Education

The Nuffield International Farming Scholars program has announced the selection of its 2018 Nuffield Scholars, which includes two agriculturalists from the United States of America and two from Brazil. Among those Scholars is Waukon area native Brian Dougherty, a 1991 graduate of Waukon High School and the son of John and Rita Dougherty of Waukon.

Dougherty is joined in the honor by Steven Griffin of Washington, NC, the assistant manager for Griffin AG LLC, a farming operation that grows corn, wheat and soybeans for storage and marketing, along with other value-added crop. Also joining those two American selections are two Brazilians, Artur Falcette of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mauro Nakata of Sorocaba, Sao Paulo.

Thursday, December 7, music students of Sandy Good performed a Christmas concert for the residents at Wellington Place in Decorah. Those students are pictured in the surrounding photos. Pictured above, left to right, are Emily Myers, daughter of Jim Myers and Mindy Myers of Decorah; Creed Monroe, son of Darin and Sarah Monroe of Decorah; Maddox Wiethorn, son of Dan and Amy Wiethorn of Decorah; Klaara Short, daughter of Michael and Torea Short of Decorah; Haylee Hackman, daughter of Jason and Lorie Hackman of Waukon; and Sydney Hageman, daughter of David and Kathy Hageman of Decorah. Pictured at right, left to right, are Alina Tallier, daughter of Aleksandra Tallier, and Ruby Sullivan, daughter of Brian and Jennifer Sullivan, all from Decorah. Pictured below, left to right are: Front row - Addison Wicklund, daughter of Chris and Melissa Wicklund of Decorah, and Jerikah Dodd, daughter of Austin and Marcie Dodd of Decorah.

As new technologies and best practices are introduced in agriculture, Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) re-designs the focus of its academic programs to reflect innovations and ensure that curriculum is workforce relevant. At its December 18 meeting, the NICC Board of Trustees approved the suspension of the College’s Agriculture Production - Associate of Applied Science degree program and approved a new Associate of Applied Science program in its place, Agronomy and Crop Science.

The Agriculture Production program, which presented an overview of a variety of ag production areas, will close at the end of the 2017-2018 academic year. The new Agronomy and Crop Science program, to be offered starting in 2018-2019, focuses on soil health, food production and farm sustainability. New courses include Plant Physiology, Livestock Nutrient Management, Grain Management, Agriculture Fertilizer and Chemicals, and a Special Project.

Saturday, December 9, the St. Patrick School RoboCats robotics team competed in a First Lego League (FLL)  regional competition held at the Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School in Dubuque. The theme of the 2017 First Lego League season is Hydrodynamics.

Thirty teams of students, ranging in age from nine to 16, competed in the three major areas of First Lego League including Core Values, Robot Design and Robot Game, and Hydrodynamics Project.  Teams were judged in the areas of Core Values, Robot Design and Hydrodynamics Project, and they received points for each mission that was completed during the Robot Game matches. At the end of the competition, the judges tabulate points and choose teams to advance to the state competition held on the campus of the Iowa State University College of Engineering in Ames January 13-14.

Students in Kindergarten through fifth grade in the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) under the direction of art instructor Carlyn Lechtenberg had their artwork selected to be put on display at the Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA) building in Elkader during the months of January and February. The art displays are open to the public for viewing during office hours. Students whose artwork was selected for the display include Kaleb Finn, Ada Iverson, Roland Melcher, Laryn Bulman, Raleigh Lonning, Emma Retallick, Sutton Jones, Mariesa Gibbs and Kelby Cahalan. Their artwork is pictured above and labeled accordingly. Submitted images.
 

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The regular monthly meeting for the Eastern Allamakee School District (EACSD) Board of Directors was held Monday, December 18. Board member Melanie Mauss was absent due to jury duty in Cedar Rapids. Audience comments included presentations from Tammy Manning, director of the Kee High School Speech program, and Jana Troendle, preschool teacher.

The quality of care that children receive between birth and age five sets the stage for the rest of their lives. With that in mind, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers professional development for child care providers.

Participation in professional development is an important part of providing quality care and education. Research indicates a strong correlation between formal education and training of providers and quality early care and education for children. Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) regulations provide minimum standards for continuing education. Many Iowa initiatives encourage child care professionals to exceed minimum professional development expectations.

Commercial manure applicators should plan to attend the Commercial Manure Applicator training program scheduled for Thursday, January 4, 2018 from 9 a.m. to noon. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), will conduct the required three-hour training workshop at that time.

There is no fee to attend the workshop, but commercial applicators must register by December 28 by contacting the ISU Extension and Outreach Allamakee County office at 563-568-6345.

The Allamakee Business and Community Board convened November 17 to collaborate with businesses and local career and technical education teachers. Ray Rankin, Kee High School Agriculture/Industrial Technology teacher, and Caleb Ferring, Waukon High School Industrial Technology teacher, discussed externships they participated in this past summer.

During an externship, educators work side-by-side with knowledgeable and skilled industry employees who help bring the classroom curriculum to life. Teacher externships provide educators with the exposure to answer questions about real-world application, prepare students for careers they may have in the future and improve educational experiences.

 “Afterschool with Ross” is scheduled for Tuesday, December 19, which is a date change to the third Tuesday for the month of December only, due to the upcoming holiday. The event is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the Anne Lauerman Story Corner. Ross Geerdes, Conservation Naturalist with Allamakee County Conservation, will share information on the Winter Solstice.

“Afterschool with Ross” is a regular feature of library programming on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Families and children of all ages are encouraged to attend. For more information contact the library at 563-568-4424 or robeymemorial@waukon.lib.ia.us.