Education

The Allamakee County Conservation Foundation (ACCF) is offering scholarship opportunities for graduating seniors who will be attending a college or university pursuing a degree in natural resources or a related field.  One $500 scholarship will be offered to a senior from each of the area high schools in Allamakee County; Postville, Waukon and Kee.

Students who would like to apply for the scholarship are encouraged to visit www.allamakeecountyconservation.org, the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center, or their school’s guidance counselor for an application.  Applications will be accepted until April 3 of this year and recipients will be notified by May 1.

The Driftless Half Marathon (DHM) is offering scholarship opportunities for graduating seniors who will be attending a college or university this fall. One $500 scholarship will be offered to a senior graduating from each of two local high schools, Kee High School in Lansing and Waukon High School. Students must be a part of their respective school’s scholarship fund.

Students who wish to apply for the scholarship are encouraged to contact their school’s guidance counselor for more information. Applications will be accepted until April 1 of this year. Recipients will be awarded during their respective school’s senior awards night this spring.

The Driftless Half Marathon Scholarship is made possible by generous sponsors and loyal runners. The race committee believes in giving back to the community those who live here are fortunate enough to call home. The committee also hopes to make a positive impact while also motivating people to be active.
 

A new resource for parents of students in eighth through 12th grades launched in early January. Iowa Student Loan® developed Student Planning Pointers for Parents, a twice-monthly email service, as an expansion to the free resources and tools it offers to families as part of its nonprofit mission.

Known as SP3, the service is available to parents who would like to help their students proactively prepare for postsecondary education and training. Parents and guardians can register each of their students’ grade levels for free online at www.sp3.org to receive seasonal and grade-specific information through email.

“This service empowers parents with the information they need to engage in planning with their students,” said Steve McCullough, CEO at Iowa Student Loan. “Studies show that students with engaged parents are much more successful in high school and college.”

Editor’s Note: Olivia Opat is a senior at Waukon High School and the editor-in-chief of the Waukon High School student newspaper, The Tribune, that prints monthly in The Standard during the school year. With schools being closed until mid-April at this point due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the likelihood of no April edition of that student newspaper and the uncertainty of what the remainder of this school year will bring, Olivia wanted to share the following perspective on behalf of her fellow seniors:

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) was held Monday, March 16. The board approved the agenda as presented and proceeded on to the public hearing on the 2020-2021 budget.

There were no public comments on the proposed budget. EACSD Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier highlighted some of the specifics about the proposed budget. Later in the meeting the budget was unanimously approved.

The board approved the Resolution entitled “Approve Resolution Authorizing the Redemption of General Obligation School Refunding Bonds, Series 2012, Dated April 1, 2012 and Levying a Tax for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 for the Redemption of General Obligation School Refunding Bonds, Series 2012, Dated April 1, 2012”. In addition, the board received and filed the Fiscal Year 2019 Audit Report.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) board members met Thursday morning, March 19 for a special session to address two issues resulting from the mandatory closing of the schools earlier in the week due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The first item of business was to approve recommendations regarding staff pay during the forced closure.

The board members approved a resolution regarding pandemic response and emergency suspension of policy. The resolution allows for the district to continue paying hourly non-exempt employees in order to retain current employees as well as boost morale during this difficult time. The hourly non-exempt employees will be put on paid administrative leave for up to four weeks during the school closure. Should the closure last longer than four weeks, the board members will then re-evaluate the situation at that time.

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) began offering Grab & Go Lunch services Wednesday, March 18 due to the COVID-19 virus and will continue to offer them during the ongoing school shutdown, which is scheduled to end Monday, April 13 at this point in time. Until then, all youth age 18 and under living in the same household as an EACSD student may pick up a single sack lunch each weekday, Monday-Friday, from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Meals can be picked up at Kee High School in Lansing or at New Albin Elementary School in New Albin. It does not matter which school a youth is attending, the meals can be picked up from the school that is closest to their residence. All meals will be “sacked” by meal site staff. Those picking up meals will be encouraged to use the on-site hand sanitizer before reaching for their meals and to wash their hands with soap and water before eating.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors has held a series of special and regular meetings within the past couple weeks to address a variety of matters. Coverage of all meetings is published below.

FEBRUARY 21 SPECIAL MEETING
The Allamakee Community School District Board met for a special meeting Friday, February 21 to discuss the upcoming HVAC upgrade and window replacement project at West Elementary School. The contract for the project was awarded to Olympic Builders for $4,639,040.00, which includes all alternates and moving and storage costs. The bid for asbestos removal was awarded to Environmental Management Services of Iowa, a base bid of $100,527 and $40 per door.

Waukon High School Prom 2020 is scheduled for Saturday, April 25. Parents of high school students are again hosting the annual substance-free Post Prom event at the Waukon High School gym immediately following Prom, from 11 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. the next morning.

Very strong past support from parents of Waukon High School students, as well as from local businesses and civic organizations, has resulted in the continued success of providing Prom-goers a safe alternative for celebrating the annual event. That support has provided these young adults with games, food, entertainment and prizes at the Post Prom event each year.

Assistance is needed for the event in two main areas:

Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) has announced the availability of NEICAC Scholarships supported solely by employees and friends of Community Action. The application and criteria for eligibility are available through the County Family Service Offices or the Administrative Office in Decorah (563-382-8436), online at www.neicac.org, or at the guidance counselors’ offices from local high schools.

Applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 17 to be considered. Applicants may include graduating seniors, current college students and individuals who are returning to school for higher education. The scholarships are limited to assisting low-income individuals that live within the seven-county area served by Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC), specifically the counties of Allamakee, Bremer, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek in northeast Iowa.