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August 27, 2008 |
Two former Prairie du Chien High School students will soon be headed to Spain for an excellent teaching and learning opportunity.
"This is going to be a good experience for me," said Jon Wachter, who along with Molly Halpin will be teaching English for about nine months. "This is a chance of a lifetime. It’ll be a great chance to gain life experience and to become a better social studies teacher. I’ll be learning things that you can’t learn in textbooks."
"It’s a win-win situation," said Molly. "We’re getting paid to learn and to teach. I can’t wait."
Molly and Jon will be living and teaching in Santiago de Compostela, a city of about 100,000 in the Province of Galicia in the northwest part of Spain. They will each be teaching English to students from 3 to 17 years old. Jon and Molly will be teaching as employees of the St. James Institute, a private Spanish business. Their teaching will begin on Oct. 1 and will run through June.
Molly (class of ‘04) and Jon (class of ‘02) will each be teaching "conversational English" in classes of up to 15 students. Their students will have already had some English training, but will be trying to refine their English speaking skills so as to become more fluent and more practical.
Jon, who graduated from UW-Eau Claire with a degree in broad field social studies education, has experience in a classroom setting, having been a student-teacher at Eau Claire North High School and Menomonie Middle School. Teaching in Spain will prove challenging nonetheless, however, because Jon doesn’t speak Spanish. Not yet, anyway.
"I’m excited for my Spanish and for Jon’s Spanish," said Molly, who majored in Spanish and Public Relations at Loras College. "I’ll be helping Jon learn Spanish. I can’t wait to see his transformation. He’ll be amazed."
Molly said that she also hopes to build upon her own Spanish skills for possible future positions involving translating and interpreting. "I speak Spanish with a Wisconsin accent," she said, in noting that she would like her Spanish to not sound so "Midwestern."
This will be Molly’s fourth trip to Spain and her longest stay. It will be her third trip to Santiago. She traveled to Spain while in high school as part of the Spanish Club. She also took five Spanish courses for a semester in Spain while in college. During another stay, Molly taught English at a summer camp while working for St. James Institute.
Jon and Molly will be staying in apartments while in Santiago, where Molly said the cost of living is much less expensive than in the United States.
The two are looking forward to enjoying a different culture and taking in the sights during their free time. Molly said that the cuisine is great, with an abundance of delicious seafood, cheeses and red wine. One favorite dish is Paella, a combination of rice, seafood and chicken.
"Spain is beginning to be considered the new hub of the culinary world in Europe," said Jon. Molly noted that the restaurants begin serving at about 9 p.m. and the nightlife begins at midnight, with many of the clubs closing at about 7 a.m.
Jon said that he would like to take in a bullfight as well as other sights. "I’m excited and looking forward to the whole cultural experience," he said.
Jon, who has visited other European countries in the past, said he would also like to travel beyond Spain. "Hopefully, we will have time to travel all over Europe and see the sights," he said.
Obviously, the nine-month stay should prove to be a fabulous opportunity for both Molly and Jon.
Stir together one grant, a couple of excited teachers, several engineers and a classroom of students; then sit back and let the ingredients mingle.
What do call it? A recipe for success—at least if it’s Prairie du Chien teachers and students, 3M engineers and a $35,000 grant for Project Lead The Way( PLTW).
Interested in the success achieved by Platteville High School in a PLTW program, Prairie du Chien School applied for a grant in 2005 from the Kern Foundation, an organization whose goal is to increase school participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). The Kern Foundation awarded them a $35,000 grant to implement the program over three years.
In the fall of 2005, the school started Introduction to Engineering Design (IED). A second course, Principles of Engineering, followed in 2006, and last year a third course, Civil Engineering, was introduced.
This year, with a new $20,000 grant from the Kern Foundation, Project Lead the Way will expand into grades 6-8 as a mandatory course. This class will be a feeder course to the high school program.
