16 Sep 2013

Davenport West High School to Present Three Alumni With Hall of Honor Awards

By Marcia Jensen

Davenport West High School will be presenting The West High Hall of Honor Awards to three alumni between October 2 and October 5, 2013 as a highlight of Homecoming 2013.

Recipients Mr. James Skinner, Mr. Rick Price, and Dr. James Kibbie will be honored at two  locations. Mr. Skinner will be honored at an "invitation only" luncheon on October 2, 2013 at West High School. Dr. Kibbie and Mr. Price will be honored at a banquet to be held at Modern Woodmen Park in the Skydeck on Saturday October 5, 2013 from 6 to 8 PM. Tickets for the Saturday event are available for $30.00 per person and the public is encouraged to attend. Send a check made out to West High School to Marcia Jensen at West High School, 3505 W. Locust St. Davenport, IA 52804. Reservations must be made by September 21, 2013.   Dr. Kibbie will be performing a concert at 3PM on Sunday October 6, 2013 in the main sanctuary of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa. The concert is free.  Donations will be accepted for renovations of the sound system in the Liddy Auditorium at West High. For more information, contact Marcia Jensen at West High School (563-386-5500) or by email at jensenm@davenportschools.org

Mr. James Skinner (1962) CEO McDonald's (Retired)

"Jim's first job was working in his neighborhood McDonald's restaurant in Davenport while attending high school.  After graduation, Jim joined the United States Navy, specializing in electronics.   After 10 years of service to the Navy, Jim returned to McDonald's in 1971 as a restaurant manager trainee in Carpentersville, IL and never looked back.  He quickly ascended through the ranks, holding many different leadership positions with global accountability.  Jim retired in 2012 after being McDonald's eighth CEO.  To sum up his career, Jim likes to say that he has worked for two great brands:  The United States Navy and McDonald's. He has been recognized professionally by his peers, the media, and many professional and educational institutions.  Chief Executive Magazine named him the "2009 CEO of the Year" and Barron's recognized him as one of the "30 Most Respected CEOs."  Most recently, he was listed in SmartMoney's Power 30: The World's Most Influential Players. He also received honorary doctorate degrees from Roosevelt University and DePaul University. Jim serves on the Board of several organizations, and is also a member of many civic and business organizations."

Mr. Rick Price (1963) Educator (Retired)

Rick excelled in sports while a student at West High School. While at West he earned seven athletic letters in basketball, football and baseball and was selected to Hawkeye Boys State in 1961. He was catcher on the 1962/63 West team that won the Baseball State Championship. He began his significant leadership roles with the office of West High Student Body President in 1963 as well as being Co-Captain of the senior year football team.  He continued to distinguish himself in football and leadership at the University of Northern Iowa while getting his degree in education, earning the honors of being CoCaptain and Most Valuable Player during his senior year. Mr. Price spent thirty-eight years as a coach and educator beginning as a teacher and assistant principal at JB Young Junior High in Davenport and retiring as a principal from Carmel Middle School in Colorado Springs, CO. He was the cofounder of Entrada, the first school based health clinic in Colorado Springs as well as Peak Education, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting middle school students from low socio-economic backgrounds in achieving academic success. He has been a member of several boards and has been a community volunteer in every place he has lived.

Dr. James Kibbie (1967) Organist and Bach Expert

Dr. Kibbie is Professor of Organ at the University of Michigan. He also maintains a full schedule of concert, recording, and festival engagements throughout North America and Europe. His performances have been broadcast on radio and television in the USA, Canada, and Europe. During his month-long concert tour of the former Soviet Union, the Russian press hailed him as "a marvelous organist, a brilliant interpreter."   James Kibbie is internationally renowned as an authority on the organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach and is in constant demand as a Bach recitalist and clinician. His recordings of the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach on historic baroque organs in Germany have been welcomed with enthusiastic acclaim.   He has been awarded the Grand Prix d'Interprétation at the prestigious International Organ Competition of Chartres, France, and is also the only American to have won the International Organ Competition of the Prague Spring Festival.  The University of Michigan has endowed the James Kibbie Scholarship in perpetuity to support students majoring in organ performance and church music. Among the honors he has received, Dr. Kibbie is particularly proud of the James Kibbie Scholarship, endowed in 2004 by former students, family and friends to support students majoring in organ performance and church music.

