News Center newsletter

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors met Monday, November 15 for its annual meeting. Board President Heather Schulte called the meeting to order. Board members Tony Becker, Bobbie Goetzinger, Melanie Mauss, Kelli Mudderman and Heather Schulte were present. Also present were Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier, Board Secretary Michele Martin, Technology Coordinator Dave Ellefson and newly-elected board member Arla Wagner. Middle and High School Principal Dr. Sarah Updegraff joined the meeting at 7:45 p.m. Visitors included Liz Hill and Brea Baxter.

A program offering $2,000 scholarships is now open to Iowa high school seniors. Students not only have a chance at much-needed funds for college but can also learn ways to reduce college loan debt through the program.

Iowa high school seniors may register for the Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge: Senior Scholarship at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/Know-How between now and March 11. Once registered, students will receive instructions via email on completing two online modules and a related assessment.

Scholarships will be awarded to the students who score highest on the assessment or are determined through a tie-breaker. The two modules, Student Loan Game Plan and the Return on College Investment tool, are designed to help students and families determine maximum recommended levels of student loan debt and find ways to minimize the debt they need to repay.

Waukon High School student was last year’s winner

Calling all student artists in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now accepting entries for the 2022 Iowa Federal Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) art contest. While entering the JDS contest, students have the opportunity to learn about waterfowl and their habitat, and then create an image of an eligible North American waterfowl species. School groups and informal groups can enter this contest, or the student may enter individually.

Iowa entries for the 2022 Contest must be postmarked by March 15, 2022 and mailed to: DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge; ATTN: Junior Duck Stamp; 1434 316th Lane; Missouri Valley, IA 51555.

All information needed to participate can be found on the website: www.fws.gov/juniorduck.

VFW Auxiliary Gustave F. Kerndt  #5981 has announced the kick-off of the VFW Auxiliary’s annual Illustrating America art contest. Local students in grades K-8 can share how they view the world through their drawings and paintings while competing for national awards.

Students must submit an original two-dimensional piece of artwork. Coloring sheets, digital art and photography are not accepted. The entry must have been completed during the current 2021-2022 school year and the application must include a teacher or supervising adult’s signature in order to be complete.

Students begin by competing at the local VFW Auxiliary level. The first-place winner from each Auxiliary advances to the District competition with District winners advancing to the State competition. The contest consists of three grade divisions: K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. The State first-place winner in each grade division will be forwarded to Auxiliary National Headquarters.

VFW Auxiliary Gustave F. Kerndt #5981 has announced the kick-off of the VFW Auxiliary’s annual Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest. Local students in grades 9-12 have the opportunity to compete for $33,000 in national scholarships.

Students must submit an original two- or three-dimensional piece of artwork.  Digital art, photography and jewelry are not accepted.  The entry must have been completed during the current 2021-2022 school year and the application must include a teacher or supervising adult’s signature.

The first-place winner from each Auxiliary will advance to District competition with District winners advancing to the State competition.  State first-place winners compete for national awards.

VFW Auxiliary Gustave F. Kerndt #5981 announces the kick-off of the VFW Auxiliary’s National Anthem Singing Contest, “Get Excited for the Red, White and Blue!” Local youth in grades K-12 can showcase their talent, display their patriotism and express their creativity while competing for their share of $2,000 in national awards.

Contestants must submit a video of their solo vocal performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Video must be saved to a DVD or flash drive, or uploaded to an online video platform (e.g., YouTube or Vimeo) and submitted to a local Auxiliary for judging.  The video must be recorded between July 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022. Entries will be judged on vocal ability, mastery of lyrics, originality or interpretation and entertainment value.

Waukon Middle School football coach Tim Bulman was honored with the Don Taft Memorial Junior High School Football Coach of the Year Award for Class 2A during the Class 2A State Championship football game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls Friday, November 19. Bulman has been coaching football for 37 years, with all but four of those years being at the junior high/middle school level and those other four years being as a junior varsity coach. That coaching tenure has included positions in the Terril and Jesup school districts before he coached the past 19 seasons in Waukon.

The Waukon boys basketball team is coming off one of its best seasons in recent history this past winter and will return four letterwinning veterans from that campaign that ended with a 15-6 season record. Although four returning veterans can fill a large portion of a five-player regime that takes to the basketball court, that leadership foursome and this season’s supporting cast will have some significant holes to fill from the graduation of a six-player senior class that helped the bucket Tribe reach the 15-win mark for just the third time in the past decade and play to its best Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) record and team finish in well over a decade, all while setting some records along the way.

The biggest change for the 2021-2022 Kee boys basketball team from last season to this season will be at the very top of the totem pole, as the team returns seven varsity letterwinners as seniors this winter but will be guided by a new head coach after the retirement of Pat Wagner since last season. Jeff Cota will be taking over those head coaching reins this season, but even though he may be new to the position, he is certainly not new to the program or to the charges he inherits.

Mary Lou Potempa, 71, of Las Vegas, NV, formerly of Waukon, died April 9, 2018 at Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas, NV. Joint graveside services for her and her husband, Bob, will be held Wednesday, December 1 at 11 a.m. at Oakland Cemetery in Waukon with Pastor Bryan Robertson officiating.

Martin – Grau Funeral Home in Waukon assisted the family with local arrangements.

Mary Lou Potempa was born May 3, 1946, the daughter of Emmett and Jenette (Leyse) Burgess in Waukon. She attended nursing training in Cedar Rapids, and she then moved to Denver, CO, where she worked as a registered nurse (RN) at Colorado General Hospital. Mary continued in the medical field when she and Bob moved to Las Vegas, NV, where she served as a unit secretary at University Medical Center (UMC) of Southern Nevada.

She married Robert Potempa December 14, 1974. Mary was a person who reached out with love to everyone she knew. She is preceded in death by her parents.