April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Every April, Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the necessity of communities working together to promote the social and emotional well-being of all children and their families. 

In Fond du Lac County alone, 552 cases of child abuse were reported in 2021, according to Nicole Mann, FDL County Social Worker. Children are the foundation of our society, our community and our future. Children raised in loving and supportive environments are more likely to prosper academically and
financially, becoming successful contributing members of society. Wisconsin must be a leader and
champion for all of our children. Research has shown the most effective way to prevent child abuse & neglect is to provide support to families so children can grow up in an environment that supports their well-being. Preventing child abuse and neglect results in better childhoods, ultimately saving millions of dollars currently needed for the services that address the short and long-term effects of abuse on children, their families, and our communities.

Find out more info at Prevent Child Abuse WI.

What can YOU do?

• Wear BLUE on April 1 in support and recognition of Child Abuse Prevention month
• Put a blue pinwheel in your yard
• Print and Share the CAP poster at your office, business, school or church
• Stay connected at Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin and Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board

Resources for Child Abuse Prevention in MPTC District:

FDL County Social Services

Washington County Social Services

Green Lake County Social Services

Dodge County Social Services

The Moraine Park Technical College Foundation is offering Summer Start Scholarships to support students who start courses in the summer. Typically, Moraine Park scholarships are awarded in the fall semester. The Moraine Park Summer Start Scholarship was created to help ease the financial burden for students who start in the summer.

The scholarship, which awards $400, is available to new students that are enrolled in four Moraine Park summer programs: Gas Utility Construction and Service, Accounting, Business Management, and Leadership and Organizational Development.

To qualify for the Summer Start Scholarship, students must have a high school GPA of 2.75 or higher, be admitted for the summer term, enroll in at least 6 credits within their program, and submit their scholarship application with a reference by May 1.

The scholarship application link is emailed to students after they apply to one of the four qualifying programs. Scholarship recipients will be notified around May 17.

If you are interested in one of these summer programs and would like more information, please reach out to our recruiters at recruitment@morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park has partnered with the Study Abroad Association to offer virtual global education opportunities for our staff, faculty and students. The Global Perspectives virtual world travel program offers fabulous locations and topics to explore in Costa Rica, Greece, Italy, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland.

You can move around in the 3D world and/or watch travel guide videos for every location. It’s great fun to share with family and friends too!

To use:

1. Go to 360discovered.studyabroadassociation.com/register/, and sign-up with your school email address.
2. Check your school email for your login information.
3. Log in and explore!

Find out more about MPTC Cultural Connections and in-person travel opportunities.

We can’t wait to get back to in-person travel! Our first destination is planned for Fall 2022 in beautiful New Mexico. All MPTC students are encouraged and welcome to apply for this exciting academic adventure.

If you need social science credits toward your degree, this trip is integrated into the Intro to Diversity course for Fall 2022. Taking this course as a social science requirement for your degree will allow you to use your financial aid for travel.

Learn more about this experience at studyabroadassociation.com/itinerary/mptc-new-mexico-2020/, or join us in person or virtually for upcoming information sessions, April 6-7.

For other MPTC travel opportunities, visit morainepark.edu/academics/other-academic-resources/cultural-connections/.

U.S. Olympic Snowboarder, Courtney Rummel, visited Moraine Park’s West Bend campus earlier this month to share her journey from snowboarding in small-town Wisconsin, to competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Rummel’s visit was organized by MPTC Health and Wellness Instructor, Carrie Felix, who has trained Rummel for three years.

“Courtney is such a pleasure to train,” Felix said. “I started training her when she was 15, so I have gotten to watch her grow up. She is very hardworking and has developed a passion for working out over the last three years.”

Felix has known the Rummel family for 10 years and was approached by Courtney’s mom, Kim Rummel, in 2019 to become Courtney’s trainer.

Rummel competed in the women’s slopestyle and big air snowboarding events at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

“Watching Courtney on the big screen was so surreal,” Felix said. “The obstacles she faced to get to Beijing are not normal teenage obstacles. She gave up so much for her dreams, so to be able to watch her on the biggest stage of her life was amazing. The coolest part is that she is still the same goofy, funny, hardworking teenage she has always been.”

Rummel splits her time living and training in Park City, UT, and at home in West Bend, WI. Felix trains Rummel when she is in Wisconsin and coordinates with her trainer in Utah.

“In some ways, training an Olympic athlete is just like training all my other clients,” Felix said. “Everyone has specific goals when deciding to invest in a trainer. It is then taking those goals and where the individual is at in their fitness journey and looking to strengthen what they already have. What’s different with Courtney is she has other trainers that I need to converse with often. I need to know what she is doing at the U.S. training facility and what she needs to work on when she is with me. It’s also important to make sure we don’t do anything too crazy if she has a big event coming up.”

During her visit, Rummel spoke with students in Felix’s Health and Wellness class about how she got started in the sport, her training regimen, overcoming mental barriers, her experience at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and more.

