The Official Blog of Communities at Oshkosh North

As you walk into the room, you see the multi-colored lights flashing and dresses swaying to the beat of the music. Prom is a night that every girl dreams about during her high school experience. Some girls may not be able to attend because of financial problems, but Oshkosh North High School has a way for every girl to be able to attend prom. Oshkosh North hosts a prom dress closet during the month of April every year. The prom dress closet provides free dresses for girls who cannot afford a dress or simply just need a dress. Within our variety of dresses, we have a large selection of different sizes, colors, and styles. It’s important to have the dress closet available for local girls. According to the ALICE Report in 2014, 50% of the Oshkosh area is in poverty. Not only is it important to have the dress closet available to girls in Oshkosh, but to other surrounding schools as well. Last year over half the attendance was from other schools such as Winneconne, Omro, and Menasha Hig...

Lonely. Depressed. Socially Awkward. This is social isolation. In partnership with Park View Health Center, a nonprofit county run skilled nursing facility, I am serving a semester of my time volunteering to help end this epidemic. My time spent with the residents is more than just volunteering, it is a solution to the increasingly large amount of elders who are becoming isolated. Just in the Winnebago County 13.4% people are over the age of 65 years according to the United States Census Bureau Website (datamapper.geo.census.gov). Generations keep growing as well as the demand for nursing facilities, which can result in a constant increase of social isolation. The Population Reference Bureau website, states that the aging of the baby boom generation could fuel a 75% increase in the number of Americans ages 65 and older requiring a nursing home, to about 2.3 million from 1.3 million (prb.org). While residents may spend their last stop at a nursing facility, they may start to socially ...

I can remember coming into Communities as a freshman and hearing about bikes and their importance. It didn’t really connect or click for me. Then my Sophomore my classmates and I took on this project BikeOsh. We took a trip to Madison to experience the bike-friendly community. I enjoyed this, but it wasn’t the biking, it was the city. Not until my summer of sophomore year did I understand. Everyday biking towards work I saw health benefits. Stronger legs, better cardiovascular endurance. For my terrible eating happens this was something I liked to do keep a good frame. The start of my Junior year I really began to understand the why behind biking and this time biking became important. Every morning I have the choice of catching the bus, biking or driving. After days of waking up early for the bus, I began to sleep in. The thing was though my mom needed her vehicle every day, so I rode my bike. For the next months until winter came, I road my bike. I began to understand why bikin...

As you walk into the room you see the multi-colored lights flashing and dresses swaying to the beat of the music. Prom is a night that every girl dreams about during their high school experience. Some girls may not be able to attend because of financial problems, but Oshkosh North High School has a way for every girl to be able to attend prom. Oshkosh North hosts a prom dress closet during the month of April every year. The prom dress closet provides free dresses for girls who cannot afford a dress or simply just need a dress. Within our variety of dresses, we have a large selection of different sizes, colors, and styles. It’s important to have the dress closet available for local girls. According to the ALICE Report in 2014, 50% of the Oshkosh area is in poverty. Not only is it important to have the dress closet available to girls in Oshkosh, but to other surrounding schools as well. Last year over half the attendance was from other schools such as Winneconne, Omro, and Menasha High ...

Out of all the students enrolled in the Oshkosh Area School District, almost 40% are economically disadvantaged, meaning that they receive free or reduced lunch (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction). I am partnering with Kay Kuenzl-Stenerson, a retired teacher who is the managing director of The Teacher’s Closet Incorporated who serves schools in the Oshkosh area. One reason why The Teacher’s Closet is valuable to the community is that there is growing amount of poverty in Oshkosh schools. Some, if not many of these students cannot even afford school lunch, let alone expensive school supplies.The Teacher’s Closet supplies the teachers, who then can get the supplies to the children who need it. While free school supplies are valuable to the students, it’s also important to all teachers, no matter what grade they teach or how long they have been teaching. According to the ASCD website, the average teacher spends approximately $400 out of pocket to pay for supplies, decorations, ...

If you are looking for a unique way to not only connect with your Oshkosh community but also getting out and being active keep reading to find out what event you can take part in on May 5th. Myself and a couple classmates of mine are partnering with the City of Oshkosh to help run the event BikeOsh. The reason that you should take part in this is that we are trying to develop Oshkosh into a pedestrian and bicycle friendly transportation system that is safe, increases physical activity and recreational options, and is an economic asset to the community. Biking can not only be a mode of transportation but it also gives people a healthier lifestyle which is what we are trying to promote sustainable and healthy living. According to Dani Stolley, in Oshkosh, 75% of adults are overweight or obese, and nearly 30% of children are overweight or obese. As you can see obesity does not just occur in adults it ranges from adults to children and is only going to continue to be a growing issue in ...

Suicide, tragically, is all too common. The individual who passes is never the only victim; suicide leaves a trail of additional victims like friends, family, loved ones, and the entire community. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, in 2017 alone, over 700 Wisconsin residents have passed away due to suicide. Over 5,500 residents have been hospitalized for intentional, self -inflicted injuries. As the numbers of suicides increase, so do the number of people affected by the loss of that individual. As mental health is one of the leading contributors to suicide, I decided to partner with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, as known as NAMI, for my junior project. NAMI focuses on educating, advocating and supporting people who are affected by mental illness(s). Together, we are planning and promoting the local Oshkosh 5K for Mental Health and Suicide Awareness. With the donations and proceeds from the 5K event, it will go towards financing NAMI programs and...