Upcoming Events

Thanks to Danielle Domenosky for posting blogs while the large group toured London and Paris. The pic of the group in front of the Arc de Triomphe at the Place de l'Étoile at the top of the Champs- Élysées made me yearn for those beautiful city streets and sidewalk cafes along the route. What a view from there -- of the Eiffel tower, the city, the river. So gorgeous.

For the 2012-2013 year, our international travels have concluded. We are already preparing for 2013-2014. The first ever international service trip to Jamaica is being planned by Amy Patterson for spring break 2014, and Tom Endejan is planning a culinary-specific excursion to Morocco over spring break. Academic year 2013-2014 is expected to be an exciting year for international travel with Moraine Park Technical College. These two ventures -- both Jamaica and Morocco -- are new excursions for the college and our students. Both faculty members, however, were able to scope and plan their trips by visiting these locales in early 2013.

The two pics below are of Tom (he is on the left in the top pic). This first graphic is of him with a Water Man (the one in the fancy attire). The other pic is of Tom making flatbread.

This YouTube video of is a faculty group in Costa Rica, which is what Amy will be doing in Jamaica with a group of students next year. This picture is of the biodigester the faculty group developed for the community:

Kudos to these faculty. Thank you for your efforts in providing these opportunities for our students!

What a great day in Paris! We started with a walk to the Eiffel Tower, then to the Arc de Triomphe. We had to make sure we visited the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and ended with an evening stroll down the Sienne to see the Notre Dame Cathedral. We put a lot of miles on but what an exhilarating day it was!!

Well, we are off to a good start so far in London. After a very long day of travel we jumped right into experiencing the city and culture. Navigating around on the Tube is quite a learning experience and it is amazing that it will take us anywhere and everywhere we want to go! (as long as we can figure out how to read the map!!) Today we visited Camden Market which is a large open market for shopping where you can find just about anything from clothing to jewelry, electronics, along with an amazing assortment of foods to chose from. We are having a great time so far! The pictures show the entire group right before checking in at the Milwaukee Airport for our departure flight. We were all very excited. The other pictures show us sharing meals together at local pubs and restaraunts.

Moraine Park: Local & International Service-Learning

Fond du Lac: Culinary Arts Students in Brenda Schaefer's Sociology course create delicious, healthy meals at an affordable price to share with the Solutions Center Women's Shelter in Fond du Lac. This service-learning project is educating women on how to cook healthy meals on a budget through recipe ideas and dietary information developed by these students.  Healthy eating can be affordable through these innovative cooking ideas.

Check out more opportunities for service learning by going to www.noblehour.com and joining the Moraine Park Technical College Community. Contact us if you have questions!





Costa Rica: In addition to the local impact our students and faculty make, our reach extends internationally. In January 2013, the college was able to provide representation on a Renewable Energy/Sustainability grant at Rancho Mastatal in Costa Rica. This YouTube video provides an overview of the types of renewable projects the group members completed for the community there. Amy Patterson, Beaver Dam Communication faculty, participated in this grant opportunity.

London and Paris! Spring Break 2013!

Several students depart for London next week, with a day-trip excursion to Paris included with their travels. While only four students were able to share in the experience last year, this year Ms. Danielle Domenosky grabbed the reins and has orchestrated a great itinerary for the 15 travelers. While the first day includes money exchange, getting settled in the lodging, and grocery shopping, the students will have opportunities to become proficient with London public transportation (London's infamous Tube). In addition, they will visit British classics, such as the Changing of the Guard, the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Bridge, Camden Lock open market and the London Eye. The trip is not all tourism and historical sites -- Danielle has also reviewed the students' program emphasis areas (most travelers are Cosmetology students) and arranged program-specific activities for the students, which in the past has included visits to a London court room, waste-water treatment facilities, IT specialists, and the police department (shadows for the bobbies).

Safe travels to the group from Moraine Park Technical College as they prepare for their departure. We hope to have a student posting blog entries. Updates soon!

Community Connections Fair -- Beaver Dam

Moraine Park Technical College in Beaver Dam hosted the first Community Connections Fair for the Beaver Dam campus. The Fond du Lac campus hosted the same type of fair in September 2012, but we wanted to expand our reach to the Beaver Dam community. As a result, 9-10 community agencies were on hand in the student lounge/Beaver Dam cafeteria to take student applications for volunteer and service-learning opportunities. These agencies were included among the participants:

Red Cross

Dodge County Humane Society

YMCA of Dodge County

Green Valley Enterprises

People Against a Violent Environment (PAVE)

Bethesda Lutheran Communities and Thrift Store

Marsh Haven Nature Center
City of Beaver Dam--The Watermark

Beaver Dam Community Hospital

Hillside Manor Nursing Home

Badgerland Animal Reading and Comfort Companions (BARCC)

Thanks to Ms. Amy Patterson and Mr. Bayard Frederick for their work and determination to ensure this inaugural Community Connections Fair in Beaver Dam was a success. We appreciate everyone's support for our students and their potential service-learning opportunities. Thank you.

Service-Learning Updates

Classes start Monday, and several faculty are lining up their classes to work with community orgnizations through a variety of service-learning models Moraine Park employs to serve both the students and our community connections. It seems our "Community Connections" tag line, one of the College's Goal Statements through 2016, is catching on.

UW-FDL is hosting their "Community Connections" Fair Wednesday, Feb. 6, from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. This event is open to the public, and our faculty and students are welcomed to attend if interested. In addition, the Beaver Dam campus of Moraine Park showcases their community connections for service-learning on Thursday, Feb. 14, from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Contact Amy Patterson for more information related to that event.

In addition to the service-learning projects getting underway over the next few weeks through our campus, we are piloting a new tracking database to allow us to more accurately realize the service footprint Moraine Park, our faculty, our staff, our students and our college community are making within our local civic communities. A few of us will be working with the database this semester with plans to roll it out to the campus community in the fall semester. 

The college is also a member of the Wisconsin Campus Compact, and this organization allows us additional resources and opportunities for connecting with community, educational, organizational and statewide partners for service for our students. This statewide organization is a leader and innovator in service-learning and volunteer events for its membership. 

We look forward to posts that highlight the impact our faculty and students make in the community over the next 15-16 weeks.