16 Sep 2013

BHC designated a Military Friendly School for fourth year

By Holly Smith

Black Hawk College has been named a 2014 Military Friendly Schools by Victory Media.

The list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus. The 2014 list includes more than 1,800 schools.

Black Hawk College was designated a Military Friendly School in 2011, 2012 and 2013, but serving veterans is not a new mission for Black Hawk College.

When the college conducted its first classes in September 1946, 73 percent of the 239 students were World War II veterans.

"What better way to link what we're doing today with where we started?" Dr. Baynum said. "We're still serving veterans in 2013."

This semester, there are 193 Black Hawk College students receiving veterans' benefits.

"Inclusion on the 2014 list of Military Friendly Schools® shows Black Hawk College's commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students," said Sean Collins, Victory Media vice president and a nine-year Navy veteran.

"The need for education is growing, and our mission is to provide the military community with transparent, world-class resources to assist in their search for schools,." Collins said.

A full story and detailed list of 2014 Military Friendly Schools® will be highlighted in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools ®, distributed in print and digital format to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in early October.
13 Sep 2013

Branstad, Reynolds invite schools to again participate in the "Skype Your School!" initiative

By Rick Martin

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced that they again are inviting schools to Skype with them, following last year's successful "Skype Your School!" effort.

 

"We were excited to see the response to our Skype Your School initiative last school year, and are encouraging administrators, teachers and students to join us again this year," said Branstad. "We had great conversations with dozens of classrooms, and appreciate the opportunity to answer students' questions. As we work to restore Iowa's leadership position in education, we believe this level of accessibility is important and a positive experience for everyone involved."

 

To request a "Skype Your School!" classroom chat, teachers, administrators and students are encouraged to click on the featured image at http://Governor.Iowa.Gov, request a "Skype Your School" event in the comments section on Facebook.com/TerryBranstad and Facebook.com/KimReynoldsIA, or to use the #SkypeYourSchool hash tag on Twitter.

 

Last year's "Skype Your School!" effort garnered national attention for "pushing the frontiers of digital technology" on Skype's blog.

 

"Our Skype Your School initiative has enabled students to learn about new technology, and allowed us to stay in touch with classrooms throughout the state," said Reynolds. "We have had some great questions from students, and appreciate the opportunity to address a variety of topics straight out of Iowa's classrooms. The governor and I enjoy visiting all of Iowa's 99 counties every year, but our Skype initiative allows us to cover a lot more ground throughout the entire state."

 

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12 Sep 2013

Davenport High Schools to Continue to Offer ProStart Program

By Katelyn Kostek

National restaurant management & culinary arts program blends classroom learning with real-life experience

August 26, 2013 - Davenport, IA - Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) programs across the state are fast-tracking curriculums that provide career paths to students. With a projected growth rate of 1,000 jobs every year for the next decade, hospitality is an obvious partner industry. Davenport high schools (DCSD) have responded by implementing the ProStart® program, a two-year curriculum that teaches both culinary and hospitality management skills.

"The opportunities for young people in our industry are endless," said May Schaben, Executive Director, Iowa Restaurant Association Education Foundation. "The ProStart program prepares students for immediate employment and establishes a foundation for further learning. In fact, many collegiate hospitality management and culinary arts programs offer college credits for ProStart courses."

The program's satellite location is Davenport Central High School, but students from the entire Davenport Community School district are involved.

Preparing Students for Immediate Employment

The Iowa foodservice and restaurant industry currently employs 140,300 workers, or nine percent of Iowa's total workforce, and is expected to add 10,700 jobs over the next decade, the majority of which will be management level positions. Through the ProStart program, Iowa high schools are building a more prepared, highly skilled workforce to meet the industry's growing demand for professional employees. As one of 18 Iowa high schools participating in the ProStart program, DCSD students combine classroom work with mentored work experiences at local restaurants.

