Education

National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS) Director Dan Neenan presented to the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Board of Trustees at its June 19 meeting to provide updates on successful outcomes of its farm safety programming and give an overview of services the center delivers to local, regional, national and Canadian communities. Neenan and his team coordinate a variety of safety training programs for fire departments, Emergency Medical Services, agribusinesses and independent farmers each year. NECAS is the only farm safety training center in the U.S.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD)was held Monday, June 19. Board members Melanie Mauss and Kelli Mudderman were not present at the meeting.

The board approved the following food service and registration fees for the 2017-2018 school year:

Breakfast - PK-6 Students: $1.75; Grades 7-12 Students; $1.75; Adults: $2.25
Lunch - PK-6 Students: $2.55; Grades 7-12 Students: $2.65;  Adults: $3.55
Extra milk - PK-6 Students: $0.55; Grades 7-12 Students: $0.55
Book fees - PK-6 Students: $45; Grades 7-12 Students: $55
Activity Ticket - PK-6 Students: $45; Grades 7-12 Students: $45;  Adults: $65
Drivers Education - $260.

The following approvals were all passed by the board:

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met in a pair of meetings this past month. Coverage of both meetings appears below.

MAY 25 SPECIAL SESSION
The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met Thursday morning, May 25 for a brief special meeting. In personnel matters, the board approved staff for the 21st Century After School Program.

Greg Criswell was hired as Middle School Physical Education teacher ($59,947) and head girls' basketball coach ($5,568). Andrew Turpen was hired as a fourth grade teacher ($33,304) and Bridget Dolan was hired as a sixth grade teacher ($33,304). Randy Nordheim was hired as head varsity volleyball coach ($5,714). Virginia Kurth was hired as the Middle School 21st Century Site Coordinator ($15 per hour). The board also accepted the resignation of Jackie Rubendall from her paraprofessional position.

by Brianne Eilers

In April of this year, the Waukon Middle School of the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD), along with the Cora B. Darling Elementary School of the Postville Community School District, received $990,000 for the 21st Century Community Learning Center. The Community Learning Center program was one of eight Iowa school programs to receive a grant for the 21st Century program.

The grants are funded on a three-year grant cycle, with an optional two-year extension after a site visit. During the 2015-2016 school year, approximately 1,000 students were served in the local 21st Century programming.

Barb Winters-Kelly is the 21st Century grant director for the elementary schools, middle school and high school in the ACSD. She has been with the ACSD since 1998, when the program was funded by a two-year grant.

"People wanted after school programming (for the students)," Winters-Kelly noted.

Two Waukon High School juniors from the Harpers Ferry area, Landon Berns and Jared Campbell, were selected to attend Boys State, which was held June 11-16 at Fort Dodge in Johnston. Berns is the son of Charles and Peggy Berns, and Campbell is the son of Dan and Carolyn Campbell, all of Harpers Ferry.

Both young men were sponsored by Scenic Post 722 American Legion of Harpers Ferry. Iowa conducted its first "Hawkeye Boys State" in 1938 and has held one every year since, with the exception of 1945, when World War II gasoline rationing made it impossible. Hawkeye Boys State is a six-day course in self-government. Participants learned more about the functioning of city, county and state government in the state of Iowa than 75% of the population of Iowa.

The Waukon Lions Club hosted its annual Waukon High School Honors Banquet at the First Presbyterian Church in Waukon May 3. Students ranking within the top 15% academically of the Class of 2017 were honored. The evening included a meal served by the Presbyterian Women and an inspirational talk by guest speaker Larry Wolfe, a 1982 Waukon High School graduate who currently serves as Associate Principal at Charles City High School and Middle School. The graduates told the audience of their future plans and were then presented certificates by Waukon High School Principal Mike Hardy and Allamakee Community School District Superintendent Dave Herold. Pictured above are the honor students. Left to right - Front row: Lanci Bulman, Regan Wasson, Claire Beyer, Brooklyn Larson, Mason Hermeier, Callie Ferring, Hannah Hennessy. Back row: Sydney Herman, Christa Heffern, Maxwell Swartz, Adam Gruman, Tyler O'Neill, Logan Sullivan, Erika Johnson, Emma Johnson. Submitted photo.
 

The St. Olaf American Legion Auxiliary has selected Allie Crogan and Laynee Benson - both Jr. Auxiliary members - to represent the unit at the 2017 Iowa Girls State to be held June 18-23 at the Drake University Campus in Des Moines. During the week, the girls will experience this nation's democratic form of government by assuming the roles of city, county and state officials or legislators. They will be using social and academic skills they have already acquired and learn new skills essential for responsible citizenship, as well as making and establishing lifelong friendships.

Laynee Benson is the daughter of Mary and Darrel Miller of Waukon and Donald Benson of Wisconsin. She just completed her junior year at Waukon High School, where she is vice president of the local Food & Fitness Initiative and is currently taking general education classes through the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Waukon Center to get a headstart with college.

This past school year, the Construction classes at Waukon High School have been busy with a large variety of projects, allowing the students to get hands-on experience in a “real world” setting. Projects completed this year around the Waukon High School campus included putting a new roof on the concession stand at the high school football field, adding a cold storage area underneath the football field press box, developing a new shot put area for the track and field teams, remodeling and adding an office to the high school wrestling room and constructing a new desk in the Waukon High School office. In addition to projects within the school setting, the students also offered their services to help the Waukon community, including fixing up various buildings for the Waukon Park and Recreation Department and putting a roof on the new concession stand/bathrooms building at the Waukon City Park.

Twenty-four students in fifth through seventh grades from all throughout northeast Iowa participated in STEAM Creations: Makerspace Camp from June 5-7 at Northeast Iowa Community College’s (NICC) Waukon Center. Many of those students are pictured in the top photo with NICC Waukon Center Director Erica Nosbisch (far right) explaining to parents and other community members what students participated in at STEAM Camp during a final public presentation at the end of the Camp. At the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Camp students learned about 3D printing, video creation using green screen and stop-motion technology, interactive virtual reality, Oculus Rift, coding, robots and engineering. The camp is designed to allow participants to create and share ideas, equipment and knowledge while applying their discoveries to help make their community a better place.

The Allamakee County Conservation Board (ACCB) will be hosting a series of summer day camps for the youth of Allamakee County throughout the months of June and July. The camps will be held at parks throughout Allamakee County.

The series will feature camps for all age levels from three to 15 years of age. All camps will be free of charge, however, participants must be pre-registered.

Youth ages three to six are invited to attend, with an adult, two storytimes from 9:30-11 a.m. June 22 and June 27 at County Home Park just north of Waukon on Highway 9. June 22, “Native Animals” will feature animals that are native to Iowa. The June 27 “Teeth” storytime will feature educational activities about the teeth of animals and how they use them. Both camps will feature educational stories, activities and crafts to make and take home.