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July 14, 2010 |
Exchange students benefit from living in small towns
Students provide a learning experience for host families, too
By Jen Schultz
For one school year, four exchange students had the opportunity to live in the small communities of Crawford County. Most of the students were here from August 25 through June 14 through a program offered by Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI).
Derek Poon, 16, is from Hong Kong. For the last school year, he stayed with host parents Butch and Sheila Zinkle, of Wauzeka.
Derek wanted to be a foreign exchange student so that he could study English and have a great experience.
"It's a big change - there"s a lot of trees here and the people are more friendly," comments Derek on the difference between living here and in Hong Kong.
"I would definitely do this again," says Derek. He recommends others to take the chance and become a foreign exchange student as well.
"Derek has learned a lot of different things that he wouldn't have learned in Hong Kong," says his father Thomas Poon, who was here for a visit in May. "He's really enjoying life here and he's probably not going to want to come home."
In fact, Derek will be coming back to the States in the fall, he is enrolling in mechanical engineering at Oregon State for college.
"It's a good experience to get to know kids from other countries and what their culture is like," states Sheila.
Derek is the fourth foreign exchange student that the Zinkles have had. The Zinkles have had students from Ecuador, Germany, Denmark and now Hong Kong.
Lisa Umann, 16, is from Germany. Deb Arnold and her son Joe of Wauzeka, were Lisa's host family.
"I wanted to learn English," comments Lisa as the reason for becoming a foreign exchange student.
"It's different from what I expected, but I didn't know what to expect," says Lisa of her experience as a foreign exchange student.
Deb says that she was worried about how the exchange student would react to living in a non-traditional family, but Lisa has had no problem adjusting to life with Deb and Joe.
"Being a host parent is very rewarding," comments Deb. "You get to learn from the students about themselves and about their country. You get to support their interests, too."
"Her English is very good," says Deb. "At first there were some translation problems like "What time are you going to stand up in the morning?" which was actually "What time are you going to get up in the morning?"
Lisa believes the trip has made her more self-confident.
When asked what she misses the most, Lisa replies the food, especially pancakes from home. "Food in Germany is completely different."
When Lisa returns home, she must complete an additional three years of school in Germany.
Deb and Lisa plan to stay in contact. Deb is hoping to be able to visit Lisa someday in Germany.
"It's a fabulous experience both ways. Anyone that thinks about hosting a foreign exchange student should just give it a try," suggests Deb.
Manja Klauschenz, 17, is from Germany. She has been staying with Laury Nelson of Seneca.
"My sister was here two years ago and she said it was great," comments Manja. Laury was the host parent for Manja"s sister, too. "I was scared, but I did it and I'm really glad that I did."
"I didn't think anyone would understand me, but it was easier than I thought it would be," says Manja.
"Her English is really good," adds Laury.
When asked what she misses the most, Manja replies the food, especially the bread and sausages from home. In fact, she had a menu planned three weeks before she left to go back home. Manja adds that the food in Germany is much healthier and that there isn't as much fast food.
When Manja returns to Germany she will have two more years of school, she must repeat her junior year again since she was here as a foreign exchange student.
Manja believes that being here has not only helped her English, but she has become more self confident.
This was the second time Laury has hosted a foreign exchange student. "Our school benefits so much from the exchange students. It really is a neat experience for our kids," says Laury. "It's a very rewarding risk, and now I have another family" Germany." Laury even had the opportunity to visit Manja's family in Germany last summer.
Nicola Klein, 17, also from Germany, stayed with Rollie and Donna Aspenson of Ferryville and their daughters Kristine and Jennifer.
"I wanted to learn the language because I love English," explains Nicola. "I also wanted to know another way of life."
"The hardest part," Nicola comments, "was not being with my family and being away during the holidays."
"She basically has done everything our family does, it's just like having a third daughter," explains Donna.
"If anyone is considering being a foreign exchange student, they should do it, because it is fun. You get to meet a lot of new friends," says Nicola.
This is the first time the Aspensons have hosted a foreign exchange student. "I've wanted to do this for a long time. It's a great way to learn about another culture, especially the foods and how they celebrate their holidays," says Donna.
"In hindsight, we wished we would have started hosting exchange students earlier when the girls were younger," comments Rollie.
When Nicola returns, she will have to attend two more years of school. The Aspensons are tentatively planning to go to Germany for her graduation in two years.
"We thought we'd have a lot of problems and we stressed out a lot thinking we wouldn't get along, but that wasn't the case," says Donna.
