Et Cetera

Jacob Isbell of Garrison, IA is one of 64 students at the University of Iowa featured in an annual outreach effort designed to shine a bright light on their scholarship and research. The students who are part of this year's "Dare to Discover" street banner program - an annual activity of the University of Iowa's Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development (OVPRED) - represent "not only some of the University of Iowa's brightest minds, but our country's bright future," said John Keller, interim vice president for research and economic development and dean of the UI Graduate School.

The following local students graduated from Drake University at the end of the fall 2017 semester. Drake University is a midsize, private university in Des Moines, Iowa, enrolling more than 3,200 undergraduate and 1,700 graduate students from approximately 45 states and 42 countries. Students choose from over 70 majors, minors, and concentrations and 20 graduate degrees offered through six colleges and schools.

The following local students have been named to the Dean's List at Drake University. This academic honor is achieved by earning a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher during the Fall 2017 semester at Drake. Drake University is a midsize, private university in Des Moines, Iowa, enrolling more than 3,200 undergraduate and 1,700 graduate students from approximately 45 states and 42 countries.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville awarded diplomas to approximately 550 graduates after the fall 2017 semester. The College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture ceremony was in the morning of Dec. 16, while students in the College of Liberal Arts and Education and the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science graduated in the afternoon.

While the loss of some historic Vinton business buildings to Thursday's fire has been a very difficult time for many, it has also brought moments of inspiration and kindness to strangers. Among those moments was a firefighter who brightened a young boy's day with a simple gesture. Carrie Mulder explains what happened for her son, AJ. "We were standing on the side of the road and I was explaining to my son AJ about the devastation of the fire and what the fireman were trying to do to help.

Rachel Gordon of Shellsburg has been named to the Deans' List/Explore Center List of Distinguished Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the fall semester of the 2017-18 academic year. Gordon, a senior English major, was named to the Dean's List for the College of Arts and Sciences. More than 5,100 students at Nebraska have been named to the Deans' List for the fall semester.

Each semester Grand View University announces students to be named to the Dean's list and President's list for exceptional academic performance. Named to the Dean's list from Vinton, was Rachel Nugent. She was included in the Dean's list at Grandview University, while working on her degree in Nursing. To achieve the Dean s list, Grand View students must successfully complete a minimum of 12 graded semester hours of credit andearn no grade lower than a C during the semester, and earn an overall semester grade point average of 3.

Tilford Elementary students and teachers celebrated the 100th day of school with a two-day event which included dressing as the children might imagine 100 years old to look like, as well as parties with 100 snacks. The students also had an assigment in which they had to place 100 items (candy pieces, stickers, crackers, etc.) within the 1 and to 0s that make "100.

Randy Hanson taught his granddaughter, Carley Re, about the basics of jumping rope during Winter Fun Night. Two different community events took place in Shellsburg on Friday, both at the elementary school. The Rec Dept. put on a spaghetti fund-raiser to raise money for fence and equipment for the youth baseball and softball teams, which play throuhout the area.

Allen College awarded 89 degrees at its commencement ceremony on Friday, December 15 at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Allen College conferred 14 Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degrees, 56 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees and 19 Master of Science of Nursing degrees. Among the graduates were the following: Master of Science in Occupational Therapy,Haynes Kallee, Center Point Bachelor of Science in Nursing,Hamilton Kaley, Belle Plaine andMorin Amy, Vinton Magna Cum Laude The speaker for Allen College's fall commencement was Dr.