As March turns to April and the cold air starts to finally (finally!) retreat, we look forward to welcoming you back to our sites and museums! Love history? Join our team and be part of the fun! Also in this issue: Something new at the southwest sites; judges needed for National History Day in Wisconsin; and new curriculum on desegregation
and the Fair Housing Movement in Milwaukee.
A Summer Job of Historic
Importance!
WHS is looking for students AND EDUCATORS to join our summer team at our Historic Sites and Museums. From evening bartending gigs to Costumed Experience Facilitator and everything
in-between, we can promise a summer of nerdy fun and fantastic memories. Head to Wisc.Jobs to see all the open positions at sites like H.H. Bennett Studio & Museum, Reed School, and Villa Louis. All positions start at $14/hr.
We are currently in need of judges for the State Contest, April 13-15. With our virtual judging system you can judge from the comfort of your home, favorite local coffee shop, or even while relaxing on the beach! With more time to evaluate projects, digital tools, and online training, you'll be ready to judge National History in
Wisconsin in no time!
Click the link below to get started! Still have questions? Email us at historyday@wisconsinhistory and thank you so much for your support!
Juanita Adams grew up with segregation in the Jim Crow South. “Blacks and whites went to separate schools, used separate bathrooms, and drank from separate water fountains,”
Juanita wrote. Even as a teenager, this unfair, unjust treatment “lit a flame” within her to “stand for justice.”
Co-created with family members Kimberly Danson and Sheila Adams Gardner, This curriculum is designed to enlighten and inspire students in grades 6-12 as they discover Milwaukee's Desegregation and Fair Housing Movement through the life of Juanita Adams.
An Interview with Samantha Matern, Southwest Sites
I’m Samantha Matern, and I work as the Interpretation Manager at Villa Louis, Stonefield, Pendarvis, and First Capitol in southwest Wisconsin. I’ve been at Villa Louis for 10 years, and I joined
the rest of the sites in 2019—just in time for things to get crazy! I currently live within walking distance of Villa Louis with my eternally patient husband and two very impatient cats.
I manage the southwest Sites’ guide staff – making sure our guides have the right tools and research to give our guests the best experience possible. Currently, I am working to schedule school groups for this spring!
I am so excited for the classrooms who get to visit Villa Louis and Stonefield this year! After two years away, we are thrilled to welcome them back on site with returning hands-on programming and some brand-new experiences as well. At Villa Louis, we are bringing back the classic birthday party for 10-year-old Judith (Juty) Dousman, with her own letter guiding our display, and our fur trade experience will now allow students to sit inside an authentic replica canot du nord (north canoe)! At Stonefield, students will get to interact with real equipment from Wisconsin’s early Dairy State days, including a Babcock Tester. They will even make and taste their own butter in the Creamery!
I can’t wait to share Wisconsin’s history with our area classroom this spring!
