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.

I’ve been working in Culinary Arts at MPTC since 2014 as an Instructional Aide. In my position I order food and supplies for the students and the department, in general. From the very beginning I have been considering our ‘single use’ containers; so many were going out the door as we sold our Culinary Creations or when Community Classes took their food home!

I kept thinking:

• Are the containers safe to microwave? We know people are going home and reheating the food in that plastic container.
• Are the containers being disposed of properly?  We actually had complaints that our labeled containers were blowing around someone’s yard! 
• Are the containers reusable, compostable, recyclable?

Since 2006, MPTC has been composting food scraps; first in the MPTC Garden and currently, an area chicken farmer picks up the scraps to feed his brood.

In 2015 MPTC earned the designation (and distinction) of becoming the first Fair Trade Technical College in America thanks, in large part, to the work and determination of Anne Lemke, MPTC Experiential Learning Coordinator.

I was inspired to work toward a Diversity Certificate by Anne’s commitment and all of the Fair Trade Principles, in particular the 10^th Fair Trade Principle of Respecting the Environment, incorporating our disposable containers.

All of these thoughts churned in my brain so finally I made the move! I said to the instructors, “We’re going to make a change in our packaging.” I started ordering paper (recyclable and compostable) take-out containers instead of the plastic, hinged containers.  I ordered paper bags to carry items home versus the plastic “Thank You” bags that are not compostable. I verified that the plastic containers that we use are microwave oven safe.

Along the way I’ve realized a willingness by staff and the public to get on board with the changes. In addition, there’s been a cost savings to the department. We have seen a 15% drop in the money spent on these items. The money saved goes toward needed supplies for our students and instructors and all because of the Fair Trade Principle of Respecting the Environment!

This past March Anne attended a Fair Trade Conference in Chicago and shared her favorite quote from the Conference. It’s important to share and the quote imparts how I feel about the changes in the Culinary Department: “…at the heart of Fair Trade is the dignity of all people. How are we living our values? How are we showing up? …Be curious. Find out. Do something.”

I hope that we all consider, share, and show up when it comes to choices as they affect our environment. We don’t have to start a movement but we can all take and learn little bits of information to participate in respecting each other and our world.

Please take a look at the websites that provide area recycling programs and Fair Trade information.

World Fair Trade Organization
One Plastic Bag, Earth Day Facts
Fond du Lac Extension Area Recycling
Waste Management Recycling Services

Come to our displays at each campus cafeteria between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Beaver Dam – April 8, West Bend – April 15 and Fond du Lac – April 22nd – EARTH DAY! Be Inspired!

morainepark.edu

From March 1-3, Moraine Park Fair Trade College Experiential Learning Coordinator, Anne Lemke,  and Moraine Park Communications Manager, Judy Urben, together with Kathy Strong Langolf and Gil Castaneda from UW Fond du Lac Fair Trade University Team, and Julia Cartwright from Just Fare Market  and FDL Fair Trade Town had the privilege to attend the 2019 Fair Trade Campaigns National Conference in Chicago

The energy, the passion, the experiences, and learning together with over 450 students and staff from across the U.S. was truly inspiring!  We are so proud to be a Fair Trade College and part of the team leading these change agent efforts and helping improve lives!  Click here to see all the conference photos.

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

Moraine Park is a member of Wisconsin Campus Compact.  Nationwide, Campus Compact is a coalition of nearly 1,200 college and university presidents and chancellors from public, private, two-and four-year institutions – representing some 6 million students – who are committed to fulfilling the public purpose of higher education.  Campus Compact is a leader in building civic engagement into campus and academic life.

As part of our membership, we participate in the Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) encouraging all students and staff to register and vote and make sure to be engaged citizens.

Get to know the candidates by visiting www.wisconsinvote.org/candidates-and-races.

Join us on Friday, March 29, 2019 at 11:30 am in the Moraine Park Technical College cafeteria as we hear firsthand from several Fond du Lac Hmong community members as they talk about their service during the Vietnam War and, the struggles they face to be accepted as veterans, as well as the effects it has had on their families.

America hasn’t always been thankful for Hmong veterans who risked their lives in secrecy in Laos during the Vietnam War. These veterans, trained by the CIA, played a critical role during the Vietnam War, and Wisconsin is home to the third largest concentration of Hmong in the U.S. after California and Minnesota and almost 50,000 Hmong were living in Wisconsin during the 2010 Census.

March 29th is also significant because it is Vietnam Veterans Day. A national day of recognition when we honor the nine million American men and women who served on active duty from November 1st, 1955, to May 7th, 1975 during the Vietnam war and solemnly remember the more than 58,000 whose names are etched into the Vietnam Memorial’s polished black granite—constant reminders of the price of freedom.

For additional information contact Steve Pepper, Moraine Park Technical College’s Student Veteran Specialist at spepper1@morainepark.edu or 920-924-3489.

Thirteen students from the 2018/19 Jackson Regional Center Welding program, together with their instructor Steve Henderleiter, recently completed the fabrication of canoe/kayak/paddle board racks for the Washington County Parks Department. This service learning project took 52 hours total to complete 3 sets of racks soon to be installed at Glacier Hills, Ackerman’s Grove, and Leonard J. Yahr County Parks; ready for paddling fun this spring and summer!

