Education

Waukon’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter has been very busy this school year.  As chapter members prepare for their upcoming trip to the State Leadership Conference in Coralville March 31-April 2, FBLA students celebrated National Career & Technical Education Month in February with FBLA Week festivities and reflect on all of the achievements this school year.

Waukon FBLA students kicked off the year with its annual FBLA haunted park, selling over 800 admission tickets. Students hosted their rooms and ensured that all visitors had a fun and frightening night, utilizing teamwork to put together a great event that brought students together.

FBLA students also had many opportunities to give back to the community. Opportunities such as a can drive competition and volunteering to rake leaves through town proved to be a fun and productive experience for FBLA students to lend a helping hand in their community.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met in a pair of recent meetings during the month of March. Coverage of both meetings appears below.

SPECIAL MEETING MARCH 11
The Allamakee Community School District board members met for a special meeting Friday, March 11. Under personnel matters, the board approved the following hiring recommendations: Shaylie Hammel as Middle School Geography/U.S. History Teacher; Jaydon Snitker as Middle School English Language Arts Teacher; Kris Rausch as Third Grade Teacher; Shaylie Hammel as High School Speech Advisor; Casey Walsh as Substitute Bus Driver; and Morgan Renfer as Elementary Special Education Teacher.

Allamakee Scholarship Fund (ASF), Inc. will hold a Recognition Breakfast Wednesday, March 30 at 7:30 a.m. in the Waukon High School cafeteria. Applicants and their parents will be special guests. The breakfast is being held to thank individual and group donors and to recognize student applicants.

Pledges from the recent scholarship fundraising mailing can be turned in at that time or mailed to: Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc., P.O. Box 144, Waukon, IA 52172.

Organizations and other scholarship donors need to have awards to ASF Treasurer Amy McCormick at Waukon State Bank by that date also, and Awards Program information can be verified with Amy Wasson at Waukon High School. Individuals, families and organizations awarding scholarships this May are encouraged to attend the Recognition Breakfast.
 

Hundreds of students from the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) celebrated the National Read Across America event together Tuesday, March 1. District Teacher Librarian Lisa Snitker and the elementary reading committee organized the annual paired reading event in the Waukon High School/Middle School Auditorium. Students from East and West Elementary partner-read with Waukon Middle School students, reading print books and eBooks on the middle school student laptops, as pictured in the surrounding photos.

The seven members of Kee High School’s Individual Speech team pictured above took a total of 10 events to District Contest Saturday, February 26 at Maquoketa Valley High School. Pictured above, left to right are: Front row - Zoey Timmerman, Riley Troendle, Cadan Evanson, Neva Peterson; Back row - Isabelle Hammell, Abby Wood, Ahmed Atta. The following students advanced to the State Contest held Saturday, March 12 at Clear Lake High School: Abby Wood in Solo Musical Theatre, Ahmed Atta in Poetry, Neva Peterson in Literary Program, Riley Troendle in Prose and Cadan Evanson in Storytelling.

All five of those performances received a Division I rating and a gold medal at Saturday’s State Contest. Submitted photo.

As a leading contributor to educational programs and scholarships for children in the state of Iowa, Farm Bureau provides students with over a million dollars of scholarship support. By investing in local youth, the Iowa Farm Bureau feels it is investing in the future of Iowa. This year, Allamakee County Farm Bureau is presenting scholarships to four area high school seniors.

Madelyn Helgerson is the daughter of Erik and Janelle Helgerson of Lansing and a Waukon High School senior. She plans to attend Iowa State University in Ames with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Learning Technologies. Her application is also being sent to Iowa Farm Bureau for consideration of an additional scholarship.

Drew Stock is the son of Mark and Stacy Stock of Waukon and a Waukon High School senior. He plans to attend South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD with a major in Animal Science and a minor in Business.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions is offering “Healthcare Faces of the Future 6th-8th Grade” Wednesday, April 27 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon. The event will take place at the hospital’s ICN facilities.

Students who want to be a nurse, paramedic, doctor or other health professional can spend an action-packed day experiencing what these careers are like. They will have a chance to work with manikins in a health lab setting and try many interactive, hands-on activities. Guest speakers from local healthcare facilities will also share what it’s really like to work in their fast-paced jobs.

This camp is intended for students in sixth through eighth grades. Special appreciation goes out to Iowa Intermediary Network and Veterans Memorial Hospital for making this class available at no charge.

February 27 and 28, four members of the Waukon High School Band participated in the annual Dorian Band Festival at Luther College in Decorah. Students from across the midwest were divided into either 2 massed band or one smaller wind ensemble.  The bands rehearsed over the course of the two day festival and performed and late afternoon concert on Feb. 28 at 5:00 p.m.  Bailey Sherman and Cody Huinker participated in the Noble band under the direction of Shelley Hanson of Macalester College.  James VanderVelden and Logan Lubahn participated in the Sperati Band under the direction of Shawn Vondran from Northwestern University.  The students are under the direction of Jo Ann Knipfer Sherman, Waukon High School Band director. Submitted photo.
 

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met twice in the month of February. At a February 3 special meeting, the board approved the following personnel items: Erin Plein as student council advisor and Joanne Ericson as a mentor.

The board also accepted the following resignations, all due to retirement: Mary Milewsky, Jon Snitker, Louise Wild and Tim Bulman. Approval was also given to a bid from School Bus Sales in the amount of $116,520 for a propane powered bus.

The public is invited to attend a Wednesday, March 16 presentation by Trevor Ragan, founder of The Learner Lab, a resource for understanding the science of better learning. Ragan will be speaking to staff members of the Allamakee Community School District during that scheduled professional development day of no classes, and will then conduct a presentation for the general public from 5-6 p.m. that evening at the Waukon High School Auditorium.

Ragan’s presentations are described as “an opportunity for students, parents and community members to hear a message about striving for excellence in all they do.” He explains that “learning is the most important skill. Great learners are agile, resilient, and adaptable. Great learners can acquire new skill when demands arise. In times of change, learners will thrive.”