Moraine Park Technical College has announced plans for a limited access in-person commencement ceremony—thanks to the support of their community partner, the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Fond du Lac. 

Typically, the College collaborates with its longtime community partner, Fond du Lac High School, to host the annual ceremony. However, with increased restrictions at the K-12 level, the College needed to explore alternative venues. The College considered options including both a virtual and an outdoor ceremony in hopes to make a celebration possible. 

“Last year presented many difficult scenarios outside of our control,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “While this year has had its fair share of challenges, we at least had time to consider options and prepare. It was a goal of ours to make a safe in-person event a possibility. We understand the extreme pressure our local K-12 school districts are under to maintain their operations and knew utilizing Fond du Lac High School would not be an option this year. However, we look forward to continuing our partnership with Fond du Lac High School in the future.” 

The College explored holding an outdoor ceremony at the College’s Fond du Lac campus. However, limited resources and heightened overall risk eliminated that possibility. 

“Commencement is a large undertaking on a normal year and working through scenarios to relocate it outside was challenging,” Baerwald said. “We had weather, access, equipment, security, and safety to consider, among other things. Our goal is to hold a safe ceremony for our graduates and an outdoor event simply presented too many risks.”  

The College considered holding a virtual ceremony, like many other Colleges in the state, until the Radisson Hotel and Conference center stepped forward with an option to use their facility. 

“The Radisson offers a large open space, and by utilizing their facility, we can hold an in-person ceremony that otherwise would likely not be possible,” Baerwald said. “There are restrictions to ensure overall safety—face coverings and temperature checks are required for entry and ceremony attendance will be limited to graduates only. Due to capacity and social distancing restrictions, we are unable to accommodate guests.”

Baerwald added that the College follows the current recommendations of city, state and county public health officials making a capacity restriction needed regardless of venue.

“Our students have proven to be resilient and flexible during a time of so many unknowns and difficult scenarios,” Baerwald said. “While we know this event will look different, we also know in-person ceremonies in our state are still few and far between. I am proud of the work being done to ensure an in-person celebration for our soon-to-be graduates and am grateful to the Radisson for helping us make this possible.”  

Only graduates and Moraine Park employees executing the event will be permitted to attend. The College is expecting 350 graduates to participate in the ceremony. With current capacity restrictions, the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center can accommodate a maximum of 500 guests, and Baerwald has a goal to stay well under the maximum capacity. 

While family, friends and supporters are not able to participate in person, the event will be available via live stream. Ceremony details will continue to be shared with graduates as they unfold and will be made public on the College’s webpage.

For more information on the 2021 commencement ceremony, visit morainepark.edu/commencement.

Moraine Park Technical College has reallocated a portion of its Non-Traditional Occupations (NTO) grant to be used to benefit high school classrooms and encourage students to explore non-traditional career options. Non-traditional occupations are defined as careers that currently employ 25% or less of one gender.  

Previously, these grant dollars were used to help recruit college-aged students into programs that qualified as NTO. This change will allow high school teachers to partner with Moraine Park to promote NTO and encourage more students to explore these career opportunities in a high school dual credit class.  

“The goal with this change is to showcase these career options to students earlier,” Sally Ruback, enrollment communication and student recruitment manager at Moraine Park, said. “By directing these grant dollars to our district high schools, we can partner with teachers to promote both dual credit classes and NTO. This will be done through classroom presentations in areas such as math, English, science, and business.”  

Students who participate in dual credit classes also have the opportunity of earning college credit. High schools within Moraine Park’s district are eligible to participate in this grant program. Currently, partnerships are being formed to help influence the NTO exploration of skilled trade, health care, and early childhood occupations.  

“Many of the programs that qualify as NTO also have a high demand for skilled workers in the field,” Ruback said. “Our goal is to help fill those gaps in our local industries, and we can help do this by partnering with our high schools to expose students to these careers. There is also a significant benefit to students who choose to take college credit classes in high school. This opportunity helps to develop life skills to be more self-sufficient and well-rounded adults.”  

Currently, the College has 12 classes from nine area schools that will receive funding for NTO dual credit classes next fall. Each class will receive $1,000.  

“The grant money will go directly into the teacher’s classes to enhance the learning environment,” Ruback said. “This program provides reimbursement toward the purchase of materials, supplies, textbooks, software applications, or equipment for the dual credit class. Our NTO partnerships will directly benefit the students in our district, which is extremely exciting.”    

Moraine Park’s district schools that are interested in exploring dual credit options should connect with the K-12 Department at k12@morainepark.edu.   

