Education

Starting in January, cybersecurity students in the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) have begun learning from a line-up of industry professionals coordinated by the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) on the topics of technology, coding, cybersecurity, and careers.

It’s a spin-off to ICN’s Statewide Youth Broadband Advisory Council (SYBAC) program. Allamakee Community School District Curriculum Director Kelli Olson will have her entire cybersecurity class interact directly with industry professionals.

The virtual line-up of experts will meet monthly with the students, who include  representatives of the ICN, ProCircular, Fortinet, the Waterloo Career Center, and more.

“ICN is fortunate to have great relationships within the technology industry that understand the importance of sharing first-hand knowledge with students interested in technology and cyber fields,” said Lori Larsen, ICN’s Public Information Officer.

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4117 and its Auxiliary sponsored the local level of competition for the annual VFW Youth Essay Scholarship Contest. Pictured above are the top entries from Waukon High School in the Voice of Democracy Essay Contest for high school students: Left to right - Kallie Troester, Second Place, and Ella Homewood, First Place. Local winners advanced on to the District level of competition but neither local entry ended up being selected among this year’s District winners. Submitted photo.
 

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4117 and its Auxiliary sponsored the local level of competition for the annual VFW Youth Scholarship Essay Contest. Pictured above and below are the top entries from Waukon Middle School in the Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest for middle school students. Pictured above, left to right, are the top sixth grade entries in the local Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest: Teron Curtin, First Place; Charlee Corwin, Second Place; and Ellsy Koenig, Third Place.

Pictured in the photo below, left to right, are the top seventh grade entries in the local Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest: Samantha Troester, First Place; Dylan O’Neill, Second Place; and Sloan Lonning, Third Place. Local winners advanced on to the combined District level of competition, where Teron Curtin placed First, Dylan O’Neill finished Second and Charlee Corwin claimed Third. Submitted photos.
 

To help address a critical shortage of rural veterinarians identified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) has established a Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Incentive Program to attract and retain veterinarians in rural Iowa.

The Iowa Farm Bureau Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Incentive Program will award four individuals who practice, or will practice, veterinary medicine in Iowa up to $25,000 in loan repayment incentives. IFBF will begin accepting applications in March 2025.

In 2020, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law to create the Rural Iowa Veterinarian Loan Repayment Program to address the critical veterinarian shortages in rural Iowa communities. IFBF was one of several partners who led the push for that piece of legislation.

by Christine Hensley
Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation Board Member

For many families, the plan of how to pay for college is uncertain. And trying to figure out that plan can be intimidating.

But college can be within reach, even for those with modest incomes, as long as saving begins early. Reasonable, small monthly savings, if started when kids are young, can benefit from compound interest and earnings. And those regular contributions add up over time.

Now is a good time to start saving for a child’s education or examine savings to date. By putting away as much as possible now, even $25 or $50 a month, parents can expand college options for kids and reduce their future debt burden, helping them as they begin their careers and lives after graduation.

The Lansing VFW Auxiliary Post #5981 and the New Albin VFW Auxiliary Post #5603 recently selected the winners of their Annual Elementary School Essay Contest from students in third grade and fourth grade at New Albin Elementary School. Donna Thomas is Principal at New Albin Elementary.

Mrs. Jessica Kurth’s third graders wrote on the topic “I Love America Because...” and this year’s top entries were: First Place - Emma Mauss, daughter of Denise and Pete Mauss; Second Place - Creed Steiber, son of Hannah and Jason Steiber; and Third Place - Lennox Crane, daughter of Taylor and Jason Crane.

Mrs. Jennifer Mohn’s fourth graders wrote on the topic “I Am Grateful For Veterans Because...” and this year’s top entries were: First Place - Kira Fink, daughter of Lacey Fink and Nathan Yeasel; Second Place - Collin Mathis, son of Jill and Cody Mathis; and Third Place: Kinley Hilsabeck, daughter of Kelly and Brian Hilsabeck.

Graham crackers, frosting and Clover Kids made the perfect combination to make gingerbread houses at recent educational sessions. Youth were able to use their imagination to design their own gingerbread house creation made out of graham crackers (as pictured in the two surrounding photos). They learned it took patience, lots of frosting and some re-designing to make the houses stand by themselves. Candy was supplied to decorate with, which added another challenge if the candy was too heavy for their structure. After completion, most gingerbread houses ended up as a snack.

East and West Elementary School students in the Allamakee Community School District joined students from across the country by participating in Jumpstart’s 19th Annual Read for the Record Day, the world’s largest shared reading experience, celebrating early literacy and supporting children’s early language and social-emotional development. Each year a different book is chosen to share with students. This year, “Piper Chen Sings,” a story about managing internal butterflies when getting nervous, was shared with classes by Mrs. Traci Byrnes, a Teacher Leadership and Compensation instructor in the Allamakee Community School District. Following the reading of the story, a grade level appropriate literacy lesson relating to the story was completed in each of the classrooms. Submitted photo.
 

In celebration of Computer Science Education Week, observed December 9-15 this year, third and fifth grade students at East Elementary School in Waukon participated in a paired programming activity using a program called Scratch, the world’s largest coding community for children that is free to use and offers a coding language with a simple visual interface that allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations. Designed, developed, and moderated by the Scratch Foundation, a nonprofit organization, Scratch promotes computational thinking and problem solving skills, creative teaching and learning, self-expression and collaboration, and equity in computing. Computer Science Education Week serves as an annual call to action to provide youth with resources to learn more about computer science, explore its potential and encourage participation in computer science education. Submitted photo.
 

by Brianne Grimstad

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met for its regular monthly meeting Monday, December 16. Board member Scott Melcher was absent from the meeting.

Under the Consent Agenda, the board approved the following hires, pending a satisfactory background check: Kids Club Staff; Tim Bulman (.5) and Kyle Gordon (.5), Boys Assistant Varsity Wrestling Coach; John Lawrence, Elementary Night Custodian; Daryl Roe, Assistant Varsity Softball Coach; and Agnes Garin, Substitute Bus Driver. The board also voted to increase the pay for the bus barn mechanic to $32 per hour in an effort to keep compensation for that position competitive and in line with current trends.