Lynn Binnie
WUSD Band Program Held Annual Bandorama Concert
Editor’s note: The following was submitted by Justin Kamp, Middle School band teacher.
The Whitewater Unified School District Band Program held its Annual Bandorama Concert on Saturday, February 10 under the direction of Sam Averill (WHS Bands), Justin Kamp (WMS Bands) and Zach Jacobson (5th Grade Band). The students in grades 5th-12th and the Jazz Ensembles at Whitewater Middle School and Whitewater High School performed showcasing the growth of musicianship from beginners in 5th grade to our Seniors at the high school! This year, the 8th grade band joined the High School Bands for a combined piece called “Lightning Field” by John Mackey, the WMS and WHS Jazz Ensembles combined to perform “Jump Jive ‘An Wail” by Louis Prima, and the grand finale of the concert was “Let’s Go Band!” by Andrew Ballent performed by ALL students 5th-12th grade together, with guest conductors, Whitewater Middle School Administration: Chris Fountain and Caitlin Dowden. Photo credit: Cory Christensen
UW-W’s Aleah Grundahl Breaks WIAC Scoring Record
By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater senior forward became the all-time leading scorer in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the Warhawks’ 82-72 win over UW-Platteville Wednesday night.
Grundahl scored 14 points to break the WIAC scoring record of 1,834 previously held by Arlene Meinholz of UW-Eau Claire since 1995. The senior now has 1,835 career points.
Wednesday’s game was the team’s annual Play4Kay game. This year, with the help of game sponsor UW Credit Union, UW-Whitewater will be donating over $1,000 to the Kay Vow Cancer Fund.
After a high-scoring first quarter, UW-Platteville took a four-point lead into the second, 24-20. The Warhawks responded with a huge second quarter, bolstered by a late run, to reclaim the lead by the break. Lunden Alexander knocked down a triple off a Grundahl assist to set the tone in the quarter. By the midway point of the period, UWW had reclaimed the lead, 33-31. From that point, the Warhawks went on an 11-5 run to take a 44-36 lead into halftime.
The teams were even through the third, each dropping in 19 points in the quarter. The Warhawks held the lead the rest of the way sealing the game from the charity stripe.
In her first game back from injury, Kacie Carollo paced UWW with a double-double scoring 22 points and hauling in 13 rebounds. The junior hit 3-6 from long range and was 7-9 from the free throw line adding four steals, two assists and a blocked shot in 38 minutes played. Alexander added 15 points bolstered by 5-6 from the charity stripe while adding six assists.
With the win, the Warhawks clinched the number two seed in the WIAC Tournament. UWW is one game back with one game left in the regular season, but UW-Oshkosh holds the tiebreaker for the top seed. UW-Whitewater will receive a first round bye in the tournament and will host the highest remaining seed Wednesday, February 21 at 7 p.m.
Local Students Recognized for Academic Achievement at UW-Platteville
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville announces its Dean’s List, honoring those full-time students who earned high honors in the fall 2023 semester.
College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture and the College of Liberal Arts and Education require grade-point averages of 3.75 and above for Dean’s List honors, while the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science requires students to reach at least a 3.50.
Students from this area on the Dean’s List include:
NAME, MAJOR, CAMPUS
Whitewater, WI
David Cushman, Mathematics BS, UW-Platteville
Allison Heckert*, Health & Human Performance BS, UW-Platteville
Andrea Kuhl, Reclamation, Environment and Conservation BS, UW-Platteville
Sydney Treder, Industrial Engineering BS, UW-Platteville
Evie Troxel, Health & Human Performance BS, UW-Platteville
*Allison Heckert was also recognized for Chancellor’s Honors, having achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average for the semester.
WHS Recognizes Students on Honor Rolls
Editor’s note: The following announcement was received from Whitewater High School.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,[1] is celebrated annually on February 14.[2] It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.[3]
There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines connected to February 14,[4] including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century.[5][6] According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer.[7] Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer’s daughter a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell before his execution;[8] another tradition posits that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry.[6]
There is a tradition that the Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269.[9][10] The feast is found in the Gelasian Sacramentary (which was compiled after Gelasius), meaning that is has been observed since at least the eighth century.[11] The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the “lovebirds” of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[12] In Italy, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart”, as well as to children to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine’s Malady).[13]
Saint Valentine’s Day is not a public holiday in any country, although it is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion[14] and the Lutheran Church.[15] Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day on July 6 in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and on July 30 in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).[16]
(From Wikipedia)
Obituary: Carl J. “Joe” Lange Jr., 63, of Fort Atkinson
Carl J. “Joe” Lange Jr., age 63, passed away unexpectedly on February 7, 2024 at TriStar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville TN.
He was born on May 25, 1960 in Watertown, WI. to Carl J.T. Sr. and Arlene (Ward) Lange.
Joe was a lifelong resident of Fort Atkinson, WI. He attended Fort Atkinson High School.
On October 21, 2017, he was united in Marriage to Melissa Nelson.
Joe was a dedicated truck driver for W&A Distribution Services, Inc. of Fort Atkinson for 33.5 years. He has over 1.7 million miles logged during his career. He was very proud of his safe driving record of 32.5 years without an accident.
Joe was happiest when he was relaxing and enjoying the simpler things in life. He enjoyed watching movies and gambling (especially scratch-offs). Joe was always willing to lend a hand and help others in their time of need.
Joe is survived by his parents Carl and Arlene Lange of Fort Atkinson, WI. Wife Melissa Nelson of Fort Atkinson, WI. Son Corey Lange of Jefferson, WI. Daughter Kayla Doucette of Cottage Grove, WI. Stepson Benjamin Pawlowski of Fargo, ND. Four grandchildren Archer Denault-Lange, Hailey Doucette, William Doucette, and Kyler Pawlowski. He is further survived by his brother Jeffrey (Diana Bush) Lange Brooklyn, WI. Sister Kimberly (Mark) Gang Harshaw, WI. The mother of his children Jodi Lange of Fort Atkinson, WI. As well as many other relatives and friends.
A Celebration of Joe’s life will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 02, 2024 at American Legion Post 166 Hall, 201 S. Water Street, Fort Atkinson, WI.
Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family.
First United Methodist Church Ash Wednesday Service
All are welcome to this service, which will include Holy Communion.
Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by First United Methodist Church, 145 S. Prairie Street, Whitewater.
Three Homes Were Destroyed in the Thurs. Area Tornado; 31 Were Affected in Total
The following joint statement was released on February 12 by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office and Rock County Emergency Management regarding the tornado that affected the Evansville to Lake Koshkonong areas on February 8.
Rock County Emergency Management continues to conduct damage assessments using the FEMA Damage Assessment Criteria. The most current information we have follows.
Total Number of Residences Impacted: 31
▪ Destroyed: 3
▪ Major: 10
▪ Minor: 11
▪ Affected: 7
The National Weather Service surveyed the affected area on February 9, 2024, and summarized
their findings on their website at https://www.weather.gov/mkx/FebruarySevereWeather.