MPS gives some students a chance to work with Wisconsin sports teams through new school program

Students at Golda Meir School in Milwaukee are getting the chance to work with professional sports teams in Wisconsin.

MKE Fellows is teaming up with Marquette University and Milwaukee Public Schools to bring the Sports Analytics Club Program to the school. SACP is modeled to engage high school students of color and steer them towards careers in fields like engineering and data science.

“I’m super excited. It involves science, math, a lot of inside work for sports,” Solimar Sanchez, a junior at Golda Meir School, said.

Sanchez was selected to work with about 20 other students after school, learning how data science plays into sports. They will work alongside teams like the Bucks and Brewers.

“A lot of it has to do more with figuring out stats for certain players,” Sanchez said. “Making sure the plays and the players and the team is successful.”

Golda Meir is one of two schools in Wisconsin offering the program. The second club will be founded in Green Bay in partnership with UW Green Bay and Green Bay Area Public School District.

“Green Bay East, they are going to be working on ticket pricing and structure,” Wendell Willis said.

Willis is the executive director of the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation. He said 14 other schools across the country already have the club in place, successfully working with other professional sports teams.

“For instance in Detroit, one of the high schools worked on getting Ben Wallace into the Hall of Fame,” Willis said. “The eye test may tell you he’s not a Hall of Fame player, but data science shows you actually he is.”

Willis said students will be provided with new computers. Marquette University will also help oversee the projects.

“It’s great that the MKE Fellows made the first investment in making our students can be attached to a great career, because there are thousands and thousands of ready made jobs for data scientists,” Willis said.

Both clubs in Wisconsin will manage between 15 and 25 student members and focus on specific research projects aimed at supporting the cases of individual collegiate and professional athletes to attain entry into either the NCAA or Professional Hall of Fame.