, about 200 are for scholarships. Global grant scholarships fund graduate-level studies in one of Rotary's areas of focus. Rotary districts can also provide scholarships through district grants. Lee and McLorg, whose scholarships are funded by global and district grants, respectively, are taking advantage of one big benefit available to Rotary Scholars: the opportunity to build their networks — with each other, experts in their fields, and the broader Rotary world.

Particularly in places where a large number of global and district grant scholars study — such as London, which is home to the London School of Economics as well as King's and University colleges — the scholars have their own niche within the Rotary sphere. "They become a very, very good community together," says Faiers, a member of the Rotary Club of Dulwich, Peckham and Crystal Palace, who as chair of District 1130's scholarship subcommittee coordinates the incoming scholars in London.

Meet four Rotary Scholars, and find out how the connections they’ve made through Rotary are helping them change the world.

June 15, 2022 6:30pm - United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay, 819 E. Silver Spring Dr, Whitefish Bay, WI US 53217

We all hold biases. Please join us for this hybrid event to learn about our unconscious, implicit biases & how they manifest in our lives and in our society. Judge Derek Mosley will speak IN PERSON at the United Methodist Church Whitefish Bay. AND STREAMING at http://bit.ly/UMCWFB-LIVE

A graduate of Marquette University Law School in 2002, he was the youngest African-American to be appointed judge in the State of Wisconsin and, since 2004, has presided as Judge of the Milwaukee Municipal Court.

About Judge Derek Mosley: The recipient of numerous awards, including the Leaders in Law Award from the Wisconsin Law Journal, the Milwaukee Black Times’ Black Excellence Award, the Milwaukee Business Journal’s “Forty Under Forty” and more, Judge Mosley also sits on the Board of Directors for many organizations, including the YMCA-Urban Campus, Transcenter for Youth, the Northwest Side CDC, the Lad Lake Adolescent Residential Treatment Center, and the Urban Ecology Center.