A main goal of the program is to interest students in science and technology and introduce them to careers in these fields, but how do they gain exposure to that in a classroom? Enter 3M of Prairie du Chien, which has had a presence in the schools for a long time, but became a community partner for Project Lead The Way.
According to Joe Atkins, school board member and 3M site training coordinator, the company, especially Corri Schmidt, product manager, and Jeff Nack, Environmental Health and Safety manager, had been looking for ways to become more involved by way of providing speakers, shadowing opportunities for students, and even internships. Project Lead The Way offered such opportunities.
So far, 3M engineers and employees have come into the classroom as speakers and advisors and have led field trips at 3M. In the future, 3M would like to support the program even more by having one or more students work on selected projects for a number of weeks with a 3M engineer as mentor.
In addition to this support, 3M Foundation recently presented the school with a $15,000 grant which will be used to help defray the cost of implementing the program in grades 6 to 8.
Because of the success of this program, Prairie du Chien High School was invited to make a presentation to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards state convention in Jan., 2008. Students, teachers, district representatives and 3M employees took part in the presentation.
Mitch Tollefson has taught the IED class for two years now. Although classes in the program sound as if they might be aimed at the "high flyers" in the school, the courses are open to anyone who wishes to participate, and certainly the science and math enthusiasts enroll, but so do students in special education and some who are considered high risk.
Tollefson admits that teaching such a course can be challenging, but it works. "It gives the kids something they can really grasp and take hold of," he said. "They learn skills they really need to be successful, such as organizational and problem solving skills." Tollefson said the group projects involve such a wide range of things that every student has some skills to bring to it. Those who wish to take the project to a higher level, or take on a second project, are encouraged to do so.
He explained how one of the projects, development of a chess set, works. Student are divided into teams of four, and each team has to develop a chess set with opposing pieces based on a theme such as cops and robbers or McDonalds vs Burger King. Each team has a chief executive officer (CEO) appointed by the teacher. The CEOs interview prospective team members based on each student’s strengths or weaknesses. The team selection is made in private, and each CEO must then announce the team choices, identifying a particular strength of each team member.
Once the chess sets are designed, each team must make a PowerPoint presentation to the student body, and the entire student body votes to select a winner.
"By the end of the semester," Tollefson said, "the kids are really into it and I can just sit back and let them go." In a few more years, he said, he expects to hear from students who took these classes, went on to school and took jobs in technical fields. Last year, he said, there were about 10 students who planned to go into some technical field, and he remembers one girl who had decided on architecture as her career.
The classes have grown to the extent that sometimes students have to be turned away. Each student needs access to a computer, which limits class size to 18. Joe Atkins said that in the first year, 27 males and three females enrolled in IED. The second year, there were 33 male and six females. Last year, there were 35 males and 10 females. Principal Andy Banasik said the enrollment for this year has reached 30 percent female participation, and the ultimate goal is 50 percent.
Another element which 3M has introduced is the Teachers Working in Science and Technology (TWIST) program, an internship which allows teachers to work on projects in a local 3M facility. It allows the teachers, said Atkins, to take their classroom knowledge and apply it in the real world, then take that experience back to the classroom. Tollefson was Prairie du Chien’s first participant. "I think everybody concerned thought this was a really good deal," Atkins said. And they would like to offer it again next summer.
As a next step, Atkins said, the school administration is looking at a bio-medical track, and they are hoping that other organizations in the city can become partners in this program.
Jon Wachter and Molly Halpin of Prairie du Chien will soon be embarking upon a nine-month teaching trip to Spain.
Casey Williamson of Augelli Concrete and Excavating of Richland Center smooths out freshly-poured colored concrete at the corner of Beaumont Road and Blackhawk Avenue. The colored concrete is then scored to make it look like bricks. Following that, a chemical treatment will help age it. The red brick pattern will appear along the outside of the sidewalk and at corners downtown. (Photo by Ted Pennekamp)
The 3M Foundation recently presented the Prairie du Chien School district with a $15,000 grant to help set up a new PLTW program in grades 6-8. In front, left to right, are Sandy Bodine, 3M human resources manager and Corri Schmidt, 3M product manager. In back are Joe Atkins, 3M site training coordinator; Rory Meisner, 3M site manager and Joan Wick, B. A. Kennedy principal.
