Marjorie Stoneman

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Unified School District Robotics Booster Club.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Public Library.

Memory Cafés are designed for people living with memory loss, and their care partner. The Glacial River Library Memory Project hosts one café a month, rotating between four public libraries. The next café will be held Monday, April 8th^th at 10:30 A.M. at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, located at 431 W. Center St. in Whitewater. The theme will be The Solar Eclipse. Please call 262-473-0530 for more information. Please click here to register and choose “events.”

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Whitewater Pride.

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

Delicious pancakes and Jones Sausages were served on Saturday by grateful Kiwanians to our generous community. Thanks to all who volunteered, donated funds, donated products or services, and attended the breakfast. The funds raised will help Kiwanis help children.

Following are a series of photos shared by Tom Ganser:

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Whitewater High School. Photos were taken by Greg Stewart.

On Saturday, March 9th, students from seven schools met at Whitewater High School to participate in the WSMA District Solo/Ensemble Festival. Students performed in both instrumental and vocal events throughout the day. Congratulations to all WHS students who performed! Special congratulations to the 26 WHS students who received at 1* rating in one or more events which qualifies them for the WSMA State Solo/Ensemble Festival which will be held in April on the UW-Whitewater campus. We wish you all the best! 

Dante Baker – Marimba Solo

Isabella Cohen, Jay Downs, Taiya Kolb, and Kay Mikos – Saxophone Quartet

Jay Downs – Alto Saxophone Solo

Taiya Kolb – Alto Saxophone Solo

Isabelle Lavertu – Trumpet Solo

Lucy Troxel – Clarinet Solo

Sami Van Daele – Marimba Solo

Meridyth Cashion-Soprano Solo

Ayden Clark-Soprano Solo

Charlotte Hajewski-Soprano Solo

Alex Sullivan-Soprano Solo

Brooke Mason-Alto Solo

Marina Linos-Alto Solo

A’lani Ross-Alto Solo

Ava Van Daele-Alto Solo

Alex Sullivan and A’lani Ross – Soprano/Alto Duet

Alex Clarksen-Tenor Solo

Samuel Nickelsburg-Tenor Solo

Payton Bunger-Bass Solo

David Enns-Bass Solo

Payton Bunger, Alex Clarksen, David Enns, and Samuel Nickelsburg- Tenor/Bass Quartet

Alex Clarksen-Musical Theater Solo

Charlotte Hajewski- Musical Theater Solo

Brooke Mason-Musical Theater Solo

Ava Van Daele-Musical Theater Solo

Aliciana Lopez  and David Enns-Soprano/Bass Duet

Isabella Cohen and Samuel Nickelsburg-Soprano/Tenor Duet

Isabella Cohen, Lucy Davis, Erison Dreksler, Georgia Esch, Jazmin Falcon, Charlotte Hajewski, Nina Heim, Aliciana Lopez-Vocal Jazz Ensemble

Payton Bunger, Meridyth Cashion, Ayden Clark, Alex Clarksen, David Enns, Marina Linos, Brooke Mason,  Samuel Nickelsburg, Lauren Rollette, A’lani Ross, Alex Sullivan-Madrigal Ensemble

Payton Bunger, Meridyth Cashion, Ayden Clark, Alex Clarksen, David Enns, Marina Linos, Brooke Mason,  Samuel Nickelsburg, Lauren Rollette, A’lani Ross, Alex Sullivan-Vocal Jazz Ensemble

Photo credit: Greg Stewart

Editor’s Note: The following was shared by Whitewater Unites Lives.

According to an article on NPR, “Last month, nonbinary teenager Nex Benedict was found dead at home the day after an altercation at school, where they were attacked by a group of their classmates in a restroom.

Benedict, a 16-year-old Indigenous person who used both he/him and they/them pronouns according to friends and family, had been targeted by bullies at their Oklahoma high school because of their gender identity, according to Sue Benedict, who has been identified in various media reports as either Nex Benedict’s mother or their grandmother and guardian.”

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 consider a donation of at least $7.  Additional donations are welcome to help support the children that Kiwanis serves.

Corey Davis preparing the Jones Dairy Farm sausage at a prior breakfast

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 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.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Public Library.

Winter sowing is a way to start flower and vegetable seeds outside during winter using little greenhouses made from milk jugs. It is an easy and inexpensive way to grow many seedlings that can be transplanted into your garden when the weather gets warmer, no hardening off required. You can also use the same technique during Spring and Summer to get even more seedlings to transplant.

In this workshop with Linda Holmes, all the materials will be provided. The community is invited to attend on Tuesday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m. After you make your own little greenhouse, you will fill it with soil, plant the seeds of your choice, water it, and tape it shut. Then you will take it home, leave it outside and wait for the exciting results.

