Education

The Allamakee Community School District Board of Directors met in special session Tuesday, March 8 to begin negotiations on the Master Contract for the 2016-2017 school year with representatives of the Allamakee Community Education Association. Spokesperson Jed Hemann presented the Association’s proposal, which called for an $895 increase in the base salary and normal step movement that results in a total package increase of 4.21%.
ACSD Superintendent Dave Herold presented the District’s package proposal, which included a $495 base increase and normal step movement for a total package increase of 2.94%. Following those proposals, the Board then went into closed session with other members of the ACSD Negotiation Team to continue discussion over the negotiation process.
 

Finding a rewarding, well-paying and family-sustaining career in life starts with a plan.
This was the motivation that inspired a recent Career Workshop event at Waukon High School February 12, which was developed in partnership between Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) and Waukon High School.
Approximately 200 Waukon High School juniors and seniors spent the morning learning about high-demand employment opportunities, the education and training each job requires, and the salary and benefits employees can expect to earn. Local economic development leaders, such as Val Reinke, Executive Director of Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism, believe that the event served as an important forum for students to learn from the successes of small business owners.

Members of the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter at Waukon High School recently received a donation from Waukon State Bank in the amount of $250 through the bank's Scoreboard program. Erik Helgerson of Waukon State Bank visited the school January 15 to present a check to the local chapter officer team. The Scoreboard program has helped many school organizations by donating money to improve student success. The money that was donated will be used by the FFA chapter for contest materials, national and state convention and various other needs the chapter may have. Pictured at the donation presentation are, left to right, Waukon FFA Officer Team members Carmen Wille, Megan Leiran, Bethany Stock and Chase Pladsen, Erik Helgerson of Waukon State Bank, and Waukon FFA Officer Team members Nolan Hagen, Christa Heffern and Erika Johnson. Submitted photo.
 

The Allamakee County Cattlemen’s Association recently awarded two Northeast Iowa Community College students from Allamakee County $250 each in recognition of their recent achievement at the Iowa Postsecondary Agricultural Students (PAS) Conference and advancement to the National PAS Conference. Devin Ryan and Zach Bieber, both Waukon High School graduates, were part of a team that claimed runner-up honors in the Beef Specialist competition at that Iowa PAS Conference in early February and will now be participating in that same competition at the National PAS Conference being held in Kansas City, MO March 16-19. The $250 awards presented to Ryan and Bieber will help pay for their travel expenses to be incurred as part of their trip to the National Conference.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

Students at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) displayed a strong competitive showing at the Iowa Postsecondary Agriculture Students (PAS) Conference hosted Thursday, February 11 by Indian Hills Community College in Moravia. In the Dairy Specialist competition, NICC brought five teams and claimed the top five spots in the contest, defeating three teams from Dordt College.
In the Beef Specialist competition, NICC brought three student teams and they placed second, fourth and 10th out of 19 teams from across the state. The team of NICC student competitors placing second in the Beef Specialist competition included a trio of Waukon High School graduates, Zach Bieber, Devin Ryan and Garth Cooper, all of Waukon.

Masada (Musty) Habhab, a 1981 graduate of Waukon High School and the daughter of Marlene Habhab of Waukon, was honored as the 2015 Administrator of the Year at the annual Faculty and Staff Awards Dinner for the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor, MI. Habhab currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer for the school's Department of Internal Medicine, a position she has held since being appointed in 2010.
In 1986, Habhab was hired as a junior accountant to be part of the University of Michigan Hospital's finance team. Since then, the hospital has grown to serve hundreds of thousands from around the world, and the once-junior accountant has now become the lead administrator for the largest department in the Medical School.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and its students will have an additional source of funding to offset potential financial emergencies that they may encounter in the next two and one-half years. A $37,200 grant awarded to the college through Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation’s new Dash Emergency Grant Program will help NICC offer emergency funding to students who also receive Federal Pell Grant assistance.
Community and technical colleges provide a gateway to promising futures for students from diverse backgrounds, many who are older, lower income, working and/or raising families. These students also juggle multiple financial responsibilities, and unforeseen expenses - often less than $500 - that can threaten their ability to stay in college.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach hosted 4-H Saturday Clover Kids February 13 at the Waukon Wellness Center. The 23 Kindergarten through third grade students pictured at right participated in activities around a ‘Have a Heart’ theme. They learned how to be a caring and active citizen of their community and participated in a toothpaste experiment where they were asked to squeeze out all the toothpaste and then put it back in the tube. Youth learned that, just like our words, once the toothpaste was out it is very hard to put back in, therefore, they must choose words carefully. They ended the meeting by making Valentine’s Day cards for residents at Northgate Care Center in Waukon.

Students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades at Waukon Middle School recently enjoyed a day of snowshoeing with the Allamakee County Conservation Board. The snowshoeing was part of “Live Healthy Iowa,” a program promoting healthy lifestyles and choices. The ACCB has snowshoes available to rent throughout the county and provides snowshoes free of charge to schools and Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops. Submitted photo.