For more information on dual credit, visit morainepark.edu/k-12.

Moraine Park Technical College student, Jordyn Schmitt of Rubicon, has found a lasting friendship through her volunteer work at Interfaith Caregivers of Washington County. Schmitt, a first-year student in the College’s nursing program, is also part of Moraine Park’s Promise program, an opportunity for debt-free tuition. As part of the program requirements, Schmitt works to volunteer in her community and selected Interfaith as her service site.  

“Interfaith allows me the flexibility I need in my life,” she said. “I can sign up based on my availability, which allows me to meet my hours as I can, without feeling stressed.”  

Interfaith Caregivers of Washington County is a community-based non-profit organization that helps seniors in the county remain independent. Through community volunteers, they help with things a friend or neighbor might do, such as transportation, grocery shopping, or simply a friendly face checking in from time to time.  

“I choose to provide transportation services,” Schmitt said. “I enjoy helping in this way. As a nursing student, I know how essential doctor appointments are and how, at times, transportation is a barrier. I’m glad to help where I can.”  

It was through this volunteer work that Schmitt met Carole Banse of West Bend. Banse is unable to transport herself and relies on the support of Interfaith’s services for her vital doctor appointments.  

“Interfaith Caregivers is a blessing and I always tell them they are my angels – they all are just beautiful people,” Banse said. “I don’t know what I would do without this service- it has really saved me. It helps my family too – it was hard to always ask them to take me early or pick me up – they have jobs and it is just too much.”  

Schmitt and Banse have enjoyed each other’s company so much- that they make sure they are paired up in Interfaith’s system.  

“Interfaith’s system allows the selection of preferred volunteers and members, and I always select Carole right away,” Schmitt said. “Carole and I have great conversations. I enjoy hearing about her life and family- and likewise, she asks about mine. We even found out that we are distantly related! I feel blessed to know her and be part of her life.”  

The relationship being cultivated between Schmitt and Banse is exactly what Moraine Park’s community impact initiatives hope to achieve- a seemingly small service within the community that makes a lasting impact.  

“Jordyn and I have such good conversations when we get together- even with the age difference,” Banse said. “She fits in so beautifully and she doesn’t treat me like an old lady. She is always bubbly and perks me up. I am very thankful.”  

The pandemic halted Interfaith’s services for a while, but when they restarted in February of 2021, Schmitt and Banse were excited to resume their normal routine.  

“I would have never guessed that I would make a lifelong friend through this opportunity,” Schmitt said. “My advice to others is to open yourself up, give it a try, and never put an age limitation on friendship.”  

Schmitt is expected to graduate in May of 2023 and hopes to continue volunteering for Interfaith and driving Banse, throughout her schooling. 

morainepark.edu

Moraine Park Technical College’s Fire/EMT program has received a generous donation from Woodland Fire Department. Last fall, the Woodland Fire Department announced their plans to cease their community services and made plans to donate their department fire engine to Moraine Park. The engine was presented to the College on Monday, March 22 during a small event at the Woodland Fire Department.  

“We hope this donation will help Moraine Park fill the industry with new firefighters,” Tony Roethle, Woodland Fire Department Chief, said. “There is a need for volunteer firefighters- without them, fire stations simply can’t survive.”  

This year, the College has an increased number of students in the firefighter certification courses, and in mid-May, they will undergo their testing to become certified.  

“We are pleased to see this increase,” Barb Jascor, Dean of Health and Human Services said. “We have been working hard to promote and support our local fire departments, and we hope to continue to see enrollments increase in the future as well.”  

The College will use the donation for hands-on student learning, which will help students learn on equipment comparable to what they will see on the job.  

“The donation of the fire truck complements the existing simulation equipment used for Fire/EMT students,” Barb Jascor, Dean of Health and Human Services said. “Currently, we have both a full-sized ambulance and apartment, along with high fidelity patient simulators, that many of our health and human service programs utilize for simulations. The addition of the fire truck allows further hands-on training for both existing and future firefighters throughout the Moraine Park district.”  

The ambulance and apartment simulation were added last summer, as part of the Beaver Dam campus remodel project, and have been a vital addition to the curriculum. 

“Hands-on learning offers an easy pathway from the classroom to career,” Jascor said. “We rely on our community partnerships, and the generosity of the Woodland Fire Department will directly impact fire training offered within our district for many years.”  

The Woodland Fire Department ceased operations effective January 1, 2021, and staff who elected to relocate are serving the Iron Ridge and Neosho departments. Additionally, Hartford, Iron Ridge and Neosho Fire Departments are now serving the community of Woodland. 

