Friday, August 17, 2012

Celebrating 100 years of innovation

After a year of anticipation, Moraine Park’s 100-year centennial celebration arrived on Thursday, August 16. I was thrilled to welcome to our Fond du Lac Campus, Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary of Employment and Training Administration for the Department of Labor.  She made the trip from D.C. to MPTC to facilitate our hallmark summit on connecting communities for a sustainable workforce. The summit was a wonderful way for District legislators, educators, and business and industry partners to come together for a discussion on creating a sustainable and prosperous future for Moraine Park.


After the summit, I headed over to the time capsule opening and dedication ceremony. I had the important task of opening the 1987 time capsule and sharing its contents with Moraine Park students, community members and staff. Students from the class of 1987 included items like buttons, a hat, books and literature from their classes, photos, and even a special poem written by 1987 barber-cosmetology students! Larry Lamont, an instructor who helped build the time capsule, was present for its opening, which made the event even more special. Larry taught mechanical design and civil-structural engineering at Moraine Park from 1969-2000 and came back to see the items that students included 25 years ago.

Making the time capsule opening and dedication ceremony a little sweeter was Culver’s! They supplied samples of Moraine Park’s winning custom custard flavor, Wolf Pack Choc Attack. What a wonderful opportunity for Moraine Park students, staff and community members to participate in selecting their favorite flavor, and then come together for some sampling. I’m very grateful to Culver’s for supporting Moraine Park’s centennial through their generous donation of delicious custard!


The day of festivities and collaboration came to an end with a very special centennial dinner. Past Moraine Park presidents spoke about highlights during their tenure at the College during each dinner course. It was wonderful to hear comments from Dr. Robert Sorensen, Dr. John Shanahan, and Dr. Gayle Hytrek. They guided Moraine Park through many changes, charting a path for the College to move forward.
Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate 100 years of innovation, from participating in the summit, to spinning the prize wheel at the time capsule opening and dedication ceremony, we all have played a role in honoring Moraine Park’s past, present and exciting future.

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