The presentation will be held in the library’s Community Room located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater. There is no cost or registration. This program is for adults; teens are welcome with a participating adult. For additional information, visit the library’s website at www.whitewaterlibrary.org or call 262-473-0530.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Wild Ones Kettle Moraine Chapter.

While Wisconsin’s Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) leads the way for evaluating climate change impacts on Wisconsin and identifying solutions, much of the research conducted on carbon sequestration has been in natural landscapes and agricultural lands. Intact, diverse ecosystems show the greatest resilience to climate change and can better absorb stress. Furthermore, interconnected ecosystems are critical to ecological health and the ability for flora and fauna to adapt to climate change. Residential ornamental landscapes have potential to sequester carbon, reduce flooding and erosion and enhance biodiversity. As gardeners, our practices are part of the whole landscape system and we can contribute to creating healthy and diverse ecosystems.

In this interactive discussion, we will briefly take a step back to understand the basics of climate and the carbon cycle so we have a common understanding of impacts in Wisconsin and the relationship of gardeners to the changing landscape. Together, we will explore science-guided gardening practices, actions and resources to reduce emissions, better sequester carbon in plant biomass and soil and retain ecological functional values across landscapes. You, as gardeners, no matter your experience or gardening expertise, no matter if you have a large, small or no yard, can help lead the way through sustainable gardening practices to adapt to the impacts of climate change. 

Julie Hill is the Horticulture Outreach Specialist for UW-Madison Division of Extension serving Walworth, Rock and Jefferson Counties. She works with local, regional and statewide partners to provide horticulture education to residents of Walworth, Rock and Jefferson counties and statewide audiences. As a free service to these counties, Julie also provides advice on a variety of lawn, landscape or gardening issues and concerns.

WHEN:  Saturday, March 16. 2024, at 10 a.m.

WHERE:  South Kettle Moraine State Forest Headquarters, Eagle

      S91W39091 Highway 59; One mile west of Eagle, on Highway 59

Open to the Public.  No admission fee.

Editor’s note:  Monica Los was interviewed by Marjorie Stoneman on behalf of Whitewater Unites Lives.

Every immigration story is unique, and Monica Los’ path to citizenship and living in Whitewater is no different.  Born in Peru, Monica traveled to the United States during the summer to visit family in Boston and as a working student in Lake Geneva during the summer of her law school studies.  After a variety of experiences both in the United States and across the world, Monica’s path has led her to Whitewater, where she and her husband are raising their 11-year-old daughter. 

She is so grateful to the people of Whitewater who have welcomed her and her family, are respectful, willing to help, and care about the community. 

“Whitewater has been very healing,” said Monica.

Monica’s journey began in Peru, where she attended an all-girls school run by German nuns. 

As a law student in Peru, Monica wanted to explore the world, and she ended up choosing Wisconsin, specifically Lake Geneva, for her summer work.

At a resort, she helped with housekeeping and then was promoted to the office because of her great dual-language skills.  As a student there she realized she was making more money than many of the immigrants who lived and worked there.  She learned how to make a bed for the first time and was taught by one of the local immigrant workers.  She later met that same woman through her work at Planned Parenthood. 

Both of Monica’s parents were chemical engineers in Peru and her father a professor, so education was important to them.  Monica met her husband while in Wisconsin, and eventually decided to finish her schooling at UW-Whitewater.  She came to the United States with a ‘fiancé’ visa, and as such they had to interview with an American woman who asked them to prove their relationship was real.  Her fiancé pulled out a stack of calling cards that he had purchased to make the long-distance calls to her and that sealed the deal. 

Monica has two undergraduate degrees, one in political science and one in international studies.  She then went on to earn her master’s degrees in public administration and nonprofit management at DePaul University. 

Because medical costs are so expensive in the United States, Monica would, each year, travel to Peru for checkups and medicine.  One year she had run out of birth control, and found out she could get help from Planned Parenthood.  She made a promise to herself that, “If I can ever do something for them I will totally do that.”  Years later, she ended up as the manager of Planned Parenthood.

“I am on the side of privilege and it is a duty and an honor to represent those who cannot represent themselves,” she said of her work as manager of the Planned Parenthood of Delavan.

She is also aware that the majority of immigrants are focused on work, work and more work.  In many countries, like Nicaragua, people are not allowed to stand up for themselves politically, so it does not come naturally.  She hopes that the people who have lived here for a long time will realize they have a voice and know that they can help make the community stronger.  And she hopes newcomers will realize that they have advocates and people who welcome them into the Whitewater community.

WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.