Moraine Park Technical College is currently accepting applications for three positions on the Moraine Park Technical College District Board; one employer member, one employee member, and one school district administrator member, with the terms ending June 30, 2024. The application window is from February 5 to February 19.

The Employer Member position must be appointed from those counties of the Moraine Park Technical College District located west of the east shore of Lake Winnebago and the area west of the east boundary of the towns of Fond du Lac and Oakfield in Fond du Lac County and west of the east boundary of the towns of Leroy, Williamstown, Oak Grove, and Lowell in Dodge County. 

The Employee Member position must be appointed from those counties of the Moraine Park Technical College District located east of the east shore of Lake Winnebago and the area east of the east boundary of the towns of Fond du Lac and Oakfield in Fond du Lac County and east of the east boundary of the towns of Leroy, Williamstown, Oak Grove, and Lowell in Dodge County. 

The School District Administrator Member position may be appointed from anywhere within the Moraine Park Technical College District.

Interested individuals can receive application materials from the County Board Chairperson or Clerk of any of the following counties: Calumet, Columbia, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Sheboygan, Washington, Waushara, and Winnebago or by contacting Jaclyn Jelinek, Moraine Park Technical College, 235 North National Avenue, P. O. Box 1940, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54936-1940, telephone (920) 929-2127, e-mail jjelinek@morainepark.edu. 

Candidates should mail their completed application to Ms. Candy Fields, Secretary, Moraine Park Technical College District Board, 235 North National Avenue, P. O. Box 1940, Fond du Lac, WI 54936-1940. Their submission must include at least two written references supporting their nomination and be received by 4:30 p.m. on February 19, 2021. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Employer and Employee members must be representative of the businesses and industries within the Moraine Park Technical College District.

Applicants are also required to attend the public hearing of the District Board Appointment Committee tentatively scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 22, 2021, at Moraine Park Technical College. A legal notice announcing the exact date, time, and location of this meeting will be published sometime during the week of February 22 or March 1, 2021.

For more information on the open positions, please contact Jaclyn Jelinek at (920) 929-2127 or jjelinek@morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College named over 1,000 students to the Dean’s List for the fall 2020 semester.

To qualify for this distinction, a student must be enrolled in at least six undergraduate-level course credits, earn a minimum grade point average of 3.5, not have a failing or incomplete grade for the semester, and be in good academic standing.

You can view the list here!

Congratulations to all our fall 2020 Dean’s list students- this is a huge accomplishment!

Moraine Park Technical College held its fall 2020 Manufacturing Skills Academy completion ceremony on Wednesday, December 23. A total of nine students finished the program, four from Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and five from Welding.

This program was designed to combat the skilled worker shortage by offering a variety of boot camp sessions. The boot camp sessions are free to participants, teach skills that are unique to a particular pathway, and connect students with area employers. The program also combines a 144-hour paid internship with coursework, including Occupational Math, Print Reading, Team Building, Problem Solving, and program-specific courses. Participating internship sites for this session were FZE Manufacturing Solutions, LLC, Mid States Aluminum Corporation, Ultra Tool & Manufacturing, and Wabash National.

Moraine Park has had over 400 participants in the Welding and CNC boot camp programs since its induction in 2012.

The students who completed the CNC boot camp are Loni Gromacki of Germantown, April Novak of Fond du Lac, Ethan Strebe of Fond du Lac, and Brian Wilson of Fond du Lac.

The students who completed the Welding boot camp are Nathaniel Horner of Beaver Dam, Timothy Lowe of Fond du Lac, Robin Robertson of Colgate, Steven Stathas of Jackson, and Xavier Thomas of Fond du Lac.

This year’s graduation speakers were Timothy Lowe and Ethan Strebe. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony was open to boot camp students and Moraine Park staff only. The event was live-streamed to allow for family, friends, and employer partners to participate.

Moraine Park’s Skills Academy boot camps are free to participating students, thanks to financial support from community resource partners and the Workforce and Training (WAT) grants.

Registrations for the spring 2021 boot camp program are now being accepted. For more information, visit morainepark.edu/bootcamps.

Did you know that many times, the barrier to education is financial?

A student who wants to earn their GED/HSED diploma can come to Moraine Park for free adult education instruction. However, the testing, required by the state, costs approximately $150.

The instructors in the adult education department wanted to help break this financial barrier. So, they started a scholarship through the Moraine Park Foundation in 2011. This funding helps not only with the testing fees, but students who enroll in a program at Moraine Park can also apply for a $500 scholarship to help with application fees, textbooks, or tuition. To date, 16 of those scholarships have been awarded, and one of the previous recipients recently earned their Master’s Degree!

As you begin to determine your year-end giving, know that a contribution to the Moraine Park Foundations Basic Education Fund could help change the lives of individuals right in your community.

For more information, visit morainepark.edu/foundation.

Hey, 2020 Grads!

We know COVID-19 canceled our celebrations last spring, but we haven’t forgotten about you- and we still need to celebrate your huge academic milestone!

We are beginning to plan our 2021 Commencement Ceremony.

Mark your calendars for May 22, 2021 (time and location TBD).

While many of the details are still in the works- here are a few changes you should know about:

• Guests may not be permitted.
• Tickets will be required.
• Virtual viewing will be available. 

If you are planning to attend, please let us know by filling out the commencement form by January 8, 2021.

