News

Emerson Ellenwood, a senior at Whitewater High School, has been awarded a Prestigious National Honor Society Scholarship.  

Since 1946, more than $25 million in scholarships have been awarded to outstanding NHS senior members to support college access and student success.  The scholarship program is supported by the parent organization of NHS, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

In the 100+ years since NHS was founded in 1921, members have been making a difference in their schools and communities.  The NHS Scholarship is NASSP’s way of recognizing the most exceptional of these student leaders.  Recipients are chosen based on their demonstrated work to support the four pillars of NHS: Leadership, Character, Scholarship & Service.

Emerson is the President of the National Honor Society & French National Honor Society at Whitewater High School and is the Captain of the Varsity Soccer, Basketball & Tennis Teams.  He has been on the high honor roll throughout his high school career and won many academic awards for his achievement in school.  Emerson earned the distinction of AP Scholar with Honor, became a University of Chicago Voltage Scholar, was a Badger Boys State Primary Delegate in 2023, Wisconsin Second Alternate at Boys Nation, and earned the Whitewater High School Rising Whippet Award in 2022. He also won an award for the Best Position Paper for SOCHUM at MADMUN XII – an organization through Model United Nations (UN) whose top priority is to enforce social, cultural and humanitarian freedoms internationally. Emerson has helped many younger students work through challenges as a Peer Mentor and encouraged many students to take advantage of opportunities as a member of the Lead Dog Program. He also inspired many students as a Basketball Coach for the Whitewater Parks & Recreation Program.  

Whitewater High School NHS Advisor, Pamela Sonmor-Wintz proudly remarked, “Emerson has been an amazing National Honor Society President this year and is so deserving of this honor and recognition!  He is an outstanding student, leader and exceptional human being.  His character is always at the highest level and he makes decisions that have a positive impact on his peers. Emerson has empathy for others and a sense of humility that helps him recognize and acknowledge the strengths of others.  He is an inspiration to everyone who has had the privilege of working with him. Congratulations Emerson for receiving this most honorable and prestigious award!” 

Emerson is the son of Christian Ellenwood and Elisabeth Deussen.

It’s movie awards season and Seniors in the Park will be presenting many nominated and winning films over the coming months!

“The Holdovers”

Tuesday, February 13, 1 p.m. 

(Drama/Comedy) Rated R (language)

2 hours, 13 minutes (2023).

A cranky history teacher (Paul Giammati) at an obscure Eastern prep school is forced to stay on campus over the Holidays with the few students and staff  (DaVine Joy Randolph) that have no place to go. Golden Globes were awarded for Best Actor; Supporting Actress. 

Seniors in the Park is located in Starin Park, 504 W. Starin Road. Although there is no charge to attend, regular participants are encouraged to join Seniors in the Park. The annual fee for residents of the Whitewater Unified School District is $10 and non-residents is $15. The funds support about half of the cost of our front desk staff person for 15 hours per week. The rest comes our of our fundraising monies. If you cannot afford the fee, we have a fund that will cover it for you. Fees are accepted at the Starin Park Community Building or online at https://schedulesplus.com/wwtr/kiosk/

Updated Feb. 10 @ 10 p.m.: Per historian Carol Cartwright:”The mill was located next to the old Baker’s garage.” (Jefferson & Main)

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.

The second in our series “Gone but not Forgotten,” is the old stone mill. This image, taken in January of 1970, shows the demolition of the frame portion of the mill, also the oldest portion, built in 1839 and the first industry in Whitewater. In 1860, the large stone addition was completed and the mill operated well into the 20th century.

It was two more years (November of 1972) before the rest of the building was demolished, after the owner could not find a way to renovate and reuse the building.

Join us next week for more “Gone but not Forgotten” images.

(2595P, Whitewater Historical Society)

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from UW-Stout.

The following student from the area graduated on Dec. 16, 2023, from University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wis. The university graduated 526 students, with 440 undergraduate and 86 Graduate School students this fall.

UW-Stout has more than 45 undergraduate programs and more than 20 graduate programs, including one doctoral degree. UW-Stout, established in 1891, prides itself on the success of its students in the workplace, with an employment rate of 99.4% for recent graduates. The university was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2001. 

UW-Stout is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes.

Whitewater, WI

 Cassandra Hoxie, BS Computer and Electrical Engineering

Photos courtesy of Tom Ganser

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

The Community Space (TCS) recognized their fifth anniversary on February 1 with a Celebration Open House including a potluck picnic. TCS gratefully accepts donations from Feeding America, businesses, and individuals, stocking the large building with food, clothing, furniture, books, and housewares. It’s something like a thrift store with food, except everything is free, and it’s open to all, without restrictions. No one knows if there’s anything like it, anywhere in the country, and it’s run entirely with volunteers and donations. Hours are Tuesday 8:30-11:00 a.m., Wednesday 3:30-7:00 p.m., and Saturday 8:30 a.m. – noon. Donations are accepted at the rear of the building during the same hours, up until fifteen minutes before closing. TCS is located at 834 E. Milwaukee Street in Whitewater. The organization recently achieved 501(c)(3) status, and monetary donations may be sent to P. O. Box 213, Whitewater, WI 53190. More information may be found on their website.