"We are excited that DCSD ProStart students will be connected with local industry," said Jenee Cross, DCSD ProStart Educator. "Hands-on experience is an effective way for students to connect academics to real-life situations."

Opportunities to Further Education

Once students complete all program requirements, they are awarded the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement, giving them access to scholarships and articulation agreements with leading colleges and universities. Currently seven community colleges across Iowa, in addition to Iowa State University, offer hospitality and management programs.

# # #

The Iowa Restaurant Association Education Foundation

The Iowa Restaurant Association exists to create and promote awareness of hospitality as a professional career path and to strengthen and improve the educational offerings, opportunities and services for the advancement of the restaurant and retail beverage industries in the state of Iowa.

11 Sep 2013

SMIDDY TO RECEIVE FRIEND OF EDUCATION AWARD

By Rep. Mike Smiddy

ROCK FALLS, Ill. - State Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, will receive the "Friend of Education" award from Rock Island County Regional Superintendent Tammy L. Muerhoff on Wednesday, September 11th at 11:00 a.m. at the Candlelight Inn, located at 2200 - 1st Avenue, Rock Falls, in honor of his outstanding work fighting for better opportunities for Illinois students.

"My wife is a teacher and we have two sons, so I have a personal perspective into our local educational system as well as the opportunity to be an advocate for more resources and support for our schools as a legislator," said Smiddy. "I have shown my dedication to making sure our schools have the financing and resources they deserve, and I will continue pushing our state to keep its promises to our schools, teachers and students."

For more information, contact Smiddy's office at RepSmiddy@gmail.com, (309) 848-9098, or toll free at (855) 243-4988.

Who:  State Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, and Rock Island County Regional Superintendent Tammy L. Muerhoff

What: Presentation of the "Friend of Education" award to state Rep. Mike Smiddy

Where: The Candlelight Inn, located at 2200 - 1st Avenue, Rock Falls, IL

When: Wednesday, September 11th, at 11:00 a.m.

10 Sep 2013

CAMP COURAGEOUS HOSTS 25th ANNUAL BACK-TO-SCHOOL FESTIVAL

By Charlie Becker
MONTICELLO, IOWA - The 25th Annual Back-To-School Festival will be held at Camp Courageous Tuesday September 17 from 10:00 am to 2:00. Camp Courageous is a year- round recreational and respite care facility for individuals with disabilities. The Back-To-School Festival has become an annual celebration of the new school year for dozens of special education classes throughout the area.

Special education classes are invited to attend this free event and enjoy games, balloon artists, prizes, hayride, wobble buggies, swimming, miniature golf, a helicopter, face painting, bounce house, train, a dance and more.

Lunch is provided for free to the special education students, teachers, volunteers, staff & campers. Camp Courageous traditionally
expects about 1000 participants.

For more information contact Jeanne Muellerleile, E-mail: jeanne@campcourageous.org or Camp Courageous, Box 418, Monticello, Iowa 52310-0418. or (319) 465-5916 ext. 2300 or Fax: 319-465-5919.
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10 Sep 2013

Iowa State Education Association announces Design-A-Decal contest winners

By Jean Hessburg

Statewide contest celebrates 29 years of colorful artwork

DES MOINES, IA (09/10/2013)(readMedia)-- Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) members around the state have used ISEA's student-designed stickers to celebrate student achievement and good work for over 28 years. Now in its 29th year, the popular Design-a-Decal program helps give statewide recognition to young art students when their winning designs are printed on stickers and teachers use them to give positive feedback to their students. With encouraging messages like "You're a Super Star" and "U R number one!," the stickers get used on everything from homework assignments, to papers and projects.

Students competed in three, grade-level categories: elementary (K-5); junior high/middle school (6-8); and high school (9-12). The 24 winning designs are printed in full color on sheets of one-inch square stickers and each design is featured twice.

"The Design-a-Decal contest is one of our longest-standing programs because it's so much fun for the students. Our art teachers are enthusiastic about this project and students create and do such a terrific job, so it's a win-win for everyone. It's a wonderful way to encourage originality! The end result is a sheet of stickers our members can use on homework and other assignments to encourage more great work," said Tammy Wawro, president of the ISEA.

