Pictured above: President Bonnie Baerwald and Student Community Impact Coordinator Anne Lemke present Mina Vang-Xiong with her President’s Award.

Moraine Park Technical College is committed to community engagement and student success. The College supports these commitments through the opportunity for students to participate in student community impact and apply their classroom knowledge to an applicable, real-world environment. We encourage students to participate in our community impact awards program where students can track their service-learning or volunteer hours, submit their reflections, and earn a Bronze Award for 25 hours, Silver Award for 50 hours, Gold Award for 100 hours, and President’s Award for 200 hours!

In the Spring, 2022 semester, 29 students earned awards and logged over 1,600 hours of service!  Congratulations to our Spring, 2022 award winners!

Presidents Award

Two graduating students earned the President’s Award for over 200 hours of service each in their time at MPTC!  The students are Alaska Burroughs – Marketing and Social Media; and Mina Vang-Xiong – IT Technical Support and Network Specialist. MPTC President Bonnie Baerwald celebrated with and congratulated each student, stating: “I’m extremely proud of the accomplishments of Mina and Alaska. Each has their own unique story and came to Moraine Park Technical College to explore and create new career opportunities. In addition to their work and college obligations, their volunteer efforts exemplify the college values of continuous improvement, collaboration, and impactful learning. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them!”

Gold Award

Completing 100-199 hours of service-learning or volunteering.

Burroughs, Alaska – Marketing and Social Media

Dziuba, Austin – Marketing and Social Media

Vang-Xiong, Mina – IT Technical Support and Network Specialist

Silver Award

Completing 50-99 hours of service-learning or volunteering.

Burroughs, Alaska – Marketing and Social Media

Dziuba, Austin – Marketing and Social Media

Hackett, Richard – Leadership Development

Rogers, Dorothy – Paralegal

Smith, Brooke – Medical Assistant

Vang-Xiong, Mina – IT Technical Support and Network Specialist

Bronze Award

Completing 25-49 hours of service-learning or volunteering.

Bille, Ellen – Medical Assistant

Brantmeier, Samantha – Medical Assistant

Burroughs, Alaska – Marketing and Social Media

Carbajal, Yaneli – Medical Assistant

Corona, Ruby – Medical Assistant

Davis, Jada – Medical Assistant

Detert, Jozee – Medical Assistant

Devries, Kelly, Medical Assistant

Dziuba, Austin – Marketing and Social Media

Goldbach, Courtney – Medical Assistant

Hackett, Richard – Leadership Development

Jetzer, Jennifer – Medical Assistant

Krause, Michael – Leadership Development

Lear, Jamie – Medical Assistant

May, Chantel – Medical Assistant

Neitzel, Amanda – Medical Assistant

Nieman, Emily – Medical Assistant

Nieman, Olivia – Medical Assistant

Olson, Kara – Leadership Development

Peplinski, Samantha – Medical Assistant

Race, Miranda – Medical Assistant

Roecker, Kayla – Medical Assistant

Schick, Hailey – Medical Assistant

Smith, Brooke – Medical Assistant

Swedowski, Stephanie – Medical Assistant

Ward, Sydney – Medical Assistant

Wendt, Madelynn – Medical Assistant

40+ Nursing students in Julie Lepianka and Ashley Gilson’s Mental Health and Community Concepts courses recently completed their community advocacy projects as part of our Spring, 2022 service-learning opportunities.

Julie said, “Everyone has their own story. Each of us has a bigger purpose on this earth to share our story. Thank you for being vulnerable in your sharing! It was a privilege to teach all of you in this important community mental health learning. Best of luck in your final semester!”

Students spent over 200 hours researching and collaborating with community partners in Fond du Lac, Washington, and Dodge Counties to learn more about substance abuse, foster families, gun violence, elderly depression, bullying, human trafficking, poverty, domestic violence, sexual assault, and more. Students formulated detailed plans to address how a nurse can help a community identify and address these issues, providing education, awareness, advocacy and resources. Students gathered data to help determine strengths and weaknesses in their own communities. Project presentations were held in May. Ashley said, “My students did a phenomenal job assessing their surrounding communities for health concerns and building advocacy plans that we, as nurses, have the power to implement within their communities. These students were drawn to nursing because of a desire to care, to serve, and to help…..and they did just that!“

Congratulations on all of this great work on important mental health issues in our MPTC community!

