May 30, 2011

Sharing Our Stories, Again!

Here is another story about the power of Alternative Education in Iowa! Read about a Kimberly Center graduate and young mother who is an example of another success story. Congratulations!


May 26, 2011

Sharing our Stories

Lisa Hackman from Missouri Valley Alternative Center for Education sent a link to an excellent news story featuring her program! Check out the story in the Missouri Valley Times News




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The IAAE loves to share success stories about alternative students, programs and schools. Please send your stories to iaaenewsletter@gmail.com for inclusion in our quarterly newsletter and on this blog.

May 13, 2011

New IAAE Board Members Elected at Conference

Joel Schutte, Central Region IAAE Representative
Joel Schutte, principal of Harbor Alternative in Altoona, was elected to serve the Central Region. He will serve on the IAAE Board of Directors for a term of two years.

Schutte is a graduate of Des Moines Lincoln High School. He is a 1992 graduate of Central College and received his Masters of. Education in Educational Counseling from the University of Phoenix (Main campus, Phoenix, Az). He earned his Endorsement in Administration from Viterbo University in 2004. Schutte spent three years working for Orchard Place/Des Moines Child Guidance/PACE in a couple of different capacities, with his last position there as Casework Therapist in the S.T.O.P. program. In 1998, he began working as a counselor in the Oasis Program at Southeast Polk High School. Schutte became Principal Joel Schutte, Central Region IAAE Representative of Harbor Alternative (SE Polk) in the fall of 2006. He lives in Pleasant Hill with his wife, Marna, and four children (Jorie 18, Cade 9, Quinn 8, and Beck 6).

According to Schutte‘s application to run for this office, "I have dedicated my career to alternative education. For the past five years I have been principal of Harbor Alternative in the Southeast Polk School District, and before that spent eight years as an at-risk counselor at Southeast Polk High School. Recently I joined Rich Blonigan from SCAVO and Kim Davis from Walnut Creek on the planning committee for the Risky Business conference in the fall."

Ken Burrington, Northeast Region IAAE Representative
Ken Burrington of Osage Alternative program was elected to serve a two-year term representing the
Northeast Region.

This excerpt was taken from Ken‘s application: "Alternative education‘s place in the overall scheme of education is here to stay and growing. I feel we need to continue to work on organizing and communicating. There are many very successful programs out there, so what are they doing and how did they get to be successful. How can we better help each other? I also feel we need to educate the public on what Alternative Education is and what it looks like. There are so many misconceptions out there about our programs and our students."




Brian Friesner, Northwest Region IAAE Representative

Brian Friesner from Sergent Bluff flexible Learning Center will be serving the Northwest Region for the next two years. Brian graduated from Morningside College in the Spring 2003. He was a 5th grade teacher and a substitute teacher before coming to the Flexible Learning Center in the Fall of 2005. Brian teaches high school math, science, social studies courses. He has been a athletic coach going for more than 15 years. He has coached high school vol- leyball and currently is a coach of high school cross coun- try, boys basketball, boys/girls track and field at Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Brian says, "I truly enjoying working with young people. My free time is spent with my lovely wife of ten years, Michealeen, my energetic son, Luke, and our two dogs. We enjoy spending time together outdoors and understanding why "why" is good question to everything
for my son!"

2011 IAAE Vincent C. Scavo Grant Winners

Every year the IAAE provides seed money to alternative schools and programs to jump start efforts
to improve. Through the Vincent C Scavo grant program last year, the IAAE  provided Northeast Alternative High School with $500 to purchase high interest books to add to their library.

We had many requests this year. The following five schools were awarded $300 each in grant money:
  • Bernie Kraft, COMPASS Alternative Center: toward a perennial garden
  •  Lisa Hackman, Missouri Valley Alternative Center for Education (ACE): towards a Wii for fitness
  • Jayme Hurley, Buchanan County Success Center: toward community learning opportunities
  • Tina Turner, Creative Learning Center, Fort Madison: toward fitness equipment
  • Kristin Flynn, Kimberly Center, Davenport: toward Xbox for fitnes

May 09, 2011

2011-12 IAAE Board Member Contact Information

Have questions for your 2011-12 IAAE Board? Feel free to contact them!

President: Brett Eubank, Red Oak Alternative School, 904 Broad Street, Red Oak, IA 51566; 712- 623-6610; Fax 712-623-6603; eubankb@roschools.com

President Elect: Lisa Demuth, Walnut Creek Campus, 815 South Eighth Street, West Des Moines, IA 50265; 515-633-6415; demuthl@wdmcs.org

Past President: Brian Galusha, Associate Principal, Clinton High School, 811 Eighth Avenue South, Clinton, IA 52732; 563-243-7540, x 4010; Fax 563-243-9612; bgalusha@clintonia.org

Secretary: Dawn Young, COMPASS Alternative Center, 2999 North 10th Street Marion, IA 52302, 319-730-3621, fax 319-730-3622, dyoung@linnmar.k12.ia.us

Treasurer: Rachelle Brown, Expo Alternative Learning Center, 1410 Independence Ave, Waterloo, IA 50703, 319-433-1930, Fax 319-433-1933; brownrr@waterloo.k12.ia.us

