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.

Morocco--Culture and Culinary

Thomas Endejan, Culinary faculty for Moraine Park, is in Morocco this first week of January 2013. Researching Moroccan cuisine and culture, Tom will lead a group of MPTC students to the North African kingdom in 2014. We will post another blog with more pics and stories from him next week.

In these pics, you see him forming and baking flatbread and showcasing the very common and popular Moroccan dish, tagine.

Service-Learning: Sassu Enterprises

MPTC Service-Learning: Business Instructor Julie Dilling's Students Make Community Connection

While service-learning opportunities at Moraine Park are increasing in number, this link provides an example as to why this type of curriculum has value. Kudos to Ms. Julie Dilling and the time, effort, dedication, and service she modeled for her students. This fundraiser for and promotion of Sassu Enterprises was a success for all involved parties. Thank you, Julie!

Additional displays of the event are on the second floor of the A building at the Fond du Lac campus.