Last week, six inmates from John C. Burke Correctional Center (JBCC) earned welding certificates from Moraine Park Technical College. They were celebrated in a completion ceremony on Thursday at Moraine Park’s Beaver Dam campus.
The six individuals completed Moraine Park’s 12-credit welding certificate program over a span of 12 weeks. They are now eligible for work release from JBCC and can begin working in the community immediately.
JoAnn Hall, Moraine Park’s dean of economic and workforce development, welcomed the graduates and families in attendance. Paul Jensen, a Moraine Park Economic Workforce Development welding instructor, handed out the certificates with Kevin Carr, Wisconsin Department of Corrections Secretary, and James Barrett, Moraine Park’s vice president of student services.
Moraine Park has partnered with the Department of Corrections for almost 50 years.
Moraine Park Cosmetology students hosted their Express Yourself Fashion Show to showcase their final projects. Each student styled a model from head to toe including hair, makeup, and an outfit inspired by a theme of their choosing.
“We started discussing the theme of the fashion show last term in March,” Moraine Park Cosmetology Instructor, Eileen Bouchard, said. “With 15 different personalities, it is not always easy coming to an agreement. They all had different ideas about what they wanted to do. So, after some collaboration, this group picked the theme Express Yourself. This way they could all just express themselves however they wanted, instead of choosing one single category.”
The themes chosen ranged from time periods and events, to mythological creatures and abstract concepts, allowing each student to fully express themselves in their final projects.
“I was inspired by the gender-atypical themes we’ve been seeing in fashion and on celebrities, as well as a lot of the androgynous styles of the 80s,” Moraine Park Cosmetology student, Eva Knappenberger, said. “So, I wanted to play with a lot of the different textures, patterns, colors, and styles that are typically associated with traditional gender norms to create a runway-worthy look that is fun, bold, and a blend of masculinity and femininity.”
Congrats to all of Moraine Park’s Cosmetology students on stunning fashion show!
Moth Eck – Renaissance Elf
Emmy Gall – 80’s Denim
Danielle Hackbart – Grandma on her wedding day, 1960s
Cora Huizenga – Purple Garden Fairy
Eva Knappenberger – Runway Rockstars
Alissa Kruger
Kylie Kultgen – Back to the Future
Emily Ludwigson – Summer Vibes
Kaitlynn Miller – Country Girl
Tabitha O’Toole – Gold and Glitter
Mary Pirc – Greek Goddess Aphrodite
Abigail Prim – Red Carpet
Lina Rincon – 2000s
Brittany Wenzlaff – Brittany Spears, Hit me Baby One More Time
At the July 11 board meeting, the Moraine Park Technical College District Board welcomed three new members: Kathleen Treichel of Fond du Lac, Diane Guerrero of Beaver Dam, and Sara Hintz of Beaver Dam.
Treichel will serve as an employee member representative, filling an interim vacancy, with a term expiring June 2024. She currently works as an RN Clinical Educator for SSM Health in Fond du Lac.
Guerrero will serve as an additional member representative, filling an interim vacancy, with a term expiring in June 2023. She works as a Warehouse Lead for Kreilkamp Trucking in Horicon.
Hintz will serve as an employee member representative with a term expiring in June 2025. She works as a Claims Manager for West Bend Mutual Insurance.
Sworn in alongside the new board members were two others: Tom Hopp of West Bend and Vernon Jung, Jr. of Kewaskum. Hopp has been on the board since July 2019 and will retain his spot as an employer member. Jung has been on the board since July 1995 and will retain his spot as an additional member. Both of their terms will end in 2025.
The 2022-23 District Board member officers were also nominated during the meeting. The following board members will serve as officers: Tom Hopp, chairperson; Bur Zeratsky, vice-chairperson; Rob Johnson, treasurer; Mike Schwab, secretary.
In 1975, Peggy Vogds and her classmates gathered for a photo on Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus. Almost 50 years later, she recognized herself in the photo displayed in the same hallway it was taken–a piece of her history frozen in time.
“When they put the historical timeline up last fall, I knew I recognized that picture,” Vogds said. “I was barely in it because of where the photo was cut off on the timeline and how I am positioned, but I knew those were my shoes, and I recognized the people around me. It was a real blast from the past.”
