Moraine Park Technical College staff gathered on June 15 in small socially distant groups to assemble commencement boxes for the College’s 2020 graduates.
Earlier this year, Moraine Park announced the cancellation of their annual commencement ceremony and detailed the celebration from a distance, which included keepsake packages.
The packages include a cap and tassel, a commemorative commencement program, a diploma holder, Moraine Park memorabilia, and the opportunity to participate in MPTC’s virtual celebration.
Students can expect to receive their diplomas in the mail later this summer after all grades have been submitted, and the Registrar’s Office has done final degree audits/checks.
Moraine Park will be hosting College & Coffee, a virtual information session for individuals interested in continuing their education.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about programs, admissions, student life, financial aid, student resources, transfer information and more. This is your opportunity to explore what MPTC offers, and by doing so, a FREE application will be offered.
Thursday, June 18th – Noon
Wednesday, July 8th – 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, July 28th – 5:00 p.m.
*This event will take place online- a Zoom link will be emailed after registration is completed.
What happens when you are required to do 40 hours of service learning to complete your practicum course and your college and community are locked down for Covid? You get creative! That is just what MPTC Medical Office student Emma Zimmerman did this spring. Emma looked on the MPTC online volunteer system to see what safe volunteer from home opportunities there might be. She found creating cards for seniors at the Cedar Community and Gardens of Hartford through the Washington County Volunteers posting and got started on her project!
Emma reflected, “MPTC has offered me the ability to give back to the community for the experiences I have gained through going to college. However, due to COVID-19, my community service is different from what others have experienced face to face. Nonetheless, it has enhanced both my career and the care I have for the communities I’m around.”
“For my service learning, I wrote cards for the Cedar Community in West Bend and became a part of the Pen Pal program for The Gardens of Hartford. Each card had a unique quote and message from me personally. I also included adorable stickers and drawings. Because of this, I believe I provided a therapeutic effect on the community. Due to COVID-19, many seniors are separated from their family and friends. Their loneliness can negatively effect their health and can cause a pessimistic view on their life and the current situation.”
By writing inspirational messages to the seniors of the Cedar Community and The Gardens of Hartford, I was able to provide much needed happiness for those in need. While I might not have cured their loneliness, I hopefully gave someone a smile or reminded them that they are not alone. My community service may not have been the most exciting. However, I believe I provided an important service by interacting with people who may have needed it the most. I believe it strengthened my communication abilities and allowed me to impact the community in a way I was unable to before.”
Emma is planning to complete her practicum this spring and graduate to go out to work in her community as a Medical Office Specialist. She has also earned the Bronze Student Community Impact Award for serving 25-49 hours. Way to go Emma!
From left to right, Liz Morrell and MPTC Marketing students Will, Jessica, Lindsay, Austin, Taylor, Jeff and Meghan – “Badger Marketing and Design” team
On March 9, 2020, students in Sarah Ninmer’s Marketing and Social Media Management class presented their marketing and design plan for the ARC Fond du Lac to Executive Director Liz Morrell. Students worked on the plan throughout the spring semester as a service learning project, designing social media for facebook, instagram, and hulu. Students also created ideas for you tube, print ads and radio ads. Students explained the goals of the new plan for increasing donors, growing community involvement, recruiting volunteers, and promoting employment opportunities.
All marketing content was designed to encourage engagement and appeal to a broad audience. Liz told the students, “thank you so much for all this great work! I love your ideas and can’t wait to implement them. You are making my head spin with so much creativity!”
On March 3, 2020, instructors and students from the MPTC Criminal Justice Program, hosted teens in grades 5-12 and staff from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fond du Lac and Tri-County Area 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. This is a great community partnership opportunity for Moraine Park students to showcase their careers and make a true community impact and for area teens to get excited about career choices!
Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club Teen Services Director Dillon Wiese said, “We are so excited for these Dream Big opportunities! At Boys and Girls Clubs we work hard to prepare teens with life skills to get ready for the world of work. At Dream Big Criminal Justice our students experienced finger printing, hand cuffing, jail cell searches, and what professional skills it takes to work in a criminal justice career. Our partnership with MPTC is a great way for teens to explore their interests, learn about careers, get ready for college and know they really can achieve their dreams! Thank you MPTC!”