"She adapted so well to everything. I couldn't be more pleased with the way that everything worked out," adds Rollie.
"Nicola is very willing and easy going. She speaks really good English too," continues Donna.
CCI"s area representative, Diane Young explains that CCI places students from 65 different countries, plus CCI has an outbound program for American students wishing to go abroad.
The academic youth program is between a semester and 10-months long. Students must be 15 to 18 years old. Students are fully insured, have their own spending money and money for school expenses. The host family must provide a bed and meals for the student.
For more information about hosting a foreign exchange student go online to cci-exchange.com.
School Board discusses several building projects
By Ted Pennekamp
The Prairie du Chien School Board discussed various building projects during its regular board meeting Monday night.
The board unanimously approved of the Bluff View playground project, which will be completely funded by a $100,000 state and federal grant. The new playground will be 100 percent wheelchair accessible, due in large part to a new 10-inch gravel base topped by a rubber-type surface. The surface will be porous, so there will be no drainage problems. The project will be done by Gerber Leisure Products of Mount Horeb and will also include new equipment which will be handicapped accessible. The project is scheduled to begin in August and is expected to be completed in time for the start of the school year, which will begin on Sept. 1.
A project that is also being planned includes two football/soccer fields, along with two baseball/softball fields at Bluff View. Vierbicher and Associates of Prairie du Chien has been working on the plans for the project, which will be undertaken by the National Guard. It is hoped that the project can be completed by the summer of 2011, but it will depend upon when National Guard personnel are available.
Superintendent Drew Johnson and Luke Lucas, the head of maintenance, reported to the board that the high school dishwasher will need to be replaced at an approximate cost of $26,000. The dishwasher is "shot" said Lucas, who noted that the dishwasher was first installed in the 1960s and that the school has been having problems with it in recent years. The dishwasher replacement would be eligible for a revenue limit exemption for energy savings and would be partially funded by a Focus On Energy grant. No borrowing would be necessary. The board decided to refer the dishwasher problem to the Building and Grounds Committee, which could study the project further and then make a decision without having the matter come back before the school board. The school district will make the necessary repairs to the industrial dishwasher in order to get through this upcoming school year, said Johnson.
Also discussed was the possible conversion of the high school courtyard area into cafeteria space. The board will need to decide whether to proceed with this project by about Oct. 20. If the courtyard is converted into more cafeteria space, the courtyard may be moved to a different area. Luke Lucas told the board that there is not enough cafeteria space and that students have been eating in the hallways and the stairwells.
Also discussed were the possible replacement of the front and back entrances to the high school in order to create an "air lock concept," which would save energy. These projects would allow for a revenue limit exemption for energy savings.
In other business, the board approved of a $50,000 donation by 3M Company of Prairie du Chien to go towards the high school bio-medical program as part of "Project Lead the Way."
The board also approved of adopting the new anti-bullying policy in accordance with the new state law.
July 12, 2010 |
By Jen Schultz
Eastman's 4th of July parade received national attention as reporter Bruce Marcus taped a live feed of the parade for the CBS Radio Network. Radio stations affiliated with the CBS Radio Network across the country played Marcus' feeds during their news broadcasts. Marcus' assignment was to cover ’Äòsmall town America celebrating July 4th.' To listen to the feeds, visit pdccourier.com.
By Jen Schultz
Casey Gokey may have been born and raised in Prairie du Chien, but this small-town girl is going above and beyond to help others. "When I was in high school, I took a health occupations class. That's where I had the opportunity to shadow various health professions and I knew that I wanted to study medicine," said Gokey. Gokey graduated from Prairie du Chien High School in 2002 and received her undergraduate degree in biology with a certificate in women's studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2006. In May, Gokey graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, also located in Madison. Prior to graduating in May, Gokey spent a month working in Uganda at an adult medical center and isolation ward. Gokey had the opportunity to learn about health care and nutrition while volunteering in Uganda. "They don't have a lot of medical equipment and lab tests aren't available so most diseases are treated from physical examination skills," explains Gokey in regards to some of the challenges she faced while volunteering in Uganda. She hopes to return to Uganda and volunteer again at some point in her career. Throughout medical school, Gokey was involved with Medical Students for Minority Concerns (MSMC), an organization aimed to introduce students to the health challenges of minority populations and their access to health care in Madison. Gokey was also a part of Mothers and Maternity Support (MoMS), an extracurricular medical student initiative which matched students with expectant mothers in the community. Students in the program provide support, education and health advocacy for their patient, who is a socially, economically or physically disadvantaged single mother or teen mother. While in school at Madison Gokey also volunteered for four years in the Emergency Room at the Meriter Hospital. During her summers breaks while in college, Gokey often spent time job shadowing Dr. Rademacher when he had surgeries. This was where Gokey had her first opportunity to see a C-section. Gokey is currently completing her three-year family medicine residency in Anchorage, Alaska. The residency program in Alaska offers diverse challenges and intensive rural training opportunities, which is perfect for Gokey who plans on practicing rural medicine. Gokey is the daughter of Paul and Colleen Gokey of Prairie du Chien. She has two siblings, Patrick and Megan.
