Education

Alexz Grampovnik and Colin Waters, 2018 graduates of Waukon High School, were both awarded the $1,000 Hammel-Zoll Scholarship Sunday, May 13 following the Baccalaureate Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon.

Grampovnik, the daughter of John and Anne Grampovnik of Waukon, plans to attend Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) in Calmar for two years to complete her RN degree and then transfer to Upper Iowa University in Fayette to complete her BSN degree.

Waters, the son of Tim and Sarah Waters of Waukon, plans to attend Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo and then transfer to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls to major in Education.
 

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) school board members met for two meetings Monday, May 21. Board members first met for a special meeting Monday morning for a public hearing on the sale of public school property in Waterville. No written or oral comment was given. The board then opened bids on the LP gas tank located at the Waterville Elementary School property. Three bids were submitted, including one from the City of Waterville for $5,000; one from Distant View Farms for $20,070 and one from Hovey LP Gas, Inc. for $27,500. The board chose to accept the bid from Hovey LP Gas, Inc.

The board then met for its regular monthly meeting Monday night. Prior to the meeting, a tour of the Waukon High School Construction class home was given.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The regular monthly meeting of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors was held Monday, May 21 at Kee High School in Lansing. Board members Bruce Palmborg, Bobbie Goetzinger and Board President Heather Schulte were present, along with Board Secretary/Business Manager Marian Verdon, Kee High School and Middle School Principal Mary Hogan, New Albin Elementary School Principal Chad Steckel and EACSD Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier. Absent were board members Kelli Mudderman and Melanie Mauss.

President Schulte called the meeting to order. The initial item on the agenda included approval of the 2018 budget amendment which allows the budget to cover additional revenues and expenditures not covered in the original budget. Public comments were called for but none were given. The normal and customary authorizations were approved.

The Waukon High School Music Department returned from its Iowa High School Music Association Large Group Music Festival Saturday, May 5 in Osage with a quartet of the highest ratings that can be achieved at such an event. A combined total of five vocal and band ensembles represented Waukon High School with their performances in the Class 2A division of the event that featured a dozen other similar-sized schools, with four of those five Waukon groups bringing home a Division I rating for their efforts.

The Waukon High School Concert Band, under the direction of Jo Ann Sherman, was the lone instrumental ensemble representing Waukon High School and received one of just five Division I ratings awarded at the Festival among 13 performing band ensembles. Likewise, the Waukon High School Mixed Chorus, under the direction of Sarah Palmer, also received one of just six Division I ratings awarded among 15 performances in that competition.

After School Clover Kids became busy bees in May learning about beekeeping. Makayla Manning of Waukon led the May meeting with showing her own beekeeper suit (pictured in photo above right) and bee hive smoker (pictured in bottom photo). She explained how the suit protects her from stings and the smoker makes the bees sleepy. Once the bees become defenseless, the beekeeper can safely work with the bee hives. Clover Kids made their own bees with small batteries and tooth brush heads. They then tried to navigate their bee through the gardens and orchards pollinating the flowers (pictured in center photo). Afterward, everyone did the bee waggle dance, which is the choreographed dance bees use to communicate and instruct the rest of the hive where to find a food source.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD Board of Directors held a special meeting Tuesday morning, May 8. One item was struck from the original agenda for the meeting, that being the recommendation to approve an offered but not taught exemption for the Health II course.

Under personnel matters, the board approved hiring Patrick Mahr as additional summer maintenance help at 28.75 hours per week, and approval was also given to the transfer of Josh Hager from his current night custodian position to the day custodian position at Waukon High School. The board also hired Sarah Ferguson as the PK-5 art/computer teacher and Joanne Ericson as the 7-12 business/technology teacher. Approval was also given by the board to the distribution of Teacher Salary Supplement (TSS) carry-over money to all eligible staff, based on full-time employment of staff members.

Nathan Smith, a 2018 graduating senior of Waukon High School and the son of Rev. Duane and Cristina Smith of Waukon, has been awarded the F. William Beckwith Scholarship from the Iowa Grocers Education Foundation. The scholarship is a $2,000 award for the 2018-2019 school year and has been forwarded to Calvary University in Kansas City, MO, where Smith will be pursuing a degree in Computer Science. The scholarship is awarded to qualifying students who are employees of firms that are members of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, with Smith being an employee of the Fareway Food Store in Waukon.

The East Elementary School Library in Waukon was recently awarded the Linked in the Library with iPads grant in the amount of $4,955.88. The grant was written by Allamakee Community School District Teacher Librarian Lisa Snitker through the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation’s Teachers and Technology grants program designed to help fund projects that advance student success through the innovative use of technology. Snitker is pictured at left in the above photo with CenturyLink Regional Operations Supervisor Jonathan Herbst at the grant presentation. Linked in the Library with iPads will consist of library skills lessons in grades three through five, where students will use iPads throughout the year to create and complete innovative digital projects that bring learning outside the library walls. School libraries are no longer a place where students simply come to listen to a story and check out a book.

Kindness, patience, encouragement, creative, dedicated, innovative, passionate, enthusiastic, determined and caring. These words are ones that come to mind when I think back on the teachers who have made an impact on my life.

Mrs. Pyle, Mrs. Willman, Mr. Schultz, Mr. Keith and Mrs. Dohlman. These people spent countless hours working to ensure I left high school prepared to tackle the challenges I would face and ensure I would be a positive contributor to society.

As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week May 7-12, I reflect on those teachers who made an impact on my life. I wonder if the teachers I have had the pleasure to learn from know just how much they have contributed to my successes in life. I spent well over 15,000 hours with these people and yet, I am not sure I ever really expressed my appreciation for all they did.

Students in the Allamakee Community School District’s (ACSD) Allamakee Accelerated Learning Program (AALP) recently took part in a Wind Energy Challenge hosted by Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA) in Elkader Tuesday, April 17. The event gives students a chance to apply their knowledge of wind energy and engineering skills to design a wind turbine. Student teams designed and built a working wind turbine and developed a display to further explain their project, with the projects being tested for energy output.