Hello Moraine Park friends!

Has school been stressing you out? Yea, me too!

When I am stressed, I tend to shut down and find comfort food. Everyone deals with times of stress differently, but I wanted to share some options that have worked for me recently.

• Take a bath with Epsom salt. Don’t have a bathtub? You can sprinkle Epsom salt in the bottom of your shower- it will create a soothing steam!
• Go for a walk. Increasing your endorphins may help you feel less tense and increase your mood overall.
• Play or spend time with your pet. My dog bring my life joy!
• Take a break from what your doing. We all have busy lives and long to-do lists but stepping away for a moment to refuel can be beneficial.
• Make cookies or your treat of choice. Yes, I make cookies when I am stressed. 🙂 The process of making them, and the satisfaction of enjoying one, makes it a great (and delicious) stress relief for me.
• Reach out to family or friends. Let the ones you love help you!

Have a great semester MPTC- hope to see you on campus this semester!

MPTC’s Dean of the West Bend Campus, Pete Rettler, began running daily after making a bet with a friend on New Year’s Eve in 1993. The bet was to run every day for that year. 27 years later, he hasn’t missed a single day – and averages about 2.5 miles each run. 

A few years back, he started using this daily running streak to generate community involvement and giving by hosting a New Year’s Eve 5k run event. The money raised was donated a local non-profit.

At year 25, Pete held a 25 day event, selecting a different non-profit each day- and gathering over $25,000 in donations. 

This year, he has had to do things differently- as we all have- and is hosting a virtual 5k- where participants will select their own route. While this doesn’t have the togetherness of his typical events, this does open up the opportunity for participation anywhere.

This year, his donations will be given to the Wisconsin Remembers 9-11 Memorial in Kewaskum to assist their efforts to bring awareness, and honor and remember local victims.  https://www.wisconsin911memorial.com/about.html

As an added heartfelt, Pete’s children (now adults) have never known a day that their Dad didn’t run. When they were little Pete would push them in the stroller on his daily runs. This year, Pete will be carrying on that tradition while pushing his granddaughter Reagan in the stroller on his run. 

Through it all, Pete remains a humble- community centered man- grateful for his health and the ability to utilize what was once a silly bet- as a way to bring good to his community.  

Do you want to run “with” Pete on New Years Eve? Registration is $27 and there will also be 27 prizes. Information can be found at rettlerrun.com.

*Photo courtesy of Washington County Insider-2018.

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. 28, at the West Bend campus. Space is limited, and those interested in attending must pre-register at morainepark.edu/discover. 

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. 11, at 5 p.m. Registration is also required. 

For more information on Discover Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu/discover. 

Dear MPTC students and staff,

Today we want to share with you how MPTC has responded to the U.S. Department of Education’s new rules on investigating complaints of sexual assault and misconduct that take effect on August 14, 2020.

First and foremost, we remain committed to preventing sexual misconduct, supporting survivors and investigating complaints in a timely and fair manner that respects the due process rights of all involved. Sexual misconduct is completely unacceptable and can have a tremendous impact on students and employees who experience it, personally as well as academically and professionally. We respect the rights of those who experience sexual misconduct- to process the trauma in the way that is best for them and their healing and to choose to bring forward a report for formal resolution or to seek supportive measures and resources from the College and/or the larger community.

Fair process is a priority, as is repairing harm and facilitating healing and safety for all members of the community regardless of race, sex, gender identity/expression, age, ability, religion, socio-economic status, or the other qualities/identities that we value within a diverse community.

MPTC has created an Interim Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Grievance Procedure. To learn more about the Interim procedure, please click here. If you have questions about the process or wish to talk to someone about your options to report or seek support, please contact either Kim Schwamn or Paula Stettbacher.

We wish you a healthy and safe 2020-2021 school year and remind you that the Title IX Coordinators are here for you if needed.

Kim Schwamn and Paula Stettbacher, MPTC TIX Coordinators

Kim Schwamn kschwamn@morainepark.edu , 262. 335.5881 or Paula Stettbacher pstettbacher@morainepark.edu , 920.924.3232.

This year, over 800 Moraine Park Technical College students completed their college education and earned their Associate of Applied Science degree or Technical diploma. This semester introduced new challenges and opportunities for both students and staff as they adapted many changes, including a virtual learning environment and the cancelation of the 2020 commencement ceremony.

Recently, the College made accommodations for small, socially distant classes to temporarily resume and complete face-to-face labs and coursework. The hard work and patience by staff and students resulted in the ability for all spring semester classes, including contract training, to be completed.

“Our students’ ability to persevere and continue to work toward their college degree during such uncertain times is something that they should all be very proud of,” Baerwald said. “We are grateful for their tenacity and patience, and we are proud that they have stayed committed to their educational goals and the College. I have no doubts that our communities will be greatly influenced by their skills.”

Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, shared a personal message with the graduates in May that acknowledged their accomplishments, congratulated them on their graduation, and detailed how the College plans to help them celebrate from a distance. Additionally, she invited them to participate in the 2021 commencement ceremony.