Vogds graduated from Moraine Park’s Fashion Merchandising program in 1977. She’s lived in Fond du Lac almost all her life, and she worked for the Fond du Lac School District for over 30 years before retiring in 2020.
“I used my degree for a little while working at a retail store, but then eventually went on to do other things,” Vogds said. “It was the social part of being here that made it so fun. I met friends that I have still, and it was just a great place to come. I always felt at ease on campus, and I know that I could achieve what I wanted to with the support I had.”
Vogds participates in Moraine Park’s Wolfpack Walker’s program, which allows the public to walk in and around Moraine Park’s campuses.
“When I walk the halls now, obviously a lot has changed and the building has grown, but it still brings back great memories from when I was here as a student,” Vogds said.
Yadira and Guadalupe Ortiz, of Horicon, grew up understanding the importance of family. In 2000, their mother immigrated from Mexico to the United States while pregnant to create a better life for herself and her children.
The sisters are two years apart and the first in their family to be born in the United States. With unwavering support from their mom, Yadira and Guadalupe promised each other they would do everything they could to create better, brighter futures for themselves.
“We are able to decide what we do in our lives because of our mom and the sacrifices she made for us,” Guadalupe said. “She changed her life coming to the United States, and we want to work as hard as we can to provide a better life for ourselves and for her.”
Yadira, 20, is a second-year student in Moraine Park’s Nursing program, and Guadalupe, 18, started her first semester of the Substance Abuse Disorder Counseling program this spring.
The sisters grew up sharing a very close bond and have supported each other through hard times and major accomplishments. When it was time for Yadira to begin thinking about college, an interest in nursing brought her to Moraine Park.
“When I was younger, I had high cholesterol, so I was in and out of hospitals and doctors’ offices,” Yadira said. “That was my first exposure to the healthcare industry, and it always stuck with me. I wanted to help people, and I knew I wanted to stay close to home, so Moraine Park was the obvious choice for me.”
Yadira works at Marquardt Home Health as a CNA and plans to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) after graduation and work in women’s health. She is also a part of Moraine Park’s Promise program, an opportunity for debt-free tuition. As part of the program requirements, Yadira volunteers with her sister at various places and events in her community including, the Fond du Lac Taste of Mexico Festival, Humane Society and MPTC events.
“The volunteer hours have really helped with my shyness, and I feel more like myself than I ever have before,” Yadira said. “The Promise program has not only helped me afford tuition, but it has also given me amazing mentors who helped guide me as a first-generation college student.”
When it came time for Guadalupe to decide what she wanted to do after high school, it was not as easy. She considered going into counseling because she wanted to enter a career where she could help people, and her friends always said she gave the best advice.
“I got discouraged because I started having mental health problems of my own,” Guadalupe said. “I thought since I could not handle my own issues, I would not be able to help anyone else.”
After learning about Moraine Park’s Substance Abuse Disorder Counseling program and talking with supportive friends and family, she felt confident that it was the right path for her. “Being a first-generation college student would not have been so easy if it were not for my sister,” Guadalupe said. “She had it way harder than me because she had to navigate through everything first, like financial aid, applications and more. When it came time for me to start my college career, my sister helped me through every step of the way, and I am very grateful for her.”
Donald Shono, of Rubicon, found Moraine Park after serving in the United States Air Force Security Forces for six years. In 2011, he decided to end his active-duty service after experiencing a decline in his mental health.
Shono served in the 2nd Air Force Security Forces Squadron and had one deployment to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served his last year with the Barksdale Air Force Base Honor Guard.
“The Security Forces Squadron was not my first choice, but it gave me the opportunity to join within a month of enlisting, and I didn’t want to wait,” Shono said. “I had an interest in law enforcement at the time, so it was not a difficult choice.”
Security Forces is an Air Force Special Forces unit that provides base security, law enforcement and an infantry force; the Base Honor Guard conducts ceremonial events such as local veteran funeral services and base award ceremonies.
“I joined the service because I felt I needed to do something more with my life that was bigger than myself and something I felt truly mattered, but eventually, my mental health needed to become a priority,” he said.
