NEIL ARMSTRONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COUNSELOR

NAMED AS FINALIST FOR SCHOOL COUNSELOR OF THE YEAR

Shelley Klaas from Bettendorf, Iowa Among Top Six  

Alexandria, VA, January 30, 2012 -Shelley Klaas, a school counselor from Neil Armstrong Elementary School, has been named one of the top six school counselors in America. Klaas is one of more than 270 elementary, middle, and secondary school counselors nationwide who were nominated for the School Counselor of the Year award. The award, which is presented by the American School Counselor Association, honors the professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates and often lifesavers for the nation's students.

A counselor for 27 years, Klaas is widely regarded as a mentor, a leader and a tireless advocate for children and the counseling profession, not only in her district but across the state of Iowa.  Armstrong Elementary has a suburban population of approximately 60% of students live in poverty.  After noticing that many students at the school were experiencing hunger as a barrier to learning, Klaas initiated the Backpacks for Snacks program.  Participating families receive a backpack of nutritious, child-friendly food for their students; often students eat these foods for dinner or on the weekends when school food programs are not available.  The program currently serves 81 families and has spread to four other schools within her district.

Another of Klaas's major accomplishments is the development and implementation of the Bettendorf Community School District Clinical Review Team (CRT).  Established on the "it takes a village" concept, each month staff members anonymously present histories of high risk students and families to various local agencies and community groups for assistance with intervention plans.  The CRT program is so successful it has been in place for 17 years.

Klaas is a member of both her school and district Leadership Teams and is co-facilitator for the Iowa Department of Education's Counseling Transformational Design Team (TDT). She was also one of the first two counselors in the state of Iowa to receive National Board Certification in School Counseling and has won both the University of Iowa's and Chick-Fil-A's Teacher of the Year awards.

"Everything I do as a school counselor, I learned from Shelley Klaas. I still often ask myself, 'What would Shelley do?'" said Jan Powers, Prairie Crest Elementary School counselor. "Shelley provides mentorship, leadership, inspiration and a tremendous example of what it means to be a professional school counselor."

"Shelley Klaas has a special gift - something that cannot be taught in any classroom or gained by any amount of experience," said Nicky Stevenson of St. John Vianney Church. "Thanks to Shelley our district and community has a leader that knows what kids need to be successful and works tirelessly to achieve it. She is the golden thread that holds us all together."

The School Counselor of the Year awards program was open to the more than 107,000 members of the school counseling profession. The top six school counselors were nominated by their peers and administrators and judged by a select panel to be the "best of the best."

The candidates were judged on several criteria, including: creative school counseling innovations, effective counseling programs, leadership skills, and contributions to student advancement.

"School counselors make significant contributions to the overall well-being of students and their success," said Richard Wong, Executive Director, American School Counselor Association. "They have unique qualifications and skills that allow them to address students' academic achievement, personal/social and career development needs."

Klaas, along with the other five finalists, will be flown to Washington, D.C., on February 1, 2012, for three days of celebratory events. The honorees will have meetings with their members of Congress, attend a congressional briefing, tour the White House, participate in a briefing at the Office of the Vice President and be formally recognized at a black-tie gala.

Co-chairs of the 2012 School Counselor of the Year program are U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI - 6th), and U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL - 23^rd).

For additional information on the American School Counselor Association, please visit www.schoolcounselor.org.

About the American School Counselor Association

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) professional organization based in Alexandria, VA.  ASCA promotes student success by expanding the image and influence of professional school counseling through leadership, advocacy, collaboration and systemic change. ASCA helps school counselors guide their students toward academic achievement, personal and social development, and career planning to help today's students become tomorrow's productive, contributing members of society.  Founded in 1952, ASCA currently has a network of 50 state associations and a membership of nearly 30,000 school counseling professionals.

 

###

Ten scholarships are now offered through the Moline Foundation. The following is a list of scholarships, criteria and deadlines:

1. Srikanth Yerra Scholarship - Due Wednesday, February 15, 2012, $500 non-renewable
Must live within Moline School District No. 40 boundaries. Graduate of Class of 2012 or Community College student preparing to transfer to a 4 year college or university. Minimum 3.5 grade point. Based on financial need, potential for future personal achievement.  Submit: Transcript, 3 letters of reference, brief essay (200 words) and Parents' IRS 1040 tax form.

