Dustin Reichwald

To mark the 150th anniversary of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Governor Walker has declared Saturday, April 21, as UW-Whitewater Sesquicentennial Anniversary Day.

“Throughout its 150-year history, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has inspired, engaged, and transformed more than 90,000 graduates who have actively contributed to the growth of the state and the nation,” the proclamation reads.

The campus opened in 1868 as the state’s second normal school to train teachers. Today, UW-Whitewater is a preeminent university with more than 12,430 students.

“This is an outstanding accomplishment and speaks both to our legacy of excellence, and our ever-growing impact in our region and in Wisconsin,” said Chancellor Beverly Kopper. “Our celebration will honor our past and focus on an even brighter future. There will be many opportunities to reconnect, to reminisce, to get involved and to show Warhawk pride. It is certain to be a memorable and exciting time in our history.”

The theme of the sesquicentennial is 150 Years: Inspire. Engage. Transform. Festivities will kick off with a Purple and White Gala on April 21, a $15 million fundraising campaign, a 150,000-hour community service challenge, a summer concert series, a golf and lake outing in the Lake Geneva area, special Family Fest and Homecoming events in October, and the commissioning of a new alma mater.

For more information, visit www.uww.edu/150.

Senior entrepreneurship major Noah Stamsta and senior communication sciences and disorders major Anica Henderson, both students at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, earned Elevator Pitch first place at the Texas Christian University Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures® competition on April 7, 2018.

The event in Fort Worth, Texas drew hundreds of entries from across the country and overseas, and teams from 55 universities were invited to compete with presentations for socially-conscious businesses.

Henderson and Stamsta presented their start-up, SenseAble Headphones, which is a product and service offering designed for individuals with sensory processing disorders. Through the use of their web and mobile application platforms, customers can purchase custom headphones, receive therapy services and connect with peers and professionals.

In addition to winning first place and $2,500 in prize money in the Elevator Pitch event, they participated in the lightning round of the Business Plan contest, placing them in the top 15 entries in this portion of the two-day competition.

Stamsta and Henderson, who are engaged and are planning to move to Colorado after graduation, hope to make a difference by helping individuals with sensory processing disorders.

This is the eighth year for TCU’s Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures® Competition, presented by the Neeley Entrepreneurship Center in the TCU Neeley School of Business and co-founded by Dallas real estate and technology entrepreneurs Nancy Tartaglino Richards and Lisa Barrentine of First Preston HT.

The Aging & Disability Resource Center will host the Rock County Caregiver Boot Camp on Saturday, April 28, 2018, from 9 am – 3 pm at the Job Center, 1900 Center Avenue, Janesville. Cori Marsh, Dementia Care Specialist at the Aging & Disability Center and Bonnie Nuttkinson, Program & Advocacy Manager of South Central Wisconsin Chapter- Alzheimer’s Association will team up to provide education and support for families coping with the memory loss of a loved one.

The Boot Camp will cover topics such as what memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s is and what the diagnosis might mean, what you might expect, planning for the future, local resources, and communication tips when dealing with difficult subjects such as driving. We will round out the day talking about caring for the caregiver and roll out a new project for families dealing with dementia called the “Purple Tube Project.”

“It doesn’t matter where your loved one lives, what matters is families having the information they need to assist their loved one to the best of their ability. Our day will be packed with information, support and even some laughter, says Marsh.” She goes on to say that “over 3600 people have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia in Rock County, we want to offer education and support to those families and answer the questions they might have.”

The program is free and will include all the materials, snacks and lunch. Preregistration is required by April 26, 2018. Contact Cori Marsh at 608-741-3615 for more information or to register.

Financial literacy is a skill that affects everyone throughout their lives, yet many people are not exposed to essential money concepts until they become adults—sometimes after they have made serious financial mistakes. You can help by introducing the concept of saving and spending wisely to your children or grandchildren and now is a perfect time. Why? April is Financial Literacy Month in Wisconsin and April 20 is national Teach Children to Save Day!

Here are some ideas on how to teach sound financial habits to the children in your life.

Read a Money Book
Does your child like stories? Pick up a money-related book (such as The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble with Money or Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday) and read it with them. Afterward, ask questions about the book that encourage your child to think about how they would save and spend money, and if they would do things differently than the characters in the story.

Take a Field Trip to First Citizens
Are you stopping by First Citizens soon to deposit a check or cash? Take your child with you and explain what you are doing. It is important for children to learn about the places they can save money, starting with their piggy bank and eventually depositing money into an account at a financial institution. If your child is old enough, you can also explain that banks pay their customers interest, so saving is a way to earn money, too!

Monkey-See, Monkey-Do

Finally, use the old adage “monkey-see, monkey-do” to your advantage! If you model good saving and spending behavior for your children, they are more likely to follow in your footsteps and be good stewards of their own money later in life. This is especially true if you involve them in financial discussions in order to engage their interest. For example, before taking a family vacation, ask your child to help set their budget for toy/souvenir purchases. Another good activity is to have them help make the grocery list and compare prices in the store while shopping.

You can find more ideas and educational money activities for children on MyMazuma, a website designed to connect you to the best financial literacy resources for consumers available.

Please contact Jackie Frey @ jfrey@firstcitizensww.com for more information about TEACH CHILDREN TO SAVE.

Twenty-four Whitewater High School computer programmers traveled to Marquette University for their annual programming competition on Wednesday, April 18. Students worked in groups of 2-4 for three hours to solve a series of problems of varying difficulty. Each time a team submitted a correct solution to the judges, their team was presented with a color-coded balloon to indicate they had solved a particular problem. Over 400 students from southeast and south-central Wisconsin competed in either Scratch (for newer programming students) or Java (for older, more experienced programming students).

The WHS team of Cole Kinson, Zach Brantmeier, Nick Kuzoff, and Cassi Hoxie placed first in the Java division, solving seven problems correctly, each on the first try. Each student on the winning team was awarded a 22” monitor, and the team brought home the traveling trophy to display for the next year.