For more information on Moraine Park’s Fire Certification Training, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College, in partnership with the Vietnam Veterans Association Chapter 351 of Appleton, will host their annual event, Reflections of Vietnam, virtually on Monday, March 29.

The presentation is free and consist of a panel discussion with Vietnam veterans who will focus on the history, politics, and legacies that were part of the Vietnam experience, as well as their personal recollections. The event will also include a video of the traveling 80-foot display of artifacts, equipment, and memorabilia.

Over the last several years, this educational event, typically offered in-person, has traveled to many high schools, colleges, and local events.  As a result, over 25,000 students, faculty, and community members have been educated on what took place during the Vietnam War.

The virtual session will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m, and interested individuals can obtain the virtual link by contacting Steve Pepper, veterans specialist, at spepper1@morainepark.edu or 920-924-3489.

For more information, visit blog.morianepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College will continue offering face-to-face classes for the fall 2021 semester.  

Like in the current spring semester, most Moraine Park classes will be offered in the classroom; this fall, more than 90 percent of classes will be offered in person on one of the three Moraine Park campuses. Business and industry-related outreach and adult education instruction continues in face-to-face formats.

“The pandemic has really intensified our commitment to our students and forced us to reevaluate their changing needs,” Jim Eden, vice president of academics at Moraine Park, said. “Early on, we heard our students tell us they excelled the most in a face-to-face classroom setting—and so we worked as hard as we could to make that a safe reality. We also know virtual learning is here to stay and must continue to offer the flexibility of virtual options to help accommodate the busy and ever-changing schedules of our students. “

“Meeting our students where they are at has always been important to Moraine Park, and we are continuously working make sure we are serving them as best as we can,” Eden added. 

Moraine Park closed its doors and transitioned to virtual learning last spring and summer—but resumed many face-to-face classes on campus in at the beginning of the fall 2020 semester. 

Throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, Moraine Park officials monitored COVID-19-related connections and illnesses through a public dashboard. Throughout the pandemic, Moraine Park’s monitoring has showed very few cases and no significant impact to operations across the three campuses.

Many precautions were taken, including mandatory face coverings, classroom spaces set for appropriate distancing, limited student events, and stricter sanitary procedures. Additionally, the College implemented a door-handle protocol to address nightly cleaning in employee offices and common spaces. These precautions will likely continue into the 2021-22 academic year.

“Our ability to hold classes on campus and the low number of cases at the College are a direct reflection of the commitment of both our students and employee,” Eden said. “We’ve had to make some difficult decisions to ensure overall safety. However, despite these changes, students and employees have stepped up, kept moving forward, and ultimately helped make our College a safe place to learn.”

Eden said he’s hopeful student activities and a full campus reopening can occur by fall. Moraine Park’s leadership and COVID-19 teams continue to meet to assess local and state trends and information to help inform decisions. 

Registration for summer semester begins April 5 and students are encouraged to enroll. Fall registration will open to returning program students on April 13, new program students on April 20, and non-program students on May 4.

For more information, visit morainepark.edu/register.

The Moraine Park Foundation has received a donation of $10,000 from Waupun Memorial Hospital, a member of Agnesian HealthCare, to purchase 44 Portable Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Jump Bags. This equipment will be used as an additional learning tool for the College’s Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), and Paramedic program students. 

“COVID-19 had a significant effect on our hands-on classroom time,” Drew Novak, paramedic instructor said. “While we’ve done an excellent job at adapting and finding alternatives, these bags allow students to continue their learning and practice skills outside of the classroom.” 

The EMS bags are designed around the tools and equipment that are needed in the field and are centered on the Wisconsin and National Curriculum’s scope for EMTs. Items include simple airway devices (oral and nasopharyngeal airways), SAM Splint, Blood Pressure Cuff, stethoscope, bandages, cervical collar, gloves, bag valve masks, tourniquet, and an assortment of bandages. The bags are designed to be safe for the student in an unsupervised environment and are a means to continually engage students in learning.  

“The EMS jump bags will allow students to practice their skills remotely,” Novak said. “Additionally, students can record their progress so we can evaluate and follow their learning.” 

This donation will serve the educational needs of approximately 400 students over the next five to ten years and will help to ensure that the local community has a pipeline of skilled emergency care professionals who provide competent, compassionate care to patients. 

“These kits will help our future paramedics and EMTs get the training they’ll need to provide the very best emergency care within our communities,” DeAnn Thurmer, President, Ripon Medical Center/Waupun Memorial Hospital, said. 

