Key Notes from Xi Chapter of Upsilon State
March 2013
Cerro Gordo and Adjoining Counties
Time: Tuesday, April 30 **NOTE CHANGE IN DATE AND TIME**
5:30 p.m. – Gather to put book packets together
6:30 p.m. – Program - Wine tasting & pairings
7:00 p.m. – Food & meeting
Dinner: Everyone will be able to get and pay for what she wants in the food court.
Place: Mason City Hy-Vee East Club Room, 551 South Illinois Avenue.
Chair: Laurie Haugen
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Reflections from Chapter Members Who Are Retiring
Paula Warren
I graduated from St. Cloud State College in June of 1973. I taught Special Education
grades 3-6 at Windom, Minn. for 1 year. In June of 1974 I was married and moved to Iowa.
At that time I started my Master’s Degree program at Mankato State University and
graduated in 1978. I also taught Special Education in Charles City Iowa from 1974 until
1977. In the fall of 1977 I began teaching at Madison Elementary in Mason City. I taught
Special Education until 1984. I then transferred into a regular second grade classroom.
After teaching second grade for many years, I received my Reading Endorsement and
began teaching Title I Reading. In 2007 Madison Elementary was closed and I was
transferred to Roosevelt Elementary in Mason City where I still teach Title I. Two
experiences during my career have been especially difficult. In 1985 I lost a 2nd grade boy
to a car accident. In 1993 I lost another boy to a drowning. It is difficult to have an active 2 nd
grade boy sitting in your classroom and the next day he is gone. It reminds us that life is so
fragile. I have tried to remember that treating students kindly each day is so important!!
Carolyn Reeder
I am one of those "seasoned teachers" that is retiring this year from teaching after 41 years,
I believe. It has been a delightful experience and I am somewhat reluctant to do so, but feel
it is time for me to pursue other things, such as watercolor painting. My hobby keeps me
busy and I am looking forward to the extra time I can spend on this endeavor. Anyway, I
graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1973 and began teaching at HowardWinneshiek that fall. My first classroom consisted of 34 fifth graders. I taught there for 5
years before getting an upper elementary teaching position in Hanlontown. Being in that old
brick building with slate boards and wooden floors, brings back such fond memories! We
were a small elementary center and many close relationships were formed. Hanlontown
was part of the North Central School District and when a new elementary building was built
in Manly, so we packed our belongings and moved to a brand new classroom. Most of my
teaching has been with fourth grade but the last two years I have been a 3rd grade teacher.
I have enjoyed my profession immensely and would encourage other teachers to keep a
journal of memorable teaching stories, as I have done throughout my career.
Susan Oetken
This year marks my 37th year in special education. I graduated from UNI in 1976 with a
degree in elementary education. I had no idea at that time that special education would be
in my future. Terry and I married that summer, and living on a farm on the state line
brought me close to St. Ansgar. I was hired at St. Ansgar Elementary to teach in theirTitle
One program. That gave me a taste of how rewarding special education could be. I
stayed in St. Ansgar for 2 years, and then was hired at Northwood as a special education
teacher. During my 4 years there, I received my masters degree at Mankato State.
Mason City offered a high school special education position, and I enjoyed the high
school setting for 14 years. I loved teaching the core subjects with my high schoolers. With
my career half finished, I thought I'd like to return to my elementary roots. Hoover offered a
special education position, and I have stayed in the Mason City elementary level at Hoover
for 17 years. During that time, I earned my National Board Certification.
Making a difference in the lives of my students and their families has given my the
inspiration to stay in special education all of these years. Building relationships with
colleages and looking for the bright side of every day has given me so much pleasure in
these 37 years. Now I plan to enjoy a quieter schedule, and I will substitute in the area near
my home ... and at Hoover, of course!
Karen Dole
I’m retiring in June after 36 years as a librarian. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but
it didn’t happen quite the way I anticipated. I majored in Spanish and minored in German at
UNI, but after substitute teaching and then working as a paraprofessional in an elementary
media center in Cedar Rapids, I decided to return to UNI for my Masters in Library Science.
