Amber Wiese feels that she has an umbrella view of the St. Cloud Area School District . She has a 5th grader, Dominic, at Madison Elementary in the Chinese Immersion program; an 8-year-old, Amara, in special education at Kennedy Community School; and a 3-year-old, Morgan, in preschool at Kennedy.
A recent graduate from St. Cloud State University (SCSU) in social work, Wiese understands both the importance and urgency of early-childhood education. Living in low-income housing while raising her children and going to school, Wiese benefited from Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE) classes, Head Start, and preschool programming provided through the district.
In addition, Amara was born at 24 weeks, weighing only 1 pound and 5 ounces, and spent the first six weeks of her life in the neo-natal unit of the St. Cloud Hospital.
“The district provided early intervention services to us right away, in our home, until she was three,” Wiese said. “The schools
were like family. They were teaching her, teaching me. It was all part of the journey.”
Amara attended summer school at Roosevelt Early Childhood Center and Head Start for one year, and is currently mainstreamed in her classes at Kennedy.
Wiese is very intentional about her children’s education. She credits her college experience, especially in social work, with creating awareness about many issues, including the early communication needs of children. She deliberately chose the Chinese Immersion program for Dominic, wanting to give him both a jumpstart to
his education and a sense of cultural perspective.
“I’ve learned a lot about the refugee experience,” Wiese reflects. “There have been lessons for Dom and me.”
She also has come to value education as a top-shelf priority. At SCSU she served as the Vice President of the Student Social Work Association, became a part of the Dean’s Advisory Council on Health and Human Services, and received the Scholarship and Leaders In Excellence Award upon graduation. (25 recipients out of 1800 graduates)
This quest for achievement is something she hands down proudly to her children. Dominic is flourishing in his immersion program and tested well on his MCA’s last spring. He also has already made his own mark in community service, raising funds for a local playground . Amara is making gains in her schooling, and Morgan will follow in Dominc’s footsteps to Madison in the Chinese Immersion program.
What Wiese appreciates most about her family’s experiences in the district are the relationships each school and program forged with them.
“The schools are really lifelines,” she says. “Whether through early interventions or extra-curriculars. They are life-links to the families.”
Note: Wiese was recently hired by ISD 742 as a paraprofessional.