Fond du Lac High School hosts author Rod Van Blake for Black History Month: Your weekly dose
FOND DU LAC — As part of Black History Month, Fond du Lac High School will host author Rod Van Blake on Feb. 13.
Renowned for his captivating fiction and fantasy novels, Van Blake will share insights into his experiences, creative process and the importance of diverse storytelling.
This event provides an opportunity not only to celebrate Black History Month but also for individuals of all backgrounds to learn from and connect with this talented and creative author.
Van Blake will engage with students during the school day, at 10:30 a.m., 11:20 a.m. and 12:10 p.m., followed by a 5:30 p.m. session. The public is invited to attend the session that fits their schedule.
Welcome to your weekly dose. Here is more news from throughout Fond du Lac County.
Open enrollment period runs Feb. 5 through April 30
Open enrollment for the 2024-25 school year is available to families beyond the Fond du Lac School District boundaries. Open enrollment began Feb. 5 and runs through April 30.
An application can be found on the Department of Public Instruction website at dpi.wi.gov. Applications must be received by 4 p.m. April 30.
On or before June 7, written notification of approval or denial will be sent to the student’s parent or guardian. Questions regarding open enrollment should be directed to Wendy Burgess at 920-906-6524.
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Veteran Services makes effort to be available throughout county
Fond du Lac County Veteran Services is making an effort to be accessible to veterans and their families in the county, but outside the city limits. A specialist will work at various locations on a monthly basis.
A senior benefit specialist will work at the Ripon Public Library from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the first Monday of the month.
Another benefit specialist will work at the Waupun Public Library from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the second Thursday of the month, starting Feb. 8.
A County Veteran Service officer will work at the Municipal Building in Campbellsport from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. the last Wednesday of the month, starting Feb. 28.
These dates and times are subject to change, but a notice will be released.
For more information, contact David Tellefsen at 920-929-3120.
DIY crafts part of Ripon library offerings in February
The Ripon Public Library will offer a variety of programs in February.
A movie matinee will begin at 2 p.m. Feb. 12. Free popcorn will be available.
Also Feb. 12, local business owner Denise Lynn will talk about the benefits of natural skin care, followed by a question-and-answer session. Part of a new “all-natural series” the program will run 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Create bath salts and shower steamers during the DIY craft club Feb. 15. The program is open to ages 10 and older. The session runs 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Teens are invited to help paint golf tees and a peg board to create a pseudo Lite Brite station in the teen space between 10 a.m. and noon Feb. 17.
The Ripon library is at 120 Jefferson St. For more information, visit riponlibrary.org or call 920-748-6160.
Learn about tree care during Feb. 14 Audubon program
“Let a Tree be a Tree — The Case for Tree Preservation” will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 14 at Moraine Park Technical College, Room E120, 235 N. National Ave.
Long-time tree enthusiast Fran Paul shares her observations, research and select best practices in how we care for trees. Learn how less is more when it comes to pruning, tree health and longevity.
Audubon programs are free and open to the public.
Phosphorus is topic of author discussion at Ripon College
New York Times best-selling author and environmental journalist Daniel Egan will discuss his book “The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance” Feb. 15 at Ripon College.
The Center for Politics and the People presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Great Hall, Harwood Memorial Union, on the campus. Admission is free and open to the public.
Phosphorus is a source of great bounty — and now great peril — all over the world. It has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on Earth: firebombs, rat poison and nerve gas. But it’s also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. With “The Devil’s Element,” Egan has written an essential and eye-opening account that urges us to pay attention to one of the most perilous but little-known environmental issues of our time.
Egan is a native of Green Bay. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1989, with a degree in history, and the Columbia School of Journalism. He worked as an assistant park historian at Yellowstone National Park and then wrote for newspapers in Idaho and Utah before moving back to Wisconsin in 2002.
Egan also is the author of “Death and Life of the Great Lakes.” He has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize twice, and a winner of the Alfred I. du Pont — Columbia University Award, John B. Oakes Award, AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award and J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award.
Willy Porter to appear in concert Feb. 17 at Thrasher
Guitarist, singer and songwriter Willy Porter will take the stage at the historic Thrasher Opera House in downtown Green Lake, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17.
Porter has been touring solo and with ensembles of different sizes and shapes for more than 30 years. He has created 11 albums and toured multiple continents. A largely self-taught musician, Porter began performing his brand of guitar playing and wry storytelling in the late 1980s while living in Madison. In 1990, he released his first full-length independent album, "The Trees Have Soul."
Porter has toured solo as well as with various incarnations of the Willy Porter Band and in support of artists like Tori Amos, Paul Simon, Jethro Tull, Sting and Jeff Beck.
Tickets are $25 at thrasheroperahouse.com or 920-294-4279.
Ripon College students share ideas at state conference
Ripon College students Hannah Brockman, ’24 of Sun Prairie, and Meredith Thiessen, ’26 of Stoughton, attended the 2023 Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers conference in Appleton last November.
Brockman is majoring in Spanish, French in a self-designed major and education. Thiessen is double majoring in Spanish and secondary education.
At the conference, Brockman made a presentation, “The Cultures of Southern France,” which also was the final project of her summer research with the Summer Opportunities for Advanced Research program at Ripon.
Brockman studied in Montpellier, France, during the fall 2022 semester. She learned and discovered many elements of French culture that she feels are not addressed in secondary French classrooms.
“I felt this needed to change, so that following summer I worked on a SOAR project with Professor of French Dominique Poncelet to create teaching units about the themes and cultural elements that are unique to the South of France,” said Brockman. During SOAR, she completed seven teaching units. She presented main ideas and sample activities from these units at the WAFLT conference.
“All in all, the experience of presenting these new ideas to teachers of many years was an empowering and successful experience because as I presented my ideas we engaged in a fruitful discussion about the practical implementation of my ideas," Brockman said. "It was a wonderful way to connect with professionals in the field as I finish out my career at Ripon College.”
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Boys & Girls Club to receive Ripon College's Founders Day Award
The Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area will be the 2024 recipient of Ripon College’s Founders’ Day Award. The formal presentation of the award will be at the 159th Commencement ceremony May 12. Jason Presto, an alumnus of the Ripon College Class of 2004 and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area, will accept the award on behalf of the organization.
The Founders’ Day Award honors an individual or organization in the greater Ripon community who exemplifies the ideals of the founders of Ripon College and who has contributed above and beyond to the mission of the school.
The Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area works to improve the lives of children and families through youth development services and family outreach support. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022, it began in Berlin, expanded to Green Lake and now will expand again with a Ripon site.
A Summer Pilot Program started in 2021 in Ripon and a partnership with Ripon College began. The Ripon site is under construction at the former Republican House in the downtown area.
Contact Mara Wegner at mwegner@gannett.com or 920-996-7241.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac High hosts author Rod Van Blake for Black History Month
