Moraine Park Technical College named nearly 1,100 students to the Dean’s List for the spring 2019 semester. To qualify for the Dean’s List distinction, students must earn a minimum semester grade point average of 3.5, be enrolled in at least six credits of undergraduate-level courses, be in good academic standing and cannot have a failing or incomplete grade for the semester.
Two Moraine Park students were recently recognized for their heroic and life-saving actions.
This spring, Scott Lieburn, Moraine Park’s dean of students, received a notification that a 911 call was placed on campus. Upon his arrival at the scene, he immediately identified that it was near the nursing classroom. Natasha Sokoloff, a second-year nursing student, and Andres Morales, a first-year respiratory therapy student, were providing care to an unresponsive person. They were supported by instructors and classmates and administered life-saving care until EMS arrived.
“It is clear that these students are in the right field,” Scott said. “They showed a sense of urgency and remained calm during the intense situation.”
This person was within minutes of death, but because of Natasha and Andres’s teamwork, they are alive today.
It is because of these heroic measures that the Fond du Lac Fire Department presented Natasha and Andres with a Lifesaving Award at Moraine Park’s June 19 board meeting.
Additionally, the person sent a message.
“To the person or people who found me, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I literally owe you my life, and I hope you know how grateful I am for that.”
Moraine Park staff and board members gathered at the College’s monthly board meeting on Wednesday, June 19 to honor Mike Staral’s retirement from the Moraine Park board and his many years of service to the College.
Staral is a 1978 graduate from Moraine Park’s Tool and Die Technologies Apprenticeship program, and since then has been a self-motivated advocate and ambassador for the College. He served for 40-years at Willer Tool Corp. in Jackson, retiring in June 2016 from his role as Vice President. He was also an active member of the Moraine Park CNC/Tool and Die Technologies Advisory Committee for 15 years, the Moraine Park Alumni Advisory committee for four years, and served on the Moraine Park Board for six years, two of those as the Chairperson.
He’s dedicated a large part of his life to spreading the good word about technical education. It’s no wonder, then, that 65 percent of Willer Tool Corp.’s employees are Moraine Park graduates.
“I’m Moraine Park’s biggest fan,” Staral said.
Aside from himself, three other members of his family are graduates of Wisconsin technical colleges, including his wife, Kate, with a degree in interior design; his son, Jason, with a tool and die degree; and his daughter-in-law, Krista, with a degree in dental hygiene.
A lifelong West Bend resident, Staral will continue to serve his community as president of Friends of West Bend Parks and on the West Bend Baseball Association Board of Directors and the West Bend Park and Recreation Commission.
At the June board meeting, President Bonnie Baerwald extended her gratitude and presented Staral with a gift in honor of for his service to the College.
“Mike is one of those unique board members,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president said. “I’m a firm believer that the success of an organization is built around strong leadership, which comes directly from the board, especially its chair. Mike has been one of my strongest supporters and the biggest cheerleader for Moraine Park. He is passionate about career and technical education, and it is felt through all that he did for the College. He not only served in various leadership roles on the Board, but also advocated for legislation, attended conferences to learn best practices, and challenged, as well as supported, fiscal and strategic decisions. He is a wonderful ally and dear friend, and the College and I will certainly miss him.”
.Moraine Park Technical College is offering the Girls Rock Robotics summer camp at the Fond du Lac Campus August 12-14, 2019 from 9-Noon each day.
Registration is open and underway for all girls entering grades 6-8 in the fall of 2019. This camp will allow attendees to explore the world of robotics using LEGO® Mindstorms. Students will build robots with motors and sensors to perform tasks and react to their environment. They will learn how to program the robots using the software in which you place icons in sequence to create the instructions that you desire. As a bonus, they will also spend time working in teams to build and program a robot to solve missions similar to those in First Lego League® (FLL) competitions.
The registration fee is $30 per student and is waived for Free and Reduced Lunch recipients. Space is limited. Register today at morainepark.edu/grr, or by contacting Renae Fischer at rfischer6@morainepark.edu or (920) 929-2477.
