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PdC School District installing state-of-art computer technology
The Prairie du Chien School District is in excellent shape as far as computer
technology is concerned, according to a presentation by Joe Rusky at Monday
night's school board meeting. "Everything is going great," said Rusky about the
installation of 150 new computers and software that were purchased near the
beginning of the school year for $614 apiece. Rusky, of Dependable Solutions of
Prairie du Chien, said that the installation and integration of 21 computers at
B.A. Kennedy Elementary School has been completed and the installation of 70
computers at the high school has begun. "There was no down time and there has
been a very positive response from the B.A. Kennedy teachers," Rusky told the
board. The installation of new computers at B.A. Kennedy was done first because
B.A. Kennedy was the worst off of the district's schools, said Rusky, who is a
private computer consultant for several area school districts as well as the new
Crawford County Administrative Offices Building. The computer installation
process began last week at the high school and should be completed the Friday
after Thanksgiving, Rusky said. The project will then move to Bluff View
Intermediate School, where computer installation is expected to be completed by
Dec. 15. B.A. Kennedy received 21 new computers, Prairie du Chien High School
will receive 70 and Bluff View will get 59. Rusky told board members that the
district still needs 10 more computers this year. The 10 computers have been
budgeted for. "You are at a very, very good spot right now with your technology,"
said Rusky, who noted that the Prairie du Chien District has "both hardware and
software that is state-of-the-art equipment." Rusky said that the Prairie du
Chien District now has far better computer technology than any other area school
district that he works with. Rusky also said, however, that the district should
not get complacent. Rusky told board members that he recommends that the
district have a constant "migration" of 100 computers each year starting next
year in order to keep current. That would mean bringing in 100 new computers and
getting rid of 100 old computers each year.
In other business: €High School Principal Andy Banasik told the board that
the newly approved School Resource Officer position will begin in January.
Banasik will be working with Prairie du Chien Police Chief Mike King to form a
job description and Banasik and King will conduct interviews for the position
after Thanksgiving. Banasik also said that $14,000 has been raised for the
School Resource Officer position. €Prairie du Chien High School students Laura
Forsythe and Erica Nelson gave a presentation before the board concerning a trip
to Costa Rica by 12 International Club students and four other students. The
trip will be for 12 days in June and will involve living with host families as
well as educational experiences and sight-seeing. The trip will cost each
student more than $2,600 and students will be undertaking fund-raising efforts.
Following the presentation by Nelson and Forsythe, the board unanimously
approved the trip to Costa Rica. €B.A. Kennedy Principal Kathryn Roe gave a
presentation to the board concerning the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam.
Roe said that 91 percent of the district's third graders tested in the advanced
or proficient range in reading and that one of the district's goals is to have
students continue to display such a high level of reading. Roe also informed the
board of upcoming changes in testing procedure as the district strives to
increase student achievement in all grade levels in accordance with the federal "No
Child Left Behind" act.
Restorative justice program puts emphasis on crime victims and healing
Nearly everyone understands the feeling of injustice ‹ of being treated
unfairly or being wronged by someone else's actions. But defining justice is
much more difficult. We live in a society that follows the rule of law and we
have a justice system that enforces the law and hands out sentences to offenders
who break the law. But for crime victims there is often little satisfaction
found in the process. Where in the justice system does the victim get to speak
about what they feel is just for them? Where can they express their feelings of
anger, fear and violation? That is what the Crawford County Restorative Justice
program is all about. Mary Sterling, the Restorative Justice coordinator, has
been with the program since its inception in 2001. She got involved after
participating in a Bible study group where some of the participants, including
herself, wondered how they could find a practical use for what they were
learning. Mary had already worked as a teacher of basic education classes with
juvenile offenders, so she felt comfortable with the idea of Restorative
Justice. The criminal justice system, says Sterling, is focused on the offender
‹ determining guilt or innocence and then punishment for the guilty. "Sometimes
the victim still feels left out," said Sterling. Restorative Justice "tries to
be victim focused, on healing for the victim," says Sterling. To create greater
healing, the Restorative Justice program offers a setting where victims and
offenders can meet face to face and discuss their feelings in a safe environment
with the guidance of trained volunteer mediators who facilitate the meeting.
