Brookfield East Class of 2018

Caroline Westrick is a 2018 Spartan graduate who is giving back to the community that raised her through her work as an educator at Wisconsin Hills Middle School.

Caroline’s Elmbrook journey took her from Tonawanda Elementary to Pilgrim Park Middle School and eventually Brookfield East High School. While at East, she was involved in the Spartanettes dance team which she captained her Senior year, and a member of both the National & Spanish Honor Societies. She highlighted her math teacher and Spartanette coach Jennifer Toth and LAUNCH’s Dr. Bob Hall for their tremendous positive impacts on her. During her time in the LAUNCH program, Caroline participated in the Future Teachers strand which provided her real-world experience in education and instruction. “Being part of the Future Teachers strand my senior year really helped me solidify my post-graduation plans of majoring in education,” reflected Westrick. “The program gave me field experience and I was able to start building professional relationships with teachers in other schools before I even graduated!”

Following her graduation from East, she continued onto UW-Madison to focus on Special Education and Elementary Education and completed her undergraduate degree in 2022 while doing her student teaching at the Madison Metropolitan School District. In Fall of 2022, she began teaching at Wisconsin Hills Middle School as a Special Education teacher. “From a young age I knew I wanted to become an educator at some level,” Westrick stated. “My work in the LAUNCH program really confirmed my passion for education and desire to make a difference in the lives of students.”

Today, Caroline is working towards her Masters in Educational Leadership, a journey that will conclude in May 2024, and she hopes to someday step into an administrator or leadership role in education!