Moraine Park Technical College’s Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic program strives to prepare competent entry-level EMT-Paramedics in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective learning domains to perform pre-hospital medical procedures. EMTs respond to emergencies and transport patients to appropriate care facilities while working collaboratively with various healthcare professionals to provide patients with the best care possible. The College is committed to upholding excellence in the standards of healthcare and safety, and this generous gift demonstrates a commitment to educating the next generation of EMS providers.  

“We are grateful to our community partner, Waupun Memorial Hospital, for their continued support of student learning,” Dana Bourland, Moraine Park’s director of college advancement, said. “Their generous donation will help ensure our students have access to robust learning tools- helping to make them ready to serve our communities.” 

For more information, visit morainepark.edu.    

Moraine Park is continuously working to address the needs of local industries, and the recent change to one of their main manufacturing programs did just that.

Quality and Advanced Manufacturing Technology (QAMT) is a restructured version of the Process Engineering program. The new program kept many of the same outcomes of the Process Engineering program-adding in a significant focus on automation.  

“Process Engineering was a very successful program,” Tom Roehl, Moraine Park instructor, said. “The reason for the change was simply to include some curriculum around the newer technology we are seeing in the industry. Many of our manufacturing partners are relying heavily on advanced manufacturing, and we want our graduates’ skills to match the needs of our industries.”  

QAMT is a two-year associate degree program. The first class began in fall 2020.   

“We are seeing significant support for this program from our manufacturing partners,” Roehl said. “All of our students in this program are employed in the manufacturing field, and some have seen promotions since starting the program. This tells us that what they are learning in the classroom is directly benefiting their career and our local industries.”  

The College worked with the program’s advisory committee, comprised of industry leaders, to create a curriculum that meets their needs.   

“Many of our manufactures are moving to an Industry 4.0 or smart factory environment,” Roehl said. “This program update will ensure our students are learning skills that will prepare them for success in the field.”  

There are currently 10 students in the program, and they all hold full-time jobs outside of school.   

“We try to format our courses to offer solutions for the working adult,” Roehl said. “We understand that committing to a full-time school schedule isn’t always a feasible option, and I’m proud that this program offers options for both full and part-time students.”  

The statewide median salary for graduates is $45,132, in job roles such as Quality Assurance Technician, Manufacturing Engineering Technician, CNC Programmer, and Robotics and Material-Handling Technician- to name a few.  

For more information on QAMT, visit morainepark.edu. 

Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC) Culinary instructors and students had to think outside of the box to fill the curriculum for the student-run restaurant, Park Terrace. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, typical food operations had to be altered. 

“During a normal year, we open the restaurant from early October through the end of the fall semester,” James Simmers, Moraine Park instructor, said. “With our campuses closed to the public, we knew that a typical operation wouldn’t be a possibility.” 

The MPTC Culinary instructors presented the second-year students with an idea of running a ghost kitchen for staff on the Fond du Lac Campus. 

“A ghost kitchen is typically a temporary secret-location operation, set up for meal-delivery only,” Simmers said. “It offers the opportunity for very limited contact – if any at all- which was a perfect alternative for our heightened safety needs.” 

With unanimous approval, they developed Casper’s, the Moraine Park Ghost Kitchen. Casper’s accepted pre-orders for delivery at lunchtime on Thursdays during the fall 2020 semester. Simmers worked with his students to design the menu and like the Park Terrace restaurant, it was managed and ran completely by the students. 

 “They had to think outside of the box in many ways,” Simmers said. “On top of the normal restaurant duties, they had to implement an online ordering and payment system, scheduled deliveries, and think of logistics to maintain food quality during delivery.” 

To date, Casper’s is the most successful student food operation, serving over 300 meals. Participating students were Hannah Chipman of LaValle, Dawn Haakenstad of Oshkosh, Cortland Henning of Fond du Lac, Tammy Peak of Campbellsport, Carmen Roeming of Oshkosh, and Akiyoshi Yukioka of Fond du Lac.

“These students found great success with this solution and learned some valuable skills,” Simmers said. “This class has six students who ran the entire operation. They should be very proud of themselves.” 

Simmers is hoping to have the opportunity to reopen Park Terrace to the public next fall. 

“We are eager to welcome the public back to Park Terrace,” he said. “Until then, we hope you frequent your local restaurants- as many of them are either owned by or employ our MPTC culinary alumni.” 

For more information on Moraine Park’s culinary program, visit morainepark.edu.