Odessa, Ukraine ... Photo above shows sandbags and cement barriers set up as a barricade in Odessa, Ukraine in preparation to combat Russian forces invading Ukraine. In the center of the photo is the Odessa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet, one of Odessa’s most famous buildings and its oldest theater. Submitted photo.
Before and after views show damage ... Photos above shared by Waterville area native Scott Ewing show images near Mariupol State Humanitarian University in Mariupol, Ukraine before (top image) and after (bottom image) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mariupol State University is known abroad as a center for training of highly qualified personnel which plays an important role in development of effective cooperation between Ukraine and foreign states in the field of education, science and culture. Submitted images.
(Editor’s Note: The following information was shared from a diary of events written by Waterville area native Scott Ewing, a 1980 graduate of Waukon High School and the son of Jerry and Anna Marie Ewing of rural Waterville. The sharing of the diary excerpts was made possible by Kevin Welsh of Waukon, who is a former neighbor, long-time friend and is in consistent contact with Ewing during the current historic experience of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the evacuation of Ewing and his family to Poland. Part 1 of the Diary of Ukraine [February 12-March 4] was published in the March 9 edition of The Standard.)
Saturday, March 5
Today our Polish friends, who have totally taken our family under their wings, located another apartment which Natasha and I will move into next week. To add insult to injury, in Ukraine, some of our family members have come down with COVID, and now the virus is spreading through the apartment.
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 Kee High School Speech program hosted its Dinner Theatre event Saturday, March 5 at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall in Lansing, with 211 meals served and a showcase of the speech team’s events, as well as a sneak peek of the upcoming musical “Little Shop of Horrors” (pictured at center), which is scheduled for production dates of April 2 at 7 p.m. and April 3 at 2 p.m. at Kee High School. The evening consisted of a buffet catered by TJ Hunter’s that included smoked pork loin, barbecue chicken, party potatoes, corn, Oreo fluff and a drink, along with a dessert bar that was provided by the speech team members. Candlelit tables were decorated with black and gold centerpieces, piano music filled the hall, and glamorous lighting set the dining area and stage. Entertainment consisted of the speech teams’ events performed in contests this season and a couple musical numbers, which all followed the meal.
Main Street Lansing will be holding its 2022 Annual Meeting Wednesday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Safe House Saloon on Main Street in Lansing. All are invited to attend and hear about Main Street Lansing’s efforts over the past couple years and plans for the future.
There will also be a presentation of the annual Leadership Award, which is given to a volunteer with unmatched dedication to improving Downtown Lansing. For additional information, call 563-538-9229 or send an email to director@lansingmatters.com.
The Lansing Police Department is initiating a D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program at the Lansing Middle School, beginning in Fall 2022.
“It’s not just for drugs, it also covers vaping and teen suicide,” City of Lansing Chief of Police Conrad Rosendahl said during an informational presentation before the Lansing City Council at its regular meeting Monday, March 7. “If we can save one life then we’ve done something, in my opinion.”
He said another benefit of the program is that it involves “positive interaction with law enforcement.” The only cost to the police department would be for the 80 hours of training for certification, he said.
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.
A pair of senior boys basketball players from Allamakee County were among the 20 high school senior players to be honored for their efforts both on the basketball court and in the classroom by being named to the 2022 Iowa Basketball Coaches Association Academic All-State Team. Kee boys basketball senior Tyson Cota (at left in back row of photo at right) and Waukon boys basketball senior Braden Hemann (at right in front row of photo at right) were each chosen for the honor by the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association selection panel out of 140 applicants from across the state of Iowa and were honored with their peers during halftime of one of the Class 4A State Tournament semifinal games Thursday, March 10 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
The 2021-2022 Kee girls basketball team played to a 7-15 season record, posting its lowest win total in over 10 years when the Lady Hawks recorded a 7-14 season mark during the 2010-2011 campaign. This year’s 7-15 overall mark included a 5-11 result in Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) play that placed the Kee girls in a tie for fifth place in the final UIC standings with a South Winneshiek squad the Lady Hawks split two games with during the regular season.
Despite having just nine players on this season’s roster - only six of whom were not playing in their first year of high school basketball, the Kee girls had several of their losses this season come by just single digits to teams from larger schools and that finished ahead of them in the final UIC team standings.
