Excellent Education

The Menomonie Area School District uses rapidly changing technology and global communications to enthusiastically prepare its young people to be lifelong learners, caring individuals and responsible citizens. The system's professional and support staff represent its greatest resource, with more than 60 percent holding a master's degree or doctorate.

More than 3,400 students from a 255-square-mile area attend the district's six elementary schools, middle school, high school and alternative charter school. The school year covers 179 days of instruction. Menomonie also has numerous private and parochial schools.

Elementary programs emphasize technology, with access to computers in classrooms, labs and library media centers. An aggressive environmental education program incorporates the Bjorson Educational Recreational Center, a working school forest.

At the middle school, exploratory activities are introduced with unique teacher-student teams. Students are challenged to define their goals and begin preparing to attain them. The cooperative vocational education program, the first to receive "Best in the State" honors, is offered in business and office education, agriculture, marketing, home economics-related fields and trade and industrial occupations. Each discipline supports a student organization, a vocational advisory committee directed by professionals and co-op experiences with local industry.

At the high school, a block schedule allows students more opportunities to explore various subjects and take advantage of advanced-placement options. Award-winning athletics and performing arts programs round out student experiences.

Dunn County has a wealth of higher education facilities as well.

The University of Wisconsin-Stout is an attractive, modern campus, that is home to approximately 8,000 students for the 2002-2003 academic year. The students are served by a staff of nearly 1,240 employees. Traditionally, UW-Stout's programs have prepared students for productive careers in business, industry, technology, education, human development, and art and design. This year, UW-Stout's entire freshmen class have laptop computers. This is the first campus in the UW system to undertake such an initiative.

In 2002, UW-Stout received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award for Excellence, becoming the first educational institution in the nation to receive the award.

Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) has a 20,000-square-foot regional campus in Stout Technology Park. It offers a full range of general education classes, a basic skills education center, business technology lab, computer training lab and dental-clinical training. Workforce development classes are offered in computer software applications, health, safety, business, leadership, supervision and agriculture. Annual enrollment is approximately 4,500.

CVTC has five campuses serving 11 counties, with the main campus in nearby Eau Claire. The other regional campuses are in Chippewa Falls, Neillsville, and River Falls. CVTC graduates enjoy a 97 percent placement rate, with 90 percent of graduates staying in Wisconsin and 62 percent working within the 11-county region.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is 40 miles west of Menomonie, and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is 25 miles to the east. Many executives enroll in master's and doctoral programs at university campuses in the Twin Cities.

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