Cortland Henning of Fond du Lac has been selected to be a part of the 2020-21 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows cohort.
Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has announced the 262 students from across the U.S. who will make up this year’s cohort. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional, and civic growth for students who have demonstrated a capacity for leadership and an investment in solving public problems. The fellowship provides a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, access to exclusive scholarships, and post-graduate opportunities.
Henning, a first-year generation college student, took advantage of Moraine Park’s Promise program to achieve his career goals. He graduated from Fond du Lac High School in spring, 2019 and enrolled in the College’s culinary program this past fall.
“I always wanted to go to college but never knew if it was a possibility for me,” Cortland said. “My family isn’t able to help contribute to my tuition, and I knew that my part-time job wasn’t enough to live on and pay for school.”
Henning is also actively involved at the College. He is an active part of the Student Senate, where he serves as the community manager, and he volunteers at many of the student life events. Also, as part of the Promise program, Cortland is required to volunteer in the community for a minimum of eight hours. To date, he has volunteered over 80 hours of his time at the Fond du Lac High School, where he helps coach the color guard team. Cortland has won a Bronze and Silver Student Community Impact Award for the 2019-20 academic year!
Moraine Park President Bonnie Baerwald said, ” From the first time we met, it was clear to me that Cortland is a goal-driven, passionate, and engaged young man. He is ambitious and an outstanding ambassador for MPTC and higher education. Cortland is always willing to lend a hand no matter the task or the commitment. He has excellent time management skills which allows him to balance work and school while maintaining high academic honors. With over 80 hours of community service already accrued this school year, Cortland is the model of citizenship that the rest of us hope to emulate in our own lives. I am proud to be his mentor and look forward to the community and college impact he will demonstrate during his academic journey.”
In total, there were 12 students selected from Wisconsin to participate in the 2020-21 Newman Civic Fellows cohort, and Henning represents one of four technical college students in the group.
“I truly believe education inspires us to be better, and it increases overall societal values,” he said. “Moraine Park has opened so many doors for me, and I look forward to continuing to grow with this new opportunity.”
Moraine Park Technical College has made the difficult decision to cancel Tech Knowledge College (TKC) 2020, originally scheduled for August 4-6. The COVID-19 situation is still very fluid, and the safety and well being of our entire communities are our top priority throughout this difficult and rapidly changing times.
We appreciate the continued community support around this great summer camp opportunity, and stay tuned for information on TKC 2021.
Sign up for the our newsletter at morainepark.edu/tkc to receive information on TKC 2021 as it develops.
As a result of the still-evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Moraine Park Technical College has decided to cancel its 2020 commencement ceremony.
In early April, following the initial Safer at Home order, the College announced an alternative date for this year’s ceremony with a disclaimer that if social distancing requirements were still in effect, the event would be canceled. Today, the COVID-19 situation remains very fluid, with many unknowns around the reopening of the state, and with the announcement of Gov. Tony Evers extension of the Safer at Home order and his Badger Bounce Back requirements for reopening the state, the College will be unable to hold a large celebration on June 27.
“Moraine Park had the highest hopes to hold a ceremony this year,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “However, the safety of our students, employees, and communities is of the utmost importance to us. With so many unknowns and safety at the forefront, this is just the right thing to do.”
Baerwald shared a personal announcement with graduates on Wednesday morning that acknowledged their accomplishments, congratulated them on their graduation and detailed how the College plans to help them celebrate from a distance.
“It is no secret that this historic time has resulted in the loss of many things for many people, but our student’s newly gained college degree is not one of those things,” Baerwald said. “They have worked countless hours and devoted years of their lives to better themselves, and we will still celebrate them.”
Additionally, Baerwald extended a personal invitation to the graduates to participate in next year’s ceremony, scheduled for May 2021.
For Moraine Park’s COVID-19 updates, visit morainepark.edu/coronavirus.
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