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By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Among the photos that Tom Ganser submitted to the Banner from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater commencement ceremony on December 17 were those above that depicted special mortarboards worn by two graduates. Kelli Danielski, Assistant Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, told the Banner that, “It’s fairly common practice for our students…who are graduating with teacher licensure to have the students in their student teaching placement classroom sign or help decorate their caps.”

By the way, those caps that are worn by undergraduates in both the United States and the United Kingdom are often referred to as mortarboards. The name comes from their resemblance to the square tray bricklayers use when applying mortar. The shape of the cap is also believed to signify a book, chosen in recognition of scholarly achievements. These caps are thought to have been created as far back as the 15th century. American graduates in law, medicine and philosophy typically still wear rounded caps.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Knudson is pleased to announce that the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will offer two ATV
Safety Education Courses this winter. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, is required to
complete an ATV Safety Education Course to legally operate an all-terrain vehicle in places open
to the public within the State of Wisconsin. It is recommended that participants be at least 12
years of age or turn 12 shortly following completion of the class.
ATV Safety Education Courses:

Class #1

Mandatory Registration: January 3, at 6 p.m. @ Rock County Fairgrounds – Craig Center
Class: January 14, from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. @ Rock County Fairgrounds – Craig Center

Class #2

Mandatory Registration: January 24, at 6 p.m. @ Rock County Fairgrounds – Craig Center
Class: February 11, from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. @ Rock County Fairgrounds – Craig Center

Registration is now open for Class #1. Complete the online enrollment form to reserve a seat.
Class size is limited to thirty (30) students. Upon submission of the online enrollment form, the
submitter will see an onscreen confirmation message with information on the mandatory in-person
registration meeting. Registration for Class #2 will open the week of January 9, 2023.

Enroll at: https://www.co.rock.wi.us/departments/sheriff-s-office/recreational-patrol/atv-education
A class fee of $10 per student will be collected at the in-person registration meeting. The
student and a parent or legal guardian if the student is underage must attend the mandatory
registration meeting in order for the student to take the course. Students will receive course
materials at the in-person registration meeting.

The reservation form requires the student’s Wisconsin DNR customer ID number. To obtain a DNR customer ID number, call the Wisconsin DNR Hotline at 1-888-936-7463 (daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.). For more information on DNR customer ID numbers, visit GETTING A WISCONSIN DNR CUSTOMER ID NUMBER.

Please direct any questions to Deputy Terry Borgwardt at terry.borgwardt@co.rock.wi.us.

Editor’s note: The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by Ronald Plett from Pixabay.

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking the public to report observations of mudpuppies this winter season.

Mudpuppies are the only fully aquatic salamander in Wisconsin and are found in streams, rivers, ponds and lakes year-round. Their elusive behavior makes them difficult to survey, but the DNR says that mudpuppies are a common by-catch for ice-fishers.

The DNR asks ice-fishers who catch mudpuppies to take a picture, gently remove the fishing hook and release it into the water. Ice-fishers should carefully handle mudpuppies, as they have sensitive skin.

Data collected from mudpuppy sightings can help the DNR determine the distribution and range of the species. DNR Conservation Biologist Lena Carlson says observations from the public are valuable, as they help determine how well mudpuppies are doing in Wisconsin.

“This information will show us where we will need to direct future management efforts to help declining populations,” Carlson said.

Mudpuppy populations are declining, and they are listed as a species of special concern in Minnesota and are threatened in Iowa and Illinois. Mudpuppy populations in Wisconsin have not been studied extensively, according to DNR said.

Mudpuppy observations and photos can be submitted to DNRherptiles@wisconsin.gov.

For additional questions or concerns contact the Streets Department at (262) 473-0560. For other requests visit the Request Tracker. 

Get 2023 off to a great start by realigning with reflective journaling. This workshop will be led by local writer Katy Daixon Wimer, and you’ll come away inspired and refreshed. Feel free to bring your own journal, or a small journal will be provided. 

The event will be held at the Irvin L Young Memorial Library’s Community Room located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater on Tuesday, January 10 at 6:00-7:30 p.m. 

This program is for adults and there is no cost to attend. Teens are welcome with a participating adult. Visit whitewaterlibrary.org and click on “Events – Registration Forms” to register in advance. You may also email sfrench@whitewater-wi.gov or call 262-458-2782 to register, or with any questions. 

Editor’s note: The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by Pexels from Pixabay.

Rock Co. ADRC offering “Eat Smart, Move More Weigh Less” / “Prevent Diabetes” in 2023

We often have high hopes for our new year’s resolutions, “This year I’m going to: eat better, lose that holiday weight, get off the couch, get those blood sugars under control, etc.” The truth of the matter is those resolutions often fall flat due to lack of support and waning motivation. Our Health Promotion programs can give you that support and motivation – helping you be successful! The ADRC/Aging office of Rock County has partnered with North Carolina State University to offer two evidence based ONLINE programs that start in January 2023:

• Eat Smart, Move More – Weigh Less, (20 seats available)
• Eat Smart, Move More – Prevent Diabetes, for those with a pre-diabetes diagnosis (5 seats available).

These programs normally cost $235 and $429 but are being offered for a suggested donation of $25 and $45. Register by December 30, 2022 and get an additional discount!

Participants must be age 60+, a resident of Rock County, and have access to a working computer/tablet and internet access for the duration of the Eat Smart series. In order to receive the discount, participants must be age 60+, but people of any age can participate in either program, so younger people might ask their insurance if it would cover it.

See the flyers below for further information. For questions, or to register for either “Eat Smart” series, contact the ADRC/Aging Health Promotion Coordinator, Lisa Messer at: 608-757-5309 or email Lisa.Messer@co.rock.wi.us. A special code will be given at time of registration.

The Music Masters Ensemble presented their Music Masters Showcase in the afternoon of December 18th at Whitewater High School under the direction of Karen Tordera. The event was very well-attended. Students sang ensemble pieces as well as solos and small-group songs.  Photos are courtesy of Tom Ganser.

Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January 1 each year.

[From Wikipedia) American Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 during the aftermath of the Watts riots^[2] as a specifically African-American holiday.^[3][4] Karenga said his goal was to “give blacks an alternative to the existing holiday of Christmas and give blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society.”^[5] For Karenga, a major figure in the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the creation of such holidays also underscored the essential premise that “you must have a cultural revolution before the violent revolution. The cultural revolution gives identity, purpose, and direction.”^[6]

According to Karenga, the name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning “first fruits”.^[7] First fruits festivals exist in Southern Africa, celebrated in December/January with the southern solstice, and Karenga was partly inspired by an account he read of the Zulu festival Umkhosi Wokweshwama.^[8] It was decided to spell the holiday’s name with an additional “a” so that it would have a symbolic seven letters.^[9]

During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said it was meant to be an alternative to Christmas. He believed Jesus was psychotic and Christianity was a “White” religion that Black people should shun.^[10] As Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so practicing Christians would not be alienated, stating in the 1997 book Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture that “Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday.”^[11] Many African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.^[12]

After its initial creation in California, Kwanzaa spread outside the United States.^[13]

Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba – the seven principles of African Heritage). They were developed in 1965, a year before Kwanzaa itself. These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili word meaning “common”.

Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the principles, as follows:^[14]

1. Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
3. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and to solve them together.
4. Ujamaa (Cooperative economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
5. Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
6. Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
7. Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

The Postal Service’s next holiday will be on Monday, January 2, 2023, when the New Year’s holiday will be observed.