The state of Iowa has accepted an invitation to participate in the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. The program is designed to give young Americans a working knowledge of American political life.
Each year, two Iowa students have the opportunity to spend a week in Washington, D.C. The William Randolph Hearst Foundation pays all expenses. In addition, the two Iowa high school representatives each receive a $5,000 scholarship, subject to scholarship conditions and requirements. The selection of the two Iowa high school representatives is based solely on the outstanding ability and demonstrated leadership qualities of elected junior or senior high school student officers for the 2009-10 school year.
Each high school may nominate one student. Click here for the Iowa Department of Education's letter to Iowa's superintendents and principals about the USSYP Program. Student application materials are attached here or may be downloaded from the DE's Web site at http://www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=939&Itemid=1225.
The completed applications must be submitted to Kim Thuente at Heartland AEA 11 by September 25, 2009. Nominees selected from the applicants will be required to take a qualifying examination on October 7th at 1:30 p.m. in the Johnston AEA Computer Lab. The qualifying examination consists of a 45-minute multiple choice, matching and T/F test with questions about government and the U.S. Constitution. The top five scoring students will then complete a 45-minute essay exam.The essays and application materials from the top five scoring students will be submitted to the DE by October 30th for selection of the two Iowa delegates and alternates.
If you have questions please contact Kimberly (Kim) Thuente at (515) 270-0405 or (800) 255-0405 ext. 14372.
Utilize this site to share information with your counselors, keep updated on current issues, find professional development opportunities, obtain forms and guidelines for your counseling program, share curriculum resources and discover much more.
To register, go to: http://205.221.40.124:16080/moodle. Login or click login in the top right corner and follow the directions to create an account.
“Enroll” in the “course” called, School Counseling – Iowa School Counselors (there is no “course”, it is merely the Moodle language).For assistance or questions, please contact Sue Schirmer at sschirmer@aea11.k12.ia.us
Do you have a new school counselor in your district? Looking for ways to improve your school's counseling program? You are invited to participate in the first webinar hosted by the Iowa School Counselor Association (ISCA), the Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) and the Iowa Department of Education on Friday, October 9, 2009 from 2:30-3:30 p.m.A panel of Iowa school counseling leaders will cover the nuts and bolts of starting a comprehensive school counseling program. Participants will also receive a list of valuable school counseling resources and learn about options for networking with other new school counselors in Iowa. Teresa Keefe O’Meara, ISCA President, will moderate the discussion. Participants will have an opportunity to ask the panel specific questions. A PowerPoint will be provided that you can download to adapt to your local school district.To register, go to www.ICANsucceed.org/counselors and click on the link in the News and Events. For more information, contact Erick Danielson at (515) 273-7419 or edanielson@icansucceed.org.
Cowles Library at Drake University is offering the course, “Making Presidential History Come Alive,” this fall that relates to two traveling exhibits that they will be hosting later this semester and in early 2010. The course is available for licensure renewal credit through Heartland AEA 11 or as a graduate credit at Drake University. There is limited space so an RSVP is required by October 16, 2009.
"Making Presidential History Come Alive" course dates and objectives are the following:
• October 31, 2009 (9:00 a.m,-Noon; 1:00-2:00 p.m.) – learn about primary and secondary resources, review initial research skills, experience a detailed tour of “John Adams: Unbound” traveling exhibit in the Library.• November 5, 2009 (7:00-9:00 p.m.) – attend the Live! at Cowles Library Lecture series featuring historical scholar/author, Gordon Wood, in the Cowles Library Reading Room.
• November 14, 2009 (9:00 a.m.-Noon) – incorporate information literacy into the classroom and review library research skills
• November 17, 2009 (7:00-9:00 p.m.) – attend the special Citizens Arise! Lecture, featuring Beth Prindle, exhibition curator of the “John Adams: Unbound” exhibit, in the Cowles Library Reading Room.
• January 21, 2010 (7:00-9:00 p.m.) – attend the Live! at Cowles Library Lecture series featuring Ronald Rietveld, Lincoln scholar, in the Cowles Library Reading Room.
• January 23, 2010 (8:00 a.m.-Noon) – learn about available grant resources, experience a detailed tour of the “Abraham Lincoln: A Man for His Time, A Man for All Times” traveling exhibit in the Library.
• February 4, 2010 (7:00-9:00 p.m.) – attend the special Citizens Arise! Lecture featuring Civil War scholar, Orville Vernon Burton, in the Cowles Library Reading Room.
The traveling exhibits will be open and free to the public:
October 28 to December 11, 2009 - "John Adams: Unbound"
January 11 to February 8, 2010 - "Abraham Lincoln: A Man of his Time, A Man for All Times"If you are interested in registering for this course, please contact Claudia Frazer at (515) 271-3776 or Claudia.frazer@drake.edu or Susan Breakenridge at (515) 271-3994 or susan.breakenridge@drake.edu.
For more information, see the Citizens Arise! Web site at http://citizensarise.drake.edu/.
Click here for a flyer and application form about a gang training seminar hosted by the Midwest Gang Investigators Association, the Midwest Counterdrug Training Center and the Dubuque County Sheriff's office. The seminar entitled, "Gangs: What School Officials Need to Know and Do", will be held on November 17, 2009 in Dubuque, Iowa. The instructor, Dr. Alfonso J. Valdez, is nationally known and is an expert in the field as well as very entertaining.
