Dr. Mike Wells

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Dr. Mike Wells, Superintendent for the Hamburg Community School District for his effort to create a unique and engaging learning environment for K-8 students in the Hamburg Makerspace Program.

The Makerspace Program and Farm School, serving elementary and middle school students in Hamburg, IA, has been a major hit with both students and community members. Students have the opportunity to experience immersive learning environments where they gain hands on experience in a number of areas including: embroidery, wood working, culinary arts, screen printing, video game design with virtual reality, book making and so many other amazing programs each Friday for nine weeks.

I had the opportunity to see these students at work, building a house for their community that was hit by devastating flooding earlier this year. Dr. Wells brings an amazing learning opportunity for his students and is using it to lift up our community.

Dr. Wells has his students lead an effort to build a house each year for three years for a family that has been impacted by flooding. The farm school, started up in 2016, has grown to include a green house, livestock, and provides food for the local food pantry year-round. Dr. Wells has truly led an amazing effort to make the school the center of the community and be a source of pride and learning for all people.

It is an honor to commemorate the outstanding achievement of Dr. Wells and his staff in the Hamburg Community School District. I have great respect and admiration for our educators and am particularly thankful for the strong foundation they are giving our kids. As the mother of two boys, I know that a quality education is crucial to success. I hope the well-rounded training and techniques they found successful in the classroom becomes a model for other districts and the country as a whole.