Before coming to NIACC, I served three years as K-12 librarian at B-G-M High School in
Brooklyn. A month before I left there, the school got its first Apple computer. Of course,
there wasn’t much software available, so users pretty much had to develop their own
programs. I came to NIACC in July 1980, and a month later the library got its first computer
– actually a “dumb” terminal – to do cataloging an interlibrary loan. Looking back at all the
changes over the last 33 years, I am amazed at how much technology has changed the
library world and education in general. As a college librarian, I don’t always have a lot of
direct contact with students, and I don’t always see the results of my work with students, but
occasionally I do. Once in particular, I remember a student giving me “credit” for helping him
with a paper and the report that “we got an A!” My favorite part of teaching is watching the
light come on and the “aha” moment when a student finally “gets” it. What a great reward!
Minutes of the March 19, 2013 Chapter Meeting
The Xi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma met on March 21, 2013. Our meeting was
held at the McNider Museum. Due to the necessity of having the meeting on a different
night, there were only 8 members present.
The program began at 6:30. Edith Blanchard, historian, presented information about
the museum. We began with a tour. She shared that there is a travel trunk which can be
sent to area classrooms. There are many items inside including color wheel activities and
examples of different types of art. She is also available to be a guest speaker to all
classrooms, Kindergarten through college levels. There are bus subsidies for schools that
would like to visit. There are still 20 bus scholarships still available for this school year.
There is a new creative area for children called Imagination Playground. There are about
200 large foam pieces that children can build with. It was funded by the STEM program. If
anyone is interested there are many volunteer opportunities at the museum. A few include
becoming a docent, working the kids club, helping with the Arts Festival in the summer, or
many others. Just contact Edith at the museum and she will help you find where you could
volunteer.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00. However, since there were so few members
present, there were only announcements made and nothing was voted upon.
Membership: There were two nominations brought forward. If you would like to
nominate someone, please email their information to Colleen before the meeting in April so
that she can get them on the ballot. The nomination forms can be found on the DKG web
site.
Treasurer’s report: $800 grant in aid was sent. Our balance is $3,468.88. Judy Witte
is no longer interested in being treasurer. Katie will look for volunteers. Please consider
filling this vital position.
Katie gave us an update on the Excellence Award Sheet. We have been keeping
track of our activities throughout the year and we have enough points to qualify for a gold
award.
The State Teacher of the Year presentation in February was covered by a grant. In
compliance with the grant, Karen Regal will give a presentation at the state convention
sharing how the money was spent.
Carol, Karen D., Karen R., and Katie will be attending the State Convention on June
th
8 and 9th in Ottumwa. If you are interested, please contact one of these members.
We drew for the Red Bag Art supplies. Carolyn Reeder’s name was chosen and they
will be going to Central Springs-Manly schools. This was the last one for the year.
A reminder was given that the meeting for April is later than posted in the book. It will
be held at 5:30 on April 30th at HyVee East in Mason City.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:30.
Respectfully submitted,
Laurie Haugen
Acting Secretary
Dates to Remember
 June 7-9 – Upsilon State Convention – Ottumwa. Information and Registration forms
are on the State website.
 July 31-August 3 – Northwest Regional Conference – Cheyenne, WY.
 September 7 – Fall Executive Board Meeting – DMACC Urban Campus
 Vice President’s Coffee Chats – Tentative dates are listed in the Red Yearbook.
Watch e-mail for updates!
 Area 8 Regional Picnic, July 2013 – Date and location TBA
Social Media
Are you on Facebook? Have you checked your privacy settings lately? The March/April
issue of Strengthening the Buzz, published by the DKG International Communications and
Publicity Committee, has an article about Privacy on Facebook that has some tips that can
help. Check it out on the Upsilon State Web Site.
Did you know that Upsilon State has its own Facebook Group? It’s called DKG-Iowa, and
it’s a great place to share information about DKG, teaching, and other items of interest and
network with other Iowa members. Just search DKG-Iowa in the Facebook search box and
join the group!
Another opportunity is DKG Network. It is a private, confidential social network that is used
to connect DKG members from all over the world. You never know whom you might meet!
To set up an account, go to the DKG International Website at and click on the DKGNetwork
link at the top of the screen.
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Mission Statement
The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International promotes professional and personal
growth of women educators and excellence in education.
Chapter President: Katie DiMarco Newsletter: Karen Dole & Karen Regal
Xi Chapter Web Site: http://www.orgsites.com/ia/xichapter/
Upsilon State Web Site: http://deltakappagamma.org/IA
DKG International Web Site: http://www.dkg.org