Education Briefs: Jan. 16, 2010

MW presents civil rights speaker

WORTHINGTON — Angela Mae Kupenda, a law professor at the Mississippi School of Law, will present a speech titled “The First Year of the Obama Presidency: Presidential Limits and Citizen Responsibility” from noon to 1 p.m. Feb. 4 in the Fine Arts Theater on the Worthington campus of Minnesota West Community and Technical College.

The presentation is free and open to the public. Contact Le Lucht at 1-800-657-3966 for more information.

Host families sought

WORTHINGTON — World Heritage Student Exchange program, a public benefit organization, is seeking local host families for high school boys and girls from France, Germany, Thailand, Japan, China, South Korea, Russia, Denmark and Italy. Host families provide room, board and guidance for a teenager living thousands of miles from home. Couples, single parents and families with and without children in the home are all encouraged to apply.

The exchange students arrive from their home country shortly before school begins this fall. Each student is fully insured, brings his or her own spending money and expects to bear his or her share of household responsibilities, as well as being included in normal family activities and lifestyles.

Visit www.world-heritage.org for more information.

Windom places third in knowledge bowl

MARSHALL — Area students participated in SW/WC Service Cooperative’s Junior High Knowledge Bowl Regional Competition Jan. 9 in Marshall.

Ninety-two teams participated in two subregional events on Dec. 18 and Jan. 4. The top 45 teams advanced to the regional event, where 36 teams from 21 school districts participated. Nine other teams did not participate because of conflicts.

Winning teams at the regional event were: Willmar in first place with 118 points, Hutchinson in second place with 105.5 points and Windom in third place with 102.5 points. The top three teams were awarded a plaque for their schools, with medals given to the team members placing in the top three positions.

The competition was sponsored by the SW/WC Service Cooperative’s Student

RL-B students earn writing award

ROUND LAKE — Round Lake-Brewster High School has earned a school writing award for the second time this academic year. The Creative Communication’s Poetic Achievement Award for fall 2009 was given to schools whose students’ entries to the Poetry Contest are of exceptionally high merit.

A total of 33 students in grades 8-12 were honored. Students whose works have been accepted for publication are Talia Ahrenstorff, Sarah Baumgard, Haylee Behrends, Brandon Bosma, Cole Bosma, Kristina Colby, Ally Cross, Benjamin Cunningham, Mara Eichenberger, Mariah Feehan, Lazaro Fraga, Rissa Garvick, Lexy Habeck, Kaylee Harper, Alaina Klingenberg, Catelyn LaCour, Hannah Langseth-Berger, Jacquelynn Ling, Jenessa Ling, Hailey Mayer, Caleb Postma, Benjamin Postma, Jasmine Radke, Roshay Reimers, Elia Romero, Madie Roos, Emma Roos, Lucky Sayveo, Karen Schmitz, Megan Schmitz, Olivia Stanton, Nick Stude and Jake Walker.

Eighty percent of the English 11 class had their poems accepted for publication in the upcoming anthology “A Celebration of Poets.”

NCC nurse honored

SHELDON, Iowa — Northwest Iowa Community College was acknowledged at the Iowa CareGivers Association’s annual meeting for its commitment to quality education for direct care workers and for its partnership on the ICA Direct Care Worker Mentor Program: A Call to Mentoring.

Marilyn Stille, R.N., NCC Continuing Education Coordinator, was personally recognized for recently becoming certified to teach the mentor program.

ICA is a statewide association focused on reducing Iowa’s serious and growing shortage of direct care workers: certified nursing assistants (CNAs), home health aides and personal attendants who provide a majority of the hands-on personal care in homes, nursing homes, hospices, hospitals and other settings.

Choir tour features area students

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.— The Augustana Choir of Augustana College will tour southern Minnesota during its annual interim tour Jan. 28-31.

The 72-voice a cappella choir will perform seven times at five locations, including Montevideo, Plymouth, Eden Prairie, Prior Lake and Jackson. The tour culminates with a home concert Feb. 6 in Sioux Falls.

Local students in The Augustana Choir include: Shannon Cumiskey, Worthington; Andraya Gacke, Luverne; Melissa Olson Luverne; Michael Kruse , Jackson; Jared Mitchell , Fulda; Trent Anderson , Jasper; and Derek Hellstrom , Worthington. Call (605) 274-5320 for ticket information.

Tags: round lake, brewster mn, augustana college, education, briefs, news, obama