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!! 

Celebrating Technical Colleges and Connecting with the Community

Some of you may be wondering how my first few weeks at Moraine Park have been. I will tell you that they have been busy and I have learned a lot. What I have been most impressed with is the warm welcome I have received from not only the employees at Moraine Park’s three campuses but also the college communities. I spent my first three days on the job touring the Fond du Lac, West Bend and Beaver Dam campuses and meeting individuals within the communities.   Employees within the college were eager to learn about me and I was eager to learn about them and the important jobs they have.  Remembering their names will come in time, but for now I’m doing well to remember where and how I can locate them!



Photo by Gateway Technical College via Flickr

 I was also privileged to be able to attend and participate in the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Centennial Celebration at Gateway Technical College (GTC) in Racine.  It was a wonderful celebration with GTC laying the foundation for career training in Wisconsin.  Serving over 400,000 students annually, the WTCS provides the education and services to meet today’s student and employee needs.  I am proud to be a part of this wonderful system and look forward to kicking off Moraine Park’s centennial celebration starting in the fall. We are planning many events and activities throughout the 2011-12 academic year, and encourage you to check back this fall for more information on these activities. 

Finally, I want to share with you the wonderful lunch I had with Moraine Park’s Student Ambassador, Kristina White. Kristina was a joy to talk with and I look forward to seeing her involvement with not only Moraine Park’s campuses but also the WTCS system.  I encourage you to attend any events that Kristina plans as our Student Ambassador.

The start of the fall term is just around the corner. I look forward to meeting you as you return to MPTC this fall.