Education

submitted by the Allamakee County Extension Office

September 1 marks the start of a new 4-H year. It is an exciting time of year in the world of 4-H and a perfect time for youth in fourth through 12th grade to join 4-H.

Parents may wonder the value of enrolling their child in yet another organization. They are already in sports, music, dance, church groups, etc. So, why did the parents of 229 youth in Allamakee County enroll their child in 4-H for the 2018-2019 4-H year?

Because, 4-H offers a learning experience that will benefit 4-H’ers for a lifetime. 4-H is more than cooking, sewing, hogs, cows and farming. 4-H is about empowering youth to reach their full potential through youth-adult partnerships and research-based experiences.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met for its regular monthly meeting Monday, August 19. A number of items were addressed prior to the start of the new school year this Friday, August 23.

Under personnel matters, the board approved staff for the after school program and Lexie Bieber as a volunteer cheer coach. Barb Weipert and Lori Pladsen were approved as Middle School paraprofessionals and Liz Baures was approved as West Elementary After School Program Coordinator. Bailey Roth, Jadi Twite and Emily Stone were approved as West Elementary Paraprofessionals and Stephanie Mulvey was approved as East Elementary Library paraprofessional.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors held its regular meeting Monday, August 19. All of the board members were present.

Audience comments included presentations by Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA) board member Dr. Bill Withers, as well as Keystone AEA Executive Director Pat Heiderscheit. Both gave a brief summary about the social, emotional, behavior, mental health program that is underway in Iowa for students. They noted that mental health has been neglected for many years, but recent tragic events have brought the needs for improved mental health programming to the forefront.

Heiderscheit enumerated some of the programs that Keystone has  initiated. The program for the entire state began with $2 million in funding for improvement in pupils’ mental health, which results in approximately $4 per student in Iowa. Heiderscheit hopes that more funds will be appropriated.

Pictured above, Rebecca Hawes, Director of Relief Services and County Council Member Diana Davison display some of the school supplies donated during the Allamakee County 4-H Council’s school supplies drive held during the Allamakee County Fair to benefit the County Relief Office.

Supplies such as notebooks, crayons, book bags and more were collected. For further information about the Allamakee County 4-H Program contact Morgan Bjerke, County Youth Coordinator at the Allamakee County Extension and Outreach Office at 563-568-6345. Submitted photo.
 

What do bats, mushrooms, wilderness, the Mississippi River, art, citizen science and mounds all have in common? The answer is Effigy Mounds National Monument Summer Evening Programs. Join Effigy Mounds National Monument every Sunday and Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. in the Effigy Mounds National Monument Visitor Center for fun explorations and intriguing discussions about these topics.

All programs begin at 7 p.m. and are offered through the summer season ending October 20. Attendance is free and reservations are not required. Below are the topics and remaining schedule:

The Waukon High School athletic campaign for the 2019-2020 season will get kicked off Thursday night, August 22 at the annual Meet the Team/Sports Drink Scrimmage Night being held at Waukon High School, beginning at 4 p.m. with a variety of scheduled activities. The Allamakee Athletic Booster Club will kick off the event at 4 p.m. with its annual membership drive that includes an appreciation meal being served to Booster members and athletes at the Waukon High School cafeteria.

At 5 p.m., a featured speaker will address the crowd in the Waukon High School gym. Upper Iowa University (UIU) Vice President of Athletics will be this year’s featured speaker. Hartzell joined the Upper Iowa University Athletics Department as the Peacocks’ director of athletics in January 2018. Prior to the 2019-2020 academic year, he was promoted to Vice President for Athletics. Hartzell previously served as the director of athletics at the University of Northern Iowa from 1999 through 2008.

The school gardens at two Waukon schools are flourishing thanks to the green thumbs of the young gardeners involved in the Summer Food and Fitness program hosted by the Iowa 4-H AmeriCorps program, ISU Extension and Outreach and the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD). In June, club members planted and tended the garden at the Waukon Middle School. Nine raised beds were filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, ground cherries, kohlrabi, peppers, peas, cauliflower and sunflowers. Some of the yield from this garden will be shared with students taking part in the ACSD summer feeding program in August.

Mental illness affects the whole family, not just the one with the diagnosis. No one is ever ready for the arrival of mental illness in a loved one. Family members can often feel overwhelmed as they try to learn more about the illness, treatment options, and how to adjust to this new reality in their lives.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Northeast Iowa is presenting a free one-day course, Hope for Recovery, designed for family members who have a loved one dealing with mental illness. The course is also open to the general public. Participants will learn about types of mental illnesses, treatments and recovery, coping strategies, communication tools, the mental health system, and local resources.

The course will be held Saturday, August 10 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in Cresco at Regional Health Services of Howard County, located at 235 Eighth Avenue West. Call Susan Friedrich at 563-422-7882 for more information and to register for this course.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers ServSafe® food safety certification classes. ServSafe® meets the criteria for an individual to become a “Certified Food Protection Manager” (CFPM).

Iowa’s Food Code (as of January 1, 2014) requires that: “at least one food establishment employee with management and supervisory responsibility be a CFPM.”

The ServSafe® program blends the latest FDA Food Code, food safety research and years of food sanitation training experience. Managers learn to implement essential food safety practices and create a culture of food safety. All content and materials are based on actual job tasks identified by foodservice industry experts.

The class will be taught by Jill Weber, Human Sciences Specialist, Nutrition and Wellness and Registered ServSafe® Proctor & Certified ServSafe® Instructor. Training will be offered at the Allamakee County Extension Office in Waukon Monday, September 16 from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

The 10th Hour Middle School summer program in the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) had many adventures during the month of June. The first week was filled with information from Beth Shafer as she presented the students with experiences of being a pilot and ended with a visit to the Waukon Airport, as pictured in the photo at center. The students climbed aboard two different planes belonging to local pilots Jim Wadsworth and Richard Loven, who taught the students “all there is to know about flying”.

The program’s first field trip was to the “Go Free Escape Room” in Cedar Rapids where the students had to solve mysteries of the missing Ancient Egyptian Amulet. The group continued with the Egyptian theme throughout the rest of the month by making mummies, a sarcophagus, pyramids, hieroglyphics, a death mask and painted Egyptian Gods.