Remarks that were given at the celebration by Executive Director Kristine Zaballos, and Site Manager Kay Robers, as well as by Jorge Islas-Martinez and two English as a Second Language (ESL) learners may be viewed here. Zaballos and Robers provided some of the history of the Community Space, including the essential food and services that they provided to many people during the early days of COVID-19. Of particular note was the generosity of the Coburn family in donating the use of the former Coburn Company building for the agreed upon rent of $10 per month. Zaballos indicated that she doesn’t remember ever paying the rent. Islas-Martinez, who co-founded and directs the ESL program for the Whitewater Unified School District, expressed appreciation for the opportunity that TCS has offered to provide space for morning classes. Previously the classes had only been scheduled in the evening at the high school, when some interested people were unable to attend. Anna and Margarita, two of the successful students, spoke and expressed how much of a difference it has made for them to be able to communicate in English.

The following area students have been named to the Dean’s List at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for the fall semester of the 2023-24 academic year, ending December 2023.

Qualification for the Dean’s List is limited to students who have attained outstanding academic achievement. To be eligible, students must have earned at least a 3.5 semester grade point average and carried a minimum of 12 credits. 

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, founded in 1909, is one of the 13 four-year institutions comprising the Universities of Wisconsin. UWL offers 130-plus degree programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels in arts, social science and humanities; science and health; business; and education. UW-La Crosse – www.uwlax.edu – is a top-ranked national university.

Students on the Dean’s List from this area include:

Whitewater, WI

 Bryce Hibbs, Communication Studies Major: Organizational and Professional Communication Emphasis
 Josie Hintz, Finance Major
 Morgan Janovec, National Student Exchange
 Catherine Skindingsrude, Biology Major

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club.

The Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club will be holding a sit-down, dine-in Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 16 from 6:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. (or until the pancakes run out).  All are invited to bring their appetites to the Old Armory, 146 W. North Street, in downtown Whitewater.  No tickets will be sold, and people are asked to make a donation of at least $7 to help cover the food costs and support our charitable mission.  Additional donations are welcome to help support the children that Kiwanis serves.

Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club President Patrick Taylor said, “We are so excited to see people in person and enjoy camaraderie and friendship as we feast on the delicious Kiwanis pancakes and Jones sausage.  The Old Armory has been our home-base for years, and we are continuing that tradition.” 

Whitewater Kiwanis is a group of dedicated volunteers who help both children of the Whitewater community and the world, all with 100% of funds raised going directly to youth projects and zero to administrative costs. Over the past five years the club raised funds to make possible the recent installation of the city’s first piece of inclusive playground equipment, a We-Go-Round, in Starin Park.  Annual donations are also made to provide shoes and winter clothes for students, as well as support for organizations such as the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House, The Community Space, and the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club.

If you have an interest in helping youth in Whitewater, you can check out Whitewater Kiwanis on Facebook and join our Club by contacting Patrick Taylor at Petaylor.law@gmail.com.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.

Whitewater’s chapter of Future Business Leaders of America [FBLA] traveled to Columbus High School on Saturday, February 3rd for the Regional Leadership Conference. It was filled with inspiring future and business experiences. Six members of the group qualified to compete at the state competition, including Ghati Binagi and Alexandra Meyer with Broadcast Journalism, Mia Islas with Public Speaking, Aidyn Amundson and Xavier Zei with their Business Plan, and finally, Jared Apgar with Word Processing. The students are thrilled to be traveling to Green Bay in April for the state competition. 

Mia Islas – FBLA President
Ghati Binagi – FBLA Vice President
Alex Meyer – FBLA Secretary

Article and Photo Collage Submitted by Baron West
Whitewater High School FBLA Advisor
bwest@wwusd.org

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

The Common Council at its February 6 meeting spent over an hour interviewing the seven individuals who had applied to serve out one of the two unexpired terms resulting from the passing of at-large member Jim Allen and the resignation of District 1 representative David Stone. Three of the applicants had served previously on the council, two of whom were chosen to fill the vacant seats. Each of the candidates was asked a standard list of eight questions, including their reasons for seeking a seat, their qualifications, and their perspectives on items such as council transparency and budget decisions.

Curtis Knull and Patrick Singer applied to serve as the representative for District 1 until April, 2025. After the interviews the council voted by secret ballot and appointed Singer to the position. Though he has continued to actively participate in city government, currently by serving as chair of the Community Development Authority, Singer chose not to seek reelection to the council in 2021. He had served for 14 years, initially representing the 5th District, and beginning in 2013, in one of the two at-large positions.

Joseph Kromholz, Carol McCormick, Greg Majkrzak, Michael Smith, and Keith Staebler applied to serve as an at-large member until April 16, 2024. Majkrzak, who served previously representing District 5, and Staebler are the two candidates who will appear on the April 2 ballot for the same seat. Although candidates for an interim position are allowed to run for the permanent seat, Council President Neil Hicks expressed the opinion that it would be best not to chose one of those individuals, as he offered them the opportunity to withdraw their applications. Neither did so. Again using secret ballots, the council chose McCormick to fill a role that will be expected to include attendance at only four regular council meetings. She decided not to run for reelection in 2023 after representing District 1 on the council for six years.

After taking the oath of office Singer and McCormick were immediately seated at the council table to participate in the remainder of the meeting.

Councilmembers expressed appreciation that so many individuals were willing to serve in the interim positions, and Hicks encouraged all of them to consider getting involved by applying to serve on a board or commission.