• Stacey Houk, an art teacher at Eisenhower Elementary in Davenport, has been recognized for her creativity and success in the classroom as a Disney Teacher Award nominee. As the next step in the process, she is now submitting an application to be considered for Disney Teacher of the Year. Since 1989, Disney Teacher Awards have been presented to teachers who construct learning environments where students and teachers alike explore, imagine, and engage in a variety of stimulating ideas and experiences. Specifically, the program honors those teachers whose approaches exemplify creativity in teaching and who inspire a joy of learning in their students. Stacey has worked on many creative projects during her experience in the district. Working with other staff members, visiting artists, natural surroundings, and artists in residence, Stacey has brought together many resources for her students. A committee composed of education experts from around the country will review nominee applications and select the 2006 Disney Teacher Award honorees. The winners will be announced in late spring.
• Trinity BirthPlace delivered 1,629 babies in 2005, the most ever for the health system, according to Jane Wiggins, Trinity's director of women's services. Trinity has re-vamped its birthing services in the past two years, opening new units with family-friendly, state-of-the art features at its Terrace Park campus in Bettendorf and Seventh Street Campus in Moline. Trinity also has a neonatologist available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at both campuses. The Moline BirthPlace opened in May 2004. The new 35,000-square-foot facility features 18 private postpartum patient rooms, eight labor and delivery rooms, two Cesarean-section rooms, a newborn nursery, a neonatal special-care unit, an antepartum testing facility, a recovery area, family lounges with Internet access, and a pre-natal education area. The Terrace Park BirthPlace, which debuted when the hospital opened its doors in February 2004, features seven large, private patient rooms with whirlpool tubs, sofa sleepers, recliners/gliders, mini-refrigerators stocked with refreshments, dining tables, and chairs.
• The Figge Art Museum in downtown Davenport has announced its winter/spring lineup of art classes for adults and children and is now accepting registration. Adult classes include a variety of beginner- and intermediate-level courses in drawing, painting, and ceramics, as well as a beginner course in calligraphy. Classes for children include drawing and painting, printmaking, paper-making, and cartooning. The museum is also offering a popular series of clay classes at its ceramics studio. Returning this spring is an art program called Senior Sampler, designed for active seniors. The six-week course covers three media: drawing, painting, and printmaking. The class meets the first two weeks at Friendly House, with the remaining classes taking place at the Figge. Complete class information is available on the museum's Web site at (http://www.figgeartmuseum.org) or by calling (563)326-7804.
• The Family Museum of Arts & Science and Quad City Arts Visual Arts Program Committee are presenting a ceramic sculpture display by Thaddeus Erdahl. Erdahl, a recent graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, has already participated in more than a dozen exhibitions. In this exhibition, titled Brief Amusing Stories, Erdahl presents ceramic sculptures through which he explores the concept of human and animal characteristics in a theatrical manner. According to his statement, "Basic human traits and emotions such as humor lie at the core of my figurative ceramic sculptures. Children's literature, well-known fairy tales, and fables also play a vital role in the development of my work." The exhibition will be at the Family Museum through January. For more information on Family Museum programs and exhibits, call (563)344-4169.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking qualified individuals to evaluate a draft wetlands identification supplement for the Great Plains region. The Corps is developing a regional supplement to the 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual used in the Clean Water Act Section 404 program. The Great Plains regional supplement covers all or parts of Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. The National Advisory Team is seeking qualified individuals to form a peer-review committee. The committee will be responsible for evaluating the reliability and scientific validity of the draft supplement for the Great Plains. Résumés should be submitted to Katherine Trott at (Katherine.l.trott@usace.army.mil) no later than Friday, February 17, and should include information on areas of wetland expertise, and length of experience in wetland delineation. For more information, call (202)761-5542.
• The Davenport North yearbook staff earned a Gold Medalist Award for its 2005 yearbook, Norwica. That is the highest rating presented by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Along with the Gold Medalist Award, the staff earned Columbians in three categories: concept, coverage, and writing. The yearbook co-editors were Erin Narby and Zulma Villalpando. For more information or to see a copy of the 2005 Norwica, contact Betty Christian at (563)388-9880.
• Trinity BirthPlace delivered 1,629 babies in 2005, the most ever for the health system, according to Jane Wiggins, Trinity's director of women's services. Trinity has re-vamped its birthing services in the past two years, opening new units with family-friendly, state-of-the art features at its Terrace Park campus in Bettendorf and Seventh Street Campus in Moline. Trinity also has a neonatologist available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at both campuses. The Moline BirthPlace opened in May 2004. The new 35,000-square-foot facility features 18 private postpartum patient rooms, eight labor and delivery rooms, two Cesarean-section rooms, a newborn nursery, a neonatal special-care unit, an antepartum testing facility, a recovery area, family lounges with Internet access, and a pre-natal education area. The Terrace Park BirthPlace, which debuted when the hospital opened its doors in February 2004, features seven large, private patient rooms with whirlpool tubs, sofa sleepers, recliners/gliders, mini-refrigerators stocked with refreshments, dining tables, and chairs.
• The Figge Art Museum in downtown Davenport has announced its winter/spring lineup of art classes for adults and children and is now accepting registration. Adult classes include a variety of beginner- and intermediate-level courses in drawing, painting, and ceramics, as well as a beginner course in calligraphy. Classes for children include drawing and painting, printmaking, paper-making, and cartooning. The museum is also offering a popular series of clay classes at its ceramics studio. Returning this spring is an art program called Senior Sampler, designed for active seniors. The six-week course covers three media: drawing, painting, and printmaking. The class meets the first two weeks at Friendly House, with the remaining classes taking place at the Figge. Complete class information is available on the museum's Web site at (http://www.figgeartmuseum.org) or by calling (563)326-7804.
• The Family Museum of Arts & Science and Quad City Arts Visual Arts Program Committee are presenting a ceramic sculpture display by Thaddeus Erdahl. Erdahl, a recent graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, has already participated in more than a dozen exhibitions. In this exhibition, titled Brief Amusing Stories, Erdahl presents ceramic sculptures through which he explores the concept of human and animal characteristics in a theatrical manner. According to his statement, "Basic human traits and emotions such as humor lie at the core of my figurative ceramic sculptures. Children's literature, well-known fairy tales, and fables also play a vital role in the development of my work." The exhibition will be at the Family Museum through January. For more information on Family Museum programs and exhibits, call (563)344-4169.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking qualified individuals to evaluate a draft wetlands identification supplement for the Great Plains region. The Corps is developing a regional supplement to the 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual used in the Clean Water Act Section 404 program. The Great Plains regional supplement covers all or parts of Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. The National Advisory Team is seeking qualified individuals to form a peer-review committee. The committee will be responsible for evaluating the reliability and scientific validity of the draft supplement for the Great Plains. Résumés should be submitted to Katherine Trott at (Katherine.l.trott@usace.army.mil) no later than Friday, February 17, and should include information on areas of wetland expertise, and length of experience in wetland delineation. For more information, call (202)761-5542.
• The Davenport North yearbook staff earned a Gold Medalist Award for its 2005 yearbook, Norwica. That is the highest rating presented by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Along with the Gold Medalist Award, the staff earned Columbians in three categories: concept, coverage, and writing. The yearbook co-editors were Erin Narby and Zulma Villalpando. For more information or to see a copy of the 2005 Norwica, contact Betty Christian at (563)388-9880.