2. Lee McAllister Scholarship - Due Wednesday, February 15, 2012, $1,000 non-renewable
Graduate from Moline High School Class of 2012, plan to major in education. Minimum 2.75 grade point. Based on financial need, potential for future personal achievement, abilities, school & community activities and strong academic record. Submit: Transcript, 3 letters of reference, brief essay (200 words on "Why are you entering the field of education?")

3. Moline High School Class of '59 Scholarship - Due Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - Amount and number of awards determined annually.  Graduate from Moline High School Class of 2012.  Minimum 2.8 grade point.  Based on service-oriented activity in place of worship, school, or community.  Submit: Transcript, brief statement (1-2 paragraphs) "What do you anticipate your life to be like in 50 years?"

4. Clement T. Hanson/Butterworth Center Arts Scholarship ** - Due Wednesday, February 15, 2012.
Three $1,500 four year scholarships renewable based on continued financial need and scholastic achievement (Total: $6,000).
Two $2,000 four year scholarships renewable based on continued financial need and scholastic achievement (Total: $8,000).
Must live within Moline School District No. 40 boundaries.  Graduate from Class of 2012 or Community College student preparing to transfer to 4 year university.  Minimum 2.5 grade point.  Based on financial need, potential for future personal achievement, and personal interview.  Submit: Transcript, 3 letters of reference, Parents' IRS 1040 tax form, brief essay about yourself (200 words or less).

** Two scholarships share same application. Emphasize arts and music involvement if you wish to be considered for the Butterworth Center Arts Scholarship.

5. Dolores A. Hulse-DiIulio Scholarship - Due Wed., February 15, 2012, $1,000 renewable (eligible to reapply annually and compete with incoming freshmen candidates and other previous scholarship recipients)
Must be a female and graduate of Class of 2012 at Moline High School.  Must intend to pursue a bachelor's degree on a full-time basis in the fields of chemistry, physics, engineering, or pre-medicine.  Must attend a public university or college located in Illinois Applicant must be in upper one-fourth of class. Based on desire to achieve, abilities, strong academic record, possible personal
interview, potential for future personal achievement, and letters of reference.  Submit: Transcript, 3 letters of reference, brief essay (200 words or less) "Why are you entering your chosen field of study?"

6. Maggie Webb Scholarship - Due Wednesday, February 15, 2012, Amount and number of awards to be determined annually.
Must be graduating senior from Moline High School Class of 2012.  Minimum 2.8 grade point.  Based on community involvement (with at least one service oriented activity in place of worship, school or community) and essay Submit: Transcript, Essay (2-3 pages long) "If you were to leave this earth tomorrow, what would be your legacy?"

7. Lee Womack Scholarship - Due Wednesday, February 15, 2012, Amount and number of awards to be determined annually.
Must be graduating senior from Moline High School Class of 2012 with planned major in Education. Special preference will be given to applicants planning to major in Special Education.  Minimum 3.0 grade point.  Based on community involvement (with at least one service-oriented activity in place of worship, school or community), and letter.  Submit: Transcript, Letter (state why you want to obtain an Education degree and your goals and how they feel this would be an asset to yourself and your community), three letters of recommendation.

8. Stan Woods Scholarship - Due Wednesday, February 15, 2012, $1,000 scholarship annually non-renewable.
Must be graduating senior from Moline High School Class of 2012.  Minimum 3.0 grade point.  Based on community involvement and leadership, academic achievement and essay ("Explain what you have done to make your community a better place to live and give an example or one or more of specific projects that have benefited from your involvement.").  Submit: Transcript, essay, and three letters of recommendation

9. D.A.R.E. Scholarship - Due Wednesday, February 15, 2012, Three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded in 2012.
Must be graduating senior and living in the boundaries of Moline School District No. 40.  Applicant must be a former student of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program.  Minimum 3.0 grade point.  Based on academic merit, good citizenship, attendance, active involvement in school and community, and essay (300 words or less) "Talk about good choices you have made in your life. Choose an activity you have been involved in and describe how it has impacted your life." Submit: Transcript, essay, and three letters of recommendation.

