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The 2021 Waukon High School Prom is scheduled to be held this Saturday, April 24 at the Waukon Middle School gymnasium. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. Grand March, with no limit to the number of guests a Prom participant may invite to the Grand March but masks being required to be worn at all times by all in attendance. Students participating in Prom may remove their masks during the Grand March procession only.

Following the Grand March will be the coronation of this year’s Prom King and Queen. Visitors are asked to exit the building after the coronation in order for students to start the Prom dance. Students need to be present and attend both the dance and Post Prom event to be eligible for prizes at the Post Prom event being held in the Waukon High School gymnasium. Post Prom will offer a variety of activities, including games, contests and a hypnotist, and will take place following the Prom dance, from 11 p.m.-3:30 a.m.

The 2021 Kee High School Prom is scheduled for this Saturday, April 24. Pictured at left are the senior class Queen and King candidates for the annual event. Left to right - Front row: Queen candidates Mado Shako, Rhissa Eiden, Alexis Johnson, Jaiden Berns; Back row: King candidates Owen Henkes, Michael Mattson, Kellen Maddox, Jesse Jones. The annual banquet will be held at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall on Main Street in Lansing at 5:30 p.m. The dance will take place from 8-11:30 p.m. in the banquet hall.

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Everyone involved with this project knew it was going to be a big deal.

Not only is the musical, West Side Story, one of the most enduringly beloved in American theatre - with almost every song from the score now considered a standard; but this weekend’s past performance of that timeless classic at Waukon High School was also the first live musical theatre production in the local area since the COVID-19 pandemic had put the arts, like everything else, into lock-down last year.

For Waukon native Brittany Horns, the opening of her own clothing boutique, Silver Laine Co., LLC, on Main Street of her hometown marks the realization of a dream she’s been working toward throughout her career in the retail clothing industry. That dream became reality for her when she opened the doors to her new boutique at 33 West Main Street in Waukon Friday, April 2.

Following her graduation from Waukon High School in 2003, the former Brittany Leiran embarked upon what has been an 18-year career thus far in retail management. That career took her to a number of places and through a vast array of experiences throughout the tri-state area, including three years in Minneapolis, MN working at the Mall of America.

“Through years in the retail world, I knew my dream would be someday opening my own doors,” Horns said. “Born and raised in Waukon and moving away after high school, living in larger cities, I knew my dream and goals would bring me back home.”

Barb White of Waukon was recently awarded “The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses” at a presentation held Thursday, April 8 at the Good Samaritan Society - Waukon. White, who has provided more than 32 years of service as a nurse at Good Samaritan Society - Waukon, was presented the award by Steve Bargar, the new Executive Director at the Waukon facility.

Also present at the award ceremony were Sarah Welsh and Connie Pronga, two of the four Directors of Nursing that White has worked under during her three-plus decade career at Good Samaritan Society - Waukon. White was also presented with a stone sculpture hand-carved for Good Samaritan Society by the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

The serpentine stone sculptures hold special meaning because of the profound respect the Shona people pay their traditional healers. Shona healers are affectionately regarded as treasures by those they care for, and the well-being and safety of the healer is of community-wide importance.

The Corner of Hope Growing Hope Globally local growing project held its annual Blessing of the Seed and Soil Saturday morning, April 10 to kick off the 2021 growing season. The blessing event was held at the field being contributed to this year’s growing project by Dave and Suzanne Hahn located southwest of Waukon. Father John Moser, Pastor at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Waukon, performed this year’s blessing. Submitted photo.

The Waukon High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter participated virtually in the 2021 State Leadership Conference in early April. Prior to the State Leadership Conference, students spent time preparing projects and taking tests to submit virtually to conference judges.

With the points accumulated through the students’ various project and testing finishes, the Waukon FBLA chapter earned the 2021 Iowa FBLA State Leadership Conference Lloyd V. Douglas Chapter of the Year Award in honor of the chapter’s first-place finish. In addition to the project, testing and overall team honors, Waukon High School junior Vivian Khan was voted in as the Region 1 Vice President for the 2021-2022 year, replacing Waukon High School senior Lilly Kossman, who has been serving as the 2020-2021 Region 1 Vice President.

Waukon High School Prom 2021 is scheduled for Saturday, April 24. Parents of high school students are again hosting the annual substance-free Post Prom event at the Waukon High School gym immediately following Prom, from 11 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. the next morning.

Very strong past support from parents of Waukon High School students, as well as from local businesses and civic organizations, has resulted in the continued success of providing Prom-goers a safe alternative for celebrating the annual event. That support has provided these young adults with games, food, entertainment, games and prizes at the Post Prom event each year.

Assistance is needed for the event in two main areas:

The Waukon Middle School presented the play “A Thousand and One Nights of Reality Television” by Lesley James, published by Youth Plays, Friday, March 12. The production featured Scheherazade, who oversees the production of hundreds of reality TV shows, and if she doesn’t come up with a new one each and every night, the Sultan will have her job. The producer comes up with some clever ideas in a mix of fairy tales and reality television. Due to COVID-19 precautions, this year’s production was not open to the general public, only to family members of the cast and crew.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met for its regular monthly meeting Monday, April 19.

Under the consent agenda, the board approved the following personnel matters: Amy Love was hired as an elementary teacher ($61,722), and Brenda Good was hired as a bus driver. The board also accepted the resignation of Joan Schwartz from her teaching position and as Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) advisor, due to retirement, and Jerry Keenan from his varsity bowling coach position.

The board approved Sunday usage of the football field for varsity football. The board also approved usage of the football field October 6 for the Fields of Faith event. The 2021-2022 AEA Purchasing and Luther College Student Teaching agreements were also approved under the consent agenda.