Crime victims can choose to participate in the process; offenders may be
court-ordered to participate. The process begins with an interview of the
offender by staff from the Restorative Justice program. They try to determine if
the offender is a good candidate for the program. Restorative Justice mediation
will not work if the offender denies responsibility for their actions. The
offender must admit their responsibility and show some willingness to meet with
the victim. Then the Restorative Justice volunteers meet with the victim to help
them prepare them for the mediation. These preliminary meetings allow parties
from both sides to vent some emotions that would not be appropriate in the
mediation setting, and to prepare themselves. The mediation sessions are
emotionally charged. Both parties come into the meeting with a lot of
apprehension. But according to Sterling a sort of magic occurs during the
one-hour meetings. "All of the negative feelings fall away," she said, and
victims and offenders can talk as one human being to another about what needs to
be accomplished for restitution. Together they can create a solution that is
meaningful for the victim and possible for the offender, Sterling says. Usually,
the offender apologizes to the victim. The results of the mediation session can
be impressive. Victims can regain a sense of power and find meaning in a
senseless event. Offenders can find accountability by seeing the results of
their actions. "What's good for the victim is also good for the offender,"
Sterling observed. Many of the offenders sent to Restorative Justice are
juveniles who are convicted of relatively minor offenses. Judges and victims
hope to the process will have a significant impact on them, to help them avoid
committing more serious crimes in the future. So far this year, Restorative
Justice has worked with 22 offenders, about half were juveniles. The program
does seem to have an impact on offenders who participate. In 2002, 75 percent of
offenders who participated in the program did not re-offend within a two year
time span. Of those who did commit another crime, the crime was similar, not a
more serious offense. Even offenders who just met with volunteers of the program
but did not meet heir victims had a lower rate of recidivism. There are just
thirteen volunteers in the program, and Sterling would like to recruit more.
Volunteers need to have good listening skills, be non-judgemental and willing to
hear two very different sides of a story. Their job, Sterling emphasizes, is not
to play judge and jury. Volunteers may accept as many or as few cases as they
like, but once they accept a case they must follow it through to completion.
Most cases average about 10 volunteer hours, and volunteers work in pairs where
an experienced person works with a new person. Volunteers receive 24 hours of
training before beginning their work. Restorative Justice is particularly useful
in smaller communities like Prairie du Chien where victims and offenders may
know each other, or are likely to encounter one another on the street. The
program was inspired by tribal processes of the Maori people of New Zealand,
where the program was first integrated into the formal justice system.
Restorative Justice is a community process that can help restore balance to the
community after a crime is committed. It has been so successful with juveniles
in New Zealand that the country has now closed all its juvenile detention
facilities, according to Sterling. If you are interested in becoming a
volunteer, call Mary Sterling at 326-2407. New volunteer training begins in
January.
Dredge Thompson will retire in Winona, not PdC
According to a press release issued on Tuesday, Nov.9. the Maritime Heritage
Society of Winona, Minn., will become the permanent home for the dredge boat
William A. Thompson after it is retired from service this fall.
The Maritime Heritage Society is a private non-profit formed for the purpose
of bringing the Thompson to Winona, and managing it's operation as an attraction
if the group was successful in their bid. The 67-year-old, 230-foot long boat is
currently the property of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), who built and
operated it, but when government property is retired or disposed of it is turned
over to the General Services Administration, (GSA) which disposes of or sells
all federal government property.
Prairie du Chien submitted an application to become the boat's final
destination by the due date of Oct. 18. Blair Dillman offered to become a
financial backer for the project, and Community Development Alternatives, a
non-profit, submitted the application.
Applications were submitted to the state government, who fowarded them to the
GSA for final disposition.
The Corps news release states that only one application was submitted ‹ the
one from Winona.
According to Dale Klemme of Community Development Alternatives, this is
inaccurate, and he has called both the Corps and a contact in state government
to confirm that the Prairie du Chien application was forwarded to the GSA.
The Courier Press attempted to contact Mark Brantley, an administrator for
the GSA, to confirm that the Prairie du Chien application was received, but he
was unavailable at press time.
Hospital formally announces
purchase of Prairie Health Care Center
Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital CEO Harold Brown made the formal
announcement of the purchase of two nursing homes last Thursday
afternoon in the dining room at newly renamed Prairie Maison nursing
home.
Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital took the necessary to steps to extend
its continuum of care within the community with the purchase of the
Prairie nursing facility. The purchase, which was completed on Nov. 1,
was formally announced at a reception at the facility last Thursday.
Harold Brown, chief executive officer of Prairie du Chien Memorial
Hospital took to the podium to explain how and why the hospital chose to
make the purchase. According to Brown, bringing long-term care into the
range of services has been a part of the hospital's strategic plan. The
nursing home has been organized as a separate, not-for-profit limited
liability corporation (LLC) called Community Health Services
Corporation. The nursing home has been renamed Prairie Maison, after the
French word for 'home.' The hospital loaned money to the new corporation
to assist with the purchase of the facility. All of the former staff
have been retained and Brown praised their hard work and competency.
Mary Jo Wolcott retains her position as nursing home administrator for
the 96-bed facility and Dr. Clifford Smith was appointed the new medical
director and ambassador. The mood at the reception was quietly jubilant.
