Moraine Park has named James Flood as the College’s 2022 Distinguished Alumnus.

Flood grew up on a farm in the countryside of Eden and graduated from Campbellsport High School in 1969. He went on to pursue a marketing degree at the College, then known as Moraine Park Technical Institute, and graduated with his associate degree in 1972. 

“My time at Moraine Park gave me my education, but it also provided me with contacts and a network that opened up doors I would never have dreamed of,” Flood said. 

Flood has spent almost 50 years living, working and serving in the Fond du Lac area. 

After earning his associate degree, he began selling cars at Holiday Olds in Fond du Lac. In 1979, he was able to buy into the business with two partners and became Vice President of Holiday GM until 2002, when he sold his shares to his business partner, Mike Shannon. Soon after, he bought shares of Holiday Dodge, became President, and expanded the business by adding Chrysler and Jeep franchises. 

Flood retired in 2015 but has remained active in serving his community. He served on the Moraine Park Technical College Foundation Board for 10 years in various positions, spending his final two years as board president. Most notably, he served on the Moraine Park Promise program campaign cabinet that raised $1.2 million for student scholarships. 

Outside of the College, Flood has served multiple positions on the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Board, including the president. Flood is currently a member of the North Fond du Lac Optimist Club, the Wisconsin Auto and Truck Dealers Association Board, and is a long-standing leader at his church. 

“My advice to current students who are entering the workforce is to find a career you enjoy,” he said. “And when you do, find the courage and the ambition to take on opportunities that will grow and advance your career.” 

Flood’s drive, dedication, and contributions made him an obvious choice for Moraine Park’s 2022 Distinguished Alumnus. He will accept his award at the May 13 student awards banquet. 

For more information on Moraine Park’s Alumni Association, visit morainepark.edu/alumni. 

Moraine Park’s student-run restaurant, Park Terrace, unveiled updates to the restaurant including a new sign crafted by the Welding Club.

Park Terrace is a student learning lab for the Culinary Arts program. The students take turns overseeing and running various aspects of the restaurant to get a complete on-the-job culinary experience.

The update included new furniture, place settings, art, and more.

The new Park Terrace sign, hung right inside the restaurant’s entrance, was made by students in the Welding Club. The students worked on the sign for about a month, going through four versions using different metals before creating the final product.

To thank the Welding Club for their work on the sign, Culinary Instructor, James Simmers, and his students cooked and served them a private steak lunch in the restaurant.

On April 21, 2022, MPTC West Bend Electricity Instructor Gus Boyle-Gustavus and her students hosted Washington County Boys and Girls Club scholars in grades 5-11 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. Each semester, Moraine Park students showcase their program and make a true community impact for area teens to get excited about career choices!

West Bend Boys and Girls Club Teen Program Director Ashlyn Poling said, “Our teen members loved partnering up with the Electricity students from Moraine Park Technical College. We are always looking for opportunities to inspire our youth and encourage learning new skills, and this Electricity Event allowed us to do just that! Thank you MPTC!” Ashlyn herself got to wire up a circuit to turn on a lightbulb and had great fun! Electricity Instructor Gus said, “What an awesome event! Our Electricity students each partnered up with a BGC scholar and had a blast! I was so impressed with each of our students’ teaching, mentoring and patience skills to do this 2-hour activity with teens. I surprised them today with this event and they all came through!”

For more info on Electricity at MPTC.

Need a little break from all that studying? Have you heard that stressed is really desserts spelled backwards? Your MPTC Campus Library is the place to get a little relief during this crazy finals time end of the semester! Stop in during regular library hours from May 2 – 20 for a tasty bite of Fair Trade chocolate and grab an Alta Gracia Fair Trade MPTC t-shirt (while supplies last). Our libraries will also have extra resources available for study skills and stress management.

Did you know Moraine Park is a Fair Trade College? Actually we are the very first Fair Trade technical college in the U.S. Way to go MPTC! We are now celebrating 7 years as a Fair Trade College! World Fair Trade Day is May 14. Let’s all celebrate and choose FAIR! You can find Fair Trade coffee and Honest Tea at MPTC cafeterias.

Fair trade supports farmers and artisans in developing countries who are socially and economically marginalized. Fair Trade is about making a tremendous impact on artisan and farmer communities while offering great products to the public all around the world. Fair Trade certification promises quality products, fair pay for producers, environmentally sustainable practices, safe and empowering working conditions, no child labor, no human trafficking and more.

Check out Moraine Park Technical College’s Virtual Assistant program. This is a one-year technical diploma program. The program is online and allows you to complete coursework at your convenience and in the comfort of your own home.

Learn skills in …

• Customer service
• Accounting
• Business communication
• Meeting and event planning
• And more!

Read what graduates have to say …

“This program gave me an overview of the business administration field. I was able to learn about Project Management, Business Media Management, Principles of Accounting, Data Management, and much more. The different skills I learned from the classes are helping me receive interviews at reputable companies.