When he returned home, Shono began researching ways to heal his mind and body. In 2013, he started working as a massage therapist at a spa in Slinger, WI. He worked there for three years before moving to Spotsylvania, VA, where he continued his career for five years.
During the pandemic, Shono moved home to be closer to family. Since he was already working in a health and wellness career, he decided to use his time at home to further his education.
Shono enrolled in Moraine Park’s Health and Wellness program and attended his first semester classes on the West Bend Campus in fall 2021.
“I chose Moraine Park because it was one of the only schools that offered the path to health and wellness I was looking for,” Shono said. “I am really happy with my experience so far and cannot wait to see what the future has in store.”
After receiving his associate degree, he plans to become certified as a health coach and personal trainer to expand his career opportunities.
My time in the military was really stressful and took a big toll on me mentally,” Shono said “I am pursuing health and wellness because I want to heal myself and help others do the same.”
Shono is involved in the West Bend Health and Wellness Club. Outside of school, he enjoys staying active, hiking and spending time with his family.
“Looking back on my time in the service–it is not all good memories,” Shono said. “I am really grateful to Moraine Park for opening me up to a new way of thinking and caring for myself.”
Grant Maniér is many things: a talented artist, passionate advocate, creative illustrator, poised public speaker, dedicated student and great friend.
He also lives with autism.
“I have autism, but I do not let it define me,” Maniér said. “I define my autism through my talents and my skills.”
Maniér is 26 and a first-year student in Moraine Park’s Graphic Communications program.
In 2021, he moved to Fond du Lac from Houston, TX, after accepting a job at the Treffert Center as a behavioral treatment technician and enrolling at Moraine Park. He and his mom, Julie Coy, were eager to take on this new adventure.
“Through Covid, the art world was shut down,” Maniér said. “I used to travel the country raising awareness, acceptance and promoting inclusion for people with disabilities. I would meet hundreds of people at events and take pictures with my art. After that stopped, we got an exciting opportunity to move, and we took it.”
Unlike traditional artists, Maniér constructs ecological, environmentally friendly art as an ‘eco-artist’.
“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.”
Eco-friendly projects can also be made using materials such as old metal or scrap wood. Maniér gets his materials through direct donations, at thrift stores, and garage sales. Some of his pieces include an owl made from old movie posters, a dragon made with contact lens cases, dolphins made from applesauce lids and a giraffe made with jigsaw pieces named Jigsaw Grant.
Jigsaw Grant started out as one of Maniér’s many animal projects, but for this piece he decided to do something different. Instead of regular giraffe spots, he made the spots look like jigsaw pieces. His mom loved it so much that she coined it, Jigsaw Grant, after her son.
When people asked about Jigsaw Grant and Maniér’s other art pieces, Coy made-up stories about who the characters were and where they came from. Eventually, she started writing them down, and that is how Grant the Jigsaw Giraffe children’s book series was born.
There are five books in the collection, with more coming soon. Some of the topics include dyslexia, the autism spectrum, childhood cancer and the pandemic.
“I have come to know a lot of people and make many friends who have different challenges or disabilities,” Maniér said. “We figured if we talked about them in a children’s book format, we could help teach people from an early age about disabilities and how they can support people with differences.”
When it comes to sharing the work of writing and illustrating the books, Maniér describes it as an 80-20 percent split. His mom is the author, and he is the illustrator, but they both have their own opinions and give each other feedback as they create.
Maniér and Coy hope to publish more books and eventually bring their characters to life through animation.
When asked about his mantra, “’Autism does not define me, I define autism,’” Maniér said, “It’s basically asking the question: how do I live with it? It is something I cannot change. It is like having black hair. I don’t know what it is like to not have black hair, so I maintain it and keep it healthy, which is a lot like how I view my autism.”
The Moraine Park Technical College District Board passed a resolution Wednesday stating an intent to borrow $55 million to enhance campus learning spaces to meet future student and regional workforce needs.
The resolution is the first formal step toward a potential referendum in the November election. Under state law, technical colleges must hold referendums before completing capital projects with a cost of more than $1.5 million.
