Education

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met for its regular monthly meeting Monday night, February 18. Board member Erik Helgerson was absent.

Items on the consent agenda were approved including the following personnel: staff for After School Programming; Emily Stone as a para professional; Amy Wasson, Mike Shupe, Greg Criswell, Daneshia Snitker and Bridget Dolan as girls track volunteer coaches; Morgan McMillan as girls golf volunteer coach; and the resignation of Katrina McCabe was accepted. Two students were approved for open enrollment.

Two Sunday requests for gym usage were approved. The 2019-2020 software budget was also approved, as was the cooperative swimming agreement between the ACSD and Decorah, Howard-Winneshiek, MFL/Mar-Mac, North Fayette Valley, Postville, South Winneshiek and Turkey Valley school districts.

The Waukon Middle School will be performing its annual spring play Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium, with doors opening at 6 p.m. This year’s play is “30 Horrible Catastrophes of Middle School” by Kamron Klitgaard/Brooklyn Publishers. Admission can be paid at the door the night of the performance.

Thirty-plus Waukon Middle School students from sixth, seventh and eighth grades have been working through all the winter weather obstacles to keep this year’s play scheduled. All are invited for a night of comedy, silliness and down right fun.

Dodgeball, flirting, selfies, the cool bench and body spray for men could all be included among the horrors of middle school. Also included are the usual victims, as the nerds, the jocks, the preps, the punkers and many others team up to demonstrate the “worst” catastrophes of their generation in this one-act comedy about fitting in and finding acceptance.

The Waukon High School Music Department will be hosting its ninth annual Pops Concert Saturday, February 23 at the Waukon Middle School gymnasium. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with concert time at 7:30 p.m. Musical groups include the Waukon Middle School and High School Jazz Bands, Middle School Choir, JV Choir, Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, a select group of sixth grade singers, as well as the Barbershop and Sweet Adeline Quartets. The Pops Concert is an annual fundraising event sponsored by the Allamakee Music Boosters. It replaced the Spaghetti Supper nine years ago and has proven to be a very popular change by all involved and all who attend the event.

This Improvisational Acting group of Kee High School seniors was selected for the All-State Large Group Speech Festival taking place this Saturday, February 16 at the Iowa State University campus in Ames. These three members of the Kee High School Speech Department have been working together since their freshman year and for the first time received a perfect score at the February 2 State competition at Waterloo West and will now be performing at this Saturday’s All-State Festival among 23 other Improvisational Acting teams from across the state of Iowa judged to be the best in their category. Pictured above, left to right, are Anthony Martin, Jacob Berns and Logan West. They will each receive an All-State medal and will perform in front of the critic judge, Nicole Vespa of the iO Theatre located in Chicago, IL. Submitted photo.
 

The Waukon High School Speech trio of (left to right in above photo) Teddy Holthaus, Emily Kolsrud and Steven Shogren were nominated for All-State Speech for their radio broadcast titled “Delta”. They were one of three Radio division acts to be selected out of 25 competing at the State competition held February 2 at Waterloo West High School to now compete at the All-State Festival this Saturday, February 16 on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. All-State nomination requires a recommendation for advancement from at least two of the three judges at the State competition, with one judge writing “brave choice” as a comment to the Waukon High School Radio group. The “Delta” performance is set in wartime and has a very chilling ending.

Scholarship funding should pass the $1 million mark this year

The 2018-2019 Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. (formerly Allamakee Dollars for Scholars) phone-a-thon to be held in February is the major fundraiser for the organization and is conducted by the student applicants in conjunction with the Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. Board of Directors. Students use phone banks at Waukon High School and at Waukon State Bank and Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank in Waukon to contact area residents in an effort to collect pledges of funding for scholarships. Phone-a-thon dates this year have been scheduled for Tuesday, February 12, Tuesday, February 19 and Thursday, February 21.

Waukon Head Start classrooms, located at West Elementary School at 953 Third Avenue NW, will be holding Registration and an Open House Tuesday, February 19 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Head Start, operated by Northeast Iowa Community Action, is a free full day program that offers an inclusive environment while providing fun and active learning.

Teachers partner with families to provide the preschool experience for children who are three and four years old.  Head Start services are funded by federal and state grants and are free for families who qualify. Head Start is an inclusive environment for children with disabilities. Transportation is available in some areas.

The third grade class of Mrs. Martha Byrnes at St. Patrick School in Waukon is enjoying reading and riding on their new classroom stationary bikes. The bikes were purchased with grant money from the Arlin Falck Foundation. Pictured above is Mrs. Byrnes’ third grade class and pictured at right are third grade students (left to right) Molly Kurth and Savannah Burns demonstrating how they read and ride on the new bikes. Submitted photos.
 

This is the 14th year for the Alumni Scholarship instituted by the Allamakee Scholarship Fund (ASF), Inc. Board of Directors. The award is made to a Waukon High School graduate who participated in ASF, Inc. (or Allamakee Dollars for Scholars) while in high school and received an award as a graduating senior. The scholarship is available for college sophomores or higher level students who have been out of high school two years.

The ASF, Inc. Board feels it is important to continue the encouragement to Allamkaee Community School District graduates as they continue their education, not just as they start their post-high school program. The group wishes to encourage participation in community service and college activities that are part of their educational growth and preparation for career and community life.

The PSST (Parents Supporting Students and Teachers) group recently purchased some farm toys (pictured in the photos above and below) for West Elementary Pre-Kindergarten and Bright Beginnings classrooms. The toys will be rotated between the three classrooms for all of the kids to enjoy. PSST is a parent-led group that supports schools by providing funding and volunteering opportunities to help out teachers and students at West and East Elementary Schools in Waukon. Submitted photos.