Pictured from left to right: Brandon Belanger, Seth Lane, Nathan Stocks, Linda Huckaby, Tim Reynolds, Heather Tennies, Tim Vukosich. 2nd row left to right: Leona Meyer, Darlene Anderson, Deanna Bagley, Amanda Neitzel, Cassandra Schultz, Amber Schultz, Jennifer Ainslie, Heidi Quackenboss, Shellin Eck, Megan Marks. Front row left to right: Mina Vang-Xiong, Christina Brueggemann, Blanca Almarez, Tammy Wentlandt, Rebecca Christenson, Ashley Aden, Alaska Burroughs

On April 21, MPTC Academic Honor Society/PTK Advisors Amy Harmsen and Anne Lemke, hosted a celebration to congratulate the 146 MPTC students who attained a 3.5 GPA or above with at least 12 credits towards an Associate’s Degree during this academic year; and are new members of our MPTC Academic Honor Society, and/or Phi Theta Kappa. Special recognition was given to 66 Academic Honors Students who are graduating this Spring with Honors (3.5-3.74 GPA) or High Honors (3.75 and above).

President Bonnie Baerwald and Dean of General Studies Brenda Raad presented each student with a flower and honors emblem keepsake. Graduates also received their Silver (honors) or Gold (high honors) cords to be worn with pride at graduation.

President Baerwald said, “It is an honor for me to participate in this ceremony to acknowledge and celebrate academic excellence. Established over 100 years ago in 1918, the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society recognizes and encourages academic achievement of students at two-year colleges.  PTK is an organization that has over 3.5 million members in the United States and 10 sovereign nations.  Our own MPTC Academic Honor Society is also an opportunity for our students achieving high academics.  Membership in both or either of these groups is a special honor for outstanding students.  Congratulations!  I applaud your commitment to academic success and wish you all the best for your future endeavors.”  

Dean Brenda Raad said, “It is my pleasure to congratulate you all on your accomplishments.  Each year thousands of students attend Moraine Park Technical College; today we acknowledge those whose achievement, commitment and academic performance deserve the highest recognition.  I encourage you to always search for truth and to dedicate yourselves to the cultivation of lifelong education, service and honor.  Congratulations!”

High Honors PTK/AHS Student Graduate Mina Vang-Xiong was the featured speaker. Mina said,

“Today, I stand here because I decided to change my career path from Healthcare to Technology. I enrolled in the IT l dual program- Network Specialist and Technical Support specialist January of 2020 with a goal to just achieve a degree. I have a full-time job, am a full-time student, and mother of 3. I became an MPTC leader and a voice for my fellow students.  I achieved academic excellence and was on the Dean’s list for all semesters. I am currently an Academic Honor Society and Phi Theta Kappa member, President of IT Club, Vice President of Student Senate, and active around my community. I am a nominee for student of the year, recipient of the Leadership and Services award and the recipient of the Presidents’ Student Community Impact Award.  What I learned from being engaged in opportunities Moraine Park offers allowed me to tap into my sense of purpose. Involvement and opportunities gave me the resources I needed to be a successful leader.”

