Wrapping up in America’s Dairyland (Wisconsin)

Our final week in Wisconsin commenced in two smaller towns; Mauston and Oregon.

The students were super engaged with the exhibit, especially the agriculture components. A lot of the students had family farms or knew people who did. When we talked about irrigation canals and diversifying crops, they were able to relate some of the issues facing these communities with their own lives. These conversations were often sparked through our magnet activity: a set of magnets with prompts and responses where we encourage students to think about how we can relate the Millennium/Sustainable Development Goals back to their own lives and community.

A student at Oregon High School in Oregon, Wisconsin, responds to a prompt during our magnet activity.

Students also connected with the conflict between long-term agriculture development and short-term mineral extraction (as exampled by Ed Kashi’s photo of an illegal gold mine in Ghana) due to Wisconsin’s history with sand mining; a declining industry in the state that has historically raised safety and environmental concerns.

Students walk out to the bus at Mauston High School. The population in Mauston, WI, is just over 4,000 people.

Quinn discusses how gold mining in Ghana affects the region’s cocoa production.

Students at Mauston High School discuss the lessons covered in one of the films from the MVP curriculum.

Skyler introduces the team at Oregon High School in Oregon, WI. Oregon is a “bedroom community” just south of Madison, with a population just over 10,000 people.

Jordan speaks with students from Oregon High School on the MVP bus.

Students from Oregon High School look at the photos on the MVP bus.

Students from Oregon High School notice a detail in on one of the photo cubes.

Skyler discusses some of the Millennium Development Goals with students at Oregon Middle School in Oregon, WI.

Students at Oregon Middle School explore the MVP bus.

Students at Oregon Middle School volunteer to read part of the exhibit introduction on the MVP bus.

This week we move further into the Mid-West to the Twin Cities in Minnesota!