Moraine Park Technical College is committed to community engagement and student success.  The College supports these commitments through the opportunity for students to participate in student community impact and apply their classroom knowledge to an applicable, real world environment. 

MPTC encourages students to participate in our community impact awards program where students can track their service learning or volunteer hours, submit their reflections, and earn a Bronze Award for 25 hours, Silver Award for 50 hours, Gold Award for 100 hours, or Presidents Award for 200 hours!

In the 2020 spring semester, 24 students earned awards and logged over 1,000 hours of service!

Congratulations to our Spring, 2020 award winners!

Bronze Award Winners

Completing 25-49 hours of service learning or volunteering.

• Ashley Ade, Medical Assistant
• Breanna Alioto, Medical Assistant
• Erica Boehnlein, Medical Assistant
• Alexis Darkow, Medical Assistant
• Kendra DeJager, Medical Assistant
• Molly Donais, Medical Assistant
• Taylor Erlauer, Medical Assistant
• Kayleigh Gorman, Medical Assistant
• Cortland Henning, Culinary Arts*
• Ashlee Keller, Medical Assistant
• Cheyenne Kohrt, Medical Assistant
• Cathryn Kuslits, Medical Assistant*
• Abby Muenchow, Medical Assistant
• Megan Neu, Medical Assistant
• Nora Nuhiji, Medical Assistant
• Caitlin Pieper, Medical Assistant
• Gina Roll, Medical Assistant
• Samantha Schubring, Medical Assistant    
• Jordan Sterns, Medical Assistant
• Bethany Thome, Graphics*
• Meghan Thompson, Medical Assistant
• Emma Zimmerman, Medical Office 

Silver Award Winners

Completing 50-99 hours of service learning or volunteering.

• Meghan Griswold, Marketing & Social Media*
• Cortland Henning, Culinary Arts*
• Ashlee Keller, Medical Assistant
• Jordan Sterns, Medical Assistant

Gold Award Winner

Completing 100-199 hours of service learning or volunteering.

• Cortland Henning, Culinary Arts*

President’s Award Winner

Completing 200+ hours of service learning or volunteering.

• Brett Hebert, Criminal Justice*

*Promise Scholar students

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!

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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!”

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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!”

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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.”

For more information on the Newman Civic Fellowship, visit compact.org/newman-civic-fellowship.

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

Moraine Park Cultural Connections is an exciting, fun way to build real world career and life skills, gain self-confidence, and expand your awareness of diversity, global perspective and social responsibility.

Do you need 3 credits of social science to complete your degree requirements?  If so, your cultural connections experience may be financial aid eligible!  Each experience is linked to the MPTC online course Intro to Diversity. Check with your academic advisor today!

View our upcoming Cultural Connections opportunities! All opportunities are linked to academic course credit, financial aid-eligible and intended to give each student participant a meaningful experience outside the classroom, as well as the chance to have an impact on our local, domestic and global community.

Stop in at one of our upcoming information sessions! Each session is on all 3 campuses.

February 25

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. in A203, K204 and L151

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. in A203, K201 and N116

5:30 – 6:30 p.m. in E141, K209 and L151

February 26

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. in E141, K313 and L151

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. in E141, K313 and L151

5:30 – 6:30 p.m. in A203, K204 and N116

For more information, contact Anne Lemke, Student Community Impact Coordinator, alemke2@morainepark.edu or 920-924-3329

Learn more about cultural connections travel on the Study Abroad Association’s website.

Top: SVA President Brad Resler

Right: American Legion Post 36 Member

Members of the Student Veterans of America (SVA) Club teamed up with the West Bend area Sons of Veterans Club and completed a lighting upgrade project for the West Bend American Legion Post 36.

The American Legion Post 36 was in need of upgrading their lighting to save hundreds of dollars in energy each year. At the same time, the SVA Club was searching for ways to help community veterans. That’s when SVA President Brad Resler reached out to an American Legion member and the two clubs teamed up. The upgrade included replacing 75 old, energy consuming florescent fixtures with new, energy efficient LED fixtures.

The project was expected to take about 2 full days to complete. However, with the teamwork of both the SVA and Sons of Veterans, the entire project was completed in one 9-hour day. It was amazing teamwork to benefit a very deserving group of veterans.

The Student Veterans of America Club is open to veterans, and those currently serving, as well as students, faculty, staff, family members and supporters of individuals who have served or currently serving.

SVA members also shown below are: Vice President Jeff Shurpit, Secretary Alex Arendt, Tommy Lee, Joel Schoeneck, Collin Shurpit and Matt Tillman.

Moraine Park Technical College is committed to community engagement and student success.  The College supports these commitments through the opportunity for students to participate in student community impact and apply their classroom knowledge to an applicable, real world environment. 

In 2018, MPTC started a community impact awards program where students can track their service hours, submit their reflections, and earn a Bronze Award for 25 hours, Silver Award for 50 hours, Gold Award for 100 hours, or Presidents Award for 200 hours of service learning or volunteering.

As of January, 2020, we have our very first President’s Award Winner – Renee Vnuk-Uhrman! Renee earned the President’s Award with over 220 volunteer hours to date!

Renee is a second year medical laboratory technician student, who took advantage of dual credit opportunities in high school and became a certified phlebotomist after graduating. She is also part of the College’s Promise Scholars program, our current MPTC Newman Civic Fellow, the Secretary for the MLT Student Club, and volunteers at her local community hospital as well as Campbellsport High School as a bowling and band coach; all while maintaining high academics.

“We are so proud of Renee,” Moraine Park President Bonnie Baerwald said. “She is a great role model and student leader, with such a strong dedication to her family, school, and community, and a true desire to make an impact. It was extra fun to present her with our first President’s Student Community Impact Award, which includes lunch with the President! We are all excited to see what comes next for Renee!”

Amy Harmsen’s Fall, 2019 Business Practicum students made a generous impact on their local and global communities, while learning all the ins and outs of creating and managing a small business! 10 students in Amy’s fall class partnered with our local Just Fare Market and created their own Fair Trade Pop Up Shop with beautiful Mayan Hands friendship bracelets, mini chocolates from Equal Exchange, and hot cocoa and milk chocolate bars from Divine Chocolate.

Students sold Fair Trade products throughout the semester and were very proud to use their profits to give donations of $179.07 each to the FDL County Sheriff’s Shop with a Cop program and the FDL Humane Society. Sales of the Fair Trade products also benefited farmers and artisans in Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Ghana! 3 students, Heather Fousek, Taran Smith and Valerie Stafford, also earned full scholarships to attend the National Fair Trade Colleges Conference in Pasadena, CA in March. Congratulations!

Moraine Park Technical College was named the first Fair Trade technical college in the U.S in May 2015! Fair trade supports farmers and artisans in developing countries. These producers lack economic opportunity and often face steep hurdles in finding markets and customers for their goods. Fair Trade is about making a tremendous impact on artisan and farmer communities while offering great products to the public all around the world.