Education

Dr. Dale Crozier, Superintendent of both the Eastern Allamakee Community School District and MFL/MarMac School District, was honored with the Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) Fine Arts Administrator of the Year award after being nominated by speech coaches from both MFL/MarMac (Angie Killian) and Kee (Tammy Manning) high schools. Since the coaches from the two districts share Dr. Crozier as an administrator, they both decided to send letters of recommendation for him to be selected for the award.

Dr. Crozier accepted the award Friday, October 11 at the IHSSA Coaches Convention held in Ames. He is pictured in the submitted photo above receiving his award from Russ Adams, Superintendent of Schools for the MOC-Floyd Valley School District. The award plaque reads: “Your contributions to the welfare, promotion and refinement of participation opportunities have allowed your school district and students to realize the value and benefits offered by IHSSA activities.”

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors held its regular monthly meeting Monday evening, October 21. Under personnel matters on the consent agenda, the board members approved staff for after school programs, volunteers for the fall musical, the hiring of West Elementary/ELL paraprofessional Mariah Fogt, and John Papp as volunteer boys basketball coach. The board also approved increasing paraprofessional Toni Pearson’s hours from 5.75 per day to seven hours per day and providing benefits.

Sunday usage requests and out-of-state field trips approved included NICC Career Learning Link fall field trips, FBLA, Waukon Wrestling Club camp and Waukon Volleyball Club. The board also approved an ISU Cooperative teaching agreement and special education contracts. One open enrollment request was approved as well.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) was held at Kee High School in Lansing Monday, October 21. Board members Bruce Palmborg and Melanie Mauss  were absent.

Audience comments included remarks from Julietta Castillo-Ocampo, Kee High School’s new Spanish teacher. She introduced herself to the board and provided some background information. She was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. She was a lawyer and also spent several years in the Army. She married an Iowan and moved to the United States. Since she could not practice law in the United States without attending law school again, she became a teacher, and she has taught for 17 years. This is her first year in Lansing.

May 24 of this year, the students and staff at St. Patrick School in Waukon celebrated the life of Richard “Dick” Schilling with a mass honoring his memory. Gratitude was expressed for the legacy he gifted to St. Patrick School, with his generous gift of $132,000 assisting St. Patrick School in continuing its mission and ministry for years to come.

In recognition of Iowa Archaeology Month and International Archaeology Day, Luther College in Decorah will be presenting a lecture surrounding the ongoing research conducted on Iowa’s effigy mounds by Colin Betts, Luther archaeologist and professor of anthropology, and his students. The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 17 in Olin Building, room 102 on the Luther College campus. This presentation is open to the public with no charge for admission.

A rich part of northeast Iowa’s cultural heritage and landscape, Effigy Mounds National Monument offers a collection of prehistoric earthen constructions in the shape of animals. Set in Allamakee and Clayton counties, they are rare, geographical elements that carry an air of mystery. Though there has been more than a century worth of research around them, the meaning and purpose of their indigenous architects remain an open case.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Allamakee County office will offer the Mosquito/Public Health Pest Management Continuing Instruction Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators Thursday, October 24. The program provided by the ISU Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) can be seen at locations across Iowa.

The local attendance site for the October 24 CIC is the Allamakee County Extension Office, Waukon. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by sessions from 9-11:30 a.m. The registration fee increases after October 17. To register or to obtain additional information about the CIC, contact the ISU Extension and Outreach Allamakee County office at 563-568-6345.

Celebrating Constitution Week, observed September 17-23 each year, the Hannah Lee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) donated Constitution posters and booklets to classes teaching the Constitution within area schools. With the Constitution being the cornerstone of the government of the United States and having worked for so long, the local DAR chapter wanted the students to have their own copy of the Constitution. Pictured above, left to right, Waukon High School Principal Jennifer Garin, DAR member Mona Day, and Waukon High School U.S. Government and Social Studies teacher Jerry Keenan are shown with the booklets and a poster. Pictured below are members of the fifth grade class at St. Patrick School in Waukon with posters. Their teacher, Mrs. Dacia Sommer, accepted the booklets. Submitted photos.
 

Three Waukon-based Clover Kids meetings were hosted in September by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, such as the group pictured below. Clover Kids is a fun 4-H program specifically designed for children in kindergarten through third grade. The overall purpose of the Iowa 4-H Clover Kids program is to foster the development of life skills that are essential for the cognitive, social, emotional and physical maturation of kindergarten through third graders by providing a unique, age-appropriate educational opportunity.

Every two years Farm Credit Services of America donates to Waukon High School agriculture classes and its Little Switzerland FFA Chapter new FFA manuals and student handbooks. This year they donated 45 student handbooks and 10 FFA manuals used by students and members to explore opportunities in FFA, learn about the history of FFA, and much more. Waukon High School’s Ag One classes use these books almost daily, which causes some quick wear and tear, and these books are needed to not only help freshmen and younger students learn more about FFA and all it has to offer, but also so FFA members can keep up on new events in the program’s history and learn more about contests, SAEs and more.

The resignation of New Albin Elementary School Principal Chad Steckel was approved by the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors in a late afternoon special session Friday, September 20. Steckel has served as principal of New Albin Elementary School for the past several years, and EACSD Board members voted unanimously in that special session to accept his resignation from that position, as well as all of his other coaching and teaching positions he held within the EACSD.

EACSD Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier stated that Steckel’s letter of resignation that was presented to the board stated he was resigning “for personal reasons.” Steckel reaffirmed that reasoning in follow-up correspondence with The Standard, stating, “I will simply say the same.”