“I learned what the differences were between being your own boss or working for a company. If you work for yourself, you can have a lot of flexibility with hours and what kind of work you do, but when it comes to tax time, you will need to treat that a bit differently because you will be your own boss. Also, how ethics relates to being your own boss, you have to prove that you are responsible and professional because you may end up working for someone who is going to give you very personal and financial information.”

 “I had several business-related classes that helped me learn many office related tasks as a Virtual Assistant. The document formatting classes helped prepare me to write grammatically correct documents. It is an important skill to have because proofreading reports is a daily task for this type of career. The class Customer Service Essentials has taught me the basics of building and maintaining customer relationships through different scenarios.”

Read more here!

This program is a pathway to the two-year associate degree, Administrative Coordinator program. That means when you complete the Virtual Assistant program you will already have earned 33 credits (the first year) of the the Administrative Coordinator program.

Don’t delay … APPLY TODAY!

Earlier this month, ten Moraine Park students competed in the State SkillsUSA competition. The team swept the podium in the Industrial Wiring competition and placed second in the Electrical Construction Wiring competition.

The Moraine Park students who placed at the competition included Ian Papke, Jakob Jaeger, Bo Jacob, and Zachary Moede. See their placements below.

“The students are chosen to participate in the state competition based on classroom participation, work ethic, attention to detail, and overall consistently performing at an outstanding level,” Moraine Park Electricity Instructor, Mark Wamsley.

Moraine Park student, Ian Papke, placed first in the Industrial Motor Controls competition, securing him a spot at the SkillsUSA National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia this summer.

Electrical Construction Wiring Competition

2nd – Zachary Moede

Industrial Motor Controls Competition

1st – Ian Papke

2nd – Jakob Jaeger

3rd – Bo Jacob

Dear Moraine Park Graduate Candidates,

Your momentous day is fast approaching. Make sure you’re ready for our in-person commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m.  
Things To Do Now:

• If you haven’t already- order your regalia (cap and gown) at https://morainepark.shopoakhalli.com/ by April 30. No late orders will be accepted.
• As a reminder, we have new regalia colors; our cap and gowns are now black.
• Honors cords will be distributed at commencement to students who qualify for the distinction. 
• Invite your family and friends.
• There are no COVID-19 capacity restrictions!
• The event will still be live-streamed at morainepark.edu/commencement.

On Commencement Day:

• Report to the Fond du Lac High School by 9 a.m on May 21.
• Don’t forget your cap and gown!
• Make arrangements for your personal belongings. We will not have access to the staging rooms after the ceremony.
• Share your day on social by using #HomeGrownGrad.

More details can be found online at myMPTC Student.
For questions regarding the 2022 commencement ceremony, contact the Planning Team at mptcgraduation@morainepark.edu. 
We look forward to celebrating together soon.  

Moraine Park Technical College has selected Wesley Kane, of Fond du Lac, as their 2022-23 District Student Ambassador. 

Kane transferred to Moraine Park from the University of Wisconsin System after realizing he desired a more hands-on learning experience. He started Moraine Park’s Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC) program this year and will graduate in 2023. 

“My goal after I graduate is to work for a company that cares about me as a person,” Kane said. “The thing with learning a trade is once you gain the skill, you can do side work. So, I hope to work full-time during the week, do my own work on the side, and eventually open my own business.” 

Kane is active on the West Bend Campus where he is Vice President of Student Senate, a member of District Student Government, and a member of Veterans Club. 

Outside of Moraine Park, he is passionate about giving back to his community. Kane was part of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fond du Lac County for three years. He joined the Marine Corps Reserves where he helped with military funerals, color guard, events and other community service efforts. 

“I’ve been way more involved here than I would have if I stayed at a bigger university,” he said. “The instructors here are super outgoing and are always reaching out. It feels very student-centric, and the size of the school allows for more face-to-face time and mentoring.” 

To be eligible for the District Student Ambassador distinction, students must be nominated by a faculty or staff member at the College, and then give a presentation to a selection committee. In total, there were three students in the final consideration for this role. 

As the selected 2022-23 District Student Ambassador, Kane will actively serve as a member at the College, 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. 

“Being chosen as Moraine Park’s District Student Ambassador is a great responsibility, and the chance to be a role model is really cool,” Kane said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to network on behalf of Moraine Park and make connections with people and students from other areas.” 

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

Grant Maniér, an artist enrolled in Moraine Park’s Graphic Communications program, is doing a special appearance at Gallery Frame Shop in Fond du Lac, where his art is being displayed this month.

Maniér is originally from Houston, Texas, and moved to Fond du Lac in 2021 after accepting a job at the Treffert Center. He is an artist specializing in the creation of eco-art impressionism.

“An eco-artist is not a normal artist,” Maniér said. “Being an eco-artist is taking recycled materials like paper from magazines, discarded puzzles, old calendars and wallpaper, and turning them into something beautiful. If it is recyclable, I can create eco-art out of it.”

Maniér’s art is being displayed at the Gallery Frame Shop (94 S. Main St., Fond du Lac, WI) for the whole month of April. He will be making a special appearance on April 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

To learn more about Grant Maniér and his art, check out his feature in our Spring 2022 Next Magazine.