Education

Tuesday, May 8 at 7 p.m., the Senior Awards Program for the Waukon High School Class of 2018 will be held in the Waukon High School Auditorium. All students, parents and families, and community members are invited to attend.

Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. and many community groups will present awards that evening. In addition, honors and achievements by Waukon High School Class of 2018 members will be recognized. Any organization presenting an award needs to contact Amy Wasson at Waukon High School to confirm program information and inclusion in the program by Tuesday, May 1.
 

If enthusiasm for science and technology is any indication, educators should not be too concerned about young students’ interest in STEM activities and career fields. Nearly 450 children and family members from across northeast Iowa attended the April 12 Northeast Iowa Family STEM Festival held at the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Calmar campus.

Twenty-five community organizations, colleges and businesses served as exhibitors and offered children hands-on, working demonstration STEM exhibits to introduce the next generation of thinkers to STEM and high-demand career fields. The NICC Calmar campus hosted the event through a partnership with the Northeast Region of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council.

Iowa State University (ISU) engineering students have developed a new, practical and cost-effective way to drop medical supplies into a disaster area. Among the eight members of that ISU team was Colin Brennan, 2014 Kee High School graduate and son of Marty and Karen Brennan of Lansing.

The team of ISU engineering students competed in the inaugural 3M Disruptive Design Challenge Friday, April 13 at 3M headquarters in St. Paul, MN. Iowa State’s team, which consists of members of the ISU chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World, went up against students from North Dakota State University, the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Their mission was to create a disaster relief container that could withstand a 150-foot fall (that’s nearly the width of a football field, and 40 feet higher than Iowa State’s Campanile).

Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. will be taking part in the observance of Great Give Day Thursday, May 10 in an effort to give supporters an opportunity to donate to its mission of encouraging students of the Allamakee Community School District to reach for and achieve their educational goals. Reorganized from its original Allamakee Dollars for Scholars in 2014, Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. has awarded more than $938,355 in scholarships to 1,531 students in an effort to carry out its mission.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions is offering a High School Driver Education course from July 5-20. The course will be held from 1-4 p.m. at the NICC Waukon Center, 1220 Third Avenue NW.

To satisfy the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements for a drivers license, students must attend 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of Behind the Wheel (BTW) driving experience. Attendance is required at all sessions. Students must have an Iowa driver’s permit before the first class.

To register online for class (#59604), or for more information, visit www.nicc.edu/solutions or call NICC Business and Community Solutions at 800-728-2256, ext. 399 (Calmar Campus) or 563-568-3060 (Waukon Center).
 

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors held its regular meeting Monday, April 16. Audience comments included a presentation by instructor Tiffanie Peters about the Career Fair & Worked Based Learning Program. She has recently presented at several workshops, including the Iowa Workspace Learning Conference in Waukee, and will be presenting at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) next week.

She described a new program which will be implemented in the fall which she will head up for the school district. This program has been discussed for four years but new legislation which supports 21st century skills for students who do not go to a college will make it a reality. Students will complete core subjects and then participate in CTE (Career Technical Education) programs which get them out into the workforce.

Tuesday, May 8 at 7 p.m., the Senior Awards Program for the Waukon High School Class of 2018 will be held in the Waukon High School Auditorium. All students, parents and families, and community members are invited to attend.

Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. and many community groups will present awards that evening. In addition, honors and achievements by Waukon High School Class of 2018 members will be recognized. Any organization presenting an award needs to contact Amy Wasson at Waukon High School to confirm program information and inclusion in the program by Tuesday, May 1.
 

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD)board of directors met for its regular monthly meeting Monday evening, April 16. During the Superintendent’s report, ACSD Dave Herold updated those in attendance about several legislative items at the State level.

Herold said that ACSD would be updating its security plan in order to be compliant with SF 2364, and that this piece of legislation requires school districts to have a compliant emergency plan by June 2019. Herold noted that ACSD would just have to “tweak” its plan and add a few things.

Waukon High School Prom 2018 is scheduled for Saturday, April 21. Parents of high school students are again hosting the annual substance-free Post Prom event at the Waukon High School gymnasium 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:

Waterville native and Minnesota author Mary Evanson Bleckwehl will be visiting East and West Elementary Schools in Waukon to begin next week, Monday and Tuesday, April 16-17, to read her new book “Claire’s Hair” and discuss the importance of reading. She will also talk about how a book is made and the process of becoming an author.

The phrase "laughter is the best medicine" is played out in a new picture book by the daughter of the late Melbourne and Helen Evanson of Waterville. Following the success of her first two award-winning children’s books, “Henry! You’re Late Again!” and “Henry, You’re Hungry Again?”, she has now written "Claire’s Hair," recently released by Beaver’s Pond Press.