Please note: This step is required if you are wanting to participate in the 2021 ceremony.

Class of 2021- no need to fill out this form yet- we will connect with you soon!

Moraine Park Technical College has extended both their public access restrictions and mask-wearing requirements for all campuses- which will remain in effect indefinitely – but, at least through June 30, 2021. The College will remain closed to the general public, and masks will continue to be required on all campuses- even if the statewide mandate ends.

“COVID-19 exposures remain low on our campuses,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “We hope by continuing to limit the number of people on our campuses, we can ensure a successful spring 2021 semester for our students and staff- including the ability to continue in-person classes and hold our annual commencement ceremony.”

As of now, the spring 2021 semester will begin as scheduled on Monday, Jan. 25, and classes will continue to be offered in face-to-face, virtual, and online formats.

Additionally, the College plans to host their 2021 commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 22- if conditions remain as they are or improve. The ceremony will be held outdoors at the Fond du Lac campus, there will be guest limitations to allow for social distancing, and a backup date will be selected in case of inclement weather.

“We are moving forward with our spring semester and planning our 2021 commencement ceremony,” Baerwald said. “While the ceremony will undoubtedly look different, we are confident that we can find a way to celebrate together safely.” 

While the College will continue to remain closed to the public, this will not affect Moraine Park’s classes, events, and activities. College leadership will continue to follow recommendations from local public health departments, as well as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) when making decisions for the spring 2021 semester and beyond. 

For more information, visit morainepark.edu/coronavirus.

Moraine Park Technical College’s Criminal Justice and Paramedic students collaborated with the Dodge County SWAT Team last month to offer a live emergency simulation.

The simulation was in response to the major remodel at the Beaver Dam campus last summer. The new layout required the Dodge County SWAT team to do a walkthrough and reassess the building- as a way to be prepared in the event of an emergency on campus. 

Moraine Park’s Criminal Justice and Paramedic instructors worked with the SWAT team to host and lead a simulation event featuring three different scenarios- as a learning opportunity for the students. 

“I am grateful for our partnership with the Dodge County SWAT team and the time they spent with our students.” Lisa Pollard, Moraine Park’s Beaver Dam campus dean, said. 

Throughout the simulations, students assisted the SWAT Team in the live emergency scenarios and were able to ask questions regarding their responses to different emergencies. 

“This simulation offered a valuable, real-world experience to our students,” Pollard said. “The SWAT team utilized our Moraine Park classroom spaces, including our built-in apartment and ambulance- used for hands-on classroom training. How they work in that environment, with their equipment, providing an emergency response is how Moraine Park prepares the students for their future careers.”

The SWAT Team, students, and faculty received valuable knowledge from the simulations that will help prepare them for emergency situations in the future, and the partnership between Moraine Park and Dodge County will help ensure a safer campus and community.

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

MPTC’s Dean of the West Bend Campus, Pete Rettler, began running daily after making a bet with a friend on New Year’s Eve in 1993. The bet was to run every day for that year. 27 years later, he hasn’t missed a single day – and averages about 2.5 miles each run. 

A few years back, he started using this daily running streak to generate community involvement and giving by hosting a New Year’s Eve 5k run event. The money raised was donated a local non-profit.

At year 25, Pete held a 25 day event, selecting a different non-profit each day- and gathering over $25,000 in donations. 

This year, he has had to do things differently- as we all have- and is hosting a virtual 5k- where participants will select their own route. While this doesn’t have the togetherness of his typical events, this does open up the opportunity for participation anywhere.

This year, his donations will be given to the Wisconsin Remembers 9-11 Memorial in Kewaskum to assist their efforts to bring awareness, and honor and remember local victims.  https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com/about.html

As an added heartfelt, Pete’s children (now adults) have never known a day that their Dad didn’t run. When they were little Pete would push them in the stroller on his daily runs. This year, Pete will be carrying on that tradition while pushing his granddaughter Reagan in the stroller on his run. 

Through it all, Pete remains a humble- community centered man- grateful for his health and the ability to utilize what was once a silly bet- as a way to bring good to his community.  

Do you want to run “with” Pete on New Years Eve? Registration is $27 and there will also be 27 prizes. Information can be found at rettlerrun.com.

*Photo courtesy of Washington County Insider-2018.

Moraine Park Technical College’s Gas Utility Students led the Operation Christmas Child shoebox project at the Beaver Dam campus this November. 

Every year since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has collected shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items for children around the world. To date, more than 178 million children in more than 150 countries have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. 

The 2020-21 class of gas utility students are Mike Breitzke of Lomira, Grant Burbach of Oakfield, Eli Davidson of Baraboo, Luke Halbach of New Holstein, Payton Kollmann of Fond du Lac, Kobe Krebs of Berlin, Cole McKay of West Bend, Mauston Reilly of Berlin, and Ryan Sellnow of Watertown. To date, they have filled over 50 shoeboxes.

“Our students have received great support from the College and community,” Steve Logan, Moraine Park gas utility instructor, said. “A gentlemen they met at the store even donated $20 when he learned about the project and their efforts. Both this project and that kind gentleman have provided a great learning opportunity, which I believe will stay with these students long after they have moved on from Moraine Park.”    Donations that cannot go in a shoebox will be given to Community Care Inc. in Beaver Dam, a preschool and childcare facility for Dodge County families in crisis.

morainepark.edu