Central: Joel Schutte, Harbor Alternative SE Polk, 1301 1st Ave N., Altoona, IA 50009, 515-957-8811; schuttej@se-polk.k12.ia.us

Central: Steve Peters, Scavo High School, 3725 52nd Street, Des Moines, IA 50310; 515- 242-7589, x 4706; Fax 515-242-7591; stephen.peters@dmps.k12.ia.us

Northeast: Ken Burrington, Osage Alternative Education, 820 Sawyer Dr., Osage, IA 50461; 641-732-5172; kburrington@osage.k12.ia.us

Northeast: Josh Dean, Carrie Lane High School, 502 N. Jackson Street, Charles City, IA 50616-3846, 641-426-5975, jdean@charlescityschools.org

Northwest: Pat Johansen, Jefferson-Scranton Alternative School, 204 West Madison, Jefferson, IA 50129; 515-386-3856; pjohansen@jefferson-scranton.k12.ia.us

Northwest: Brian Friesner, Flexible Learning Center, 903 Topaz Ave., Sergeant Bluff, IA 51054; 712-943-2565, fax 712-943-2567; friesbri@sblschools.com

Southwest: Gina Scheffler, Success Center SWS, 800 Third Ave. Audubon, IA 50025. 712- 563-2607, fax 712-563-3607 gscheffler@audubon.k12.ia.us

Southwest: Lisa Hackman, Missouri Valley ACE, 109 E. Michigan Street, Missouri Valley, IA 51555, 712-642-9360, fax 712-642-2456, lhackman@movalleycsd.org

Southeast: Robyn Naberhaus, Basics and Beyond Alternative School, 600 N. 2nd Ave.West, Newton, IA 50208 naberhausr@newton.k12.ia.us

Southeast:

At-Large: Jen Duncan, New Directions Alternative High School Program, 401 West 9th Street, Tipton, IA, 52772, 563-886-3451, fax 319-398-1054; jen.duncan@tipton.k12.ia.us

At-Large: Pam Courtney, Davenport Schools, Administrative Services Center, 1606 Brady Street, Davenport, IA 52803; 563-336-3819; courtneyp@davenportschools.org

Community Colleges: Marlana Schnell, 3420 MLK Parkway, Des Moines, IA 50310; 515-697-7736; mdschnell@dmacc.edu

Department of Education: Susan Walkup, Department of Education, 400 East Fourteenth Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146; 515-281-5718; Fax 515-242-6019; susan.walkup@iowa.gov

Universities: Linda Rosulek , University of Northern Iowa; linda.rosulek@uni.edu

Ex-Officio: Ray Morley, 3706 Southwest Court Avenue, Ankeny, IA 50023; 515-964-8903; raymondmorl@gmail.com

Residential Education: Bob Howlett, 317 Ridgeview Dr., Independence, IA 50644; 319-334-4191; iaresed@gmail.com

AEA: Doug Harrold, Northwest AEA, 1520 Morningside Avenue, Sioux City, IA 51106; 800- 352-9040, x 6202 or 712-222-6202; Fax 712-222-6108; dharrold@nwaea.org

May 06, 2011

4/8/11 IAAE Board Meeting Minutes

IAAE Board Meeting Minutes
April 8, 2011     
Airport Holiday Inn
Des Moines, Ia

  1. Call to Order

    1. In Attendance: Rachelle Brown, Ken Burrington, Pam Courtney, Josh Dean, Lisa Demuth, Jen Duncan, Brett Eubank,  Brian Friesner, Brian Galusha, Lisa Hackman, Doug Harrold, Steve Iverson, Pat Johansen, Robyn Naberhaus, Steve Peters, Linda Rosulek, Gina Scheffler,  Marlana Schnell, Joel Schutte, Dawn Young


  1. New Business
    1. Welcome new members
    2. Steve Iverson shared some information/handouts with the group regarding transitioning that can be used with students.
    3. A date has been set for the 2012 IAAE State Conference: April 12-13, 2012.
      1. Lisa D. previously distributed a copy of a new contract from the Airport Holiday Inn Des Moines outlining their proposal to be the host site for the event in 2012.  Upon working out the final details, Lisa D has authority to sign the contract with the Airport Holiday Inn for next year.
    4. The Iowa residential educators will be represented on the IAAE Board and at subsequent IAAE state conferences.
    5. Pat Johansen agreed to do one more hard copy of the IAAE newsletter.  After that, the newsletter will be in digital form.
    6. The next IAAE Board meeting will be Friday May 6, 2011 at the DMACC Ankeny Campus.  We will meet in the FAA building room 208.
      1. Please come prepared to talk about themes and speakers for the next conference.


  1. Adjournment


***Next meeting: Friday May 6, 2011: Room 208, FFA Building 10:00-2:00

Respectfully submitted,
Dawn Young

4/6/11 IAAE Board Meeting Minutes

IAAE Board Meeting Minutes
April 6, 2011 8:30PM
Airport Holiday Inn
Des Moines, IA

  1. Call to Order


  1. Approval of March 25th Board Meeting Minutes
    1. Minutes approved.


  1. Conference Details
    1. The board discussed details for the spring conference, finalizing the order of events and particular duties during the conference.
    2. There was a request to give $200 to cover the cost of printing the Mandala.  A motion was made, seconded and approved.


  1. Adjournment



Respectfully submitted,
Dawn Young