In this wrap-up, short reports about

• the graduation of new Junior Leaders (right)
• Gallery Night — open house for the community, and
• Friends of MSCR and their upcoming, fun event

MSCR Junior Leader Graduation

The Madison School & Community Recreation held Junior Leader graduation on May 5.

The Junior Leader program is a job training program for high school students coordinated by MSCR in collaboration with UW-Extension, Edgewood College, MATC and UW-Madison. Participants receive extensive training on topics such as team building, leadership skills, working with youth, diversity, activity planning and other job skills.

The program gives students who may be interested in a career working with youth an opportunity to gain valuable training and work experience. Students participated in Saturday training sessions March 17 — April 28. After completing Junior Leader training, students are provided a paid summer position within one of MSCR's summer elementary programs.

2007 Junior Leaders, in alphabetical order, are:

Peter Birke (Edgewood)
Rachel Bowers-Sword (East)
Chloe Brown (West)
Kevin Clark (East)
Michelle Ewers (East)
Rob Flowers (West)
Jigme Groves (Memorial)
Ellie Glunn (East)
Chris Han (West)
Kaitlin Hexum (East)
Lewis Hurd (West)
Joe Lanier (Memorial)
Mia Maysack-Schlueter (Memorial)
Brittany McKennie (La Follette)
Miriam Onheiber (Memorial)
Ann Perepezko (West)
Kate Perepezko (West)
Aaron Elizalde (West)
TK Phillips (Memorial)
Lauren Rock (Memorial)
Rayanna Rogers (La Follette)
Christian Rodriguez (Memorial)
Linda Thao (West)
Tiyawn Walker (East)
Nick Thomas (Memorial)
Thomas Wilson (Memorial) and
Clay Yapp (Shabazz).

MSCR Gallery Night

MSCR held Gallery Night in cooperation with the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art on May 4. This free event took place at MSCR-Hoyt and MSCR at Warner Park Community Recreation Center (WPCRC). More than 400 people attended.

Gallery Night is an open house for the community, providing an opportunity to view artists through demonstrations and opportunities to participate.

The event at MSCR-Hoyt included pottery throwing demonstrations, ballroom dancing and belly dancing demonstrations and lessons, Art Cart children's arts and crafts, wood kiln firing and a painting demonstration. Activities at WPCRC included viewing paintings, pottery, drawings and sketches created by participants and instructors.

MSCR raised $250 in pottery sales, of which a portion goes to support the program, and the remaining is given to the artists.

MSCR offers a variety of arts and enrichment classes. Please call 204-3000 for more information, or register online at www.mscr.org.

Friends Provide a Helping Hand

Friends groups are plentiful in Madison, but there is only one organization dedicated to supporting Madison's public recreation department - Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR), a department of the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Friends of MSCR was formed in 2001 by some true friends of MSCR — active MSCR participants who laid the groundwork and formed the non-profit organization. The first few years were spent setting goals and deciding how best to support MSCR.

The Friends of MSCR determined the major goal is to raise money that will support MSCR programs. Funds raised are used to fill immediate needs through an annual mini-grant program, and to build the Friends of MSCR endowment, housed at the Madison Community Foundation. Over the past three years, Friends of MSCR has provided over $16,000 in grants to support MSCR programs. Since 2005, the major fund raising event has been a recreational golf outing.

This year's golf outing is slated for Friday, July 20, at Yahara Hills Golf Course. Tee off time is 2pm, and a picnic dinner and silent auction follow at the Capital City Harley Davidson banquet facility, just down the road from Yahara.

For more information about the event, contact MSCR Director Lucy Chaffin at 204-3015 or check the web at http://www.mscr.org/contentPage.cfm?ID=411.