On Wednesday, August 25, six MPTC Cosmetology students and their Instructor Eileen Bouchard, travelled to the Washington County West Bend Boys and Girls Club Back to School Event. MPTC Students gave 22 kids a back to school haircut, helping them all feel extra beautiful and confident for heading off to elementary or middle school this fall.

“What a great hands-on service learning experience for our students,” said MPTC Instructor Eileen Bouchard. “This event helped our students connect with parents and kids of many ethnicities, ages and haircut styles; plus learn about the mission of the Boys and Girls Club and the back-to-school needs of over 200 families in our community.”

Max Roy, Director of Operations for Boys and Girls Club of Washington County, said, “It was great to meet you all in person today. I am so glad we got connected on your student Cosmetology volunteers as another community partner Back to School resource for our kids! Thank you so much for all the haircuts today and we look forward to continuing working with MPTC.”

For more information on service learning at MPTC.

Moraine Park Technical College will be hosting its annual community event, Discover Moraine Park, to help attendees jump-start their education and career. High school students, displaced workers, and individuals looking for a career change are encouraged to attend.

Discover Moraine Park event is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the West Bend campus; Tuesday, Oct. 12 at the Beaver Dam Campus; and Thursday, Oct. 14 at the Fond du Lac Campus. Space is limited, and those interested in attending must pre-register.

Attendees will have the opportunity to explore different programs of study offered at the College and tour the campus, labs, and classrooms. Program instructors and staff will be available to explain program details, admissions requirements, and more.

The event is also designed to familiarize attendees with resources outside the classroom, including diversity relations, student life, veteran resources, tutoring, and counseling. One-on-one assistance from Financial Aid specialists will be available to help attendees submit their FAFSA. 

Face coverings are required for participation in the Discover Moraine Park event. As a reminder, Moraine Park requires face coverings on all of its campuses.

A virtual option is available on Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 5:30 -7 p.m. Registration is also required. 

For more information or to register, visit morainepark.edu/discover. 

Are you looking to release your inner lumberjack and benefit Moraine Park students? Then The Ledge Games is just the event for you.

On Saturday, September 25, you’ll see plenty of beards and flannel at this family-friendly competition held at Red Cabin at Green Acres in Eden. One hundred percent of event proceeds support The Ledge Games scholarship, established through the Moraine Park Foundation, which focuses on engineering, manufacturing, and technology programs at Moraine Park.

Wannabe lumberjacks compete in caber toss, hammer toss, archery, keg toss, speed chop and axe throwing.  Competition divisions include men, women and a 55+ age group. Spectators are also welcome to come and cheer on their friends and family members.

The event, co-founded in 2014 by Josh Michels of Fond du Lac and Tyler Oestreich of Eden, has generated over $34,000 in scholarships for aspiring students.

For more information, visit ledgegames.com.

This Saturday, September 11, Moraine Park culinary students will participate in downtown Fond du Lac’s 14^th annual Fondue Fest! 

Throughout the week, 10 students in MPTC’s Culinary Arts program have been hard at work preparing 2,600 icebox cookies and over 300 loaves of bread to be served with about 3,000 portions of fresh fondue. The cheese fondue is made with 90lbs of mozzarella cheese mix, donated by Grande Cheese, and mixed with cheddar and other cheeses. The chocolate fondue is a ganache made with chocolate, cream and butter. In total, the students will clock in over 150 hours of volunteer work for the event. 

“Being a part of Fondue Fest allows students to interact with the community and gives them a taste for working in a fast-paced environment,” Tom Endejan, MPTC Culinary Arts Instructor, said. “The students learn a lot and have to face unique challenges that they aren’t exposed to in the classroom.” 

Fondue Fest is Fond du Lac’s largest downtown event with an attendance of more than 20,000 people annually. The fest features live music, unique vendors and delicious food. 

Moraine Park’s Culinary Arts Club has been participating in Fondue Fest for 10 years. Proceeds from the Fondue sales go directly towards the culinary club and are utilized for continued learning at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago in May 2022. At the conference students are able to learn about different cuisines, visit various ethnic areas in Chicago and learn about new practices in the industry. 

“I’m excited to get this extra experience outside of the classroom,” said Grace Westphal, Culinary Arts student. “The production takes a bit of time, but it’s worth it to help get us to the conference in Chicago at the end of the school year.” 

Fondue Fest is Saturday, September 11, from 9-5 p.m. in downtown Fond du Lac. Show up to support MPTC students, eat fondue and have fun! 