"This will definitely be an asset to this area, and to all of Crawford
County," said Wolcott. "It has been a long struggle, but I'm very happy
with the result," she added. Brown said that some much needed
improvements will be made to the facility as quickly as possible. For
example, he noted that a new vehicle with a wheelchair lift had already
been ordered. Prairie Maison was not the only major announcement made at
the reception. The hospital has also facilitated the purchase of the
Sannes Skogdalen Nursing Home in Soldiers Grove from Don and Andrea
Sannes last Oct. 1. Like Prairie Maison, Sannes Skogdalen, now called
Sannes Skogdalen Heim, (the Norwegian word for 'home') is owned by
Community Health Services Corp. Don Sannes was retained as
administrator, along with 85 other employees who kept their jobs. Don
Sannes said that he was "tremendously impressed" with the package the
hospital put together. "Of all the potential [buyers], they were the
best fit," he added, saying that he and his wife were very pleased.
According to Wolcott part of the impetus for the purchases was to keep
the management of the facilities local, as well as to eliminate possible
competition from other for-profit health care corporations. The Prairie
Nursing Home was formerly owned by a corporation based in Atlanta, Ga.
Harold Brown expressed his pleasure with and hope for the two new
purchases. "This will be good for the health care communities of
Soldiers Grove, Prairie du Chien and Crawford County. This will provide
a link in the continuum of care to residents. We believe the change in
ownership will be positive for all involved and ask for the continued
support of area communities," he said. A number of Prairie du Chien
Memorial Hospital administrators and others gathered for the formal
transfer of ownership of the Sannes Skogdalen nursing home in Soldiers
Grove in October. From the left: Paul Ginkel, Glen Beneker, Judy Bebow,
Ken Wall, (Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital board members);
administrator Donald Sannes and Andrea Sannes (former owners); Barron
Fuller, Hospital board member; Harold Brown, Memorial Hospital chief
executive officer; and Connie Achenbach, Memorial Hospital chief
operations officer.
Fred Huebsch receives Historical Society's Citizen Laureate Award
Hardworking, innovative former mayor only second person to be honored by
award
Former Prairie du Chien Mayor Fred Huebsch received the Prairie du
Chien Historical Society's Citizen Laureate Award at the Historical
Society meeting Thursday, Nov. 11. The Citizen Laureate Award was
established in 2001 to recognize a person, group, or business for their
unselfish contributions to the improvement of the quality of life and
the preservation of the history of the Prairie du Chien region. The
Citizen Laureate Award is symbolized by a golden key signifying the
commitment to safeguard the past as well as unlocking and making
accessible the knowledge of the past. Along with being a former Mayor of
Prairie du Chien, Fred is a four-term city councilman and former city
council president. Fred has served on the Harbor Commission, the
Planning and Zoning Commission, the St. Feriole Island Re-use Committee,
the Redevelopment Authority and the Industrial Development Corporation.
Fred has also served on the following civic organizations: The Prairie
du Chien Historical Society, Committee for the Performing Arts, Memorial
Hospital Board of Directors, Chamber of Commerce past president, United
Way Board of Directors, American Cancer Society Crawford County Board of
Directors, Prairie du Chien Jaycees past president, and the Prairie du
Chien Foundation. Fred has previously been the recipient of a Special
President's Award from the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce and
the Outstanding Jaycee of the Year Award. Fred is also a member of the
United Methodist Church. Several people spoke on behalf of Fred at
Thursday's night's Historical Society meeting. "Since the beginning of
the Prairie du Chien Historical Society, Fred has been a vital part of
the Board and its committees. He always has innovative ideas of ways to
improve the museum," said Historical Society president Sharon A. Martin,
who presented Fred with the Citizen Laureate Award. "Fred is on the
Education Committee where his is considered the grand planner of
programs. He has an ingenious ability to know what will make a great
event. He has a passion for every detail of an event and he knows just
the right people to participate. This has been shown by the wonderful
Fort Crawford Museum programs we have had, such as the National Guard
Army Band Event, the Blackhawk Marker Event, and the Grand Excursion of
2004. When we were working on this presentation, it was hard for me not
to go up to the garage to get his valuable input on what to do and what
to say." "Fred is a superb writer, whether it be an important letter,
presentation or a grant. He has the desire and skill to put together an
interesting and informative grant package. Due to Fred's efforts, we
have been granted over $16,000." "The Prairie du Chien Region is a true
interest of Fred's. He is enthusiastic about unlocking the past and
making history come alive for all to learn and enjoy as well as the
preservation of history." "All of the comments made tonight give you a
clear idea of the devotion Fred has for the past, present and future of
this area. He is a true gentleman and Citizen Laureate," said Martin.
Fred's name will now appear on a permanent register at the Fort Crawford
Museum. The register shows the names of Citizen Laureate Award
recipients and the date of their induction. Fred Huebsch is the second
individual to receive the Citizen Laureate Award. Former Mayor Jim
Bittner received the award in 2001. |
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