The students who created the designs used on the decal sheets receive two plaques from the ISEA-one they keep and one to be displayed at their school. (A listing with names of the schools, supervising art teacher, and students whose designs were selected for use on the decal sheets is attached. Also attached is a picture of the winning decals.)

The ISEA is a private, professional organization made up of almost 34,000 educators who are dedicated to promoting and preserving public education for all Iowa students. Great Education. It's an Iowa Basic.

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10 Sep 2013

Use Your Rock Island Library Card to Do Your Homework!

By Lisa Lockheart

Rock Island, IL - Rock Island Public Library is pleased to announce the launch of Brainfuse, a new online tutoring service that provides learning tools for learners from kindergarten through college, as well as adult learning tools for career, job searching and skill building.

"Brainfuse is a great new resource that the Rock Island Public Library now offers to the community.  With live tutors helping with homework assignments, papers, and practice tests, students will have a chance to get help outside the classroom.  Adults can use Brainfuse to work on their resumes, interview skills, and practice the GED, GRE, and citizenship tests.  Brainfuse packages a wide variety of services into one website," says Natalie Struecker, Reference and Adult Services Director for the Rock Island Library.

The Brainfuse eLearning suite consists of HelpNow and JobNow modules.  HelpNow offers personalized live homework help aligned with state standards in math, reading, writing, science and social studies. It also includes dozens of practice tests, including the ACT, SAT, ASVAB and more.  HelpNow tutoring covers Kindergarten through 12th Grades, with additional resources for college-age students.  The Adult Learning Center offers resume assistance, career resources, skill-building exercises, and practice for GED and citizenship tests. Also useful to adults will be JobNow module, which offers real-time resume and interview coaching and career service.

Brainfuse is available to Rock Island Library cardholders from the public computers at three Rock Island Library locations, or from any computer with an Internet connection. Live online tutors are available 2:00 pm to 11:00 pm, Sunday through Saturday. The free service started Sept. 3, and requires a Rock Island Library card. To use Brainfuse, go to www.rockislandlibrary.org, select Online Tools, and click either the HelpNow or JobNow logos.

When using the program for the first time, users will want to create an account to save and use many of the features in the HelpNow and JobNow modules.

For information about getting or renewing a Rock Island Library card, Rock Island and Milan-area residents should call the library at 309-732-7323.

HelpNow™

HelpNow™ provides differentiated learning solutions for users of diverse needs and background.  Students communicate with live tutors using an interactive whiteboard to chat, write, draw, copy/paste text or images and graph homework problems.  HelpNow offers live tutor access for homework help, skills building and test preparation where after taking a quiz; the user can connect directly to a live tutor from the test center without having to return to the main page. Because HelpNow is personalized, both the student and the tutor can access quiz questions to do an intensive test prep which may include loading lessons on the whiteboard. All live sessions are saved and can be replayed as well as shared with friends and teachers by email.

The Writing Lab and the 24/7 Center options give users the freedom to receive assistance at any time of the day without connecting with a live tutor.  Users can submit papers through the Writing Lab for a detailed feedback.  24/7 Center is for non-writing assignments such as math or science.  All reviews and comments from our tutors are found and stored in the Message Center which is found on the student homepage. For students who prefer to work independently and form their own online study group, HelpNow offers a set of collaborative tools - Meet and Brainwave. Meet allows students to schedule their own online sessions using the Brainfuse Meet whiteboard which is specifically designed for a group setting.  Brainwave is a recordable whiteboard where students can draw, write on the whiteboard and chat then save and email it to others for feedback.

Adult Learning Center

Adult Learning Center is the adult learners' version of HelpNow™ where patrons can access GED prep, U.S citizenship test prep, resume assistance, Microsoft Office support, and Career Resources which lists popular job search links.  Microsoft Office support allows patrons to ask questions about Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Writing Lab, 24/7 Center and the Skills Building are also included in the Adult Learning Center suite.

