Education

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) was held Monday, February 17 at Kee High School. The meeting was called to order by Heather Schulte, Board President.

After the adoption of the agenda, the board approved the February consent items, minutes of the January meeting, bills for February, Secretary’s Financial Report for January, and the Student Activity and Food Service January Reports.
In new business, the board approved a performance of the drama production “Caught in the Act” for Sunday, April 5 at 2 p.m. in the high school gym. In addition, the board approved two overnight trips for the high school baseball team scheduled for June 6 and June 27 for back-to-back days of road competition during the upcoming baseball season. The district will pay for the room of the coaches and for transportation.

The Waukon High School and Middle School Music Departments will be hosting the 10th annual Pops Concert, this year on a Friday night, February 28 at the Waukon Middle School gymnasium. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with concert time at 7 p.m. The Pops Concert features high energy musical numbers from the 1950s through today.

Nearly every musical group at the Waukon Middle School and High School participates in this concert. Groups performing will include the jazz bands, a small group of sixth grade vocalists, and all choral groups in grades 7-12. The Pops Concert is an annual fundraising event sponsored by the Allamakee Music Boosters. It replaced the Spaghetti Supper ten years ago and has proven to be a very popular change, according to all involved and all who attend the event.

Waukon High School Prom 2020 is scheduled for Saturday, April 25. Parents of high school students are again hosting the annual substance-free Post Prom event at the Waukon High School gym immediately following Prom, from 11 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. the next morning.

Very strong past support from parents of Waukon High School students, as well as from local businesses and civic organizations, has resulted in the continued success of providing Prom-goers a safe alternative for celebrating the annual event. That support has provided these young adults with games, food, entertainment and prizes at the Post Prom event each year.

submitted by the Allamakee Community Education Association

Last March the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Education approved a new schedule for professional development. The preceding years, students would go home early on designated days so that school personnel could meet for three hours and work towards the goal of improving student achievement.

For the 2019-2020 school calendar, the schedule was altered to take six Wednesdays and Martin Luther King, Jr. day to have eight hours of professional development each time. This has allowed teachers, counselors and administrators a variety of opportunities that would not have been as easily achieved under the old schedule.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors members met Monday evening, February 17 for their regular monthly meeting. A public hearing on the 2020-2021 school calendar was held, with no written or oral comments. A public hearing on proposed public improvements to the West Elementary school was then held and again there were no written or oral comments.

Under personnel matters, the board approved staff for after school programming. The board also accepted the resignation of Patrice Schulte from her teaching position at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. A Sunday request for seventh grade boys basketball was approved, as was a request for Sunday open gym for varsity boys basketball. Five open enrollments were also approved under the consent agenda.

The Waukon High School and Middle School Music Departments will be hosting the 10th annual Pops Concert, this year on a Friday night, February 28 at the Waukon Middle School gymnasium. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with concert time at 7 p.m. The Pops Concert features high energy musical numbers from the 1950s through today.

Nearly every musical group at the Waukon Middle School and High School participates in this concert. Groups performing will include the jazz bands, a small group of sixth grade vocalists, and all choral groups in grades 7-12. The Pops Concert is an annual fundraising event sponsored by the Allamakee Music Boosters. It replaced the Spaghetti Supper ten years ago and has proven to be a very popular change, according to all involved and all who attend the event.

The Allamakee Community School District hosted the annual Career Workshop Friday, February 7 at Waukon High School. The Career Workshop is the brainstorm of Waukon High School Guidance Counselor Amy Wasson, Northeast Iowa Community College-Waukon Center Director Erica Nosbisch and Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism Director Val Reinke. Invitations are extended to juniors and senior students at Waukon, Kee, Postville and MFL/MarMac High Schools to attend the event. The goal of this event is to introduce high school juniors and seniors to area businesses, career opportunities and the stories of local people involved in various careers. Approximately 200 students chose two career tracks each to attend based on career interests at this year’s workshop. This year’s event included the following guest speakers and their career tracks (pictured above, left to right):

Achieving academic and career success requires of high school students an openness to learning new things, and a knack for balancing demanding work and school commitments. One local student, Cassidy Byrnes, is just as determined and sees her hard work paying off.

Byrnes had already completed 32 college credits before graduating from Waukon High School in 2019. She will earn an Associate of Arts degree from Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) this May, transfer to University of Northern Iowa and arrive on campus in Cedar Falls as a junior. She participated in the Career Learning Link program through NICC to focus her career goals. Three scholarships also supported her college education: the Allamakee Scholarship Fund and the Northeast Iowa Community College Loyalty Scholarship and Opportunity Scholarship.

The Driftless Half Marathon (DHM) is offering scholarship opportunities for graduating seniors who will be attending a college or university this fall. One $500 scholarship will be offered to a senior graduating from each of two local high schools, Kee High School and Waukon High School. Students must be a part of their respective school’s scholarship fund.

Students who wish to apply for the scholarship are encouraged to contact their school’s guidance counselor for more information. Applications will be accepted until April 1 of this year. Recipients will be awarded during their respective school’s senior awards night later this spring.

The Driftless Half Marathon Scholarship is made possible by generous sponsors and loyal runners. The race committee believes in giving back to the community those who live here are fortunate enough to call home. The committee also hopes to make a positive impact while also motivating people to be active.
 

Waukon Head Start classrooms, located at West Elementary School at 953 Third Avenue NW in Waukon, will be holding Registration and an Open House Wednesday, February 19 from 4-6 p.m.  Head Start, operated by Northeast Iowa Community Action, is a full day program that offers a safe and nurturing environment while providing active learning.

Qualified teachers partner with families to provide the best possible preschool experience for children who are three and four years old. Head Start services are funded by federal and state grants and are free for families who qualify. Transportation is available in some areas.  Nutritious meals and snacks are provided by the CACFP program. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Parents are encouraged to bring proof of income and proof of their child’s date of birth.