Education

May 6, the annual 8th Grade Tobacco Education and Youth Leadership Conference was held at EWALU in Strawberry Point. Approximately 60 students from ten area schools were equipped with prevention messages to take back to their peers. During small breakout sessions, the students learned about Youth Advocacy, ISTEP (Iowa Students for Tobacco Education and Prevention), and Tobacco 101, which was facilitated by a group of West Central High School students.

Allamakee County Extension and Outreach will host 4-H Summer Day Camps for youth completing grades K-8. Youth do not need to be 4-H members to attend camps and all youth are encouraged to join their friends in learning more about the experiences 4-H has to offer. In collaboration with Allamakee Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) various day camps will run from June 17 through August 6, being offered in different locations throughout the county:
• June 17-21, STEM Camp (science, technology, engineering and math), Waukon Park

by Brianne Eilers
 
The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met Monday evening, May 20 for its regular monthly board meeting. There were no comments, written or oral, during the public hearing on the proposed budget amendment for the 2012-2013 budget, and the amendments were approved later in the meeting.

Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m. the Waukon High School Senior Awards Program for the Class of 2013 will be held in the Waukon High School Auditorium. All students, parents, families and community members are invited to attend. Allamakee Dollars for Scholars and many community groups will present awards that evening. In addition, honors and achievements bestowed upon the Waukon High School Class of 2013 members will be recognized.

Friday, May 17, Kee High School and Lansing Middle School will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony to begin their new "Garden of Feed'em". At 8:15 a.m., a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place following an informative meeting in the cafeteria. Volunteers and students will then return to the freshly-tilled area to begin constructing the raised beds and trellises for the garden. Dirt will be delivered by noon and planting will begin.

by Brianne Eilers
 
A unique opportunity has presented itself for Allamakee County through a partnership with the University of Iowa College of Dentistry.

Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m. the Waukon High School Senior Awards Program for the Class of 2013 will be held in the Waukon High School Auditorium. All students, parents, families and community members are invited to attend. Allamakee Dollars for Scholars and many community groups will present awards that evening. In addition, honors and achievements bestowed upon the Waukon High School Class of 2013 members will be recognized.

On the grounds of Kee High School in Lansing this summer a variety of vegetables will be sprouting as students, staff and community members start a garden which will supply the district with fresh local produce and experiential learning opportunities for the upcoming school year.

Monday, April 29, Keirsten Mathis, Josh Walleser, Micah Reinke, and instructor Lisa Welsh from the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) attended Keystone’s Wind Energy Challenge in Elkader. In this competition, teams of students in grades 3-12 research, design and test their own model wind turbine to bring to the competition.

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) "Walking School Bus" will try again to have its official start Friday, May 17 for elementary-age students in the district. Three "Walking School Bus" routes, one to each elementary school in Waukon, will depart from the playing field a block north of East Elementary School near the ACSD bus barn along Fifth Street NW that Friday morning. The program tried to get a start April 12 but was forced to be cancelled due to inclement weather that day.