What’s The Iowa And Illinois Good News For May, Quad-Cities?
The weather is finally starting to become brighter, but regardless of whether it’s rainy or sunny, there’s always sunny news in the Quad-Cities!
Every month, we at QuadCities.com, in partnership with our friends at KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live,” present you with a smattering of that positive news in our What’s The Good News? column.
So, what’s the good news for May? Read on…
Bettendorf Teacher wins Art Education Leadership Award
Herbert Hoover Elementary School and Mark Twain Elementary School art instructor Meghan Purcell is the recipient of Artsonia’s 2022 Art Education Leadership Award. The award honors pioneers in the art education community who continuously inspire their peers and engage students.
Purcell’s peers and Artsonia selected her among thousands of instructors as one of 15 national winners of this award.
“Being recognized as a leader in arts education is an incredible honor,” Purcell said. “I truly love what I do, and as every educator does, I constantly wonder if I am doing enough. This award reminds me that the work I am doing as an art educator is meaningful to my peers, my students, and their families. This award reminds me that being an art teacher is important and the work I am doing is inspiring others around me.”
Purcell is in her seventeenth year as an art instructor. She strives to cultivate an environment where students can freely express themselves.
“Many of my students, just as the rest of us have, experienced trauma in some form or another over the past few years,” Purcell said. “I strive every day to make my classroom a haven where students can shed fear and anxiety and escape into our creative world even if just for a little while. I want my students to be able to take the unique techniques and experiences we have learned in art class with them in their creative journey.”
Purcell is one of thousands of art teachers from over 100 countries around the world who use Artsonia to showcase their student art, crowdsource lesson plans and help fundraise for their classrooms. Artsonia, the world’s largest online student art museum with more than 90 million pieces of art, allows family and friends of student artists create and purchase organic keepsakes from the student art, and then gives back 20 percent of all revenue to the local art classroom.
Senior Maitreyi Shrikhande Wins 2022 Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley Scholarship From Davenport
The Davenport Community School District is proud to share Davenport Central High School senior Maitreyi Shrikhande has received the 2022 Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley Scholarship. This is a $20,000 scholarship to help her pursue a career in the medical field. Davenport Central Principal Jon Flynn, Shrikhande’s counselor Sterling Kingery, teachers and parents all surprised her with the news Friday, April 29, 2022.
“It was really touching to see how many people were there,” Shrikhande said. “They’re all people I look up to. Being a doctor is something I’ve always wanted to do. And psychiatry has become my passion.”
Shrikhande will attend Augustana College this fall and is majoring in psychology and pre-medicine.
“This is the single most sought-after scholarship,” said Kingery. “It’ll make a great impact… I’m almost speechless. She is very deserving.”
Shrikhande said she’s been volunteering at Genesis East Hospital since she was in eighth grade, first by playing cello in the entryway then volunteering at the front desk and as part of the Art from the Heart Program.
“This is a huge deal for me,” Shrikhande said. “Not only because of how it helps financially, but it gives me a lot of hope. It tells me I’m on the right path.”
Each year, the Davenport Community School District awards the Dooley Scholarship to a Davenport high school senior. The student must be in the upper 10% of the class and have a minimum GPA of 3.7 after seven semesters of high school.
Rock Island High School Students Get A Jump Start On Careers With Illinois Apprenticeships
Congratulations to our Rock Island high school welding and CNA students who signed letters of intent for local apprenticeships.
Ten Rock Island High School students from the Welding and CNA programs joined 60 area high school students at the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce apprenticeship “Signing Day.”
The students will start their apprenticeships in June. They will work full-time during the summer months. Then during the school year, students will work part-time as an apprentice while also attending and completing their normal class schedule in school.
Welding students signed letters of Intent to companies like John Deere, Crawford Company, and McLaughlin. While the apprenticeship locations for the CNA students is still being determined, students will have the opportunity to work at a hospital, like Unity-Point, or an assisted living facility like Friendship manor.
Quad Cities Heart Walk invites participants to reconnect for heart health
The American Heart Association, the leading voluntary health organization focused on heart and brain health for all, is inviting the Quad Cities back to its premier event to boost physical and mental health through healthy habits while supporting the lifesaving mission.
On Saturday, June 11 at 8:00 a.m., Quad Cities-area Heart Walk participants and teams are invited to Schwiebert Riverfront Park to celebrate heart and stroke survivors, raise lifesaving funds and encourage physical activity. This year’s theme, Heart Walk Here, invites participants to walk on the event path or to create a path of their own. From parks and parkways to tucked away trails, participants are invited to Heart Walk at any location that inspires their heart health. Heart Walk Here is led by Scott Naumann, 2nd Ward Alderman for the City of Bettendorf.
To register, visit www.QuadCitiesHeartWalk.org. From there, participants can stay up to date by downloading the Heart Walk mobile app and encourage friends and family to join in via e-mail or on social media. Those walking on Heart Walk on a path of their own, can follow the festivities through the event hashtag, #QCHeartWalk.
Iowa Schools Hire Courtney Olsen As Director Of Equity For Davenport
Courtney Olsen has been hired as the Director of Equity and Learning Supports for the Davenport Community School District.
Ms. Olsen holds an Education Specialist degree in School Psychology and holds the Director of Special Education endorsement.
In addition, Ms. Olsen has five years of leadership experience as a District Support Administrator with MBAEA. In her leadership role at the AEA she has supported Davenport in both a special and general education capacity and has been instrumental in supporting Davenport through the special education audit and citation work as well as the most recent accreditation plan.
“Courtney has worked side by side the district throughout our accreditation process and has been a very important reason we are in the positive place we are today,” said TJ Schneckloth, DCSD Superintendent. “She will only build on that positive work as we move forward.”
Ms. Olsen currently supports the district’s early literacy and PBIS priority areas by delivering district wide professional development, serving as an implementation coach and supporting building and district leaders.
Ms. Olsen’s role at the AEA has allowed her to build positive relationships with staff throughout the district that will serve her well as the new Director of Equity and Learning Supports.
Bustos Announces Over $100,000 in Infrastructure Grants
Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) announced that nearly $100,000 in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rural infrastructure grants have been awarded to Morrison, Oquawka and Williamsfield, Illinois.
“Our small cities and villages are the fabric of the Heartland and the drivers of our rural economy,” Congresswoman Bustos said. “Since I was elected to Congress nearly a decade ago, I’ve always prioritized ensuring that all of our communities receive the attention and support they deserve from the federal government. I’m so glad to announce that Morrison, Oquawka and Williamsfield, Illinois will be receiving nearly $100,000 in USDA Rural Development grants for important local projects.”
USDA Rural Development delivers a number of programs to help improve the quality of life in rural communities throughout the nation. The grants for Morrison, Oquawka and Williamsfield were awarded through the USDA’s Community Facilities Disaster Grant program. Details on the projects funded by USDA can be found below:
City of Morrison – $48,200: The City of Morrison will receive a $48,200 Rural Development grant to complete the construction of its library roof. The city will remove the existing asphalt roof and replace it with a metal roof to prevent leaking.
Village of Oquawka – $43,100: The Village of Oquawka will receive a $43,100 Rural Development grant to acquire a new police vehicle. It will be the replacement for a vehicle that is in need of costly repairs and is no longer dependable.
Village of Williamsfield – $5,300: the Village of Williamsfield will receive an additional $5,300 for improvements to make the Village Hall handicap accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This includes the construction of a bathroom, replacement of the water line and improvements to sidewalks and parking. Williamsfield was awarded $15,400 for this project in November 2021.
