OSKALOOSA, Iowa – In a conference room filled with adults dressed in pink and high school female athletes wearing their school colors with pride, laughter mixed with applause as more than one hundred female student-athletes from across the region gathered at Musco Lighting at a first-of-its-kind event. The energy in the room reflected more than a celebration. It marked the launch of a new Female Athlete Summit in Oskaloosa, created to empower young women through leadership, wellness, and opportunity in honor of National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

The summit was hosted by Oskaloosa Community School District in partnership with the support of several local and regional partners committed to investing in young athletes and leadership development. Sponsors included Musco Lighting, William Penn University, Mahaska Health, Central College, Kinetic Edge, and the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Other sponsors, such as Mahaska Bottling, Swims, Fareway, and Hy-Vee, provided refreshments and materials throughout the day. Together, the organizations provided speakers, interactive sessions, and resources to help female athletes build confidence, care for their bodies, and explore future opportunities in athletics and beyond.

The summit brought together students from Ottumwa, Pella Christian, Knoxville, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, Centerville, and Oskaloosa for keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and hands-on learning opportunities focused on life beyond athletics.

Jamie Jacobs, Oskaloosa School’s director of activities, said the event was intentionally created to support female athletes at a critical stage of development.

“Females have their confidence peak at the age of 12, and that’s not OK with me,” Jacobs said. “Part of that is due to a lack of providing skills and support to work through that. This is about giving them tools they can use now and into the future.”

Throughout the day, students rotated through four breakout sessions focused on leadership development, nutrition and recovery, and navigating the college recruiting process. One session explored how skills learned in sports can transfer into careers and adulthood, while others provided practical advice on fueling the body and understanding athletic opportunities after high school.

Jacobs said the summit was intentionally scheduled to align with National Girls & Women in Sports Day, a national celebration recognizing the impact of female athletes and the progress of women in athletics.

“There are a lot of events happening at the collegiate level this week, but this is the only thing like this in our area, if not the state for high school female athletes,” Jacobs said.

Community partners played a key role in bringing the event to life. Kristen McMains, a talent outreach specialist at Musco Lighting, said the company was eager to support an initiative centered on youth, leadership and future career pathways.

“Musco is passionate about community connection and fostering relationships and career opportunities for students,” McMains said. “We want them to see a place where they can land someday and continue doing phenomenal things.”

McMains said events like the summit give young women space to slow down, reflect, and grow.

“We’re all moving 100 miles an hour every day,” she said. “This gives them time to lean into themselves, understand their nutrition, develop leadership skills, and see opportunities beyond high school.”

A key component of the summit focused on college athletics and the recruiting process. Laura North, head softball coach and senior women leader at William Penn University, led a session designed to educate athletes on what to expect as they transition from high school sports to the collegiate level.

“We’re celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day as a community for the first time, and there’s so much to be recognized,” North said. “We didn’t have these opportunities growing up. Now these young women get to learn about the process, hear from other women in sports, and see all the ways athletics can shape their future.”

North said her goal was to both inspire participants and ease the stress often associated with recruiting.

“Education is power,” she said. “I hope they leave inspired and knowing there is a place for them if they want to play college athletics.”

For students, the summit offered both practical takeaways and meaningful connections.

Brynlee Carney, a junior from Centerville High School who plays volleyball, basketball, soccer, and softball, said she attended after encouragement from her athletic director.

“I thought it was a great opportunity to learn and be surrounded by people who are like me and involved in sports,” Carney said.

Carney said the leadership sessions stood out most.

“I learned how to be a better leader and captain,” she said. “It was nice hearing different perspectives, especially from someone who plays in college.”

She said the leadership lessons learned in Oskaloosa would extend beyond athletics.

“In five years, people won’t remember your stats,” Carney said. “They’ll remember how you treated them. That’s something I can bring back to every team I’m on.”

Oskaloosa junior Kamryn Maddy, a cross-country runner who also plays basketball and golf, said the nutrition and recovery sessions were especially helpful as she returned from an injury.

“It helped me be more mindful about what I put into my body and how important recovery is,” Maddy said.

Maddy also valued the chance to meet athletes from other schools.

“When we compete, they’re the competition, so you don’t really get to know them,” she said. “It was exciting to branch out and connect.”

As she prepares to step into a leadership role next year, Maddy said the summit helped build confidence.

“This helps girls not be timid in leadership positions,” she said. “I learned things I can take back to help younger athletes.”

Jacobs said the long-term goal is to make the Female Athlete Summit an annual event, with plans to eventually expand opportunities to middle school students as well.

“We started small this year, but the hope is to grow,” she said. “These girls will take what they learned and bring that excitement back to their teams and schools.”

As cheers echoed through Musco Lighting’s campus and young athletes exchanged stories, advice, and encouragement, the first Female Athlete Summit marked more than just a celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day. It became a powerful reminder of what happens when schools, colleges, and community partners come together to invest in confidence, leadership, and opportunity. For the students who attended, the lessons learned will continue to shape not only how they compete but also how they lead long after the final whistle.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa – A new partnership between William Penn University and the Oskaloosa Community School District is piloting a student teaching stipend program that leaders say could ease financial burdens, strengthen teacher retention, and provide a direct pipeline of educators for the community.

