Articles from March 2024

You might say it has been another banner year for the Dubuque Senior High School speech team.

On Saturday, February 17th the Dubuque Senior Speech Team performed at the 2024 Iowa High School Speech Association Large Group All-State Festival at Iowa State University. The team of 84 Senior High students proudly represented and entertained audiences in performances ranging from Ensemble Acting to Musical Theatre. The Senior High Speech Team proudly closed the ceremony by claiming the Critic’s Choice Banner for outstanding performance of the day in the Category of One Act Play.

The Revolutionists claimed the Critic’s Choice Banner in the category of One Act Play. It is a moving story of art, feminism and changing the world through four very real women who lived boldly in France during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. It was written by Lauren Gunderson. The performance featured students Ami Bellings, Peter Boenish, Wyatt Branscomb, Peyton Dixon, Anna Garrett-Douillet, Avery Kane, and Isabella VandenBerge. It was directed by Mr. Aaron Dean. Critic was Connor Wang, Sound Designer and Video Engineer from Broadway’s How to Dance in Ohio.

Dubuque Senior All-State Banner for One Act Play

Dubuque Senior was also awarded the E. Wayne Cooley Large Group Sweepstakes Trophy. The trophy is awarded to the school receiving the most All-State Nominations to the IHSSA Large Group Festival making Dubuque Senior the 2024 Large Group State Champions.

Iowa High School Speech Association Information:

• The Critic’s Choice Award is given by a theatre professional to the top performance of the day in each category.

• This is the fourth One Act Play Banner for Dubuque Senior, one of the original IHSSA categories from the first festival back in 1981. It was last awarded to Senior in 2016.

• The award is a traveling championship banner which Dubuque Senior will return to the All-State Festival next year

• This marks the 37th banner win in in IHSSA history for Dubuque Senior High School and the 18th in the last 12 years.

• This is Dubuque Senior’s eighth Large Groups Sweepstakes State Championship. (1984, 2001, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024)

The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education is proud to announce Theressa Northouse, a technology coach at Marshall Elementary School, has been named as a recipient of the 2024 Iowa STEM Teacher Award, sponsored by Kemin Industries. The award is given to six educators each year who go above and beyond to inspire student interest in and awareness of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Now in its 10th year, the award is given annually to one full-time, licensed preK-12 teacher from each of the six STEM regions in Iowa. Each recipient is honored for their efforts to foster enthusiasm and inspire a passion for STEM that goes beyond the classroom and helps prepare students for future high-demand careers.

Northouse was recognized for her efforts in going above and beyond in providing STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) experiences at Marshall Elementary School. She has established several STEM clubs at her school, including a Coding Club, a Girls Who Code Club, and a Robot Club. Northouse’s work in the teaching of computer science is done with equity in mind, because she believes in the importance of students being able to see themselves in jobs that involve STEM.

Northouse has always collaborated with companies like John Deere and The National Inventors Hall of Fame to bring real-life, hands-on opportunities to the classroom. Her grant writing also produced Finch, Sphero, and DASH robots to ensure coding and robotics at all grade levels, while infusing creative challenges for the kids to keep them engaged. Northouse was described by her nominator for this award as “bringing tremendous energy to the classroom to keep kids engaged and wanting more STEAM.”

As a recipient of the 2024 Iowa STEM Teacher Award, Northouse will receive $1,500 to use for her classroom and $1,500 for personal use.

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About the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council

Established in July 2011 via Governor’s Executive Order, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council leverages public-private partnerships of educators, companies and Iowa students and families to ensure that every Iowa student has access to world-class STEM education opportunities. The Council’s work supports strong college and career pathways for students and growth for state and local economies. The 44-member STEM Council is co-chaired by Governor Kim Reynolds and Foundation Analytical Laboratory Owner and Director of Technical Services Diane Young. For more information, visit https://iowastem.org.

About Kemin Industries

Kemin Industries (www.kemin.com) is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services. The company supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies, textile, biofuel and animal vaccine industries.

For over half a century, Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to address industry challenges and offer product solutions to customers in more than 120 countries. Kemin provides ingredients to feed a growing population with its commitment to the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products.

Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 3,000 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Italy, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.