Rock Island artist Bill Marsoun will exhibit his works at the Rock Island Main Library second-floor art gallery, 401 19^th Street from Oct. 2 to 31.

Marsoun's work may be well known to local theater patrons. For the past 40 years, he has been the principal scenic artist for the Quad City Music Guild, painting full-stage scenic backdrops on canvas measuring 16 by 40 feet, as well as directing shows. "Over the years, I have worked in almost every high school and community theater in the Illinois Quad Cities," says Marsoun.

More recently, Marsoun has concentrated on a more professional approach to art, selling works on a broader scale. He enjoys working in watercolor and acrylic, painting floral scenes, landscapes and presentations of golf holes. His work is presented at Stardog Gallery in the Bucktown Arts Center in Davenport, and in a showing at Creekside Winery in Coal Valley. In December, Marsoun will show his works in Creston, Iowa. His paintings can also be seen in local pubs, vineyards and restaurants.

Marsoun taught math and art at Washington Junior High in Rock Island for 35 years, and is a graduate of Alleman High School and Illinois State University. He resides in Rock Island with his wife, Cathy.

For more news about library events and hours, visit the library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org, sign up for an email newsletter, follow the library on Facebook or Twitter, or call 309-732-7323 (READ.)

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UP BEFORE DAWN

The sun's not up yet, but I know it's cold enough outside to see my breath.   This time of year the cold of morning doesn't just sneak up on you; it grabs you in a headlock and doesn't let go until February.  That's life in Iowa.

"It's just not normal to expect kids to get up this early," whines my 15-year-old, who is, at best, stubbornly consistent in lobbying to skip before-school marching band practice.  No such luck.

My daughter is the first in five generations in my family to not grow up on a farm.   Maybe that's why I'm always quick to remind her that, yes, there are perfectly normal kids in Iowa who get up before dawn: farm kids.

There are fewer of them than you may remember; less than five percent of Iowans farm, according to the USDA 2007 Census.  But, I can guarantee that the Farm Strong work ethic hasn't changed with the passage of time.

The day-to-day business of running a farm, even in this day, requires "all hands on deck" help, and this summer's failed attempt by the Federal government to dictate how kids can work on family farms http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/sectors/item/12024-dol-axes-rules-to-regulate-child-farm-labor proved the strength of this "Farm Strong" work ethic.

Early mornings, without complaint, were always a part of my farm life as a kid.  So I guess that's why I just had to smile and nod and give the "wind it up" signal to my teen as she pulled on her hoody and we headed for the door this morning.   Yes, it was 37 degrees.  The sun won't be up for an hour yet, but  those who do get up this early, like farmers, know the beauty of bringing in the harvest as the whole world sleeps, or seeing a new calf born, greeting its first sunrise.

As we headed out the door I reminded her that the work is hard, the hours may be long, but rewards don't come to "clock watchers."   Besides, if you sleep in, who knows what you might miss? (http://farmindustrynews.com/corn-rootworm-traits/evening-complex-proteins-help-corn-grow-taller-night ).

Great coaches take into consideration an athlete's talent and heart when they're building a team, but they consider group dynamics, too, says entrepreneur J. Allan McCarthy.

"It's not just a matter of getting the fastest, strongest and smartest players on your side," says McCarthy, an international scaling expert and author of Beyond Genius, Innovation & Luck: The 'Rocket Science' of Building High-Performance Corporations (www.mccarthyandaffiliates.com).

"If you're building a championship team, you're gauging how the individual athletes fit together; how their personalities, talents, drive and abilities will mesh to meet the team's goals. It's exactly what you need to do to build a winning corporate team. As Michael Jordan, put it, 'Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.' "

In the 2011 film Moneyball, Coach Billy Beane picks his players based on analysis and evidence, says McCarthy, who has worked with hundreds of companies. He doesn't ever just "go with his gut."

McCarthy provides key points for building a successful, effective team:

· Lead with a team, not a group: A team of leaders behaves very differently than a group of leaders. Many companies don't know the difference. "It comes down to clear goals, interdependencies and rules of engagement," McCarthy says, Every corporation claims to hire only the best and the brightest but it is evident that getting the best and brightest to function as a team can be a challenge.

· Know your goals: McCarthy cites Bill Gates - "Teams should be able to act with the same unity of purpose and focus as a well-motivated individual." Many big-name CEOs like to say their talent runs free with innovative ideas. "It makes for compelling literature," McCarthy says. But would that work on the football field? Corporations need their personnel to think out-of-the-box but also act in a prescriptive culture - to work within a system in order to achieve common objectives.