Students being recognized include: PTK Member ^ AHS Member ~

Honors Graduate * High Honors Graduate **

Olaide Adams ^

Ashley Aden ~**

Jennifer Ainslie ^~*

Blanca Almaraz Ortiz ~ *

Kaci Al-Saadi ~*

Trina Anderson ^**

Darlene Anderson ~**^

William Arkens ~

Deanna Bagley ^~

Jasmine Barma ~

Brandon Belanger ~**

Taylor Biermann ^

Amanda Blawat ^~

Brianna Bliesner ^**

Kira Bock ~

Heather Boden ^~

Krysta Bohl ~**

Jeanna Brault ~**

Christina Brueggemann (Sutula) ^**

Alaska Burroughs ^**

Sabrina Bury Weymier ^**

Alyssa Buske ^~**

Rebecca Christenson ~**

Halle Collins-George ^~**

Sydney Comstock ^~*

Annmarie Costa ^**

Chad Crass ^

Hannah Cunningham ~

Laura Davis ~**

Jasmine Davis ~

Morgan Diels ^~

Jamie Dornaus ^

Michelle Drake ^*

Madeline Dumproff ~*

Maxfield Dunkirk ~

Schellin Eck ^

Ariana Estep ^~

Deanna Fabela ^*

Gilbert Flocker ~**

Eric Freiberg ~*

Meredith Freund ^*

Callie Gappa ~

Kassandra Garcia Enriquez ^**

Edward Gbordzi ^**

Laurie Gerth ^*

Tanner Goodchild ~

Emily Gosh ^~**

Katherine Gripentrog ^**

Lindsey Gruber ~

Kylie Guell ^

Taylor Hafemeister ^

Amanda Hartsell ^

Joshua Hebard ^

Lindsey Held ~

Dylan Henriksen ~

Skyler Hibicki ~

Linda Huckaby ~

Emma Huehns ^~**

Kylie Hupf ^~

Jessica Hurley ^

Kelly Ingish ~*

Annette Ireland ^*

Samantha Kahlscheuer ^~

Bethany Kasten ^~**

Quinton Kauper ~

Christopher Kempf ^

Jeffrey Kern ^~ **

Dulcie Kind ~

Erika Kirchoff ^

Kaitlyn Koenitzer ~

Adelina Korcari ~

Chera Koss ^~

Ala Kowalske ^**

Haley Krumenauer ~

Elizabeth Kussmann ^*

Seth Lane ^~*

Stephanie Langlois ^**

Kelly Macheel ^*

Megan Marks ^~**

Emmet Mason ^*

William McGrath ~

Denise Meyer ^

Leona Meyer ~

Daniel Mischler ^

Danielle Nealey ^**

Amanda Neitzel ^~*

Victoria Nelson ~

Allison Newman ~

Olivia Notz ~

Dustin Odden ^**

Hannah Oliver ~

Christopher Ormsby ^

Emily Peschong ^

Kristen Petzer ^~*

Kira Pirrung ^

Brian Pitt ^~

Alexander Poston ~

Cynthia Prosser ^~

Heaven Protsman ~

Heidi Quackenboss ^

Heather Quickle ^~**

MacKenzie Rahn ^**

Debbie Ramos ^

Benjamin Raupp ^~

Meghann Reigle ^*

Tim Reynolds ^~

Amberly Ritchie ^*

Kelly Robinson ^**

Holly Rodgers ^~

Nicholas Rodriguez ^**

Johnathon Roeber ^

Angela Rose ^~

Georgia Roth ^*

Katey Ryan ~*

Hannah Schaefer ~

Kaylene Scherer ^~

Amber Schultz ~**

Cassandra Schultz ~*

Natasha Scott ~

Paige Seymer ~

Sydney Skindzelewski ~

Brittany Snyder ^**

Jeffrey Sonnleitner ^**

Kaytlin Sterba ~*

Nathan Stocks ^~*

David Stringham ^**

Carmen Struck ^

Austin Strutz ^

Shawna Talakowski ^~

Heather Tennies ^~

Ceann Thuecks ^**

Dominic Tisler ^

Saul Trevino ~**

Mina Vang-Xiong ^~**

Willow Vellema ~

Abigail Verhunce ^**

Gabrielle Vickman ~

Timothy Vukosich ^**

Brooke Wargula ^

Olivia Weikert ^

Jacqueline Wells ^

Tammy Wentlandt ^~**

Laine West ^~

Go Song Yang ~

Kyle Zeitlin ^~

On April 21, 2022, MPTC West Bend Electricity Instructor Gus Boyle-Gustavus and her students hosted Washington County Boys and Girls Club scholars in grades 5-11 for a fun, interactive Dream Big event.

The Dream Big project started in 2017 with Boys and Girls Clubs of Fond du Lac and Tri-County Area teens learning more about the over 100 careers available through MPTC. Each semester, Moraine Park students showcase their program and make a true community impact for area teens to get excited about career choices!

West Bend Boys and Girls Club Teen Program Director Ashlyn Poling said, “Our teen members loved partnering up with the Electricity students from Moraine Park Technical College. We are always looking for opportunities to inspire our youth and encourage learning new skills, and this Electricity Event allowed us to do just that! Thank you MPTC!” Ashlyn herself got to wire up a circuit to turn on a lightbulb and had great fun! Electricity Instructor Gus said, “What an awesome event! Our Electricity students each partnered up with a BGC scholar and had a blast! I was so impressed with each of our students’ teaching, mentoring and patience skills to do this 2-hour activity with teens. I surprised them today with this event and they all came through!”

For more info on Electricity at MPTC.

Need a little break from all that studying? Have you heard that stressed is really desserts spelled backwards? Your MPTC Campus Library is the place to get a little relief during this crazy finals time end of the semester! Stop in during regular library hours from May 2 – 20 for a tasty bite of Fair Trade chocolate and grab an Alta Gracia Fair Trade MPTC t-shirt (while supplies last). Our libraries will also have extra resources available for study skills and stress management.

