Et Cetera

The Vinton Garden Club member of National Garden Clubs, Inc., District II and Central Region met 12:30pm, Aprl 27 at Vinton Public Library with Bristol Gibson as hostess.  The program “Soaring with the Eagles” speaker, Karen Phelps, Benton County Naturalist, presented a very interesting program. President Fran Stueck called the meeting to order at 1:30pm.

The following individuals graduated from the Iowa School Business Management Academy at Iowa State University in Ames on April 29, 2016:  John Berg - Mason City Community Schools Tim Blum - Council Bluffs Community Schools Mary Bogaard - Pella Community School District Crystal Coder - Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District       Tina Cooper - Allamakee Community School District Jennifer Dunn - Riceville Comm School Joel Etienne - Des Moines Public Schools Clint Farlinger - Howard-Winneshiek CSD Heng Fongkhamdeng - Heartland AEA 11 Cynthia Gingerich - Williamsburg Community School District            Kelli Gray - Woodbine Community Schools Kirsten Heard - Fremont-Mills Community Schools Lori Hoven - Boyden-Hull CSD Angie Klinkkammer - West Branch Community Schools Dale Kreher - Lewis Central Public School Robyn Lane - Howard-Winneshiek CSD Nick Lenhardt - Des Moines Public Schools Robin Leonard - Cardinal CSD Megan Liebe - North Linn CSD Song Luong - Des Moines Public School Laura Marshall - Greene County CSD Rhonda Oliphant - Missouri Valley Comm.

We would like to announce that Eastern Iowa Honor Flight #24 will depart Wednesday, May 18th, 2016 from Cedar Rapids to Washington, DC, with another group of Iowa Veterans.   This flight is sponsored by Quaker, a longtime supporter of the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight.   There are 86 Veterans on this flight.   WWII                        7 Korea                      55 Vietnam Era            23 Persian Gulf              1   Veterans will begin checking in at 5:10 AM, with a scheduled departure of 6:30 AM.

2016 Vinton-Shellsburg High School senior Emily Howes-Vonstein is one of the students whom Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has honored for academic achievement. Emily and the ohter students were honored May 1 in Des Moines. The statewide program, sponsored by the Iowa Governor's Office, Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and its title sponsor the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF), honored 432 high school seniors from across Iowa.

Valedictorians or top graduating seniors were once again honored by KWWL Television and the University of Northern Iowa on Saturday, April 30. Olivia Ketchen daughter of John Ketchen and Sue Travis, was among the honoreesat this year's event. The students took part in KWWL's 32nd annual "Best of the Class" celebration. Best of the Class students were videotaped on the UNI campus for a series of public service announcements, which can be found on KWWL.

Jamie Rich, a Buena Vista University (BVU) senior psychology major from Belle Plaine, was selected to present research at the annual Midwestern Psychological Association conference in Chicago. This conference is competitive and only allows a certain number of undergraduate students to present. All nine BVU students who submitted projects were accepted.

This year, the Benton Soil & Water Conservation District Commissioners are very happy to announce that they have selected two recipients for their Annual Scholarship. Each will receive a $200 scholarship award. Students who reside in Benton County and are pursuing a course of study in the field of Natural Resources or Agriculture are eligible to apply.

Concordia University, Nebraska held its 109th commencement on Saturday, May 7, 2016. The university awarded undergraduate or graduate degrees to 353 graduates in May 2016. Graduates receiving a degree in December 2015, May 2016 or August 2016 were invited to participate in the ceremony. Colonel Eric J. Teegerstrom of Firth, Nebraska, presented the commencement address, and Concordia presented additional honorary awards and degrees.

Buena Vista University's (BVU) twelfth annual Scholars Day was held Friday, April 22. The event provided students from all disciplines an opportunity to present their best presentations, original research, academic posters, artistic creations and performances to their peers, professors and the public. This year's Scholars Day event featured 38 presentations from 66 students, exploring topics from literature and business to science and history.

Birthday Open House for Robert Ohlen 80th Birthday,  May 14th, Saturday,  at Legion Hall in Blairstown from 3-7 PM.   Refreshments will be served.  The family requests no gifts please!  Cards may be sent to 7499 21 st Ave  Blairstown, Iowa 52209