We can’t stop celebrating commencement and the many accomplishments that happened at Moraine Park this last year. To keep the party going, we have included links to all of the celebration photos.
Happy reminiscing!
Are you dreaming of accomplishing your educational goals? Moraine Park has many options to get you into your dream career. Find out more at morainepark.edu.
“I recognize that developing my critical and creative thinking is necessary for my future career as a web developer. In web development you never stop using critical and creative thinking from the moment you meet with a customer until the time you finish a website.
For example, when you first work with a client, you need to stop and think about who the audience is for the website. Everything needs to be tailored to that audience – just like the first few steps in the critical thinking process. You need to stop, obtain information, and determine what is being asked of you.
However, that’s only the start. Once you identify the audience, you must begin designing the website, logo, and any programs that may be needed. This step requires both a creative thought process and intense critical thinking at the same time. If you don’t critically and creatively think, then it’s likely that the website will appear somewhat empty in places it could otherwise be exceptional. Thus, a lot of innovation goes into web development and coding.
Furthermore, clients always bring new requests, and you need to be the mediator who is able to help them identify solutions and options. This type of situation brings you into new territory every single time you code, and if you want to be a successful web developer, you need to have the ability to create new programs, designs, and templates.
Critical and creative thinking is not just a part of web development, but rather, it occurs in all parts of the job on a daily basis. Instructors at MPTC and industry leaders stress this fact often by stating that knowing how to code doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Almost anyone can learn to code with enough patience, but knowing how to use the code to create something significant from nothing is what makes a true programmer. For all of these reasons, I’m glad I chose to take the Thinking Critically & Creatively course at MPTC to help my career as a web developer.”
Written by: Tierney Cayo, MPTC Student
For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.
Moraine Park Technical College held its spring Manufacturing Skills Academy graduation on Wednesday, June 12. The College had 21 students graduate from the program; eight from the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machinist boot camp and 13 from the welding boot camp.
This program was designed to combat the skilled worker shortage by offering a variety of boot camp sessions. The boot camp sessions are free to participants, teach skills that are unique to a particular pathway, and connect students with area employers. The program also combines a 144-hour paid internship with coursework, including Occupational Math, Print Reading, Team Building, Problem Solving, and program-specific courses. Participating internship sites for this session were Amerequip Corporation, Apache Stainless, Generac Power Systems, Mayville Engineering Company, Miba, Mid States Aluminum, Signicast, Tobin Machining, Wabash National, Weasler Engineering, and X-Cel Tooling.
Moraine Park has had 377 participants in the welding and CNC boot camp programs since their induction in 2012.
The spring 2019 CNC graduates are Michael Adam Abitz of North Fond du Lac, Cory Fleischfresser of Fond du Lac, Dustin Marx of Fond du Lac, Troy Riehl of Fond du Lac, Deavin Schaub of Waupun, Nancy Sery of Hartford, Demetrius Smith of West Bend, and Kou Vang of Fond du Lac.
The spring 2019 welding graduates are Christian Bailey-Steenport of West bend, Peter Demmerle of Fond du Lac, Austin Fingar of Redgranite, Nathan Hankins of Chilton, Xavier Kitchens of Fond du Lac, Dimitri Lloyd of Fond du Lac, Ontarius McFerren of West Bend, Joshua Mikula of Plymouth, Armando Murillo of Fond du Lac, Taylor Nett of Fond du Lac, Shane Rau of Fond du Lac, Dani Schommer of Fond du Lac, and Bobby Wiercioch of Fond du Lac.
This year’s graduation speakers were Smith and Hankins.
Smith, a CNC graduate, is grateful for the experience Moraine Park gave him through the boot camp program.
“This program has opened many doors,” he said. “MPTC has given us opportunities that we otherwise would not have. This program was free, and it came with 16 college credits, so some would even say it’s better than free. Some of us will add on to what we’ve learned so far. I know I will.”
