Congratulations Class of 2012!

This past Saturday was a very significant day for our students – Moraine Park Graduation! The culminating event saw close to 330 participating graduates celebrate their achievements with family, friends and Moraine Park staff as they walked across the stage to receive their degrees.  All of the 930 graduate candidates should be very proud of reaching this milestone in their lives and looking forward to the great opportunities ahead!

My very first commencement ceremony at Moraine Park had an even greater meaning because it was celebrated in the College’s centennial year. Moraine Park presented each participating graduate with a commemorative centennial medallion as a tribute to their educational achievement during this historically significant year.

It was a pleasure introducing keynote commencement speaker Steve Peterson, president and chief executive officer of Mid-States Aluminum Corporation, Fond du Lac, and 1969 Moraine Park Alumnus. Steve did an excellent job addressing and inspiring graduates and their supporters during his speech.                 

Moraine Park leadership and board members with keynote speaker Steve Peterson

                                         

With the centennial-focused graduation ceremony, I was reminded that Moraine Park’s early continuation schools underwent many changes before turning into the hub of innovative education our College is today. It is our inspiring students who have been the gears moving these changes along. Congratulations and best wishes to all of our graduates!

Recognizing our Students for their Achievements

With Moraine Park’s 2011-12 school year nearly wrapped up, I feel it’s important to congratulate all of the students who have put in so much time, effort and energy into reaching their educational goals, as well as to the many faculty and other Moraine Park staff who helped these students achieve their goals.

One of the ways Moraine Park recognizes its students is through the annual Student Awards Banquet. Each year, numerous students are honored at this event for their hard work and academic achievement.  Highlighting the 2012 banquet was the Wisconsin Technical College System District Student Ambassador Award, which was presented to Culinary Arts student Lee McClendon of Fond du Lac. Lee will assume his role with the start of the 2012-13 academic year, taking over for 2011-12 Student Ambassador Kristina White. Ryan Yonke of Berlin received the Student of the Year Award for exemplifying the College’s core abilities and for excelling in classroom and community involvement. Ryan, an Electrical Power Distribution student, was selected by a committee of students, support staff, faculty and administration members. 

Other awards presented at the event included Technical Achievement Awards, presented to six students; the Meritorious Service Award, presented to 77 students; and the Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges award, which was presented to 24 students. Also recognized were students who played key roles in student government at the local, district and state levels, along with the 50 students who were inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society in April; 13 students who received scholarships from the Moraine Park Association of Career and Technical Education and the Moraine Park Federation of Teachers; 23 students who served as peer tutors/notetakers for their fellow students; and 17 students who participated in international education.

Congratulations to them all!! 

Sharing Diversity with Our Communities

Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus was filled with the sights, sounds and tastes of over 20 different cultures as the College celebrated Multicultural Day on Wednesday, April 18. It was wonderful seeing the College and community come together in celebration of diversity.

Tou Ger Xiong represented one of the many cultures being shared at Multicultural Day. I had the opportunity to meet with Tou Ger Xiong, or “Hmong Boy” as he also refers to himself after his presentation. He and I shared the importance to bringing humor into our daily life and to not just others too quickly.  I was inspired by the message he shared with all of us.  He is a role model for others!

Tou Ger Xiong shared his Hmong culture through storytelling, humor, folklore and even a rap number. He involved the audience members in his dynamic performance which was very entertaining. During his performance, we learned about his life from the jungles of Laos, to the refugee camps of Thailand, to the public housing projects of America and to his life today as a national performance artist.

In addition to Tou Ger Xiong, the Tamarind Tribal Belly Dancers of Milwaukee made an appearance, sharing their tribal-infused dancing talents. There were also student performers, a fashion show and a wonderful assortment of international food from our Culinary Arts area. This event made me proud to be part of such a diverse campus and community; thank you to all who participated and made Multicultural Day such a success!

Achieving Academic Excellence

Moraine Park students were recently inducted into Beta Mu Kappa, Moraine Park’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, which is an international honor society. It was wonderful attending the event and joining in the celebration with these students.  Guests in attendance were enthusiastic as students signed the official book recognizing them as a member of PTK and accepted the traditional rose.  As I congratulated each student I could see how proud they felt and more importantly their goal to complete their education at MPTC.