10. Mike Wendt, Sr. Scholarship Award, $500 award given to one student winner of oratorical contest sponsored by the Moline Breakfast Optimist Club.  Further information will be available in the Moline High School Counselors' Office after February 1, 2012.

All application forms are currently available in the Counselors' Offices of local high schools and community colleges. If you need further information, check the Moline Foundation website: www.molinefoundation.org or contact Linda Daily at (309) 764-4193.

The Moline Foundation, founded in 1953, is a community foundation which provides grants to health, human services, education, community development, the arts and other charitable organizations which benefit the citizens of Moline and the surrounding area. The Moline Foundation receives and administers charitable gifts for all citizens in a seven county region including Rock Island,  enry, Mercer, Warren, Henderson and McDonough in Illinois and Scott County in Iowa.

###

ROCK ISLAND, IL (01/26/2012)(readMedia)-- Nearly 900 students have been named to the Dean's List at Augustana College for the 2011 fall term. Students who have earned this academic honor have maintained a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a four-point scale for courses taken during the term.

From your area, students who have earned this honor include :

Christopher Atha from Bettendorf, Iowa, a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Katelyn Benge from Bettendorf, Iowa, a Sophomore majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Allie Bierhaus from Bettendorf, Iowa, a Junior majoring in Elementary Education/Spanish.

Tyler Cowherd from Bettendorf, Iowa, a Sophomore majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Elizabeth Kuster from Bettendorf, Iowa, a Sophomore majoring in Creative Writing.

Muna Omar from Bettendorf, Iowa, a Sophomore majoring in Biology.

Anthony TouVelle from Bettendorf, Iowa, a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Anna Tunnicliff from Bettendorf, Iowa, a Junior majoring in History.

Peter Wessels from Bettendorf, Iowa, a Senior majoring in Business Administration-Finance/Accounting.

Moselle Singh from Le Claire, Iowa, a Junior majoring in Anthropology.

Thomas Harris from Davenport, Iowa, a Junior majoring in Biology.

Gaetano Iaccarino from Davenport, Iowa, a Senior majoring in Music General/Anthropology.

Kelsey Lovaas from Davenport, Iowa, a Junior majoring in Business Administration-Advising/Accounting.

James Wiebler from Davenport, Iowa, a Sophomore majoring in Biology.

Anthony Ash from Davenport, Iowa, a Junior majoring in Accounting/Business Administration-Finance.

Alannah Golden from Davenport, Iowa, a Junior majoring in Elementary Education.

Benjamin Knapper from Davenport, Iowa, a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Richard Rector from Davenport, Iowa, a Junior majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Anna Rusch from Davenport, Iowa, a Sophomore majoring in Business Administration-Advising.

Ingrid Schneider from Davenport, Iowa, a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Alexander Wenskunas from Davenport, Iowa, a Senior majoring in Political Science.

Adam Bengfort from Davenport, Iowa, a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Zain Dada from Davenport, Iowa, a Senior majoring in Biology/French.

Kylie Koger from Davenport, Iowa, a Sophomore majoring in Classics.

Manisha Kumar from Davenport, Iowa, a Junior majoring in Pre-Medicine/Biology.

Jacob O'Rourke from Davenport, Iowa, a Junior majoring in Accounting/Economics/Business Administration-Finance.

Shelby Womack from Davenport, Iowa, a Sophomore majoring in Biology/Pre-Medicine.

Sheila Ahuja from Rock Island, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in Pre-Teaching English.

Leo Anderson from Rock Island, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in Business Administration-Advising.

Jessica Bacon from Rock Island, Ill., a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Angela Bahls from Rock Island, Ill., a Junior majoring in Commmunication Sciences and Disorders/Psychology.

Nicholas Cummins from Rock Island, Ill., a Junior majoring in Biology.