MPTC Culinary Student Volunteers: 

Grace Westphal – Luxemburg, WI 

Aiden Cole – Fond du Lac, WI 

Andrew Hoepfner – Fond du Lac, WI 

Destiny Smith – West Bend, WI 

Dan Hartsougl – Fond du Lac, WI 

Jonah Riley – Fond du Lac, WI 

Damon “Matt” Matthews – Waupun, WI 

Brendan Schraufnagel – Lomira, WI 

Brianna Eberhardt – Adell, WI  

Jordan Lambert – Green Bay, WI 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. To acknowledge this solemn day, there will be a brief ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial located outside the Fond du Lac campus commons on Friday, Sept 10th, 11:45-12:15 p.m.

Students, staff, faculty and the public are welcome and encouraged to attend if available.

“One of the worst days in America’s history saw some of the bravest acts in Americans’ history. We’ll always honor the heroes of 9/11. And here at this hallowed place, we pledge that we will never forget their sacrifice.” 

—President George W. Bush at the Pentagon

The Moraine Park Technical College Economic and Workforce Development Department welcomed Kelli Karpinski as a new Business Representative. In her role, Kelli partners with area manufacturers to identify individual and regional workforce development needs. Working collaboratively, her goal is to create performance-minded business solutions through short- and long-term strategies to close skills gaps – all to help area firms remain competitive and profitable.

Before joining MPTC, Kelli spent more than six years as a senior consultant at Oshkosh marketing firm Blue Door Consulting. She also has an economic development background through a previous role at the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce and served as an adjunct instructor at Fox Valley Technical College, teaching introductory business and marketing courses.

Kelli earned a Bachelor’s degree from UW Eau Claire and an MBA from UW Oshkosh.

Kelli enjoys giving back to her community and has spent the past eight years on the Oshkosh Women’s Fund Board, currently serving as immediate past president. She and her husband like to kayak, tackle home DIY projects, listen to live music, travel, ride their Harley-Davidson and hang out with their Australian labradoodle.

“Being a part of the EWD team brings together my passion for education and training with my background in building business relationships. I’m excited to see the results of our work—the advancement of the area workforce and the positive impact that will have on our businesses.”

Welcome to the team, Kelli!

Moraine Park Technical College has released the Spring and Summer 2021 Dean’s lists.

To qualify for this distinction, a student must be enrolled in at least six undergraduate-level course credits, earn a minimum grade point average of 3.5, not have a failing or incomplete grade for the semester, and be in good academic standing.

Congratulations to all our Dean’s list students- this is a huge accomplishment!

Nursing students in Instructor Michele Mengert’s Mental Health and Community Concepts course recently completed their community advocacy projects as part of our Spring, 2021 service learning opportunities. Michele said, “our Nursing students are learning community health oriented nursing. We are targeting prevention strategies. Today’s Nurses need to be able to advocate for under represented populations and know about community resources that are available to help their patients.”

This semester 20 students spent over 100 hours researching and collaborating with community partners in Fond du Lac, West Bend, and Beaver Dam to learn more about parenting, fostering, opioid addiction, human trafficking, poverty, developmental disabilities, domestic violence, sexual assault, and more. Students formulated detailed plans to address how a nurse can help a community identify and address these issues, providing education, awareness, advocacy and resources. Students gathered data to help determine strengths and weaknesses in their own communities. Project presentations were held in May.

Congratulations on all of this great work on important mental health issues in our MPTC community!

Moraine Park Technical College leadership recognizes the need for people to have a safe space to walk for exercise, which is why all MPTC campuses are reinstating the walking program, now called Wolfpack Walkers.

The WolfPack Walkers program allows the public to walk in and around MPTC campuses. The program will begin with the reopening of campus on August 23.

At this time, face coverings will be required while inside our buildings at Moraine Park, regardless of vaccination status. Visit our COVID-19 webpage for more information at morainepark.edu/coronavirus.

“It’s important that our community has the opportunity to utilize our campus spaces,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “The Wolfpack Walkers program is a great way to be part of the College. However, when entering our facilities, it is important that personal safety, as well as the safety of others, stay at the forefront; stay home if you are ill, practice good personal hygiene and distance yourself from others when possible.”

Interested walkers are required to fill out an Acceptance of Risk and Responsibility Agreement/Release of Liability form. Forms should be obtained at the campus you will be walking:

Fond du Lac: Security Desk Near the C1 entrance

Beaver Dam: Student Services Desk near the K1 entrance

West Bend: Receptionist Desk near the T2 entrance

After filling out the form, you will be issued an ID tag that must be worn when on campus. The campus is open for walking from:

7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday

7 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday

8 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturdays (when open)

More information and guidelines will be provided on the required forms.

Happy walking, Wolfpack!