Education

Sweeney's Village Farm and Home in Waukon has greatly aided in the success of the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter for many years in a variety of different ways. Again this year, they partnered with Red Brand Fencing and the National FFA Organization to donate $1,176  to the local chapter. Red Brand Fencing has been a proud supporter of FFA for 70 years and supports programs through its Home Grown Program. Through the Home Grown Program, for every roll of wire purchased at Village Farm and Home, $1 is donated back to the local FFA chapter. Annually, over 900 chapters from across the nation will receive a donation from the partnership that Red Brand Fencing has to offer. The donated funds will be used toward contest materials, National FFA Convention and other FFA necessities. From 2012 to 2016, Village Farm and Home, with the help of their customers, has provided $5,625 to the Waukon FFA Chapter.

This school year, there are two new fixtures on the playground at Waterville Elementary School - Buddy Benches. The idea behind the Buddy Benches, which are found at school playgrounds all over the world, is when a child has no one to play with or just needs a friend to talk to, they can sit on the bench and other students will know that they need a friend and can go join them. It is a place for friendships to bloom, as states the quote engraved on the benches. The Buddy Benches were constructed by the Waukon High School Industrial Technology class under the guidance of Jed Hemann, with woodworking by Roger Bollman of Volney, and painting by Sharon, Cody, Riley and Hayden Palmer. The benches were made possible by a generous grant from the Waterville Community Foundation to the Waterville Elementary Parents for Progress group, at the request of the school. Submitted photos.
 

Students at St. Patrick School in Waukon received some "hands-on" education in regard to health and hygiene recently. Andrea Leppert and Jared Donahue (left to right in back of the above photo), who are second-year nursing students at Northeast Iowa Community College this year, first taught students about thorough hand washing techniques and then used a special black light box, pictured at left  in the photo above, to show St. Patrick School fourth grade students Jeremiah Howe, Claire Schulte and Brandon Leppert (left to right in photo foreground) just how many germs really do live on unwashed or improperly washed hands. Students were amazed to see that even after they thought their hands were properly washed or sanitized, there remained much evidence to the contrary. Submitted photo.
 

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions is offering the class, “'Be Smarter Than Your Phone' Series: Android Operating Systems” Wednesday, October 11 from 6-8 p.m. at the NICC Waukon Center, located at 1220 Third Avenue NW.

Keep up with rapidly changing cell phone technology - they are only getting smarter and faster. Those who have any phone other than an Apple iPhone are using an Android operating system, and this class will help understand the basics - set-up, adjusting settings, adding contacts, downloading apps, etc. - and also share important features of smart phones and how they can enhance life, both professionally and personally. Attendees should bring their phone to the class.

The Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Waukon Center is offering a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Workshop Thursday, October 19 from 4-7 p.m. The NICC Waukon Center located at 1220 Third Avenue NW.

This event is open to the public and is designed to help students complete their FAFSA and answer any questions. Students and parents are encouraged to attend. Representatives from Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank and Kerndt Brothers Bank will be available to discuss the impact of student loans and how to bridge the gap between a student financial aid package and college expenses.

Iowa's director of the Department of Education Ryan Wise (center in photo at right) toured three area school districts Tuesday, September 19. Wise began the day at the MFL/MarMac School District and proceeded on to Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD), visiting New Albin Elementary and Kee High School in Lansing. Shared Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier acted as tour guide through the two districts. Wise also spent the afternoon at Decorah schools. In his visit to New Albin Elementary, Wise met with Principal Chad Steckel and lead teacher Donna Thomas (far left and far right in photo at right). As they toured classrooms, Wise engaged with students (pictured below), asking them questions about what they were studying. He also questioned Steckel and Thomas about the District's experiences with ST math and the teacher leadership program. Both had high praise for the two programs. Steckel said student math scores within the district have risen dramatically.

In recognition of National Advanced Manufacturing Month in October, Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) sponsored advanced manufacturing tours in Allamakee County Thursday, September 14. The goal of the tours is to expose high school students, teachers and community members to high-demand, high-skill jobs that are found locally.

The 35-member group toured Norplex-Micarta in Postville, and Benjegerdes Machine, Inc. and G&S Machine, both of Waukon. Students from Waukon High School, Kee High School and MFL/MarMac High School attended, as well as members of Allamakee County's Business and Community Board.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions is offering the class “Kids and Canvas - It’s Elementary!” Thursday, October 12 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the NICC Waukon Center, located at 1220 Third Avenue NW.

Let children explore the world of painting in this fun class designed for elementary school-aged kids. In class, the kids are provided the paint and artist’s canvas, an age-appropriate subject and step-by-step guidance to release each child’s inherent creativity.

To register online for “Kids and Canvas - It’s Elementary!” (#57895) 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 (NICC Waukon Center).
 

Waukon State Bank has made its annual donations in support of Waukon school organizations through the bank’s Scoreboard Program. Waukon State Bank donates $10 for each football touchdown, $3 for each volleyball ace, $5 for each basketball three-point shot, $5 for each wrestling pin and $5 for each baseball and softball home run. From the 2016-2017 Waukon High School athletic seasons, donation checks totaling $1,525 were recently presented to the Allamakee Athletic Boosters, Allamakee Music Boosters, Waukon High School Drama Department, Waukon Wrestling Club and St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Waukon, all of which are represented in the surrounding photos at their respective donation presentations. Submitted photos.
 

Board briefly outlines path of consideration for future plans for Waterville Elementary

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met Monday, September 18 for its re-organizational and regular monthly meeting at Waterville Elementary School, as the Board does traditionally in September. Board member Patty Nordheim was absent from the meeting.

In addition to the items of more regular business at the meeting, board president Al Rissman also outlined the board’s consideration of future plans for the Waterville Elementary School based on enrollment projections and recent issues with the school’s well. The board had previously discussed the matter in a September 7 work session. Rissman explained that, in the short term, the board will continue to monitor the well water situation at Waterville. Earlier in the meeting, ACSD Superintendent Dave Herold noted that the well at Waterville had passed its most recent test conducted a week ago.