On Thursday, July 8, the Crawford County Sheriff's Department received a report of a multi-vehicle traffic crash located near the intersection of State Highway 61 and Day Creek Road. Rebecca M. Kulas, 22, Viroqua, was operating a 1997 Oldsmobile northbound on State Highway 61, north of Soldiers Grove, when the vehicle she was operating crossed into the southbound lane and collided with a 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Jeffrey L. Skarda of Soldiers Grove. The Kulas Vehicle continued north a short distance before leaving the roadway, traveling down an embankment, and coming to rest in a cornfield. Skarda's motorcycle was then struck by a 2002 Chevrolet Tracker driven southbound by Diana E. Applebee of Soldiers Grove. Upon impact, the Applebee vehicle left the roadway and traveled down an embankment. Kulas, along with passengers Dustin Hadley and Thomas Helgerson, were transported to Vernon Memorial Hospital and later transferred to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse. Kulas and Hadley were in fair condition Friday. Helgerson was treated and released. Applebee was also transported to Vernon Memorial Hospital. Information on her condition was not available. Jeffrey L. Skarda, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene. A reconstruction of the traffic crash was performed by the Wisconsin State Patrol. State Highway 61 was closed due to the investigation for approximately four and a half hours. Kulas was charged Friday, July 9, in Crawford County Circuit Court with one count of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and one count of operating after suspension (fourth offense). Assisting at the scene was the Soldiers Grove Fire Department, Crawford County Highway Department, North Crawford Rescue Squad, Tri-State EMS, Readstown EMS, Digger Don's Towing and Bob's Towing.
By Ted Pennekamp
Wyalusing Academy of Prairie du Chien has been accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), an independent non-profit international accreditor of community-based behavioral health care and human service organizations. COA's accreditation program is designed to identify providers that have set high performance standards for themselves and have made a commitment to their constituents to deliver the highest quality services. Dave Hernesman, the executive director of Wyalusing Academy, said that the Wyalusing staff has been working very hard in order to receive accreditation from COA. He said that Wyalusing applied for accreditation on Jan. 1. COA visited Wyalusing in June and granted accreditation on July 1. Hernesman noted that only 2 percent of applicants receive accreditation on their first attempt. Wyalusing received accreditation on its first attempt with no contingencies or modifications needed to their program. "We're quite honored to be in that elite group," said Hernesman. "We must be doing a pretty darn good job to honor us in that manner." Hernesman said that eventually, the federal government is expected to require accreditation from COA in order to uphold national standards for behavioral health care organizations. Thus, Wyalusing Academy decided to work towards accreditation now, rather than later. "I have to thank our dedicated staff working with these troubled youth for helping to attain that degree of excellence," said Hernesman. In a news release, COA said that it is committed to maintaining the highest level of standards and quality improvement, and that COA is proud to recognize Wyalusing Academy as an outstanding provider. COA accreditation is an objective and reliable verification that provides confidence and support to an organization's service recipients, board members, staff and community partners, the news release stated. The accreditation process involves a detailed review and analysis of both an organization's administrative operations and its service practices. All are measured against national standards of best practice. These standards emphasize services that are accessible, appropriate, culturally responsive, evidence based, and outcomes-oriented. In addition, they confirm that the services are provided by a skilled and supported workforce and that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. COA congratulated Wyalusing Academy "for their hard work and wonderful achievement." COA said that they are proud to have Wyalusing Academy as part of COA's Community of Excellence.
COA was founded in 1977 and more than 1,800 organizations, public and private, are either COA accredited or are in the process of seeking accreditation. These organizations serve more than seven million of the nation's most vulnerable individuals each year.
Some of the staff members at Wyalusing Academy are, front row, from left: Admissions Director Roberta Lear and Director of Clinical Services Colleen Teynor. Back row, Assistant Director Rad Reilly, Human Resources Vicki Taylor, and Executive Director Dave Hernesman.