Tonnie Farwell from Rock Island, Ill., a Junior majoring in Accounting.

Clare Kilbride from Rock Island, Ill., a Junior majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Anna Letendre from Rock Island, Ill., a Junior majoring in Business Administration-Marketing/Psychology.

Nathaniel McDowell from Rock Island, Ill., a Senior majoring in English/Philosophy/Classics.

Amie Rogers from Rock Island, Ill., a Junior majoring in Art.

Rosalie Starenko from Rock Island, Ill., a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Erica Aten from Coal Valley, Ill., a Senior majoring in Psychology.

Elaine Guthrie from Coal Valley, Ill., a Senior majoring in Biology.

Crystina Mayfield from Coal Valley, Ill., a Senior majoring in French/Africana Studies/Classics.

Andrew Shearouse from Coal Valley, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Brandy Blakeney from East Moline, Ill., a Junior majoring in Mathematics/Scandinavian.

Michael Kautz from East Moline, Ill., a Junior majoring in Accounting/Business Administration-Finance.

Eryn Maccabee from East Moline, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in English.

Leart Neziroski from East Moline, Ill., a Junior majoring in Pre-Medicine/Biology.

Lindsey Sikorski from East Moline, Ill., a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Astrid Tello-Rodriguez from Milan, Ill., a Junior majoring in Psychology.

Micaela Terronez from East Moline, Ill., a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Kelsey Winter from East Moline, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in Biology.

Samantha McGreer from Illinois City, Ill., a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Samantha Ott from Milan, Ill., a Senior majoring in Sociology-Social Welfare.

Laurel Williams from Milan, Ill., a Senior majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders/English.

Darshan Hullon from Moline, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in Biology/Pre-Medicine/Psychology.

Kayla Ferguson from Orion, Ill., a Junior majoring in Creative Writing.

Alyssa Zwicker from Orion, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in Psychology.

Courtney Brown from Port Byron, Ill., a Senior majoring in Biology.

Douglas Peters from Port Byron, Ill., a Junior majoring in Neuroscience.

Tyler Richards from Port Byron, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in Business Administration-Advising.

Emma Thompson from Port Byron, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in Spanish.

Jacob McManus from Reynolds, Ill., a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Alexandra Jones from Sherrard, Ill., a Sophomore majoring in Biology.

Lauren Reid from Sherrard, Ill., a Senior majoring in Business Administration-Marketing/Communication Studies.

Chelsea Vickerman from Silvis, Ill., a Junior majoring in Business Administration-Advising.

Rebecca Anderson from Taylor Ridge, Ill., a Senior majoring in Biology/Pre-Medicine.

Jessica Scheckel from Taylor Ridge, Ill., a Junior majoring in Biology/Psychology.

Nathan Woeber from Taylor Ridge, Ill., a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

Jennifer Youngs from Taylor Ridge, Ill., a Senior majoring in Psychology/Political Science.

Sarah Riedel from Long Grove, Iowa, a First Year majoring in Augie Ages Undecided.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers nearly 90 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty and has a student-faculty ratio of approximately 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (DATE) - Teri Anson of Davenport, a Bachelor of Science - Nursing major, and Matthew Purl, Davenport, a Bachelor of Science - Biology major, have been named to the fall 2011 Dean's List at Mount Mercy University. Students with a semester grade point average of 3.60 or better and who are graded (letter grade, not pass/fail) for six or more semester hours are eligible for inclusion on the Dean's List.

Founded in 1928 by the Sisters of Mercy, Mount Mercy University offers students a personal, practical, and faith-inspired education that distinctly blends professional career preparation and liberal arts with a strong curriculum grounded in leadership and service.

In more than 80 years, Mount Mercy has grown in size and reputation, adapting to meet the changing educational needs of the Cedar Rapids community. Mount Mercy offers baccalaureate and graduate education to more than 1,800 traditional, transfer, adult and graduate students. Popular undergraduate majors include business, nursing, criminal justice, education, and social work. Graduate programs are offered in business, education, nursing and marriage and family therapy.

-30-