August 25, 2008 |
A new "epic fantasy adventure" novel has recently been released and is beginning to make a stir amongst its readers. Fate of Thorik, penned by first-time Monona, Iowa author Anthony G. Wedgeworth, is the first book in the six-part Thorik Dain series.
The fresh, fast-paced book chronicles the adventures of Thorik Dain on his quest to prevent the fall of the great Dovenar Kingdom, and the elimination of all mankind.
"Anyone who is not even a fantasy lover will enjoy it," said Wedgeworth. "I’m getting readers from 7 to 70, men, women and children."
The easy-to-read story is written with a "visual" style and features complex and complete characters. "It’s character driven," said Wedgeworth. "I want the reader to care about the characters and what happens to them."
Struggling to find the truth, Thorik confronts an entirely new world with overwhelming magic, altered beasts, battle-risen undead, and even deceivers amongst his closest allies. Weighing upon Thorik’s shoulders are his uncle’s desire to control him, his mentor’s obsession to vanquish the new rising leader, and Thorik’s own internal demons of self-doubt. The land’s destiny is in Thorik’s hands, while his confidence and conviction to his beliefs will define his own fate.
Fate of Thorik has only been in circulation for a few months, but Wedgeworth says that he has already been receiving an enthusiastic response from readers, many of whom are eagerly awaiting the second book in the series. "I’m pumped," he said. "Many readers have told me that they have read the book more than once. I’m even getting some fan mail."
The book is also garnering good reviews. "Fate of Thorik is easy to read and difficult to put down," said freelance journalist Lyle Ernst. "Wedgeworth keeps the story moving swiftly and is adept at creating characters the reader cares about. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series."
Wedgeworth said that he is preparing to market the book nationally and internationally through advertisements in magazines and at trade shows. Fate of Thorik is currently available at The Paper Moon in McGregor and at sites such as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. The book can also be checked out from the Prairie du Chien Public Library, where Wedgeworth recently had a book signing.
The second book in the series is about half completed, said Wedgeworth, who is hoping to have it done by the end of this year. "I can’t wait to finish the second one," he said.
Wedgeworth said that he had been wanting to write a novel since high school and had been making notes for the past 30 years. He moved to Monona in 1993, and on Oct. 1, 2005 he began writing Fate of Thorik. "It’s really cool," he said. "After 30 years of thinking about it, it’s finally real."
Wedgeworth’s accomplishment takes on some added significance when one considers that he struggled with severe dyslexia during childhood and throughout high school. He was able to overcome this challenge, however.
"Whatever you fight for, you can get," he said. "You just have to fight harder."
Those seeking more information about Fate of Thorik can find it at www.alteredcreatures.com or at thorik@alteredcreatures.com.
Prairie du Chien Mayor Karl Steiner was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (second offense) and failure to maintain control.
A Mar-Mac police officer arrested Steiner, 43, following a one-car accident at about 10:09 p.m. on Highway 76 just north of Marquette.
According to a Clayton County Sheriff’s Department "Calls for Service" report, the sheriff’s department received a call that a car was "all over the road." The caller then said that the car went into the ditch.
The Sheriff’s Department then informed the Mar-Mac Police Department, who responded to the scene and arrested Steiner. According to the Sheriff’s Department report, Steiner had a preliminary breath test reading of .45. Steiner was transported to the Clayton County Jail and another breath test at 11:45 p.m. was stopped when it read .273, according to the report.
Steiner is scheduled to appear in Clayton County Circuit Court on Sept. 3 at 9:30 a.m. for his initial appearance.