Each rack will hold 6 canoes, kayaks or paddleboards. Eric Hyde, Washington County Parks Manager, said, “these racks turned out great! We are so excited! It was a perfect partnership with MPTC for students to have this learning experience and fabricate the racks for the parks. So many people are going to enjoy paddling this summer with the whole new rental program we are launching! We are giving each student and Steve a county park pass and T-shirt to say thank you! This plan worked out really well. We used a basic rack design from Minnesota and we also got a conservation/recreation grant from the DNR to help fund the project, along with a good deal from our West Bend Fleet Farm, McNeilus Steel and Acme Galvanizing.”

Anne Lemke, Experiential Learning Coordinator, was on hand to celebrate the students service achievement. Anne said, “wow what a great service learning project! Students reflected on the teamwork it took to build these racks. They told me it was almost like putting a puzzle together, starting with 21 foot pipes, studying a blueprint, then cutting, coping, drilling and welding. Quite a few nights they were here til almost midnight working on the racks after classes. This is a wonderful achievement they can all add to their resumes and showcase to their family and friends for years to come!”

Pictured above from left to right: Washington County Parks Manager Eric Hyde, Thomas Wiesen Jr of West Bend, Connor George of Fond du Lac, Kelly Becker of Slinger, Jerry Russell of Grafton, Cole Baumgartner of West Bend, Noah Doak of West Bend, Cole Schuette of Slinger, Thomas Strom of Kewaskum, Austin Scheid of West Bend, Matt Berlin of Mequon, MPTC Welding Instructor Steve Henderleiter.

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

Local elementary students will be given the opportunity to interact with professionals from a variety of careers during the Junior Achievement (JA) Jump into Your Future Day at their school. Business and community professionals will be invited to serve as guest presenters in the classrooms to discuss and demonstrate aspects of their careers and their journey towards that career.

Through the JA Jump into Your Future Day, Kelly Shafaie, associate dean of nursing at Moraine Park, had the opportunity to present on the nursing career to Jackson Elementary School K5 and 1st graders on March 8.

The presentations included:
 An explanation of the career path; personal stories of interest to elementary students.
 Hands on activities that reinforce information about the career path.
 Educational decisions; the joys and frustrations of the career field.
 A discussion of how to apply skills learned to the workplace.
 The relevance of their classroom learning to the world of work.

The JA Jump into Your Future event is intended to empower elementary students to make a connection between what they learn in school and how it can be applied in the real world – enhancing the relevance of their classroom learning and increasing their understanding of the value of staying in school and studying hard.

Moraine Park is proud to be a part of local initiatives such as the JA Jump into Your Future event.

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

Are you aware that over one-third of households in WI struggle to afford basic necessities?*

Moraine Park Technical College is excited to host national speakers, Terie Dreussi-Smith and Ruth Weirich, from aha! Process, Inc., to help bridge the gap and provide a better understanding of poverty in our communities and workplaces to assist with retention, productivity, and engagement in entry-level workers. This two-day summit will be held on March 12 and 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event will consist of a Bridges out of Poverty and Workplace Stability workshop to learn how to achieve workplace stability for entry-level employee retention and performance. These sessions will help us recognize the signs of poverty and the range of factors that create instability for our employees, and see how instability, employee performance, and profitability are related.

Employers have come to understand diversity in terms of age, race, and gender – now they need to understand it in terms of socioeconomic class. The income and resource gap is a growing divide in workplace culture, causing missed opportunities from miscommunications to separations, as well as lost productivity, promotion, and profit.
“Viewing a diverse workforce through the lens of economic class allows a company to create more stability for team members and for the business, which results in higher retention, higher productivity, more engagement, and increased profits.” – Ruth K. Weirich, Workplace Stability, p. 129

Did you also know that 27% of households in the MPTC district fall below the ALICE level? ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed; it’s a way for defining men and women who work hard, earn above the federal poverty level, but still not enough to afford a basic household budget.*

With that being said, are you aware of the hidden rules, culture, and range of factors that contribute to the instabilities in poverty? Workplace instability issues have an impact on employee retention and performance across all industries. We are hoping these sessions will raise awareness and give you the tools to provide open lines of communication with your employees, ultimately creating higher employee retention.

Bridges out of Poverty will use the lens of economic class to provide concrete tools and strategies for a community to alleviate poverty.  The Bridges out of Poverty and Workplace Stability sessions will provide tools and strategies for you to:

• Recognize the signs of poverty
• Understand the culture of poverty
• Recognize the range of factors that create instability for employees
• See how instability, employee performance and profitability are related

Event details:
March 12 & 13, 2019
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts
Fond du Lac, WI

For more information or to register for this event, visit http://bit.ly/bridgesmptc . 

*www.unitedforalice.org/wisconsin

The weather outside may be frightful, but we know that summer will come- eventually!

Be sure to mark you calendars for Tech Knowledge College (TKC) 2019!
August 6th – August 8th, 2019
9:00 am- 2:45 pm
Fond du Lac Campus

This fun summer camp allows for students entering sixth through eighth grades to explore different career options through hand-on activities.

View the 2019 TKC Brochure here!

*Busing will be available from the West Bend and Beaver Dam Moraine Park Campuses.

Registration begins May 1st. Stay tuned for more information.

morainepark.edu/tech-knowledge-college.