Education

The Allamakee Community School District's (ACSD) Walking School Bus is taking place again this Friday morning, October 18. Students will be walking to their respective elementary school (East, West or St. Patrick) in Waukon with responsible supervisors along a safe route. Interested families should meet at the playing field one block north of East Elementary School near the ACSD bus barn along Fifth Street NW in Waukon at 7:45 a.m. In addition to this week, the Walking School Bus will also walk November 15.

This summer, students and families from Allamakee County experienced an educational and hands-on tour of Washington D.C., Gettysburg and Mount Vernon through Legacy Tour & Travel. Forty-two students, families and school chaperones left Waukon via Hawkeye Stages charter bus June 18 for a seven-day tour through seven Midwest and Eastern states.

More northeast Iowa students are getting a taste of food grown in their communities, thanks to farm-to-school initiatives. Several northeast Iowa schools are serving local foods on school lunch menus and participating in nutrition education and fitness activities as part of National Farm to School month during October. The schools are receiving support from the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative (FFI) in planning the activities for the week.

More than six million young people across the country this week will be celebrating National 4-H Week, which takes place annually during the first full week of October.
Allamakee County 4-H leverages National 4-H Week to celebrate the great things that the 4-H youth development program offers young people. The week highlights the 4-H youth who each day work to a make a positive impact on their community.

St. Patrick School in Waukon has begun preparing for its Lego competition working with the STEM program to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in its schools. This year's Lego League theme is "Nature's Fury." Students will use robotics to complete the challenge course, such as the one pictured above, and create a solution to a natural disaster situation.

Healthcare providers have long expressed concern about a shortage of skilled professionals needed to replace employees who plan to retire in the next decade. Their worries may be unfounded in the Waukon area, if one six-member group of sibling sisters is an indication of what the future holds.

To offer expanded opportunities to learn more about 4-H, the Allamakee County Extension Office is hosting Explore 4-H Night Wednesday, October 16 from 3-7 p.m. at the Allamakee County Extension Office located on Allamakee Street in Waukon. This opportunity is offered to all 4-H families and anyone interested in joining 4-H and will involve exploring opportunities to enhance 4-H experiences. Explore 4-H Night includes hands-on activities in all 4-H project areas, such as the 4-H STEM Projects being explored in the above photo by Derrick Wiemerslage, a member of the Bear Creek Kids 4-H Club.

Keystone Area Education Agency will be offering the required training course for the Iowa Substitute Authorization. This authorization allows an individual to substitute in a middle school, junior high school, or high school. For those who are Certified Paraeducators, this assigned special education classroom may be at the elementary, middle school, junior high school or high school level.

Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association, headquartered in Baraboo, WI, is once again offering ten $500 scholarships for the 2014 academic year to college students pursuing careers. Completed applications are due by Monday, November 25. An applicant from each of the 10 Equity districts will be selected and awarded a scholarship to use during the academic school year.

by Brianne Eilers