Daemen College : News
Founder of The Alliance School in Milwaukee Will Speak at Daemen College April 12, 13, 14, on Reducing Bullying in Schools
Tina Owen is Founder and Lead Teacher of The Alliance School, the First School in the Nation Started with a Mission of Reducing Bullying
March 21, 2012
Media
Contacts: Mike Andrei
Director-College Relations
Daemen College
(716) 839-8472
mandrei@daemen.edu
The Alliance School
850 W. Walnut Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Ph: (414) 267-5400
Fax: (414) 267-5415
allianceschoolnet.bbnow.org
Event
Information: Dan Nilsson
Director-Housing and Special Initiatives
(716) 839-8208
dnilsson@daemen.edu
Following the tragic loss of Williamsville high school student Jamie Rodemeyer and other young people, Daemen College will be hosting a special speaker to talk about what we can do as peers, teachers, and administrators to create safer schools where all students can feel safe and have a voice.
Tina Owen is the founder and lead teacher of The Alliance School, the first school in the nation started with a mission of reducing bullying. It was also the first to start a gay-friendly middle school. The Alliance School is part of the Milwaukee Public School system and currently serves students in grades 6-12 who live in the Milwaukee area.
While at Daemen Owen will speak at three events, beginning Thursday, April 12, and ending on Saturday, April 14.
Thursday, April 12, 7:00 p.m., in Alumni Lounge, Wick Center, on the Daemen campus: Panel Discussion “Responding to Hate.” Tina Owen and members of Daemen’s Multi-Cultural Association will lead a discussion focusing on hate crime laws, bullying, racist jokes, homophobia, and more.
Friday, April 13, 12:00 p.m., Research and Information Commons, Room 101.
Presentation: “Creating Safer Schools: Real Strategies for Teachers, Schools, and Communities.”
Tina Owen will offer a presentation titled: "Creating Safer Schools: Real Strategies for Teachers, Schools, and Communities." Owen will discuss the need for schools like Alliance and the strategies Alliance uses to reduce bullying. Content points will include: What is Alliance? What does it do? Who are the students? Why a separate space? What is bullying? How is bullying different from conflict? How pervasive is bullying? Who are the targets of bullies? What does the research say about bullies and bullying? The 10 things that are done at Alliance that schools can do now to reduce bullying. Participants will include Daemen students and faculty; Resident Assistants; and local teachers and administrators.
Saturday, April 14, 2:00 p.m., Alumni Lounge, Wick Center, on the Daemen campus. Workshop: “Restorative Justice and Peacemaking Circles in Schools.” Tina Owen will lead a
workshop on how to lead and implement peacemaking circles as a strategy for building community and resolving conflict. Participants will experience a mock restorative justice circle and have an opportunity following the circle experience to ask questions about the process (Program limited to 25 participants and taken on a first come first serve basis).
All events are free of charge. To register, go to www.daemen.edu/Owen . For information contact Dan Nilsson at dnilsson@daemen.edu, or call (716) 839-8208.
Tina Owen received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Secondary Education from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and went on to earn a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership and Director of Instruction from Alverno College, also in Milwaukee.
Alliance is a small teacher-led school with seats for 175 students in grades 6-12. The school follows a year round schedule and uses a model of democratic governance, so that students and teachers are empowered to make the school the best place it can be.
The Alliance School has been featured in major news programs and magazines such as 20/20; Time magazine; People magazine; and U.S. News and World Report. Additionally, the school has been the focus of international news programs from France and the Netherlands.
In November 2009, the school was recognized with the Silver Award (2nd place) as "High Achievement Charter School of the Year" by the Wisconsin Charter Schools Association. In 2011, it received the WCSA's Platinum Award ("Charter School of the Year") as "most accountable, autonomous, innovative, and involved charter school". Additionally, this year the school is honored to be the recipient of the Fair Wisconsin Organization of the Year Award.
Links:
The Alliance School in People magazine, March 2010:
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20350595,00.html
MPS Portal:
http://mpsportal.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=328&PageID=38481&cached=true&mode=2
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alliance_School_(Milwaukee)
U.S. News and World Report: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-education/2008/12/17/milwaukee-to-form-gay-friendly-middle-school.html
U.S. News and World Report:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/2008/12/31/gay-high-schools-offer-a-haven-from-bullies.html