Photo by Tom Jenz
Rodney Lynk, Jr. and Marcus Lynk
Rodney Lynk, Jr. (left) and Marcus Lynk
Life in the predominantly Black central city experiences violence and trauma unlike anywhere else in the metro area. If you are a student at a central city school, your main objective might be just to remain safe.
Located on 4950 N. 24th Street, Milwaukee Excellence Charter School, with the partnership of Peace for Change Alliance, has taken on violence and trauma with seminars on reckless driving, gun violence, mental health, sexual assault and bullying. Think about your own community. If you are a student at a suburban high school, would these topics be on your curriculum agenda? Or would you like to find this comment in your social media mailbox—“Milwaukee fucked up so bad this fuckin city not gonna change this the new chic”—posted in a central city activist’s comment section a day after the Deer District shootings on May 13.
Rodney Lynk, Jr., 36, is the CEO of Milwaukee Excellence, and his younger brother Marcus Lynk, 32, is the Restorative Practice Coach, similar to a High School Dean of Students. They were born and raised in the heart of North Side Milwaukee, at 27th and Burleigh and 27th and Chambers. The brothers went to Frederick Douglas Elementary, and then to Milwaukee School of Languages, sixth grade to twelfth. Theirs was a single mom household. Mom worked hard, and she also instilled the dedication to service, teaching her children how to give back to the community. Rodney Jr. earned his undergrad from the University of Wisconsin Madison, a Masters in Education from Marquette, an MBA from Milwaukee School of Engineering, and currently pursuing his PhD at his alma mater in Madison. Marcus earned his undergrad degree from San Jose State University in California, and their mother got her degree from Concordia College in the same time frame.
I spoke with the Lynk brothers at the Milwaukee Excellence Middle School, formerly McNair Elementary School. I found them intensely dedicated to educating their students on all fronts.
How did you gentlemen get involved in the field of education?
Rodney: I moved out to California to teach at the best elementary school in the nation, Rocketship Education.
Marcus: I joined my brother, went to college at San Jose State for Psychology and also took a teaching job at Rocketship.
Rodney: After a few years teaching there, we came back to Milwaukee to try to impact education for Black kids on the North Side. The cultural problem here is that the South Side has more economic development. Milwaukee is a tale of two cities, south and north. Our school, Milwaukee Excellence, assures that our students receive a high-quality education. We do that in two ways: one, financial stability, and two, the personal freedom when they leave here.
Can you elaborate on those two concepts?
Rodney: As for financial stability, our goal for each student is that you earn $45,000 to $50,000 five years after you graduate from Milwaukee Excellence, be able to buy a house, have disposable income, and become a tax paying citizen. We teach them how finances work, credit card management, saving money, financial literacy, investments, entrepreneurship, and how money can work for you. We also provide pathways for personal freedom by giving students exposure to alternative career options while developing their own interests and talents.
I assume that the $50,000 salary goal will be achieved after they go to college.
Rodney: Not just that they should all go to college, but some will learn skilled trades. That is where the personal freedom concept enters in. Some of our students will go to MATC and learn a building trade or IT networking, computer programming, and even culinary. We try to expose our students to many different career options. This comprises personal freedom, the blueprint to follow the available opportunities. Statistics show that Wisconsin is the worst state to raise Black males. We want to help change that. If we give them financial stability and personal freedom, they will be okay.
How did you guys get involved in this Milwaukee Excellence Charter School?
Marcus: We both worked at Rocketship schools in California for numerous years. I taught everything from gym to math to English.
Rocketship employs a “hybrid” model of learning using individualized online instruction as well as classroom teaching and small-group tutoring. The model focuses on low-income communities through a sustainable public school model that propels student achievement and develops exceptional educators.
Marcus: We wanted to bring back the Rocketship education style to Milwaukee, and we moved back here. In 2016, Rodney helped start Milwaukee Excellence Charter School, and later I joined and fell in love with the students and the program.
Presently, your curriculum includes grades 6 through 11.
Rodney: The class of 2023 will be our first 12th grade class. This year, we have 561 students, 6 through 11. Next year will be 600 plus. Our new high school building will be on 71st and Brown Deer.
