Education

The Waukon Walking School Bus will walk to school Thursday mornings starting in September this fall. The Walking School Bus provides a safe, fun and active way for students to get to school. New this fall, the Walking School Bus will start in downtown Waukon. Interested families and volunteers should meet at 7:40 a.m. each Thursday at the Area Development and Visitor Center on the corner of First Street NW and Main Street. Walking School Bus routes will lead to East Elementary, West Elementary and St. Patrick Schools in Waukon. Students will be walking 10-20 minutes and arrive to school by 8:10 a.m. or earlier. Those with further questions may contact Stef Perkins at stefperkins@hotmail.com. Submitted photo.
 

by Brianne Eilers

Day camps being offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Allamakee County could provide a way for those kids looking for summer activity to hang out with friends, learn new things and experience new opportunities.
Allamakee County summer day camps provide a learning experience in a safe environment with professional staff. Camp curriculum draw on the knowledge base of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the 4-H program with a century of experience in positive youth development.
Day camps have a small registration fee due one week before camp. Camp participants will need to bring a sack lunch, water bottle, a hat, bug spray and wear casual comfortable clothes and sunscreen. Space is limited, so camp participants are encouraged to register early.

Laura Liechty has joined ISU Extension and Outreach as the Regional Youth and Nutrition Coordinator. She is based in Decorah and will be serving the six northeast Iowa counties of Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek.
Liechty will be coordinating outreach activities for school-based 4-H Food and Fitness teams and youth-led FEEST events, and outreach to families about healthy eating and active living.
Liechty grew up in Madison County and is an Iowa State University alum with Bachelor of Science degrees in Dietetics and Global Resource Systems. She is moving back to Iowa from Duluth, MN, where she worked for the Duluth Public Schools, Head Start and the WIC program as a Registered Dietitian.

The Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative, or FFI, in partnership with Luther College in Decorah are accepting applications for the anticipated 2014-15 AmeriCorps positions.
The AmeriCorps service members will join a team of enthusiastic people working in more than 16 schools throughout northeast Iowa to promote healthier school environments. Members will serve one or two districts within northeast Iowa as they integrate healthy living into school culture through modeling and education.
Members will develop youth leadership programs and deepen community investment in local healthy food access and opportunities for physical activity. As part of their service, members will support school gardens, encourage Safe Routes to School and integrate Farm to School activities across their assigned district.

by Carmen Wille,
FFA Chapter Reporter

by Brianne Eilers

A pair of area students have been chosen as scholarship recipients from the Iowa Division of Midwest Dairy Association. Scholarship applicants are evaluated on their participation in leadership and academic activities, reference letters, personal essays and involvement in the dairy industry.
Sabrina Duvel of Postville and Bobbi Jo Wild of Lansing are among the 23 students to be awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the organization’s 2014 Education Awards program, an annual initiative to financially assist college students from a dairy background. The association awarded $23,000 in scholarship money for Iowa students enrolled in the upcoming 2014-15 school year.

Allamakee Community School District teachers purchased a tree in memory of Gretchen Stangeland, who was a school nurse in the district for 19 years prior to her retirement in 2003 and who passed away in November of 2012. That tree was planted on the last day of classes in the district for the 2013-2014 school year, Monday, June 2, in front of West Elementary School in Waukon. Pictured above at the tree planting is the second grade class from Mrs. Jenette Schulte's classroom along with Bryce Koenig and Tom O'Neill of Skyline Landscaping. Submitted photo.

The East Elementary Academic Award is given each year to those sixth grade students who have been on the "A" Honor Roll for all eight semesters they have attended East Elementary School in Waukon. This year those sixth grade students, pictured left to right with East Elementary School Principal Ann Hart, include: Abbie Brainard, Owen Halverson, Brady Beyer, Tyler Block and Logan Van Ruler. Absent when photo was taken: Brock Hatlan. Submitted photo.