Welcome Back Students!

I always know fall is approaching when our hallways and classrooms fill back up with students. It has been an exciting couple of weeks at Moraine Park as our staff and students prepared for the new semester. I had the opportunity to attend Summer Welcome Day, where I got to meet many of our new students and talk with members of our student organizations. The Amazing Race is always a fun part of the day, as students complete challenges that help them navigate around the campus and become familiar with all of the different services offered.

 

 

I was also excited to find a seat at the Welcome Back Lunch this week featuring entertainment by Nick Pike. The cafeteria was full, but I soon saw why some seats were left open in the front row. Nick, a comedic juggler, had a couple of stunts that required help from the audience. He pulled students out of the crowd to help him get onto a unicycle and walk across glass while blindfolded and juggling axes! Thank you Student Senate for sponsoring such a fun activity!

As the semester continues, I plan to be out and about visiting with students and meeting those new to MPTC. If you see me in the hallways, please don’t hesitate to say hello and let me know how your semester is going!

Welcome back!

I hope everyone is having a great start to their semester! It is wonderful to see so many new and returning students excited to kick off a new semester. Throughout the week there were many events to celebrate the start of Fall Semester including Welcome Back lunches featuring Mission IMPROVable. Students, staff and faculty shared many laughs as this improv team performed their comedic routine and even brought in audience members into the performance. I hope you were able to enjoy these events and take advantage of the opportunity to meet and socialize with new friends, old friends, and fellow classmates. Below are some of my favorite photos from the event!

 

 

Another week-one highlight for me was serving as a semester greeter. This is still one of my favorite new semester duties. Throughout the week, I was stationed at a table to help students who were looking for a new class or had general questions about the College. I always love the opportunity to meet new students and catch up with returning students. If you ever see me in the hall, please introduce yourself and say hi. I hope this is a wonderful semester for all of our students. We are so happy you chose to attend or return to Moraine Park!



Summer Event Recap

The month of August has been filled with many exciting events to get us all back in the swing of things before the start of the fall semester.

The first thing I want to share with you are a few highlights from Tech Knowledge College (TKC). This annual summer workshop gives students entering sixth through eighth grade the opportunity to explore career options offered at Moraine Park. This year we had nearly 200 students participate in 20 different sessions. The sessions ranged from culinary creations to welding projects. Below are just a few of my favorite photos from the event!

In the intro to party planning class, students hosted Mexican and Italian-themed parties with food and decoration to match. They even sported festive mustaches for the occasion.

 

Welding students learned the art of welding from Moraine Park Instructor Larry Clark. During the three-day event students worked to weld pieces of metal together to create a lawn sculpture.

Another one of my favorite August events is Summer Welcome Day because it means students are coming back soon! This year’s event featured a new twist with an Amazing Race theme. To help new and returning students learn more about the College we hosted our very first Amazing Moraine Park Race.

Like the popular TV show, The Amazing Race, students had to work together with their teams using clues to find locations and complete challenges around their campus. The challenges helped students meet new people while they learned about the College and resources available to them once school starts.

 

 

Although the race activities were very exciting, my favorite part of the event was getting the chance to walk around each table to meet new students. Thank you to all the students who participated in the event! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I look forward to seeing you all in a few short weeks!

New labs to greet students for fall

Even though most students are off this summer, big changes are happening for the Fond du Lac and West Bend campuses. Staff and faculty have been working hard to move two programs, Building Trades Construction Worker and Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology (HVAC/R) to the West Bend campus and set up for the new paramedic lab in Fond du Lac.

Bringing the two programs to join the Electricity program at West Bend will allow students in the three programs to work together as if they were on an actual jobsite. In addition to the new labs, construction crews have been working all summer to complete the new practice home that will be used as a lab for all three programs now available in West Bend. The new practice home will be completed in October.

In the new West Bend electricity lab each student get their own station to practice wiring techniques.

I am very excited about the opportunities these new additions will bring for our students. The new practice home will give students the chance to practice on-the-job skills with the guidance of their instructors.

Crews have been working hard all summer to complete the new practice home set to open this October. The new practice home will give students from all three programs hands on experience in their specific areas and teach them to work together on a jobsite.

If you’re wondering what will become of some of vacated program space at the Fond du Lac campus -- it will be converted to a state-of-the-art paramedic lab. Moraine Park will be the first school in the Fox Valley to have an indoor paramedic’s lab equipped with an ambulance. This will give paramedic students the rare opportunity to practice the high-stress tasks they must perform on a daily basis.

If you or anyone you know is interested in these programs, there are still openings available for fall. Classes begin Monday, August 26, I encourage you to come in and get signed up as soon as possible!

It is safe to say that there is never a dull moment here—even in the summer. Thank you again for tuning into my blog. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I would love to hear from you!