What is the ethnic breakdown of your student body?
Rodney: Predominantly Black students from the inner city, zip codes 53206, 53208, 53209, all the communities on the North Side—from Riverwest up to Mill Road and Brown Deer.
What do you think the issues are for Black kids who go to your school?
Rodney: The media talks about the general trauma that was caused by COVID, the isolation and mental health for Americans. Our students have been dealing with this kind of trauma long before COVID. At our school, students get stability, a sense of community, and social interactions. Not just with other students and friends, but with teachers, too. We think of ourselves as their family, father and mother figures. Because our school had to go virtual, COVID caused a loss of that connection in our community.
Marcus: Instead, students had to find connections through social media, but some of that exposure was bad. For instance, the KIA boys from ages of 12 and up who steal cars and drive recklessly. Or cyberbullying.
That leads me into what your school has been doing to educate your students on the dangers of violence. Recently, you held the Youth Victory Over Violence Week, each day devoted to seminars on various forms of trauma and violence. What were you trying to accomplish and what were the results?
Marcus: We were creating awareness. Some students see violence in their neighborhoods as normal. You’re not supposed to wake up in the night to the sound of gunshots or the squealing sounds of reckless drivers or even seeing violence in your own home. Our goal has been to change the narrative.
On the first day, you covered “stollies” or stolen cars, and reckless driving.
Marcus: We brought in volunteers from the city, law enforcement, entrepreneurs, and politicians. We even had a demonstration of a car flipping over to show the danger and the damage a reckless driver can do to passengers, family and friends. Kids told stories of relatives who drove too fast, of injuries and deaths. They were educated on how to report a stolen car or a reckless driver.
The second day was about gun violence.
Marcus: The topic of gun violence became an emotional day. Some kids broke down when talking about gun violence that happened with their friends or family members. Even our teachers broke down. Our school had lost a student to gun violence. Some kids just expect someone to get shot or killed when the weather turns hot. That thinking should not be a mindset. You shouldn’t have to be on alert when you play on the street or at a park that you might get shot by a stray bullet or you might witness gunfire. We had law enforcement here and also special caregivers, even trauma victims. Our goal was to teach awareness.
On the third day, you concentrated on mental health.
Marcus: During Covid, so many kids felt alone. All they had were their computer screens and their cell phones. They connected through social media, TikTok, Instagram, to get a sense of community. We gave kids a chance to talk about that isolation. Our teachers also spoke about their own isolation. Teachers often do community circles before classes begin, just to check in, “Hey, where you at today?” We want our students to feel heard. Again, we had the cops here to explain how cops themselves handle personal mental problems as a result of dealing with violence on their jobs. We encouraged kids to use music as therapy at home. We wanted them to be aware of what was going on mentally and where to go if they need assistance. We have a program here called STUDENT VOICES MATTER where students are encouraged to open up about their feelings.
Another topic you took on was sexual assault.
Marcus: Sexual assault was a big deal, very impactful day. We discussed what it means to protect yourself, what sexual assault means, for instance, inappropriate touching. We also covered teen pregnancy, sexual diseases. These are growing teens with sexual desires. Both kids and teachers told stories about sexual assault among their friends and families.
And finally, you had a program on bullying and cyberbullying.
Marcus: These days, a lot of bullying that kids experience comes from social media. A kid might post a selfie picture and get lots of negative comments. Kids have also posted pictures of themselves unclothed. Other kids can use those photos and make threats. “Do what I tell you or I will share your nude photo all over social media.” The cops were present to cover bullying, and we discussed how the kids can protect themselves and their peers. Currently, social media is probably the most important thing to kids as far as disagreement issues. Unfortunately, a lot of the posts are about hearsay and not what really happened.
You had a talent show at the end of the week.
Marcus: Yes, and it was a big success. Kids expressed themselves through art, singing, dancing, joy and connection. Milwaukee’s PEACE FOR CHANGE ALLIANCE donated prizes.
Rodney: The purpose of our talent show was for the kids to express themselves after a dramatic week of discussing trauma and hardships. They were celebrating us all still being here together as the Milwaukee Excellence family. Violence only happens if you don’t have purpose.