JobNow™

JobNow™ provides library patrons with help in every step of the job search process.  Job coaches are available to help patrons with job search related questions.  In addition to helping beginning job seekers pinpoint their desired career field, coaches can also provide constructive suggestions on resumes, help write a professional cover letter, and give live interview practice and feedback.  If you do not have time for a live session, simply submit your resume at any time of day through the Resume Lab and a job coach will send it back to you within 1 business day with detailed feedback and suggestions for improvement.  The JobNow™ service also comes with an extensive collection of resources, including resume/cover letter templates, interview tips, sample interview questions, industry-specific sample interview questions, and a diverse array of online resources and links.

About Brainfuse™

Brainfuse is one of the nation's leading online tutoring providers, serving a diversified client base of libraries, school districts and colleges/universities. Brainfuse patrons receive one-to-one tutoring via a versatile and user friendly online classroom. Brainfuse clients include school districts, colleges, and library systems throughout the country including Dallas, Seattle, MELSA, Suffolk, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Sacramento, and San Diego. For more information about Brainfuse services, contact info@brainfuse.com.

06 Sep 2013

Lt. Governor Simon to tour Midwest Technical Institute

By Ted Nelson
Simon continue efforts to increase career credentials, job placements

SPRINGFIELD - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon is visiting the Midwest Technical Institute (MTI) today in an effort to learn more about how for-profit schools can benefit students looking for a quick entry into the workforce.

"It is essential to prepare our students to succeed in today's job market," said Simon. "It is my hope that by visiting vocational schools I can help foster academic success and promote job creation in rural areas and across the state. Illinois is fortunate to have a range of schools ready to meet those needs."

During Simon's visit, she will speak with MTI students, view classes in progress and tour facilities. Established in 1995, MTI is a vocational school providing course offerings in busy career fields that include : welding, heating and air conditioning repair, nursing, dentistry and medicine. According to its web site, MTI has a 100 percent job placement rate in its Dental Assistant Program. The United States Department of Labor reports the median pay for a dental assistant is over $33,000 while MTI notes a median loan debt for the program being $5,474.

"I am aware of concerns about the default rates and questionable credentials of some for-profit schools and believe the best way to learn more about a topic is to go straight to the source," Simon said. "I hope to count MTI as a partner in our state's college and career readiness movement."

Previously, Simon has visited the state's 48 community colleges and 12 public universities to see how the schools are working to improve completion rates and workforce development, and gather ideas on how the state can help schools overcome barriers to completion goals. Affordability is the most significant non-academic barrier to students seeking career and college credentials, Simon said.

As the chair of the Joint Educational Leadership Committee, Simon is working to increase to 60 percent the proportion of working-age adults in Illinois with meaningful college degrees or certificates by 2025.
06 Sep 2013

Local Students Attending Creighton University This Fall

By Deborah Daley

OMAHA, NE (09/05/2013)(readMedia)-- Students from your area are attending Creighton University along with more than 960 other freshmen this fall. They are part of a freshman class that is academically strong, diverse and engaged in community and service activities.

The academic profile of the 2013 freshman class places Creighton among the top 10 private universities in the Midwest with more than 4,000 undergraduates and among the top 50 national private Catholic universities.

The list of students from your area:

Allison Hanser of Davenport, IA, a Davenport Assumption Catholic High School graduate entering the College of Arts & Sciences

McKenna Pearson of Sterling, IL, a Sterling High School graduate entering the College of Arts & Sciences

Ryan Cruise of Bettendorf, IA, a Bettendorf High School graduate entering the College of Arts & Sciences

Brandon Krantz of Moline, IL, a Moline Senior High School graduate entering the College of Business

Thomas Bush of Davenport, IA, a Davenport Assumption Catholic High School graduate entering the College of Business

About Creighton University: Creighton University, a Catholic, Jesuit institution located in Omaha, Neb., enrolls more than 4,000 undergraduate and 3,500 professional school and graduate students. No other university its size offers students such a comprehensive academic environment coupled with personal attention from faculty-mentors.With nine colleges and schools on the same campus, Creighton affords incomparable interdisciplinary learning and unique opportunities for collaborative research among arts and sciences, business, health sciences and law. Creighton has been a top-ranked Midwestern regional university in the college edition of U.S. News & World Report magazine for more than 20 years. For more information, visit our website at: www.creighton.edu.

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