Area students are gearing up for several upcoming student events. Invention Convention will be held on March 6 at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs. On March 16, sixth graders will converge on Iowa Western Community College, Council Bluffs, for the AEA 13-Holmquist Sixth Grade Math Day. History Day is set for March 20 at Abraham Lincoln High School and the Civic Oration Contest will be April 12 at Halverson Center for Education. For details and contact information, check out the Student Events pages under the Programs and Services link.
Dillon Malone, Boyer Valley High School, is one of two students selected to represent Iowa in the U.S. Senate Youth Program. Michael Craighton, Iowa Christian Academy, is the other representative. They will spend a week in Washington, D.C. and will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship, with encouragement to pursue coursework in history and political science. Tate Jensen, Essex High School, and Dennis McWeeny, Prairie Valley High School, are alternates.
The U.S. Senate Youth Program is a unique educational experience for high school students interested in pursuing careers in public service. While in Washington, D.C. U.S. Senate Youth representatives will hear major policy addresses by Senators, cabinet members, and officials from both the state and defense departments. They will also participate in a meeting with a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Transportation, hotel and meal expenses are provided by The Hearst Foundation.
The Green Hills AEA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Dr. Lane Plugge has been appointed the Chief Administrator of the Green Hills AEA. The Board of Directors approved his appointment on Dec. 21, 2009. His contract will be for a three-year period beginning on July 1, 2010. The salary for the first year will be $180,000.
Dr. Plugge is currently the superintendent of the Iowa City Public School District, a position he has held since 1999. His prior experience includes seven years as the superintendent of the Grand Island (NE) Public Schools as well as five years as the assistant superintendent in the same district. He was also the superintendent of the Fairbury (NE) Public Schools for two years.
In 2009 Dr. Plugge was named Iowa Superintendent of the Year by the School Administrators of Iowa. Two years earlier the Iowa Bandmasters named him Superintendent of the Year, and in 1995 he was given the Distinguished Alumni Award by the College of Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Dr. Plugge earned his Bachelor's degree at Dana College and his Master of Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His Doctor of Philosophy degree was earned at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.