Education

St. Patrick School in Waukon will be hosting its annual 5K walk/run this Saturday, April 15. The event is open to all ages.

Registration for the event will be held from 7-7:45 a.m. the day of the race at the St. Patrick School Upper Building gymnasium but will not guarantee receipt of a long-sleeved t-shirt. The registration fee is now $25 ($20 for youth shirt sizes), and checks can be made payable to St. Patrick School.

The race will begin at 8 a.m. Medals will be awarded to the first two male finishers and first two female finishers in each age group.

For more information, call 563-568-2170 or e-mail kfahey@st-pats.pvt.k12.ia.us. Rain date has been set for Saturday, April 22.
 

Students in Mrs. Hemann’s first grade classroom at West Elementary School in Waukon have been learning about air, observing and investigating air and its properties. The students have used various tools to observe how air can be captured, how air can be compressed, and how air under pressure can move things. The students were able to create several things to test air and its properties. By working together, students made their own parachutes, a water fountain and a rocket balloon to show how air can move things. The students have investigated, observed, discussed and journaled about their findings. Photo and information courtesy of the Allamakee Education Association. Submitted photos.
 

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions is offering the two-session class “Microsoft Excel 2013 Fast-Paced – Level 1” Tuesday, April 18 and Thursday, April 20 from 5-8 p.m. at the NICC Waukon Center, located at 1220 Third Avenue NW.

This six-hour class is designed for those with little or no experience using Microsoft Excel, or for current Excel users who want an introduction to the 2013 version. Beginning-level skills will be taught and practiced. An illustrated textbook is included in the cost of the class.

To register online for “Microsoft Excel 2013 Fast-Paced - Level 1” (#54591) 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).
 

Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. will hold a Recognition Breakfast Wednesday, April 12 at 7:30 a.m. in the Waukon High School Cafeteria. The breakfast is being held to thank individual and group donors and to introduce student applicants. Applicants and their parents will also be special guests.

Pledges from the recent phone-a-thon can be turned in at the breakfast or mailed to Allamakee Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 144, Waukon, IA 52172. Organizations and other scholarship donors need to have awards to Allamakee Scholarship Fund Treasurer Amy McCormick at Waukon State Bank by the breakfast date also and Awards Program information can be verified with Guidance Counselor Amy Wasson at Waukon High School.

The Kee High School Music and Drama Departments will be presenting a pair of one-act musicals this weekend as the school's annual musical production for this school year. "Big Bad Musical," which is about fairytale characters taking Big Bad Wolf to court, and the "Cinderella Musical" are both plays that will be interactive with the children in attendance. The "Big Bad Musical" book is by Alex Strum with music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur. It is produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Englewood, CO. The Prince Street Players LTD production of "Cinderella" is based on the Fairy Tale of Charles Perrault, with adaptation and lyrics by Jim Eiler and music by Jim Eiler and Jeanne Bargy. The Cinderella-Prince Street Players Version is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

Waukon Middle and High School teachers and students showcased numerous projects they have worked on throughout the school year during spring parent/teacher conferences last week. The new annual event is called “Pride Projects.” The hallways of the middle and high school were lined with tables, display boards and projects that students explained, such as those pictured above and below. Staff and students were excited to show robotics, green screen projects, health activities, video presentations, mentoring experiences, math, reading and science projects, as well as band and chorus. The collaborative event was open to all parents and the community to view and interact with during spring conferences held Monday, March 20 and Tuesday, March 21. Photos and information courtesy of the Allamakee Education Association.
 

In today's world, people, animals and materials move around the planet in record numbers and speed. These same advances that make modern infrastructure so efficient have made epidemics and even pandemics inevitable; and as outbreaks of Ebola, MERS, yellow fever, Zika and influenza have demonstrated, the planet is woefully underprepared for the fallout.

Luther College in Decorah will host Waukon native Michael Osterholm, University of Minnesota Regents Professor and McKnight Endowed Presidential Chair in Public Health, for the first Dr. David J. Roslien Distinguished Lecture in Science and Leadership at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 4 in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall on the Luther campus.

Osterholm's lecture, "Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs," is open to the public with no charge for admission. His critically acclaimed book by the same title was published March 14.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met for its regular monthly meeting Monday evening, March 20. Prior to the meeting, board members were invited to attend a presentation from the Industrial Arts class at Waukon High School, where they viewed the CNC Plasma Cutter in action as instructor Brian Hilsabeck and student Trevor Brink showed how the machine is used. Hilsabeck noted that project-based learning is a major focus.

Instructor Jed Hemann also gave a brief presentation on the projects his classes have worked on due to the fact that there is no house building project this year. Projects have included the concession stand at the Waukon City Park, improvements to the press box and concessions stand at the high school and the shot put area at the high school.

The Kee High School Speech program had five students perform in multiple categories at the State Individual Speech Contest held at Waldorf College in Forest City Saturday, March 11, with one of those performances being selected for All-State recognition. Kee senior MaKayla Manning (pictured at above right) had her expository address, entitled “EMOJI,” selected to advance on and perform at the All-State Individual Speech Festival being held Monday, March 27 at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. There were 93 schools that performed at the March 11 Northeast State Contest and five expository address speakers were selected to perform at All-State with the other 17 top expository address speakers from across the entire state. The All-State Speech Festival is a showcase honoring the best speakers in their events from the entire state.

The Honors English 11 class at Waukon High School has been working on a 20% time project this semester. The project is designed after the concept used by the 3M company that had its employees take 20% of their work time to work on something other than their regular duties. Sticky Notes are a result of 3M’s 20% time. The Honors English students were given 20% of their class time to work on an individual project not assigned in their course work. Monday and Tuesday, March 13 and 14, the students presented their project ideas, goals and completion timeline to classmates, faculty and community members (some of which are pictured in the photos above and below). The projects will be finalized at the end of the semester with a finished product which will be presented in TED talks in the high school auditorium. Photos and information courtesy of the Allamakee Education Association.