Education

Learn all the basics of water bath canning, making pickles and pickled products at a Food Preservation Workshop Tuesday, May 14 from 5-9 p.m. The workshop will be held at Ms. B’s Quilting, 201 Allamakee Street in Waukon, and is part of the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Preserve the Taste of Summer program.

Jill Weber, a human sciences specialist in food and health with ISU Extension and Outreach, will lead the workshop. During the hands-on workshop, participants will:
• Learn the basics of water bath canning and pickling
• Hear the most up-to-date canning recommendations
• Make and can pickles
• Take home and enjoy a jar of pickles that they canned.

“These workshops are fun and helpful for beginning canners as well as experienced canners,” states Weber, workshop instructor. “We will provide the most up-to-date science and guidelines for water bath canning.”

The annual P.E.O. reception for girls from the graduating class at Waukon High School was held Monday, April 22 at Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon, marking the 61st anniversary of the event. The evening began with refreshments served. After a welcome by Chapter EK President Caroll Schreiber, introductions were made by members of Chapter EK and guests. Kristin Mathis presented the program on “Follow Your Path and Do What You Love.” The girls attending from the 2024 Waukon High School senior class then shared memories from their high school years. Submitted photo.
 

First-year student Emma Palmer of Waukon is nearing completion of the 2023-2024 President’s Leadership Class at Iowa State University in Ames. Palmer majors in kinesiology and health and is a 2023 graduate of Waukon High School and the daughter of Eric and Stephanie Palmer of Waukon.

Each fall, Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen invites 30 first-year students to participate in the program. They are selected for the class based on high school leadership experience, academic achievement, and involvement in school and community service. The President’s Leadership Class builds on these abilities and experiences, serving as an important training ground for students who will go on to become campus leaders; and ultimately, leaders in their professions and communities.

The future of financial education and investment strategy shines brightly as local student teams emerged victorious in the prestigious The Stock Market Game Competition. SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) Foundation has announced the student winners of this year’s Stock Market Game™ competition in Iowa. The top two teams with the highest portfolio value - along with their teachers and schools - were honored in the elementary, middle and high school categories.

Among those top teams was the Waukon Middle School team under the guidance of instructor Lee Stegen. That team of Waukon Middle School students finished second in the Spring 2024 competition, where Dallas Center-Grimes Oak View Middle School placed first.

Saturday, April 13, five students from the Beginning Band at East Elementary School in Waukon had the opportunity to participate in the Coe College Honor Band in Cedar Rapids. The honor band is held each year, and there are two ensembles that perform at the event - one for first-year players who are mostly in fifth grade, and a second ensemble for second-year players in sixth grade. During the day, the students had the opportunity to rehearse with world renowned composer Carol Britton Chambers, who also composed two of the pieces that the students had to learn for the festival. The bands performed a final concert at 4 p.m. that afternoon in the Coe College campus auditorium. The five Beginning Band students from East Elementary School who attended the Coe College Honor Band are pictured above and include (left to right) Isabella Hogan, Ivy Streeper, Malea Downing, Leighton Staggemeyer and Emma Berges. Submitted photo.
 

State of Iowa Treasurer Roby Smith has announced that the 2024 Robert D. Blue Scholarship is open for applications. Applicants must be a current senior or former graduate of any Iowa high school who plans to attend a college or university within the state. Awards are based on financial need, an original essay, academic achievement and recommendations.

Smith is a member of the Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation, which funds the scholarship. The Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation was created in 1949 by Governor Robert D. Blue. Scholarship applications are only accepted online and must be submitted by May 10. Visit rdblue.org online to apply and learn more.
 

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The  Board of Directors of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) met in regular monthly session Monday, April 15. Two operational matters for the 2024-2025 school year were approved, including the operational sharing agreement for a school business official with South Winneshiek School District, and the Area Education Agency (AEA) Purchasing Agreement.

For the current school year, the board approved the overnight softball trips in June for the West Delaware Tournament and the Don Bosco Tournament. Coaches will be reimbursed for one room at the Don Bosco Tournament and the players will be responsible for the cost of their hotel rooms at both locations. The school will provide transportation.

P.S.S.T. (Parents Supporting Students and Teachers), the parent organization supporting East and West Elementary Schools in Waukon, held a fundraiser in February to raise money to help bring performances, guest speakers, special field trips and much more to the elementary students of the Allamakee Community School District. Students sold items to family and friends and in return earned prizes.

The top class in fundraising sales at each school earned a pizza party, and it was Mrs. Colsch’s class at West Elementary and Ms. Ihde’s class at East Elementary earning the honors for 2024. The student who sold the most at each school also got an award... they got to put a whipped cream pie in the face of their school principal, Mrs. Samantha Thornton, or Mrs. T. as the students call her.

by Brianne Grimstad

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Negotiations Committee members met with Allamakee Community Education Association (ACEA) representatives to discuss contract negotiations Friday morning, April 12. In its initial proposal, ACEA asked for a base salary increase of $860 to $34,070. The total increase with step movement, insurance increase, lane change increase and the increase in the base came to 3.95%, with the step movement and lane changes given according to Article V, Section 3 of the Master Contract.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Friday, March 15, Eastern Allamakee Community School District Superintendent and Kee High School and Middle School Principal Dr. Sarah Updegraff Murray posted on Facebook a picture of her husband, Steve, and her on their date night in an area restaurant. A few hours later, she was being airlifted to Gundersen Medical Center in La Crosse, WI fighting for her life after falling at home.

Steve was inside their home and Sarah went to the edge of their side yard which overlooks the Mississippi River to see a barge. She slipped and fell about four feet off a retaining wall. Steve rushed out and immediately called 911. The Lansing EMTs were there within a few minutes, assessing the situation.