· Not everyone can be the coach - or the quarterback: The problem with executives is that they all want to lead and none want to follow, McCarthy says. A team made up of executives is like a group of thoroughbred stallions confined to a small space called an organization -- plenty of kicking, biting and discord. Thoroughbreds don't naturally work well as a team. Better to define responsibilities that build a "foxhole mentality," wherein one person has the gun, the other the bullets, McCarthy says. It's in the best interests of both for each to succeed.

· The strongest teams are adept at resolving conflict: Hiring the best and the brightest should create a diverse, competent group ? but inevitably these stallions generate friction that can sabotage company progress. So, sensitize team members to the early warning signs: know-it-all attitudes, multi-tasking during team meetings, exhibiting dominant behavior, not responding in a timely fashion or engaging in avoidance. Agree, as a team, on how to mutually manage and minimize counterproductive behaviors as they surface.

· Create individual and team agreements: Here is where the "rubber meets the road" - it's the final stage of planning who will do what for team objectives, as well as a collective agreement on team rules and interdependencies. Ask individuals to openly commit to what they will do, and how the team is to function. The public declaration stresses employee obligation and collaborative management.

"We live in a 21st-century economy where speed and efficiency is a top priority, and that often means a 'shoot first, ask questions later' mentality," McCarthy says. "But you get the team that you plan for, not necessarily what you pay for. If time is money, then I'd invest it in creating and building a championship team."

About J. Allan McCarthy

J. Allan McCarthy, principal of J.A. McCarthy & Affiliates, has more than 20 years of experience across 15 industries and more than 200 companies. He is a scaling expert who helps organizations determine how to best align strategy, structure and workforce capabilities. He earned his master's of management from Golden Gate University, a Stanford University AEA MBA refresher, and has worked with many international companies, including Cisco Systems, Raychem Corporation, SAP Inc., Redback Networks, BEA Systems and Ericsson.

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad announced today that the Central Decatur Community School District and the Saydel Community School District won a grant in partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) from the U. S. Department of Education's 2012 Teacher Incentive Fund.

The goal of the project is to create a new teacher leadership and compensation structure in each district to help boost student achievement. This will be done by putting in place NIET's Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), which creates mentor and master teacher roles that provide more support for classroom teachers to help them improve instructional strategies. As part of the project, the districts will make it possible for teachers who specialize in science, technology, engineering and math to seek more training at local universities. Helping principals become more effective also is a focus of the project.

The grant provides $2.3 million for the first two years, with the possibility of nearly $9.6 million total over five years depending upon annual congressional appropriations.

"This is an outstanding opportunity to implement a new teacher leadership and compensation structure, which will better support teachers in the classroom as they work to raise student achievement," said Branstad. "I would like to thank the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching and the Central Decatur and Saydel school districts for working together to win this grant. Their superintendents, school boards, teachers' associations and others did an extraordinary job of moving this application forward in a short time frame. Graceland University and Grand View University also deserve to be commended for their support for the grant application. So does the Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Advisory Council."

"The creation of mentor and master teacher roles will give teachers new career options in these two districts," Branstad added. "We cannot continue the one-size-fits-all approach toward the teaching profession, which limits professional opportunities."

The Central Decatur and Saydel superintendents said the grant will better support work already under way in their districts.

"We are excited to have this opportunity. The core concepts of the Teacher Advancement Program align with the work we have done and conversations we already have had as a district. We feel this will help provide more structure and better consistency to sustain and improve student achievement," said Chris Coffelt, Central Decatur superintendent. Coffelt added that the grant will offer teachers multiple career paths, and will help the district have more success retaining and attracting great teachers.

"I believe the grant has the power to be transformational. It is such a great opportunity to improve teaching to increase student learning," said Saydel Superintendent Brad Buck.

Buck said Saydel teachers work extraordinarily hard now, but the additional support will help them accelerate student achievement.

"In line with Governor Branstad's and Education Director Jason Glass's reform blueprint, this will open up new career opportunities in our district with the designation of mentor and master teacher roles," said Buck. Master teachers will spend 100 percent of their day providing staff with instructional coaching and analyzing student achievement data, among other duties, he said.

"This is an exciting new day for the teaching profession in Iowa," said Glass. "This is the first federal grant of its kind ever awarded to the state and a marked change from the one-size-fits-all profession that has come to limit career opportunities for teachers. We are incredibly proud of these two districts and their innovative spirit, and we look for them to lead the way in this exciting new era of the teaching profession."

The grant won by Central Decatur and Saydel is one of 35 grants announced today by the U.S. Department of Education to "improve pay structures, reward great teachers and principals, and provide greater professional opportunities to teachers in high-poverty schools." For more information: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-boosts-district-led-efforts-recognize-and-reward-great-t