RAMS Progress

 During the past few weeks Dr. Curt Oldfield, NICC VP of Academic Affairs and Mr. Jim Patera, Oelwein Superintendent, have met with area school districts regarding the new Regional Academy for Math and Science. 

• Regional school officials are discussing the opportunities the new center will bring to the regional schools.
• Oelwein High School Principal Chad Kohagen is also meeting with regional principals to get their ideas for next year and to start discussion on common or similar school calendars.  
• Preliminary discussions have begun with state universities.  
• We have received additional funding from a large regional industry that is interested in supporting the high tech lab and science education.  
• Throughout this year, high school and NICC staff will develop curriculum to be taught at the RAMS Center.   
• Oelwein’s high schoolers are already in the first year of Project Lead The Way (Pre-engineering curriculum) that will eventually be taught in its entirety at the RAMS center.

 This is an exciting time for area students as they will soon be able to have access to an increased number of options to better prepare them for whatever post-secondary education or training they wish to pursue. By collaborating with the NICC Community College and other partners, RAMS will provide a state of the art facility for all interested students in the area.

The Vision

Rural Iowa needs schools that can work together to offer our students the same opportunities that students in urban parts of the state enjoy.

For our high school students, the concept of a regional academy provides an opportunity for students from the surrounding areas to take advantage of course work not offered in their home district. This can be done without threat to home district enrollment.  Working together we can meet the needs of rural Iowa schools and the students we serve.

The academy will offer advanced course work for traditional as well as non-traditional students.

Course offerings and training are planned to meet some of the following needs:

Train a workforce in an up-to-date technology and/or IT curriculum.  This will provide a highly skilled work force for current and future employers.  The need for this kind of advanced training is evident every day in our working community.

Provide  advanced high school and college level courses. Much of this advanced course work will be centered around the growing need for education in the areas of math, science and technology. The center will keep abreast of regional needs and continue to offer a wide variety of course offerings to meet the needs of the surrounding communities as well.

Partnering with the regent universities to offer summer or night course work at the RAMS facility for teacher education.  The lab setting as well as the central location will be a real help to educators who want to expand their knowledge as well as their certification.

Provide a regional center for talented and gifted students to have special science, math and technology workshops in an effort to further the interest in advanced education as well as nurturing their interest in the areas of math, science and technology. 

The drive and enthusiasm of Northeast Iowa Community College has been key to the success of this venture. From the beginning, the college has provided strong leadership that moved the project forward.

A ground breaking ceremony held on June 18, 2007 was well attended by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters.

The evening featured a virtual tour of the site and an artist's rendition of the completed facility. Dr. Wills, NICC President, spoke to the vision for this center and the impact it will have on educational services in northeast Iowa.

The fall of 2008 will see the first students enter the RAMS facility as classes begin and the vision becomes a reality.

Facility

The architect developed a regional academy building to provide state of the art classroom space. Two large labs and six classrooms were designed around a center commons area.

Site

The location of the RAMS facility is south of the community of Oelwein on highway 150. Easy vehicle access is from the 4-lane highway or from within the city limits by street or bike/walking trail.

Key People and Committees

Finalizing what will be taught at the RAMS center is an ongoing process involving both NICC and high school faculty. An independent needs assessment firm found careers involving science and math are of high interest to area students. This needs assessment is helping the faculty focus on specific curricular areas for RAMS. Tentative plans include such programs as:

Project Lead The Way. A rigorous pre-engineering program that will prepare students for advanced college course work in any field of science and math, including any related engineering area.

A+ Computer Certification. Students would be able to take course work that would give training on computer software and equipment. Students would be well prepared to test for industry standard certification. This course would also prepare students for more advanced computer/technology training.

Advanced Course Work in Physics, Chemistry, and Bio-Science. Working together with Northeast Iowa Community College, we will offer advanced course work for students in the two-plus-two program to allow these students to get a jump start on their college education while offering them a relevant and rigorous curriculum in high school

College Level Course Work in a Variety of Other Areas. This will help meet the needs of all students who are looking to enhance their high school years with a more challenging curriculum.

Advanced Course Work for Teachers of Math and Science. Specialized teacher education training for high school teachers looking to earn advanced degrees in the areas of Math and Science would be available at RAMS. This work could be done in the evenings, weekends and summer.

Talented and Gifted (TAG). The regional academy is an opportunity to get our younger students excited about learning and about careers related to the areas of science and math.  We plan to host a number of TAG institutes for northeast Iowa students.

In addition to educational collaboration, this project has also benefited from partnering with economic development leaders. This project links to other efforts to bring technology related jobs to our part of the state. Northeast Iowa is a beautiful and scenic area where we hope to attract business and industry that need a highly trained work force.

The community of Oelwein has many attractions for college students who need to take a break from the rigors of advanced study.

• Aquatic Center
• Parks: City Park, Platt's Park, Redgate Park, Wings Park, Lake Oelwein
• Bike/Hike Trail
• Two golf courses
• Paramount Theater
• Dining: Over 15 restaurants where you can find Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Greek, and German food.
• Basics: Airport, Hospital, Radio Station, Daily Newspaper

The Oelwein Chamber and Area Development web site has a complete listing of attractions and events.