Education

Vivian Khan, age 13, of Waukon has been accepted and is attending Interlochen Arts Camp this summer in northern Michigan, the world’s premier summer arts program for aspiring artists in grades three through 12. She is the daughter of Gary and Peggy Khan of Waukon and is studying in the piano program at the camp.

Khan currently studies piano under the guidance of Dr. Du Huang at Luther College in Decorah. She participated at the Dorian Keyboard Festival hosted by Luther College last fall and was selected to perform in the evening concert. She also plays occasionally for the congregation at Old East Paint Creek Church in rural Waterville.

This summer, area teenagers will meet monthly at Robey Memorial Library in Waukon to discuss books as part of the library's Teen Summer Book Club. Snacks will be provided, and any area teenagers are welcome to attend any of the scheduled sessions which are slated for the second Wednesday of each month. Monthly selections to be discussed include the following:

July 12 at 10:30 a.m.: Read any title - fiction or non-fiction - based only on the cover.

August 9 at 10:30 a.m.: Read "We were liars" by E. Lockhart. Attend either or both of the previous two book club sessions (June or July) to receive a copy of this title free, sponsored by the Robey Memorial Library Foundation. For additional information contact Robey Memorial Library at www.waukon.lib.ia.us or 563-568-4424.
 

Elections for four members of the Board of Directors of the Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA) will be conducted in September. The board positions are four-year terms that expire in October 2021.

The elections are conducted in accordance with Section 273 of the Code of Iowa. Nominations may be submitted by filing a “Statement of Candidacy” form with the board secretary of the Keystone AEA on or before August 15, 2017.

Director District 1 includes the Howard-Winneshiek, North Winneshiek, Riceville and Turkey Valley Community School Districts and the following precincts in the New Hampton Community School District: Chickasaw, Dayton-Richland, Deerfield-Washington, Jacksonville-Utica, New Hampton 1, 2, 3 and 4, and Washington.

Director District 3 includes the Allamakee, Clayton Ridge, Eastern Allamakee, and MFL/MarMac Community School Districts.

Eight youth who attended the June 20 Bike Camp hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach now know how to change a flat bike tire and also know proper bike riding etiquette. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach partnered with Troy Carter, Safe Routes to School Director, and Ashley Christensen, Regional Safe Routes to School Coordinator, to host Bike Camp for youth in third through fifth grade. They spent the morning learning about riding etiquette, rules of the road, hand signals and the ABCs of riding. While getting their bikes ready to ride, youth had to check the air in their tires to make sure they were at the appropriate pressure, checked the brakes to see if they were hooked up and working, and looked at the chain to make sure it was in place and oiled. Once the youth had their bikes fitted correctly, they were ready to hit the trail.

National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS) Director Dan Neenan presented to the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Board of Trustees at its June 19 meeting to provide updates on successful outcomes of its farm safety programming and give an overview of services the center delivers to local, regional, national and Canadian communities. Neenan and his team coordinate a variety of safety training programs for fire departments, Emergency Medical Services, agribusinesses and independent farmers each year. NECAS is the only farm safety training center in the U.S.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD)was held Monday, June 19. Board members Melanie Mauss and Kelli Mudderman were not present at the meeting.

The board approved the following food service and registration fees for the 2017-2018 school year:

Breakfast - PK-6 Students: $1.75; Grades 7-12 Students; $1.75; Adults: $2.25
Lunch - PK-6 Students: $2.55; Grades 7-12 Students: $2.65;  Adults: $3.55
Extra milk - PK-6 Students: $0.55; Grades 7-12 Students: $0.55
Book fees - PK-6 Students: $45; Grades 7-12 Students: $55
Activity Ticket - PK-6 Students: $45; Grades 7-12 Students: $45;  Adults: $65
Drivers Education - $260.

The following approvals were all passed by the board:

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met in a pair of meetings this past month. Coverage of both meetings appears below.

MAY 25 SPECIAL SESSION
The Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors met Thursday morning, May 25 for a brief special meeting. In personnel matters, the board approved staff for the 21st Century After School Program.

Greg Criswell was hired as Middle School Physical Education teacher ($59,947) and head girls' basketball coach ($5,568). Andrew Turpen was hired as a fourth grade teacher ($33,304) and Bridget Dolan was hired as a sixth grade teacher ($33,304). Randy Nordheim was hired as head varsity volleyball coach ($5,714). Virginia Kurth was hired as the Middle School 21st Century Site Coordinator ($15 per hour). The board also accepted the resignation of Jackie Rubendall from her paraprofessional position.

by Brianne Eilers

In April of this year, the Waukon Middle School of the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD), along with the Cora B. Darling Elementary School of the Postville Community School District, received $990,000 for the 21st Century Community Learning Center. The Community Learning Center program was one of eight Iowa school programs to receive a grant for the 21st Century program.

The grants are funded on a three-year grant cycle, with an optional two-year extension after a site visit. During the 2015-2016 school year, approximately 1,000 students were served in the local 21st Century programming.

Barb Winters-Kelly is the 21st Century grant director for the elementary schools, middle school and high school in the ACSD. She has been with the ACSD since 1998, when the program was funded by a two-year grant.

"People wanted after school programming (for the students)," Winters-Kelly noted.

Two Waukon High School juniors from the Harpers Ferry area, Landon Berns and Jared Campbell, were selected to attend Boys State, which was held June 11-16 at Fort Dodge in Johnston. Berns is the son of Charles and Peggy Berns, and Campbell is the son of Dan and Carolyn Campbell, all of Harpers Ferry.

Both young men were sponsored by Scenic Post 722 American Legion of Harpers Ferry. Iowa conducted its first "Hawkeye Boys State" in 1938 and has held one every year since, with the exception of 1945, when World War II gasoline rationing made it impossible. Hawkeye Boys State is a six-day course in self-government. Participants learned more about the functioning of city, county and state government in the state of Iowa than 75% of the population of Iowa.

The Waukon Lions Club hosted its annual Waukon High School Honors Banquet at the First Presbyterian Church in Waukon May 3. Students ranking within the top 15% academically of the Class of 2017 were honored. The evening included a meal served by the Presbyterian Women and an inspirational talk by guest speaker Larry Wolfe, a 1982 Waukon High School graduate who currently serves as Associate Principal at Charles City High School and Middle School. The graduates told the audience of their future plans and were then presented certificates by Waukon High School Principal Mike Hardy and Allamakee Community School District Superintendent Dave Herold. Pictured above are the honor students. Left to right - Front row: Lanci Bulman, Regan Wasson, Claire Beyer, Brooklyn Larson, Mason Hermeier, Callie Ferring, Hannah Hennessy. Back row: Sydney Herman, Christa Heffern, Maxwell Swartz, Adam Gruman, Tyler O'Neill, Logan Sullivan, Erika Johnson, Emma Johnson. Submitted photo.