Education

by Brianne Grimstad

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met Monday night, January 19 for its regular monthly board meeting.

Under the Consent Agenda, the following personnel were approved, pending a satisfactory background check: Justin Thrailkill and Carley Spain as volunteer golf coaches, Bob Wasson as a volunteer track coach, and a change to full-time hours from part-time for paraprofessionals Calista Morris and Mataya Sommer. The board also accepted the resignation of Janet Walleser from her third grade teaching position due to retirement. Approval was also given to a special education contract with College Community School District and a Microsoft renewal contract in the amount of $5,484.48.

by Nancy Dunkel
Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation board member

Top Patriot’s Pen VFW Essay Contest entries from Waukon Middle School sixth grade ...
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4117 and its Auxiliary selected the top entries from Waukon Middle School’s sixth grade class for its VFW Youth Scholarship Essay Contest. Pictured at right, left to right, are Brooklyn Corwin, First Place; Regan Miner, Second Place; and Raven Sweeney, Third Place.

Top Patriot’s Pen VFW Essay Contest entries from Waukon Middle School seventh grade ...
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4117 and its Auxiliary selected the top entries from Waukon Middle School’s seventh grade class for its VFW Youth Scholarship Essay Contest. Pictured at right, left to right, are Nash Cunningham, First Place; Lail Curtin, Second Place; and Elsie Retallick, Third Place.

Alliant Energy is seeking applications for its 2026 Innovation Scholarships. Across Iowa and Wisconsin, up to 25 students will receive $1,000 scholarships to further their academic goals.

Applicants will write an essay that identifies a challenge in their community and presents their own innovative solution using science, technology, engineering and/or math. Scholarship recipients will be selected based on essay content, participation in leadership roles, volunteer work, community service, activities and grade-point average.

Applicants must be enrolled in their first full-time program at an undergraduate school. They also must be less than 25 years old and either a dependent of a current Alliant Energy customer or a customer themselves.

Students can submit applications to the Alliant Energy Innovation Scholarship Program online. The deadline is February 3, 2026.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors met Wednesday, December 10 at Kee High School in Lansing, holding an organizational meeting followed by the district’s regular and annual meeting later the same evening.

Voting members of the board present included Heather Lutz, District 2; Joe Manning, At-Large; Melanie Mauss, At-Large; and Arla Wagner, District 3. Tommy Martin, District 1 board member was absent.

Others in attendance at the meeting included EACSD Superintendent Jay Mathis, Board Secretary/Financial Clerk Michele Martin, Grades PK-12 Principal Donna Thomas, Special Education Director/Associate Principal Liz Hill, and Technology Director Dave Ellefson.

Alliant Energy is seeking applications for its 2026 Innovation Scholarships. Across Iowa and Wisconsin, up to 25 students will receive $1,000 scholarships to further their academic goals.

Applicants will write an essay that identifies a challenge in their community and presents their own innovative solution using science, technology, engineering and/or math. Scholarship recipients will be selected based on essay content, participation in leadership roles, volunteer work, community service, activities and grade-point average.

Applicants must be enrolled in their first full-time program at an undergraduate school. They also must be less than 25 years old and either a dependent of a current Alliant Energy customer or a customer themselves.

Students can submit applications to the Alliant Energy Innovation Scholarship Program online. The deadline is February 3, 2026.

TrustPoint, LLP, Certified Public Accountants and Consultants, has released an audit report on Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA) 1 in Elkader. Financial highlights include the AEA’s revenues totaled $24,085,662 for the year ended June 30, 2025, a 9.19% decrease from the prior year. Expenses for the AEA operations for the year ended June 30, 2025 totaled $23,486,493, a 9.87% decrease from the prior year.

The decrease in revenues is due primarily to a reduction in operating grants and contributions and property tax revenue, while the decrease in expenses is attributed to a reduction in instructional staff support and administrative expenses. These reductions are attributable to House File 2612, which brought significant changes to the operations, funding and governance of the AEA system. A copy of the audit report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at https://auditor.iowa.gov/audit-reports.

Allamakee Community School District scores as the top-rated district in the state of Iowa

Iowans now have access to district-level performance ratings through a new addition to the Iowa School Performance Profiles, providing critical, transparent information on how Iowa’s public school districts are serving students. The new district-level ratings show more than 58% of Iowa’s 325 public school districts and four public charter schools during the 2024-2025 school year performed within the top three of six rating categories, with over 88% rating acceptable or higher.

by Brianne Grimstad

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met for its regular monthly meeting and annual organizational meeting Monday night, December 15 at Waukon High School, beginning with the regular monthly meeting. Board member Beth Shafer was absent. For long-time board member Scott Melcher, this was his final meeting in the capacity of an ACSD school board member. He was thanked for his 20 years of service to the school district in that capacity.

A total of 15 members of the Little Switzerland FFA chapter at Waukon High School recently traveled to Indianapolis, IN, to attend the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo, joining more than 70,000 students from across the country. The convention, held October 29 through November 1, offered students opportunities to learn and connect with other FFA members who share their passion for agriculture. During the trip, Waukon FFA members participated in a variety of leadership sessions, explored the National FFA Expo, and listened to keynote speakers who focused on personal growth and the future of the ag industry. Students also attended workshops on career readiness, agricultural technology, and developing strong leadership skills. The group also took part in touring Hummel Livestock in Cabery, IL, Beck’s Hybrids Headquarters in Atlanta, IN, and Beasley’s Apple Orchard in Danville, IN, and also attended a rodeo hosted by Iowa-based Three Hills Rodeo Company.