Education

More than 30 teachers, students and astronomy educators from the NASA/IPAC (Infrared Processing and Analysis Center) Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) attended the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), January 6-10 in Seattle, WA. Among those teachers attending the event was Michael Bechtel, a 1989 graduate of Waukon High School and the son of Dean and Sherry Bechtel of rural Monona who is currently an assistant professor of science education at Wartburg College in Waverly and was selected to be a member of a NITARP team that will conduct an original research project throughout this next year.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors first met Tuesday, January 15 for a work session with Travis Squires, Managing Director of Piper Jaffray & Co., regarding funding options for capital projects. Squires said that updated estimates for the East and West Elementary HVAC projects are available. He also noted that the taxable valuations for the upcoming budget year have been set and presented funding options to the board.

The board directed Squires to put together a financing package to be considered at a later date. The board also decided to move up its March meeting to March 11 and April meeting to April 8 in order to meet bidding deadlines and FY2020 budget deadlines.

St. Patrick School in Waukon will be holding its annual Mardi Gras fundraising event Saturday, January 26 at the Waukon Banquet Center. Doors are scheduled to be open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Among the events taking place will be live and silent auctions for items such as those pictured above. There will also be a raffle for a “Weekend Getaway Package” at Upper Iowa Resort, which includes a two-night cabin stay, a cooler full of goodies, beach towels and more. Local businesses and individuals have donated items and funds to help make the event a success for St. Patrick School. For tickets and additional information, contact Jennifer Kovarik at 563-568-5318, Amy McCormick at 563-419-9336, Tami Stilwell at 319-361-6077 or St. Patrick School at 563-568-2170. Submitted photo.
 

The Kee High School Speech team was scheduled to begin its competition this past weekend with its Conference Meet hosted Saturday, January 12 by West Central High School in Maynard. The team will then compete at its District contest this Saturday, January 19 in Postville, with any teams receiving a one rating at the District contest advancing on to the State contest scheduled for February 2 at Waterloo West High School. Kee’s performances will include one Reader’s Theatre, two Mimes, one Radio News, one Film, three Improvisational Acting and two Ensembles.

Scholarship funding should pass the $1 million mark this year

The 2018-2019 Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. (formerly Allamakee Dollars for Scholars) phone-a-thon to be held in February is the major fundraiser for the organization and is conducted by the student applicants in conjunction with the Allamakee Scholarship Fund, Inc. Board of Directors. Students use phone banks at Waukon High School and at Waukon State Bank and Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank in Waukon to contact area residents in an effort to collect pledges of funding for scholarships. Phone-a-thon dates this year have been scheduled for Tuesday, February 12, Tuesday, February 19 and Thursday, February 21.

Fizz? Bubble? Goo? That’s the perfect recipe for some hands-on learning! Iowa State University Extension and Outreach recently joined the St. Patrick School Kindergarten class to offer Fizz, Bubble and Goo, a science-based program which requires students to get messy and sparks their natural curiosity for learning. A few of the activities (some of which are pictured in the two photos at right) included making homemade bubbles with bubble blowers and cola with ingredients right out of the cupboard. The kindergarten students learned what makes Alka-Seltzer fizz and what gas blew up their balloon when they mixed baking soda and vinegar.

Prior to the recent holiday break, Waukon High School and Middle School Art students under the instruction of Carlyn Lechtenberg invited classrooms at West Elementary School in Waukon over to view their art room, artwork and a life-size gingerbread house (pictured above) that students in sixth-12th grades collaboratively built in the last weeks of the first semester in their free time as they finished projects early. The students were also invited to create a small, festive art project with high school students as their helpers (pictured in the photos at center and below).

Sunday, December 2 the Waukon High School Vocal Music Department participated in its annual Tour of Churches. Over $1,700 in donations were collected at St. John’s Lutheran, Old West Lutheran, First Presbyterian, St. Patrick Catholic, First Baptist and Zalmona Presbyterian churches in the Waukon area and distributed to the Allamakee County Relief Office, the Allamakee County Food Shelf, the Allamakee Community School District Backpack Program, the Allamakee Giving Tree and the Waukon Community Meal program. Several Waukon businesses donated items for the students to enjoy on their tour as well; Fareway donated granola bars, Quillin’s supplied cookies and Culligan offered bottled water for each performer.

Students at St. Patrick School in Waukon participated in Hour of Code, a one-hour introduction to computer science, during computer class to celebrate Computer Science Education Week, December 3-9. Following that initial Hour of Code introduction, students continued learning about programming and completed different programs and challenges all dealing with coding throughout the month of December. Students learned that computer science opens more doors than any other discipline, discovering that learning the basics will help them in any career - from architecture to zoology. Students had the opportunity to practice coding programs on the computer, along with hands-on coding of robots (some of which is pictured in the surrounding photos). Students in Junior Kindergarten through sixth grade programmed robots to complete different challenges, along with designing their own challenges for their peers to complete.

In December, P.S.S.T. partnered with East Elementary School in Waukon to send third, fourth and fifth grade students (some of which are pictured in the photo below) on a field trip to Jewels roller skating rink in Decorah. The field trip was an entertaining way to end the students’ annual roller skating unit in their Physical Education classes. P.S.S.T., Parents Supporting Students and Teachers, is the parent organization that helps support the elementary schools in the Allamakee Community School District. The P.S.S.T. volunteers put on several family events each year and work to support the excellence of the schools’ students and staff. Submitted photo.