To be eligible for Phi Theta Kappa, students have to achieve and maintain a GPA of 3.5. It’s pretty amazing because many of these students are balancing a family, job and other life commitments – all while achieving academic excellence.

Everyone at the College is proud of the hard work these students have put forth throughout the semester. I hope final projects and exams go well for everyone as the semester comes to an end. Keep up the good work!

Time to Refocus - Second Eight Weeks

It’s hard to believe Spring Break has already come to an end.  It seems like we just started in August, made it through a mild winter and in eight weeks we will have finished the spring term.  I’m sure your spring semester has been keeping you busy. Whether you are preparing for graduation, actively seeking, or soon to be seeking employment; or beginning to look at classes for the summer; I hope your educational experience has been a good one. 

A couple of students will be especially busy in the spring semester because they are moving on to national competitions they qualified for during the fall semester. A big congratulations goes out to Tyler Benvenuto, who took first place in the ABC of Wisconsin Construction Skill Competition. Tyler will be heading to the national competition in Texas this April. Moraine Park Business Professionals of America (BPA) students Ariel Kritz and Theresa Gumz are heading to Chicago in May for the National BPA Leadership conference.

Also keeping busy are the nine Culinary Arts students who participated in the Wisconsin Restaurant Association’s College Culinary Arts competition March 12. Moraine Park’s Hot Food team placed third and there were a couple individual winners as well.

If you have any thoughts to share or suggestions for change, I would appreciate hearing from you.  We are well into planning for the 2012-2013 academic year and always welcome input from our students.

Celebrating Career and Technical Education

February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month and to celebrate Moraine Park held its annual Moraine Park Association of CTE awards banquet February 20 at the Columbian in West Bend.

The banquet recognized individuals and organizations for their dedication to and excellence in career and technical education. The following Moraine Park staff were honored with awards: Brenda Nickel, Outstanding Support Professional; Bonnie Bauer, Outstanding CTE Leader; Lisa Pollard, Outstanding Instructor; Brenda Schaefer, New Instructor; Mary Pat Thompson, Ann Torgersen and Bonnie Weiland-Hare, Longevity.  

A couple Moraine Park MPACTE award winners (from left to right): Lisa Pollard, Brenda Schaefer and Bonnie Bauer.



 The Business Awards of Merit went to: Briggs and Stratton, Kohler Company and Mercury Marine for their support of the Moraine Park Foundation and our Engine Research and Development Technician program. We are very proud of the relationships we share with these companies and look forward to building on those partnerships.

I hope if you know one of these award winners you will take a moment to say hello and congratulate them on their commitment to technical education and for the hard work they do to keep the CTE spirit alive at Moraine Park and our communities.

As February comes to a close and we welcome spring, let's think of ways to keep the CTE spirit going, whether it's in the classroom, office or in the community.

Showcasing MPTC Students at the Capitol

On Tuesday, January 31^st I had the opportunity to attend A Celebration of Student Engagement at the State Capitol Rotunda.  Along with college staff, four students participated and shared projects and information about the degree programs they are enrolled in.  I was most impressed with their professionalism and the excitement they shared as they met with legislators, guests and students and staff from the 16 Wisconsin Technical Colleges.  Students shared the learning environment, integration of technology and ways to give back to their communities.  I asked each of the students to share a thought from the day’s event:

Amanda Finstag – Waupun

Interactive Media Design

“. . . great experience, I would do it again!”

Tina Pawicz – Beaver Dam

Build a Bear and Friends Charity Event

“. . . this was an excellent opportunity to meet future leaders!”

John Lippold – Jackson

Interactive Media Design

 “. . . enjoyed being in the Capitol Rotunda with the design, beauty and reflection.”

Lee McClendon – Chicago

Changing our Community through Service Projects (Culinary Arts)

“. . . tremendous way to meet new people and learn about the different technical colleges in Wisconsin.”

Lee is also featured in the Showcase video http://youtu.be/YwzhQW6bylY

I hope you will take a few minutes and view the video!