For more information, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College has developed a plan for a safe reopening of its facilities. In a communication to employees and students earlier this month, the College released its plan to reopen the College with a slow and phased-in approach. The plan, in its entirety, is dependent on directives from state and national authorities and the overall safety of the local community.

“Developing a fluid and phased reopening plan is necessary to ensuring overall safety,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park President, said. “This plan is a great foundation for a secure business reopening, and we are all looking forward to reuniting on our campuses again soon.”

The plan, which includes five phases, is expected to span the entire summer and into mid-fall. Phase one and two are being currently being implemented and focus on providing access to students and faculty needing to complete spring semester face-to-face courses. Thanks to the extensive planning by faculty and staff, all classes, including program and contract training, have made accommodations to complete the spring semester. The campus facilities will remain closed. However, Student Services will be open and accessible by appointment, and the schedule will be available on morainepark.edu. The bookstore reopened by appointment only starting on June 1. To make an appointment with the bookstore, visit morainepark.edu/bookstore.

Phase three is targeted for July and will allow for no more than 50 percent of Moraine Park employees to be on campus. The College will remain closed to the general public, and only individuals with college-related business will be allowed on any of the campuses. Services such as dining and library, and offerings on campuses will remain limited to mitigate gathering; social distancing accommodations will be made wherever possible; personal protective equipment will still be available and is strongly encouraged. Student Services and the Bookstore will remain accessible by appointment.

Phase four, which is targeted for August, will expand in-person operations. The College is hoping to resume to an operational state the week of Aug. 17. However, a variety of accommodations are being considered for both students and employees. Fall classes and programming will resume in the delivery format that makes the most sense. This information will be communicated closer to the start of the fall semester. Safety will remain a top priority, sanitation efforts will remain increased, social distancing should continue, and campus events and activities will be allowed but must adhere to local and state guidelines. Bookstore face-to-face operations will resume with restrictions.

Phase five, the planned final phase targeted for October, will reopen all of Moraine Park’s campuses to the public for events, rentals, community programming, on-site walking, and use of our services such as the library.

For additional details (and possible updates) to the phased-in plan, please visit moranepark.edu/coronavirus.

As we see so often during difficult times, people always find ways to keep a light shining by helping others.

Such is the case at Moraine Park Technical College. With the coronavirus continuing its grip on local communities, our nation and the world, the College is doing what they can to help.

Nearly 37,000 healthcare and safety-related supplies, including N-95 masks; disposable gloves and gowns; surgical gowns, hats and shoe covers; face shields and more, were collected from each of the College’s campuses – Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac and West Bend – and have been donated to local healthcare facilities in those communities including Marshfield Medical Center (formerly Beaver Dam Community Hospital), Froedtert and SSM/St. Agnes.

The healthcare supplies came from several of the College’s more than 60-plus programs, including:  Associate Degree Nursing, Nursing Assistant, Respiratory Therapy, Surgical Technologist, EMS and Cosmetology.

The College is also loaning respirators SSM/St. Agnes according to Barb Jascor, Moraine Park’s dean of health and human services.

“In addition to the need for healthcare and safety supplies, we were also seeing an ever-increasing need for ventilators,” said Jascor. “We wanted to do what we could to help and it made sense to loan our ventilators in advance, as a precautionary measure, should the local need for ventilators surpass current capacity of our community health care partners.”

For COVID-19 updates at Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu/coronavirus.

Moraine Park Technical College has selected Haley Van Raden, of West Bend, as their 2020-21 District Student Ambassador.

Van Raden, a 2019 graduate from Mayville High School, came to Moraine Park to pursue a degree in Information Technology (IT). As a result of her high academic achievements in high school, she earned a Technical Excellence Scholarship from the State of Wisconsin. She is enrolled in a dual degree program, working toward associate degrees in both IT Web Design and Development and IT Mobile Application Developement.

“My goal is to eventually earn an internship in my field, to gain more knowledge,” Van Raden said. “I hope to one day open up my own business.”

Van Raden is also active on the West Bend Campus, where she is a member of the Student Government and IT Club.

To be eligible for this 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 six students in the final consideration for this role.

As the selected 2020-2021 District Student Ambassador, Van Raden will actively serve as a member of the student government, 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.

“I am honored to be named the District Student Ambassador,” she said. “I look forward to helping students have a voice and continuing to bring positive vibes to campus.”

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

Engaging with our communities is a Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC) priority. That was evidenced as the College honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the College’s inaugural MLK Week of Service Literacy Project.

Throughout the week of January 20-24, more than 70 Moraine Park employees spread the joy of reading to elementary school students. Some read culturally responsive books to classrooms and individual students at three elementary schools — Chegwin in Fond du Lac, Green Tree in West Bend and Jefferson in Beaver Dam. Others personalized MPTC bookmarks to distribute to the schools’ nearly 1,000 students. Additionally, each school received more than 150 culturally responsive books for their libraries, thanks to donations from MPTC and Kiwanis of Fabulous FDL. What a great week it was!

morainepark.edu