Month: March 2018

Pair of Whippets Compete at State Wrestling

Article by John J. Schimming, Photos by Bob Mischka

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Tyler Gamble and Jimmy DuVal participated in the 75th annual WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament. Each weight class in Division 2 consists of 12 student-athletes looking to reach the top of the podium or at the very least the top six on the podium.

The tournament started with Gamble competing on Thursday night in a first-round match against a young man from Amery. Tyler made quick work of his opponent pinning him in an amazing 24 seconds. This put Tyler into the Friday competition and among the top 8. Tyler came out on Friday morning and secured the first takedown but then was unable to score more from that point, dropping his match 6-2. The loss put Tyler in the wrestleback against a competitor from Viroqua. Tyler wrestled well but just was unable to score against a very good opponent and lost 4-1, thus ending Tyler’s high school wrestling career. Tyler had set his goal to wrestle in the Kohl center and had the opportunity to close out his career on the floor there. He has nothing to be ashamed of.

Because Jimmy DuVal won his sectional he benefited from not having to compete until Friday morning. In his quarterfinal match, he was pitted against a very good defensive wrestler and wrestled a very good match coming out ahead 2-1. This put Jimmy into the semi-finals against an extremely athletic, quick student-athlete from Lodi. Jimmy wrestled his heart out but came up short 11-4 putting him into the wrestleback on Saturday morning. In the first match Saturday, Jimmy wrestled the best match the coaching staff had ever seen him wrestle. He was pitted against the young man who had kept him off the podium last season so he was very motivated. Jimmy was aggressive and maintained great control throughout the match. When it was over Jimmy found himself on top 6-2 and in the 3rd place match. In Jimmy’s final match as a whippet wrestler, he wrestled well but was unable to come away with the victory dropping the match thus placing him in 4th place. This was an outstanding accomplishment for DuVal as the top 6 guys are all very good wrestlers.

DuVal closed out his senior season with 118 wins (4th in school history) 44 wins in a season (1st in school history) and placed 4th in the state tournament, highest finish for a whippet wrestler since 2006. Congratulations on a great career.

Great job to both student-athletes on the great accomplishment of reaching the state tournament. Thank you to all the fans who drove to Madison or followed from home.

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic | Monday, March 12

Award winning journalist Sam Quinones will present “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic” Monday, March 12  at 7 p.m. in the Young Auditorium on the UW-Whitewater campus.
Quinones is a journalist, storyteller, former Los Angeles Times reporter, and author of three acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction including “Dreamland”, the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award Winner for general nonfiction. The book chronicles the opiate crisis that took hold in Portsmouth, Ohio and how the town came together to address the dependency and work toward economic and social revitalization. “Dreamland” was a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize and on over a dozen “Best Books of 2015” lists.
Quinones spent 10 years with the Los Angeles Times and has also published in National Geographic, Pacific Standard magazine, the New York Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and other outlets.

The event is free and open to the public.

Outstanding Citizen: Abby Gnatzig

Abby Gnatzig  was honored for her outstanding citizenship at a Good Citizens Award Luncheon sponsored by the Fort Atkinson Daughters of the American Revolution at the Hoard Historical Museum on March 1.
Abby was chosen for her dependability (truthfulness, loyalty, and punctuality), leadership (personality, self-control, ability to assume responsibility), service  (cooperation, courtesy, and consideration of others) and patriotism (unselfish interest in family, school, community, and nation) to an outstanding degree.

Abby was joined by her parents Brian and Sam Gnatzig (pictured with Abby, below left), her Spanish teacher Kate McNulty, her National Honor Society Advisor Pamela Sonmor-Wintz, and other honorees from Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills and Palmyra-Eagle (pictured with Abby, below right).

Congratulations Abby!

  

March Musical Madness at the UW-Whitewater Department of Music

The UW-Whitewater Music department fills March Madness with live music concerts in the Light Recital Hall in the Greenhill Center of the Arts. There is a wealth of musical events to choose from.

Sunday, March 4 at 3:00 pm in Light Recital Hall – The Whitewater Symphony and Chamber Orchestras perform.  The Whitewater Symphony and Chamber Orchestras are conducted by Christopher Ramaekers and the program includes: W.A. Mozart’s Overture to the Magic Flute performed by the Chamber Orchestra; the Symphony Orchestra performs Lars-Erik Larsson’s Concerto for Trombone and Strings, Op. 45, No. 7 with UW-W student Nicholas Abler as the trombone soloist and ends with Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 “Scottish”. Tickets are $5/$4/$3

Sunday, March 11 at 7:30 pm in Light Recital Hall –  The Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Chamber Singers perform a concert. The Vocal Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Sharri VanAlstine, will perform Besame Mucho, by Consuelo Velazquez arranged by Paris Rutherford, I Wish by Stevie Wonder arranged by Roger Emerson and Pennies from Heaven by Arthur Johnston arranged by Kriby Shaw. The Chamber Singers pieces will be announced at the performance.

