Education

Danielle Stock, a member of the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter in Waukon, is the recipient of America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders Scholarship. America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, encourages rural youth to become the next generation of ag leaders by awarding $1,500 scholarships to support their pursuit of higher education in ag-related fields of study. The scholarships are administered by the National FFA Organization. With nearly 60,000 job openings in the industry and not enough qualified college graduates to fill them, the program works to create awareness and interest about the thousands of career opportunities within agriculture - including business, computer science, bio-chemistry, education, engineering, mathematics, communications and more.

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) is participating in the Free Summer Food Service Program again this year from now until late June and then again in the early half of August. Menus for the initial session of the program through its June dates accompany this article (printed below). Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all children ages one through this year’s graduating seniors at no charge and are the same for all children, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

Meals will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis at the sites and times as follows:

• Waukon Middle School Cafeteria: Mondays-Fridays, May 29-June 25 and August 1-14. Breakfast will be served from 8-9 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

The 21st Century Grant sites (Kids Club and 10th Hour) in the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) came together to host a Community/Family Night recently. Hardee’s furnished hot dogs and buns and the ACSD cooks served BBQs as part of the festivities. Many other people collaborated with program leaders and participants to make for a fun and an educational evening, including Robey Memorial Library, Waterville Public Library, Keystone AEA1, Kathy Hay, Green Iowa Americorps, Ross Geerdes of Allamakee County Conservation, Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative,The Magic and Balloons of Tristan Hauser and Kid Again Inflatables (pictured in surrounding submitted photos). The assistance of ACSD teachers Eileen Franks, Ciara Snitker, Sara Retallick and Traci Byrnes made the evening possible, along with the efforts of custodian Arnie Onsager and the Kids Club staff and student helpers.
 

Saturday, May 5, area students from Soaring Eagle Tae Kwon Do Academy participated in the Pan American Tae Kwon Do Tournament held in Rochester, MN. Pictured above, left to right, are the following participants listed with their awards won at the tournament: Front row - Sawyer Gramlich earned a bronze medal for board breaking, Brendan Croft earned a bronze medal for Board Breaking and a silver medal for Poomse (forms), Marley Gramlich earned a gold medal for Poomse, Mara Branum earned a bronze medal for board breaking, Caden Branum earned a gold medal for board breaking and a silver medal for  Poomse, Karter Einck earned a gold medal for board breaking and a silver medal for  Poomse, and Gareth Sweet earned a bronze medal for both board breaking and Poomse. Back row:  Nadia Johnson earned a bronze medal for board breaking and Master Elizabeth Fish of Soaring Eagle Tae Kwon Do Academy, who holds classes in both Decorah and Lansing. Submitted photo.
 

Alexz Grampovnik and Colin Waters, 2018 graduates of Waukon High School, were both awarded the $1,000 Hammel-Zoll Scholarship Sunday, May 13 following the Baccalaureate Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon.

Grampovnik, the daughter of John and Anne Grampovnik of Waukon, plans to attend Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) in Calmar for two years to complete her RN degree and then transfer to Upper Iowa University in Fayette to complete her BSN degree.

Waters, the son of Tim and Sarah Waters of Waukon, plans to attend Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo and then transfer to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls to major in Education.
 

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) school board members met for two meetings Monday, May 21. Board members first met for a special meeting Monday morning for a public hearing on the sale of public school property in Waterville. No written or oral comment was given. The board then opened bids on the LP gas tank located at the Waterville Elementary School property. Three bids were submitted, including one from the City of Waterville for $5,000; one from Distant View Farms for $20,070 and one from Hovey LP Gas, Inc. for $27,500. The board chose to accept the bid from Hovey LP Gas, Inc.

The board then met for its regular monthly meeting Monday night. Prior to the meeting, a tour of the Waukon High School Construction class home was given.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The regular monthly meeting of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors was held Monday, May 21 at Kee High School in Lansing. Board members Bruce Palmborg, Bobbie Goetzinger and Board President Heather Schulte were present, along with Board Secretary/Business Manager Marian Verdon, Kee High School and Middle School Principal Mary Hogan, New Albin Elementary School Principal Chad Steckel and EACSD Superintendent Dr. Dale Crozier. Absent were board members Kelli Mudderman and Melanie Mauss.

President Schulte called the meeting to order. The initial item on the agenda included approval of the 2018 budget amendment which allows the budget to cover additional revenues and expenditures not covered in the original budget. Public comments were called for but none were given. The normal and customary authorizations were approved.

The Waukon High School Music Department returned from its Iowa High School Music Association Large Group Music Festival Saturday, May 5 in Osage with a quartet of the highest ratings that can be achieved at such an event. A combined total of five vocal and band ensembles represented Waukon High School with their performances in the Class 2A division of the event that featured a dozen other similar-sized schools, with four of those five Waukon groups bringing home a Division I rating for their efforts.

The Waukon High School Concert Band, under the direction of Jo Ann Sherman, was the lone instrumental ensemble representing Waukon High School and received one of just five Division I ratings awarded at the Festival among 13 performing band ensembles. Likewise, the Waukon High School Mixed Chorus, under the direction of Sarah Palmer, also received one of just six Division I ratings awarded among 15 performances in that competition.

After School Clover Kids became busy bees in May learning about beekeeping. Makayla Manning of Waukon led the May meeting with showing her own beekeeper suit (pictured in photo above right) and bee hive smoker (pictured in bottom photo). She explained how the suit protects her from stings and the smoker makes the bees sleepy. Once the bees become defenseless, the beekeeper can safely work with the bee hives. Clover Kids made their own bees with small batteries and tooth brush heads. They then tried to navigate their bee through the gardens and orchards pollinating the flowers (pictured in center photo). Afterward, everyone did the bee waggle dance, which is the choreographed dance bees use to communicate and instruct the rest of the hive where to find a food source.

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD Board of Directors held a special meeting Tuesday morning, May 8. One item was struck from the original agenda for the meeting, that being the recommendation to approve an offered but not taught exemption for the Health II course.

Under personnel matters, the board approved hiring Patrick Mahr as additional summer maintenance help at 28.75 hours per week, and approval was also given to the transfer of Josh Hager from his current night custodian position to the day custodian position at Waukon High School. The board also hired Sarah Ferguson as the PK-5 art/computer teacher and Joanne Ericson as the 7-12 business/technology teacher. Approval was also given by the board to the distribution of Teacher Salary Supplement (TSS) carry-over money to all eligible staff, based on full-time employment of staff members.