Renovation of Max Clark Hall on the Northeast Iowa Community College Calmar Campus is one of four projects that will be part of the first stage of the college’s construction and renovation project. Along with Max Clark Hall, renovation of the Peosta campus Main Building, Dubuque Center, and the Town Clock Business Center in Dubuque will be part of the initial stage. (Zakary Kriener photo)

NICC Trustees select Straka Johnson Architects

The Northeast Iowa Community College Board of Trustees has selected Dubuque firm Straka Johnson Architects, P.C. to lead design, construction and renovations for projects funded by the passage of a $39 million bond levy in September.

  The Trustees selected the architectural firm at its meeting on Dec. 17 based on the recommendations of the college, a nine-member search committee, and the Requests for Proposals (RFPs) formally submitted to NICC for consideration.

As part of a promotional event for Langston English School in Shenyang, China, Gabriel Heuton presents one lucky student with a prize of a nice Lego set.

U.S. teacher becomes student of Chinese culture

Vicki Rowland
Contributing Writer

While we Americans are celebrating New Year’s, 26-year-old Gabe Heuton of rural Wadena may also recall his fond memories of a “new year” that he experienced while living and teaching English in China.

A graduate of Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Gabe decided to teach internationally. He found his destined school on craigslist and interviewed via Skype with two American teachers in China. Langston English has three schools located in Shenyang, China, in the Liaoning province.  Heuton was hired to teach English to Chinese children ages 4-15.  He also taught some upper-level math classes.

West Central freshmen (front, l-r) Christian Patten, Garrison Hauge; and (back) Logan Wescott relax in a mountain of plastic bags, which will eventually be turned into cots for the class’ Kaiden’s Kots for the Homeless project. The four-year project, which began with bag collecting after the students’ eighth-grade year, aims to donate the cots at the end of their high school careers. (Zakary Kriener photo)

Kaiden's Kots for the Homeless

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

It’s been nearly six months since 14-year-old Kaiden Estling left the earth all too soon in a devastating moped accident, but thanks to his freshman classmates at West Central High School, his memory will live on through Kaiden’s Kots for the Homeless.

“We initially started the project at the end of last school year and set a goal to make 70 cots to donate by the time the class graduates from high school,” explained teacher and project leader Elaine VandeVorde. “When we lost Kaiden over the summer, it only seemed right to dedicate the four-year project to his memory.”

Throughout the summer, students in the West Central Class of 2022 started collecting plastic bags for the project. When the school year began in August, the Kaiden’s Kots for the Homeless project was officially underway.

Sylvia Peterson

Sylvia Kathryn (Rogness) Peterson was born July 18, 1923, in Ossian, Iowa, to Knut and Sophie (Watne) Rogness. 

She was baptized on Aug. 8, 1923 at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Ossian, Iowa by Reverend Kristen Kvamme.  

On Oct. 10, 1937, she was confirmed by Reverend Kvamme. 

She attended rural school near her home through the eighth grade, then graduated from Ossian High School. 

Sylvia then attended Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa, where she received her teaching certificate. She then went on to teach rural country school at Dover #6.  

On June 5, 1943, Sylvia was united in marriage with Henry O. Peterson by Reverend V.A. Fiskerback. This union was blessed with three children, Sonja (Peterson) Streif, Steven, and Claude.