Did you know Moraine Park is a Fair Trade College? Actually we are the very first Fair Trade technical college in the U.S. Way to go MPTC! We are now celebrating 7 years as a Fair Trade College! World Fair Trade Day is May 14. Let’s all celebrate and choose FAIR! You can find Fair Trade coffee and Honest Tea at MPTC cafeterias.

Fair trade supports farmers and artisans in developing countries who are socially and economically marginalized. Fair Trade is about making a tremendous impact on artisan and farmer communities while offering great products to the public all around the world. Fair Trade certification promises quality products, fair pay for producers, environmentally sustainable practices, safe and empowering working conditions, no child labor, no human trafficking and more.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It’s time to draw attention to the prevalence of sexual assault and educate ourselves and our communities about how to prevent it.

Did you know that 1 in 5 women in the U.S. experience sexual assault in their lifetime? Nearly 25% of men in the U.S. also experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. Nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men report experiencing some form of sexual harassment or assault.

For more information and statistics at the NSVRC.

The movement to end sexual violence in the United States, and around the world, relies on people who have made a choice to do something. Sexual violence often seems inevitable, but the choice to do something and get involved has made incredible changes in national and global conversations about sexual violence. In recent decades, these changing conversations have expanded support for survivors and led to substantial innovation in the work of preventing sexual violence.

There are many ways you can become involved in the work of changing conversations about sexual violence, supporting survivors, and preventing sexual violence before it ever happens.

• Wear DENIM for Denim Day on April 27, 2022, when millions of people across the world will wear jeans with a purpose, support survivors, and educate themselves and others about all forms of sexual violence.
• Print and share the April Sexual Assault Awareness poster at your office, business, school or church
• Stay connected at the WI Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• Follow and Volunteer for FDL Says No More

MPTC Area Sexual Assault Resources

Fond du Lac – ASTOP

West Bend – Friends, Inc.

Beaver Dam – PAVE

Green Lake – ASTOP

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Every April, Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the necessity of communities working together to promote the social and emotional well-being of all children and their families. 

In Fond du Lac County alone, 552 cases of child abuse were reported in 2021, according to Nicole Mann, FDL County Social Worker. Children are the foundation of our society, our community and our future. Children raised in loving and supportive environments are more likely to prosper academically and
financially, becoming successful contributing members of society. Wisconsin must be a leader and
champion for all of our children. Research has shown the most effective way to prevent child abuse & neglect is to provide support to families so children can grow up in an environment that supports their well-being. Preventing child abuse and neglect results in better childhoods, ultimately saving millions of dollars currently needed for the services that address the short and long-term effects of abuse on children, their families, and our communities.

Find out more info at Prevent Child Abuse WI.

What can YOU do?

• Wear BLUE on April 1 in support and recognition of Child Abuse Prevention month
• Put a blue pinwheel in your yard
• Print and Share the CAP poster at your office, business, school or church
• Stay connected at Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin and Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board

Resources for Child Abuse Prevention in MPTC District:

FDL County Social Services

Washington County Social Services

Green Lake County Social Services

Dodge County Social Services

Moraine Park has partnered with the Study Abroad Association to offer virtual global education opportunities for our staff, faculty and students. The Global Perspectives virtual world travel program offers fabulous locations and topics to explore in Costa Rica, Greece, Italy, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland.

You can move around in the 3D world and/or watch travel guide videos for every location. It’s great fun to share with family and friends too!

To use:

1. Go to 360discovered.studyabroadassociation.com/register/, and sign-up with your school email address.
2. Check your school email for your login information.
3. Log in and explore!

Find out more about MPTC Cultural Connections and in-person travel opportunities.

We can’t wait to get back to in-person travel! Our first destination is planned for Fall 2022 in beautiful New Mexico. All MPTC students are encouraged and welcome to apply for this exciting academic adventure.

If you need social science credits toward your degree, this trip is integrated into the Intro to Diversity course for Fall 2022. Taking this course as a social science requirement for your degree will allow you to use your financial aid for travel.

Learn more about this experience at studyabroadassociation.com/itinerary/mptc-new-mexico-2020/, or join us in person or virtually for upcoming information sessions, April 6-7.

For other MPTC travel opportunities, visit morainepark.edu/academics/other-academic-resources/cultural-connections/.