Moraine Park Technical College is holding its 14th Annual Toolin’ It!, a Nuts, Bolts, & Thingamajigs manufacturing summer camp at the West Bend campus June 10-14.

Registration is open and underway for middle and high school students ages 13-16. This high-tech, hands-on experience provides an introduction to 21st-century manufacturing technology. Participants have the chance to learn about computer-aided design, computer-controlled manufacturing operations, basic electrical systems, machining, welding and fabrication, and so much more. Students will also experience the start-to-finish satisfaction of designing and manufacturing a product and using high-tech machinery under the close supervision of expert manufacturing trainers.

The registration fee is $100 and includes all materials, lunches and field trips. Space is limited. Register today by visiting www.morainepark.edu/toolin-it, or by contacting Cindy Wolf at (262) 306-5321 or email at cwolf@morainepark.edu.

Toolin’ It! is part of a national manufacturing summer camp program designed and sponsored by Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, the Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association.

For more information on Moraine Park Technical College, visit morainepark.edu.

Graduate candidates can purchase their graduation regalia (cap, gown and tassel) at any Moraine Park Campus bookstore beginning on April 10. Honor cords, Military and Veteran cords, and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) cords/stoles will be available for purchase.

Wearing of Honor and High Honor cords are based on cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) as of the end of the 2018 fall semester. No exceptions to this will be made.

• Honors is 3.5 to 3.74 GPA
• High Honors is 3.75 GPA and up

NOTE: Commencement is a formal academic ceremony. The decorating of cap and gown is discouraged.

Morainepark.edu/gradchecklist

Moraine Park has received notification that some past and present students have received phone calls from agencies claiming to be a student loan servicer, asking for personal information such as social security number and birth date, and attempting to gather bank/credit card numbers.

Our financial aid office has confirmed that these calls are coming from a non-credible source, and is likely a phishing scam.

As a reminder, a loan servicer will never ask for your personal identification information over the phone. If you have any questions, please call Triena Bodart, Moraine Park’s financial aid manager, at (920) 924-6347.

morainepark.edu

Moraine Park Technical College’s first Gas Utility Technician class celebrated their program completion on Thursday, March 14.

In 2017, the College announced their plans to construct an Energy Education Center (EEC) at the Beaver Dam campus, as an answer to industry demands for skilled gas utility technicians. Supporters for the project include Alliant Energy, KS Energy Services, Madison Gas and Electric, Michels Corporation, We Energies, and Wisconsin Public Service. The EEC opened in June 2018, and the first Gas Utility Technician group began their training.

“Students in this program receive top-notch instruction,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president said. “They work through real gas utility scenarios in the Training Neighborhood, have access to the latest technology, and undergo thorough training to get them ready for the field.”

The 2019 class includes Alden Broome of Beaver Dam; Joseph Erdmann of Watertown; Samuel Gantner of Fond du Lac; Cody Gebhard of Brandon; Dylan Gilmore of Jackson; Connor Gray of Cottage Grove; Caleb Madrid of Watertown; Kaleb Mancheski of Deerfield; Ashton Mislivecek of Hillsboro; Zachary Muckerheide of West Bend; Ean Ries of Lomira; Jonah Rohde of Fond du Lac; Gavin Schultz of Waupun; Justin Schultz of Elkhart Lake; Jordan Snyder of Watertown. The graduates will receive their Gas Utility Technician technical diploma at Moraine Park’s annual commencement ceremony on May 18.

“I couldn’t be happier with the work that these students have put in over the past nine months,” Steve Logan, gas utility instructor at Moraine Park said. “In addition to learning the skills needed to be successful in a natural gas / underground construction career, they have learned an even greater lesson – that on the job and at home safety must always be their number one priority.”

Applications are now being accepted for the next group, set to begin in June 2019. The nine-month program is uniquely designed to train students and prepare them to fill industry needs for the following summer. Gas Utility Technicians are currently in high demand, with many positions ready to be filled. Graduates can expect to earn a median salary of $56,675.

Individuals interested in the Gas Utility Technician program can reach out to Sherry Hackbarth, an academic advisor at Moraine Park, at (920) 887-4425 or shackbarth@morainepark.edu.