If successful, the $55 million referendum will allow Moraine Park to borrow funds to enhance and grow Moraine Park facilities to meet the needs of business and industry in the region through four major projects. Additionally, this proposal will allow Moraine Park to:
Respond to the growing workforce shortages.
Accommodate evolving industry expectations.
Address evolving technology, including in the areas of automation and robotics.
Provide greater access to all district communities.
Align with community expectations and workforce training requirements.
Keep the region competitive by preparing students and workforces of the future.
“Many of our district employers are fueled by Moraine Park graduates. Our goal is to continue to meet the needs of our local business and industry partners by leveraging our updated and growing facilities and equipment to expand technical college opportunities,” Moraine Park’s President, Bonnie Baerwald, said. “It is our responsibility to continue planning for growth that aligns with our local needs—and investing $55 million into enhancements, expansions and new construction projects over the next few years will help us do just that.”
The district board supported a request to explore growth opportunities at a board workshop in November 2020. Since then, Moraine Park leaders and internal teams have gathered research, held partnership meetings, explored district opportunities, prioritized projects, and obtained cost information related to architecture and construction. In April, the College surveyed a random sampling of 10,000 district community members to gauge community support. The survey results indicated voter support for a $55 million referendum. Additionally, the Moraine Park Foundation has raised nearly $2 million in donation pledges to help offset the costs.
“In the coming months, our work at Moraine Park will revolve around informing our communities of the importance of technical education in our district and the impact this referendum will have on the future of our district,” Baerwald added.
Under the proposed $55 million facilities enhancement plan, annual property taxes would increase by $21 per $100,000 of property value ($1.75 per month) for the next 20 years. The next step for Moraine Park is a public hearing in which district community members are welcome; the public hearing will be held at 5:15 p.m. Monday, July 11, on Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus, 235 N. National Ave.
The Moraine Park District Board will vote in August on the final referendum question language, which will solidify a path forward to the November election. If approved, this will be the first time Moraine Park has financed projects using a referendum.
The Moraine Park district includes Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Washington counties and small portions of surrounding counties. The College, with campus locations in Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac, and West Bend, plays a critical role in training more than 12,000 students each year for industry-critical jobs. Moraine Park students pursue degrees in many high-demand areas, including information technology, cybersecurity, accounting, nursing, respiratory therapy, advanced manufacturing, and website and graphic design.
Congratulations to all of Moraine Park’s 2022 High School Art Contest winners! The winners were selected by a panel of Art/Design professionals. Artists were invited to submit their work in the following categories:
Sculpture
Digital Illustration
Painting
Traditional Illustration
Drawing
T-Shirt Design
Digital Photography
Publication Design
Winners
Best of Show: Emma Schoebel, Princeton High School for the Drawing: Lucca
Reserve Best of Show: Amber Mans, Princeton High School for the Sculpture: Amphora
LuccaAmphora
Fan Favorites
Fan Favorite Painting: Amber Mans, Autumn Birch, Princeton High School
Fan Favorite Sculpture: Gwyneth Spence, Nana’s Rose, Berlin High School
Fan Favorite Digital Illustration: Jenna Twinstra, Women’s Rights Issues, Berlin High School
Fan Favorite Traditional Illustration: Bella Hooker, Shadows, Kewaskum High School
Fan Favorite T-Shirt Design: Jenna Twinstra, Be Kind to Your Mind, Berlin High School
Fan Favorite Publication Design: Allison Disch, Polaroid Title Page, Waupun Junior/Senior High School
Fan Favorite Drawing: Jenna Twinstra, Allie’s Final Bow; Ariel, Berlin High School
Fan Favorite Digital Photography: Abigail Lang, Lines of Life, Waupun Junior/Senior High School
Autumn BirchNana’s RoseLines of LifeWomen’s Rights IssuesShadowsBe Kind to Your MindPolaroid Title PageAllie’s Final Bow; Ariel
Sculpture
1st- Amber Mans, Amphora, Princeton High School
2nd- Gwenyth Spence, Nana’s Rose, Berlin High School
3rd- Amber Mans, Colored Vase, Princeton High School
4th- Violet Daubner, Lorikeet, Berlin High School
5th- Emma Schoebel, “Chad” Zebra, Princeton High School
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