Sunday, March 18 at 7:30 pm in Young Auditorium  – The University/Community Band and Symphonic Wind Ensemble perform. Both ensembles are under the direction of Glenn Hayes the first half by the University/Community Band includes Mother Earth by Maslanka, Hymn to a Blue Hour by Mackey, Toccata Marziale by Vaughan Williams and The Jig is Up by Kallman. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble performs the following works in the second half: Overture to Candide by Bernstein, if ever there is tomorrow by Christian Ellenwood, El Salon Mexico by Copeland and Tight Squeeze by Shapiro.

Please check the UW-Campus calendar for many other free student recitals, studios, and ensemble events this month.

Tickets are available for all concerts by calling 262-472-2222, online at http://tickets.uww.edu or visiting the Greenhill Center of the Arts Box Office M-F, 9:30 am-5:00 pm.

Walton Oaks Volunteer Restoration Day

Why: The park was established in 2008 when Ross and Melissa Walton donated the 2.6-acre parcel to the city.  It also just happens to have some Old Growth Bur Oak trees, Nannyberry shrubs, Pussy Willows, Red Oak, Wild Plum and many other native plants growing about it worth saving.  Among these natives are situated some nasties European Buckthorn, Glossy Buckthorn, Honeysuckle bushes, and Mulberry which need our attention.

When: March 3, 2018, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Where: Walton Oaks Park is located at 654 N. Stonefield Lane on the northwestern edge of Whitewater as part of the Park Crest residential subdivision, accessible from North Tratt Street via Bloomingfield Drive.

How: We will be using Chainsaws, Pruners, Spray bottles, Chemical treatment sticks and our human ingenuity.  I have a few extra pruners and chemical sticks, but if you have your own Buckthorn removal equipment please bring along. Dress for the weather and the work.

Whitewater High School Students Advance to State National History Day Competition

Twenty-three students participated in the National History Day regional competition, which took place at UW-Madison on Saturday, February 24, 2018. Whitewater advanced nine students to the state competition in three categories: Senior Paper, Individual Exhibit, Individual Website, and Group Website. The NHD Regional had schools from across South Central Wisconsin. Whitewater High School also had five students who were listed as alternates to the State competition in their respective categories.

National History Day is an academic enrichment program for students in grades 6-12. Students select topics connected to an annual theme and complete their own in-depth research on the topic. This year, the annual theme is “Conflict and Compromise”. Students present their conclusions by creating museum-style exhibits, media documentaries, research papers, interactive websites, and dramatic performances.

The school event is the first step in a competition cycle that can take students from school level to the regional, state, and national competitions. At each level of competition, students share their work with their peers, historians, educators, and professionals in related fields as they compete for special awards and the opportunity to advance to the next level of competition.

Participation continues to grow with more than 500,000 students participating annually across the nation. The National History Day program in Wisconsin is coordinated by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

UW-Whitewater International Dinner to take place on March 9

Limited amount of tickets left! The International Dinner, featuring an international menu with performances by students, will be on Friday, March 9th, at 5:30 pm.  The event will take place in the Hamilton Room in the University Center on the UW-Whitewater campus.   All are welcome!

Tickets are $5 for students, $12 for guests and are available until noon Friday, March 2nd at the UW-Whitewater University Center or Center of the Arts ticket office.  Tickets can also be obtained by calling Frank Bartlett at 262-473-5301.

Mission Trip Fundraising Dinner, St. Patrick’s Berry Hall, Friday, March 2

What: Fish Dinner (Fried fish, coleslaw, French fries, bread, dessert, milk, water, soda, and lemonade)
When: Friday, March 2 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM
Where: Berry Hall—Upstairs (St. Patrick’s)
Cost:  $7 for adults/ $4 for children 9 and under – All proceeds support the St. Patrick High School Mission Trip to Kansas City, KS this summer.

Cena para Recaudar Fondos para el Viaje de Misión de Jóvenes
Qué: Cena de Pescado (Pescado frito, ensalada de repollo, papas fritas, pan, postre, leche, agua, refrescos y limonada)
Cuándo: Viernes, 2 de marzo de 5:00 a 8:00 PM
Dónde: El Salón Parroquial—Arriba (San Patricio)
Precio: $7 por adultos/ $4 por niños de 9 años y menos – Todo el dinero que se recaude es para apoyar el Viaje de Misión de Jóvenes a Kansas City, KS este verano.