Moline Teacher Honored For Summer Commitment To Students

It's the Fall 2023 semester and we are heading out to schools with our awesome program with Nothing Bundt Cakes and Scooter's Coffee to honor and reward our awesome Quad Cities teachers and educators. It's called QC Teacher of the Week and we are so excited to announce this week's teacher of the week!

It's now time to announce this week's B100, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and Scooter's Coffee's QC Teacher of the Week!

Congrats go to Shirley Smith, 2nd grade teacher at Washington Elementary in Moline!

Teacher Of The Week Fall 2023

Parent Kaige Goodman nominated her, saying:

Diligent, respectful, hardworking and charismatic are all qualities that you love to see in a teacher, yet hard to find when talking about one person. Shirley Smith, a second grade teacher at Washington Elementary, goes above and beyond in her field and deserves to have the recognition of a top teacher in our area. In her spare time she puts together cups and treats for children to win in the prize machine at school. During the summer she can be found heading the summer school program and during the fall she can be seen at Moline High School football games selling tickets to hundreds of people. During the school year she works with an extra curricular program to help children learn how to read. She has helped educate thousands of children and spreads joy throughout the building with her friendly smile. She is a beacon of light in the community and truly an amazing teacher, if you've been to a football game, summer school, or reading programs for small children, chances are you've met this wonderful person.

Ms. Smith sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime teacher. Awesome job, Ms. Smith!

For being our QC Teacher of the Week, Ms. Smith has been rewarded with a B100 Prize Pack including stickers, koozies, and more, plus an awesome cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes and a cup and gift card from Scooter's Coffee!

Teacher Of The Week Fall 2023

Thank you for your hard work and dedication, Ms. Smith!

To nominate your favorite teacher for QC Teacher of the Week, click the button below:

NOMINATE: QC Teacher of the Week

Congrats to all of our Fall 2023 semester QC Teachers of the Week!

100 Interesting Facts About The Quad Cities You May Or May Not Know

The Quad Cities is filled with a very rich history. From inventions to crossing the Mississippi River, to American Presidents and Walt Disney, there are many facts about the Quad Cities that many people do not know. While there are many more stories and facts to share about the Quad Cities, you'll find in these 100 facts that all roads, somehow, lead back to the Quad Cities.

Iowa's Island City

There is something unique about every town, but there is really something special about Sabula, IA. Known as "Iowa's Island City," Sabula is the only town in the state of Iowa that is entirely on an island. While not a lot of people have been to, or live in Sabula, it is a quaint little town nestled right on the Mississippi River.

Before we show you around "Iowa's Island City," let me give you the history of Sabula. Sabula was established in 1835, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis. Isaac Dorman and a man named Hinkley crossed the river from the Illinois side on a log and decided to settle on what is now Sabula. An Ohio couple, James and Margaret Woods would settle on Sabula about a year later in April of 1836. Their son, Dr. E. A. Woods would purchase Hinkley's interest in the claim. Charles Swan and W. H. Brown would soon purchase Dorman's interest. The three men, Woods, Swan and Brown later had the land plotted in 1837.

The idea behind plotting the land was because there was no town between Lyons (north Clinton) and Bellevue. The plot of the new town was recorded in Dubuque as this area was part of Dubuque county at the time, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

According to Island City Harbor's website, Sabula went through a few names before landing on the official town name. In 1837, Sabula was first called Carrollport. Residents of the town didn't like the name because there was a man's name who was Carroll who had a bad reputation. The town changed its name to Charleston, after early settler Charles Swan. The only issue was that there was already a town called Charleston in Iowa which caused much confusion.

In 1846 the settler’s decided to find a name. Island City Harbor's website says that because of it’s sandy soil, William Hubble suggested the town be called "Sabulum" which is Latin for sand. A party was being held around the time the town name was being discussed, when a woman, supposed to be Miss Harriet Hudson, suggested the town be called Sabula as it was easier to pronounce and sounded more elegant, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

Sabula did not actually become an island until 1939. According to Wikipedia, in the 1930's, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the lock and dam system. In 1939, Lock and Dam No. 13 between Clinton, IA and Fulton, IL was built which caused the bottomlands west of the town permanently flooded. With the Mississippi River east of the town, this created the "Island City." A levee was built around Sabula in 1957 for protection, according to Island City Harbor's website. This also allowed for the south sand pit to be turned into a boat harbor.

I would like to thank my mom Beth, her fiancé Matt, my brother Nolan and my wife Ellie for accompanying me to Sabula. We always have a blast on our trips and this one was no exception.

It's now time to introduce you to Sabula, Iowa, Iowa's Island City.