The initiative, launched this fall, provides student teachers with a $1,000 stipend per semester funded by Oskaloosa Schools. For students like Liam Bryant and Carson McClellan, who helped lead the effort, the program is about more than money; it’s about valuing the teaching profession and giving future educators the support they need to succeed.

“For student teachers, a stipend means they can focus on developing their teaching skills and building strong relationships with their mentor teachers and students,” said McClellan, a William Penn graduate. “It helps with student outcomes a lot, because student teachers won’t have to worry about affording necessities and they can put that energy towards creating instruction that is meaningful for students.”

Bryant, a William Penn senior, said the stipend emerged as a solution to one of the most pressing issues in education: teacher retention. “By offering a stipend, it shows people care about you in this world,” he said. “It helps with necessities like gas and food, and at the same time, it provides mentorship. We wanted to find a way to help address retention rates in the profession.”

The idea dates back to 2023, when William Penn students joined the Iowa Association of Colleges for Teacher Education at the State Capitol. Faculty and students were encouraged to meet with legislators and bring forward an “ask.” Jamie Nelson, professor of elementary and special education at William Penn, said the group agreed to focus on one unified request – a stipend for student teaching.

“Business students get paid for internships. Engineers get paid for internships. Why shouldn’t educators?” Nelson said. “We want future teachers to feel valued and respected, because education itself is valuable and critical for our communities.”

Iowa legislators encouraged the group to pilot the program locally to demonstrate its effectiveness. From there, the project took off. McClellan said he learned about similar initiatives at a national aspiring educators conference, where students from other states shared how local school districts had partnered with universities to offer stipends to student teachers.

“Some states offer tuition benefits, others provide living stipends,” McClellan said. “We decided to focus on the basics: gas, food, and rent. That’s what makes a difference day to day for student teachers.”

Collaboration with Oskaloosa Schools

The partnership with Oskaloosa Schools provided William Penn students with the opportunity to work closely with district leaders, including Superintendent Dr. Mike Fisher. The students utilized project management tools, such as Trello, to assign tasks and track progress, meeting every two weeks to review updates.

“We learned important skills that we can take into our careers,” McClellan said. “This experience showed us how we could become leaders in the teaching profession.”

Bryant said the approach allowed the group to work independently while still receiving strong mentorship. “It wasn’t something where we had to meet every second of the day,” he said. “We could bite off a task, get it done, and move on. It gave us ownership.”

Fisher’s leadership, they said, challenged them to take responsibility for the project while also equipping them with real-world skills. “He expected a lot from us, but we pushed ourselves because we believed in the project,” McClellan said.

A Student-Led Effort

Nelson emphasized that the program was not the result of faculty pushing from behind the scenes but a genuine student-led effort. Along with Bryant and McClellan, students Ellie Breon, Gwyneth Utterback (an Oskaloosa High School graduate), and Rylie Hamilton all played key roles.

“They did it all,” Nelson said. “They worked outside of class hours, even while juggling part-time jobs, athletics, and clubs. My role was simply to provide guidance and set up a few meetings. This was their project, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Looking Ahead

The pilot will run for one year, with William Penn University faculty and Oskaloosa Schools leaders tracking progress, gathering feedback, and analyzing data.

Bryant said the team hopes to present their findings to the Iowa Legislature in the coming years. “We want to pilot it for a year, maybe two or three, just to get more data,” he said. “Eventually, we’ll be able to show that this works.”

McClellan agreed, adding that the long-term vision is bigger than just one district. “The hope is to see an impact for both Oskaloosa and William Penn,” he said. “After that, we want to work with the Iowa Legislature and other school districts to offer a stipend to student teachers statewide.”

Impact Beyond the Classroom

Nelson said the program is about more than easing the financial stress of student teaching. It’s about reshaping the narrative of what it means to enter the profession.

“We want to make sure that future teachers feel valued, that they know their work is important,” she said. “And it’s not just good for William Penn or Oskaloosa Schools, it’s good for the entire community. When students decide to stay here, raise families here, and work here, it strengthens Oskaloosa as a whole.”

McClellan said equity is another key piece. “If someone wants to go into teaching, they shouldn’t have to walk away because they can’t afford to do student teaching,” he said. “Iowa desperately needs teachers right now. This program is about making the profession more equitable and making sure we don’t lose talented people before they even get started.”

As the first group of student teachers receives stipends this fall, the partnership between William Penn and Oskaloosa Schools represents a step toward valuing educators in a new way. “This project shows what can happen when students lead,” Nelson said. “It’s about creating opportunities, valuing teachers, and building a stronger community for the future.”

NEW SHARON — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding an open house on February 25, from 5 – 7 p.m., at the Mahaska County Conservation Board Learning Center, 2342 Hwy. 92, in Oskaloosa, to discuss habitat management, recreation use, forest plans, wildlife populations and other topics of interest for the Willie Suchy Wildlife Area.

The Willie Suchy Wildlife Area is 1.5 miles northeast of New Sharon, in Mahaska County.

This will be a come-and-go open house format with local DNR staff from various programs on hand to answer questions. For more information about the meeting contact Keith Wilcox, wildlife technician with the Iowa DNR, at 641-799-0793.

If you have special requirements such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments, please contact the DNR or ADA Coordinator at 515-725-8200, Relay Iowa

TTY Service 800-735-7942, or Webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov, and advise of specific needs.