“I love that I was able to share Courtney with my Health and Wellness class at Moraine Park,” Felix said. “Most students are not sure what they want to do after they graduate, so to show them options in their career field is so valuable.”

Moraine Park Information Technology student, Tim Reynolds of Van Dyne, has been named a 2022 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver, and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion.

“The Coca-Cola scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, said. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals and support tomorrow’s leaders of the global community.”

Students are nominated for the academic team by their college administrators. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership, and engagement in college and community service.

“This scholarship is going to help pay for school, because I cannot afford it on my own,” Reynolds said. “I have been putting in a lot of hard work, and one of my biggest accomplishments is being part of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. I hope that I have inspired my peers to work hard and put their best foot forward.”

Coca-Cola Academic Team members will be recognized in both local and statewide ceremonies and will also be recognized internationally during Phi Theta Kappa’s annual convention, PTK Catalyst, to be held in Denver, Colorado, April 7-9.

“We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures,” Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa, said. “Scholarships like these are integral to the success of these students in reaching their educational and career goals.”

Moraine Park Technical College created a new scholarship, which provided 20 students with financial assistance for the spring 2022 semester. Typically, Moraine Park scholarships are awarded in the fall semester. To help ease the financial burden for new students who start in the spring, the College created the Moraine Park Spring Semester Scholarship. 

This scholarship, which awards $500, is available to new spring semester students enrolled in an associate degree or technical diploma program, taking a minimum of 6 credits, with a high school or college GPA of 2.75 or higher, and with a qualifying financial need. 

The recipients of the 2022 Moraine Park Spring Semester Scholarship are Mailia Bachleitner of Juneau, Gracie Bellin of West Bend, Jesse Durkee of West Bend, Diana Garcia – Pelayo of Beaver Dam, Natosha Kopmeyer of Beaver Dam, Jenna Maahs of Hartford, Emily Peschong of Fond du Lac, Luke Schroeder of Berlin, Sarah Wasley of West Bend, Luke Trochinski of Hartford, Abbigayle Gutknecht of Mayville, MaKenna Horness of Fond du Lac, Kasie Knoll of Mayville, Jamie Macisak of West Allis, Stacey Mack of Saukville, Maddelin McGovern of Hartford, Maiya Perez of Saukville, Madison Poole of Fond du Lac, April Tesch of Oshkosh, and Emma Williamson of Lusaka (Zambia).  

The Moraine Park Spring Semester Scholarship is only open to new students who missed the opportunity to apply for a fall scholarship. All established and new fall semester students should follow the standard scholarship deadlines. 

Applications for the fall 2022 Moraine Park Scholarships are currently open. The deadline for high school 12^th graders is April 1, and all other applications are due April 8. To be considered for a Moraine Park Scholarship, you must be enrolled in an associate degree or technical diploma program; have an MPTC cumulative or high school GPA of 2.75 or higher or a GED score of 169 or higher; enroll in a minimum of 6 credits each semester. 

For more information, visit morainepark.edu/scholarships. 

Donut Feel Good to Help Others!?

During the month of February, the MPTC Donut Club hosted a “Puppy Love” Pet Food Drive to benefit the Dodge County Humane Society (DCHS). Students and staff at the Beaver Dam campus were invited to donate pet food and other supplies required to operate the DCHS. The drive gathered much-needed supplies to help the DCHS reach its mission of promoting animal welfare by providing care and shelter to animals in need, facilitating adoptions, and educating the public.

On Wednesday, March 9, club members delivered all the donated resources to the DCHS in Juneau.  The Club would like to thank all members of the Beaver Dam campus who donated to the drive!

The Donut Club is a community service-based student club on the Beaver Dam campus that all students are invited to join!  Contact Advisor Melissa Ewoldt via email at mewoldt@morainepark.edu if you are interested in joining the Donut Club! 

Pictured left to right: Diana Garcia Pelayo, Nallely Solis, Guadalupe Ortiz, DCHS Employee Sarah Cundy, Morgan Deils, Ariana Estep, and Kelly DeVries.

Written by Kim Mueller and Sheena Hoekstra

It’s a boy! No, it’s a girl! No, it’s both!

Since early February, eleven simulation babies were born at the Beaver Dam simulation center. The first five were high-risk pregnancies, training 4th-semester nursing students on how to manage pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes during labor and delivery. The remaining six were normal pregnancies that helped train 2nd-semester nursing students on the basics of labor and delivery with a healthy mom and baby. These simulations were also facilitated at the West Bend simulation center for nursing students, delivering six simulation babies. Students from both Beaver Dam and Fond du Lac attended the simulations in Beaver Dam to reinforce theory content in Complex Health Alterations 2 and Nursing Health Promotions.

Faculty used the Sim Mom mannequin and other models to teach assessment and intervention skills like determining cervical dilation and completing fundal massage.

Some of the feedback students give about how simulation helps their learning includes helping put all the pieces together, being a low-stress environment to learn and feel safe to make mistakes, as well as being able to conceptualize information that they previously were confused about. Hands-on learning really makes a difference in their nursing education.