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

Promoting growth and self-improvement is at the core of Moraine Park’s mission. International student Barbara Turner immediately identified this and set her sights on being a Moraine Park student.

Barbara, a current resident of Beaver Dam, came to the College from Israel. She first toured Moraine Park in the summer of 2015, when she was visiting Wisconsin to explore educational options.

“Obtaining a quality education is one of my top priorities,” Barbara said. “My parents are both highly educated and instilled in me the value of having a degree.”

She is no stranger to hard work. In Israel, she served in the army for two years and then worked in the quality control field. She was exploring local academic resources when she found the opportunity to study internationally.

“Moraine Park was an easy choice for me,” Barbara said. “There are multiple programs to choose from, the location is convenient, and the pricing is extremely reasonable.”

Since arriving in 2016, she hasn’t stopped exploring her opportunities and takes each experience as an invitation to grow and improve. She has benefited from the support of the Student Success Center and Moraine Park counselor, Karla Donahue, who has helped with her transition to life in the United States and at Moraine Park.

Barbara has also made quite an impact on her classmates and instructors at the College.

“It has been fun to watch her advance,” Mary Vogl-Rausher, an instructor at Moraine Park said. “There have been significant challenges she has had to overcome, but she always has a smile on her face. Her warm personality draws others to her.”

For these reasons and more, Barbara was selected as the 2019-20 Moraine Park District Student Ambassador. In this role, she will actively serve as a member of student government, advocate for Moraine Park and the Wisconsin Technical College System as a whole, assist with College activities and events, and represent the student body within the community.

“It is an extreme honor,” Barbara said. “I look forward to making more connections and networking with my community and peers.”

For more information, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College was recently recognized by the Manufacturing Business Alliance (MBA) of Dodge County as a partner in manufacturing education. Dr. Jim Eden, VP of Academic Affairs at Moraine Park, accepted the Manufacturing Education award at the February monthly MBA meeting.

To learn more about MBA of Dodge County, visit http://dodgeregionmba.org/.

For more on Moraine Park programs, visit morainepark.edu.

Enjoy your Spring Break!

See you back on campus or online on March 25!

student.morainepark.edu

Moraine Park Technical College Foundation will be able to award 15 students with one-time scholarships thanks to the success of The Ledge Games 2018, which raised $7,500.

This family-friendly competition, held in Eden, challenges participants in a series of lumberjack activities such as caber toss, hammer toss, archery, keg toss, speed chop, and ax throw. One hundred percent of event proceeds support The Ledge Games scholarship, established through the Moraine Park Foundation, which focuses on engineering, manufacturing, and technology programs at Moraine Park. The event is co-founded by Josh Michels, of Fond du Lac and Tyler Oestreich, of Eden.

“Both Josh and I are in the manufacturing industry, ” said Tyler Oestreich, co-founder of The Ledge Games. “We are proud to contribute the proceeds to Moraine Park. Our local economy greatly depends on manufacturing skill sets, and we see the value in educating and supporting the manufacturing workforce locally. Moraine Park’s students take the skill sets they learn to local manufacturing companies in Fond du Lac and the surrounding areas to continue to innovate and keep the local economy strong.”

Students enrolling in engineering, manufacturing or technology for the 2019-2020 school year are eligible to apply for this scholarship. To be considered for a Foundation scholarship, students must have a Moraine Park Technical College cumulative or high school GPA of 2.75 or higher and enroll in a minimum of six credits per semester. Application deadline is April 15 for high school seniors and May 26 for all other applicants.

To apply for The Ledge Games scholarship, or for more information on other Moraine Park scholarships, visit morainepark.edu/scholarships.

The 2019 Ledge Games are scheduled for Saturday, September 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on this event and how to help benefit this scholarship, visit theledgegames.com.

Moraine Park students recently participated in the Wisconsin Student Government Legislative Seminar and student showcase at the capital in Madison. Through this event, they had the opportunity to meet with several state legislators and share the importance of a technical college education.

Congratulations to all involved!

morainepark.edu.