Education

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

All members of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors were present for the monthly board meeting held at Kee High School in Lansing Monday, July 18. Those present included Board President Bobbie Goetzinger and members Tony Becker, Melanie Mauss, Kelli Mudderman and Arla Wagner.

Also present were EACSD Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier, Kee High School and Middle School Principal Dr. Sarah Updegraff-Murray, New Albin Elementary Principal Donna Thomas and Board Secretary Michele Martin. Lansing/New Albin  Police Chief Conrad Rosendahl was a visitor.

by Brianne Grimstad

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met Monday, July 18 for its regular monthly meeting. Preparation for the upcoming school year continued to take place, along with a review of some aspects of the past school year.

Under Personnel matters, the board approved the following recommendations to hire: Dacia Sommer, Kindergarten Teacher (TK Room); Clint Miller, Suburban Driver (La Crosse – Special Education); Teresa Reeg, Kindergarten PLC Leader; and fall volunteer coaches Laurel Keenan (girls cross country), Carley Sweeney (volleyball), and Jarod Dahlstrom, Jon Snitker and Tim Bulman (football). The board also accepted two resignations: Cody Snitker from his seventh grade girls track coach position and Chris Dahlstrom from his ninth grade football coach position.

A free online college planning tool that helps families estimate the total cost of a college education has been redesigned to make it simpler to use.

The College Funding Forecaster allows students to input estimated costs, expected financial aid, savings and earnings to project total out-of-pocket expenses and potential student loan amounts for four to six years, the time it typically takes to earn an undergraduate degree, at the college or university of their choice.

Iowa Student Loan (ISL) Liquidity Corporation, a nonprofit organization which offers college financing products as Iowa Student Loan Education Lending, provides the mobile friendly College Funding Forecaster free at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/Forecaster.

For families that will have a new college freshman next year, this is a great time to look for scholarships that will help offset the cost of an education. Scholarships are considered “gift aid,” meaning that they do not need to be repaid later. Some are one-time awards that can be used while a family’s college savings continues to grow; others are renewable as long as the student remains eligible.

While we hear a lot about athletic scholarships or awards for high academic achievement, no student should overlook the possibility of earning some scholarships. Many different types of organizations offer scholarships, so casting a wide net will help students locate the opportunities they are most eligible for.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Waukon Center held its “Build Your Own Business” Summer Camp June 21-22 for students entering fourth through sixth grades this fall. This two-day camp was a “Shark Tank”-style experience (based on the “Shark Tank” television series) where students learned basic business concepts and vocabulary in formulating a business idea, created their own business plan, discussed customer service and created their own logo and business cards, printed by The Copy Shoppe. Students listened to presentations from local businesses and also visited Silver Laine Co., Cunningham Hardware, Town Theater, Aztec Parlor and Paws Up Pet Supplies in downtown Waukon to witness what they learned at the camp being utilized in a real business setting. The students concluded camp by presenting their business ideas to area business leaders who represented the “sharks” that provided feedback on those business ideas.

After high school graduation, students will face many new experiences beyond academics and social situations. Iowa Student Loan (ISL) Education Lending knows that preparation for the next step helps students increase their chances of graduation, finding a job and successfully repaying any student loans. ISL offers the following tips for parents on how to help prepare their students, and themselves, for life away at college:

1. Plan for medical emergencies. Parents may not have access to health information or be able to make medical decisions for incapacitated students who are 18 or older, no matter who carries the insurance and pays the bills. Parents may want to have their student properly complete, sign and have notarized official medical power of attorney and medical information release forms that can easily be accessed in case of emergency. In addition, students should understand when to self-treat, visit a clinic or specialist, or go to the emergency room.

A free online college planning tool that helps families estimate the total cost of a college education has been redesigned to make it simpler to use.

The College Funding Forecaster allows students to input estimated costs, expected financial aid, savings and earnings to project total out-of-pocket expenses and potential student loan amounts for four to six years, the time it typically takes to earn an undergraduate degree, at the college or university of their choice.

Iowa Student Loan (ISL) Liquidity Corporation, a nonprofit organization which offers college financing products as Iowa Student Loan Education Lending, provides the mobile friendly College Funding Forecaster free on its website at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/Forecaster.

Waukon High School added an in-house, work-based learning component to its Welding program this year. The new focus on real-world learning complements the Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) Career Pathway Certificate offered in partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) for college credit.

Twelve students worked with local businesses and industry to complete several projects while operating the class as a welding business model. Student tasks for projects included designing, estimating materials, pricing and fabrication, and the students developed their own company name, “Next Gen Welds.”

Projects completed in collaboration with local businesses included four concrete form racks and 70 pig pen stands for Palmer Repair, a heavy railing to protect a half-million-dollar CNC machine for M’s Machine, five vertical ball carts for Waukon High School and Middle School to organize basketballs, and 100 tee-off markers for Waukon Country Club.

Brenna Berns, a 2022 graduate of Waukon High School, was awarded the $2,000 Hammel-Zoll Scholarship Sunday, May 22 following the Baccalaureate Mass held at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon. Berns is the daughter of Brad and Erin Berns of Waukon, and she plans to attend Iowa State University in Ames this fall to pursue a career in Marketing and Graphic Design.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors met in regular session Monday, June 20. Board members Tony Becker and Kelli Mudderman were absent.

In personnel matters, the board  approved contracts for the following positions: Matthew Steven, Social Worker; Ann Berns, Spanish Teacher; and Kathy Ehlers, Behavior Interventionist/Special Education. In addition, the 2022-2023 Joint Sharing Agreement for a Social Worker between Eastern Allamakee Community School District and MFL/MarMac Community School District was approved.

Lead, model and mentor teachers were approved for the upcoming year. Lead teachers will be Kathleen Block and Susanne Herman. Mentor Teachers will be Lisa Hermeier and Lisa Welsh. Model Teachers will include Shelly Baumgartner, Allison Fitzwater, Tammy Manning and Donna Thomas.