Amish in Wisconsin

Amish in Wisconsin By Larry Scheckel

Join us at the library for a presentation by Larry Scheckel on the Amish in Wisconsin.

The Old Order Amish came from Ohio and arrived in southern Monroe County and northern Vernon County starting in 1966. They have grown to 300 families with a population of over 3,000. Hear about their unique way of life: courting, marriage, baptisms, weddings, funerals, schools, dress, German language, the Ordnung (set of rules for life), farm life, Amish manufacturing, auctions sales, horse and buggy transportation, community life, Church services, medical care, shunning, music, Amish newspapers, Rumspringa, and more. The Amish thrive, yet they avoid electricity, cars, modern appliances, and tractors in the field. This PowerPoint presentation goes behind the scenes to view the rich Amish culture.

Larry's Bio

Larry Scheckel grew up on a family farm in the hill country of southwestern Wisconsin, one of nine children. He attended eight years of a one room country school, four years of high school, off to the military for a spell, trained in electronics as a TV broadcast engineer, married, college, and started a teaching career. That career stretched over thirty-eight years teaching physics and aerospace science to over four thousand high school students at Tomah, Wisconsin.

Larry Scheckel has been named Tomah Teacher of the Year three times, and Presidential Awardee at the state level for six years. He is the recipient of the Tandy Award, Kohl Award, Wisconsin Physics Teacher Award, Health Physics Society Award, Ron Gibbs Award, and Excellence in Science Teaching Award.

Larry Scheckel has authored articles for The Science Teacher magazine and The Physics Teacher magazine. He has been a Science Olympiad coach, robotics mentor, organized field trip and star gazing sessions, and gave orientation flights to students.

Larry has shared his expertise with teachers at National Science Teacher Association conventions, Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers, and summer workshops. He has given presentations to thousands of adults and students in such venues as Children's Museums, Boys and Girls Clubs, Rotary, and conventions.

Larry likes to bicycle in the Driftless area of south central Wisconsin, jog on the back roads, fly a Cessna 150 over the verdant countryside, work crossword puzzles, read newspapers, historical books, and trade magazines, and fly radio controlled planes.

Larry and wife, Ann, are both retired teachers and live in Tomah, Wisconsin.