Smith served his internship at Weasler in West Bend and is now a full-time employee.
Hankins, a welding graduate, shared the story of how he thought the opportunity was too good to be true.
“I thought it was a scam,” Hankins said. “It’s so unique and unheard of that it’s nearly unbelievable.”
Hankins’s hesitations quickly faded, and he embraced the entire experience, noting that he made some lasting connections in the process. He completed his internship at Amerequip in Kiel and is a current employee.
“Be confident in your abilities, but don’t ever think you can just coast,” he said. “You don’t get to stop learning and trying just because you got a certificate or a job.”
Moraine Park’s Skills Academy boot camps are free to participating students, thanks to financial support from area businesses including Amerequip Corporation, Apache Stainless, Generac Power Systems, Mayville Engineering Company, Miba, Mid States Aluminum, Signicast, Tobin Machining, Wabash National, Weasler Engineering, and X-Cel Tooling.
Additionally, the welding training was partially funded through a GPR grant that incorporates both Adult Basic Education and welding. The purpose of this training is to allow students to complete both their High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) and the welding boot camp.
Individuals interested in learning more about the CNC and welding boot camp opportunities are encouraged to attend a Boot Camp Test Drive event scheduled at Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus on July 16 and 18, and the Beaver Dam campus on July 23. For more information, visit morainepark.edu/bootcamps.
The full photo gallery of photos can be found here.
Moraine Park Technical College held its 27th annual GED/HSED graduation ceremony on May 30. For the 2018-19 school year, 126 students received their General Education Development (GED) or High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) certificates.
Rebecca Carreon of Fond du Lac, Natasha Peters of Ripon, Sandra Pfund of Slinger, and Betty Zimdars of West Bend served as student speakers.
Carreon and Peters, sisters and twins, spoke together on the struggles of life and how important it was to both of them to complete the journey together.
“I tried multiple times to finish my HSED on my own but never followed through with it because I never thought I could do it,” Peters said. “The support of family, friends, the teachers at the Student Success Center, and my sister gave me the courage and push I needed to finish.”
Both Carreon and Peters plan to continue their education at Moraine Park this fall, with an overall goal to earn their college degree.
“I have always wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse, and I finally feel like that isn’t just a dream anymore,” Carreon said. “Now I can make it a reality! We plan on starting school here at Moraine Park Technical College in the upcoming year. After all the support we had to finish our HSED here, we can only imagine the support we will get once in our programs!”
Pfund shared her story of deciding to complete her high school diploma with the support of her friend and fellow GED student, Zimdars.
“We have maintained our friendship and motivated each other along the way,” Pfund said. “My success has been helped with a special friendship and someone to hold me accountable. Nothing is impossible, no matter what age you are. Our journey was not an easy one, but our friendship helped immensely.”
Pfund and Zimdars have decided to continue their educational journey together as Moraine Park college students.
Abby McGeehen of Berlin and Zimdars were each the recipients of $500 student scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to GED/HSED graduates who are continuing their education at Moraine Park.
The GED/HSED students had to pass all four subject portions of the nationally recognized GED tests to receive their diploma. They also had to meet requirements in employability, digital literacy, health, and civics. Moraine Park’s GED/HSED instruction is available year-round and is one of the many services at the College that is offered for free to the community.
For more information about Moraine Park’s GED/HSED classes, visit morainepark.edu/GED.
View all of the photos from the GED/HSED graduation at https://www.flickr.com/gp/148240170@N03/Y00FC2.
Last month, first semester Moraine Park nursing students helped residents get ready for their annual prom at the Fond du Lac St. Francis Home.
The students used their clinical time to provide hair and nail care, and dress the residents for their big event! The students enjoyed the one-on-one time to pamper the residents and give personalized care.
St. Francis Home hosts the resident prom each spring with a live music from a local high school band and invites family members to participate. So much fun!
For more program information, visit morainepark.edu/programs.
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