Dustin Reichwald

Studio 84 Artists Show and Sale at the SweetSpot Gallery through March

Studio 84: A Creative Focus on the Abilities through the Arts
Participating Artists: Jessica Barden, Nick Bursh, Joshua Graham, Kelly Gunn, Laurie Narad, Stuart Narad, Jamie Scharf, & Debbie Sranden
Art by Kelly Gunn
The Show will run through the end of March.  The Gallery is located in the SweetSpot Cafe at 226 Whitewater St. in Whitewater.

Whitewater Girls Basketball 52 Big Foot 67

Kacie Carollo led the Whippets with 14 points.

Photo by Peter Mischka, Courtesy of Bob Mischka

From Coach Judy Harms:

Whitewater drops second game to Big Foot, 52-67.    The Chiefs were too hot to handle tonight.  Their shooting was on fire, and although the Whippets made a nice comeback, it wasn’t enough to overcome the early damage.    The high point was the girls going 14 for 16 from the charity stripe.  Whippets were led by Kacie Carollo 14, and Abby Grosinske 12.

Whitewater will finish the regular season this Friday at home against Clinton.   We are promoting a  “Pawsitive Pride” night, along with a recognition of our Sr. players on the team.

JV1 game was won by Big Foot. JV2 game was won by Whitewater.

Whitewater Boys Basketball 61 Evansville 76

Daniel Fuller, pictured in this file photo, led the Whippets with 19 points.

File photo courtesy of Bob Mischka

Whitewater got off to a slow start and never recovered. With just over 6 minutes to play the lead was 10 points but the gap was too much to overcome. Daniel Fuller led Whitewater with 19 points.

The Whippet Boys are next in action at Brodhead on Thursday.

Whitewater High Students Receive Aspirations in Computing Award

Gwynne Sahyun (L) and Marina Cano (R)

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) sponsors an annual award called Aspirations in Computing. This award honors young women in grades 9-12 active and interested in computing and encourages them to pursue their passion for technology. This year, we have two Whitewater High School students who will be recognized at the banquet at Alverno College on Sunday, April 22.

Gwynne Sahyun has been named a Wisconsin Winner, and Marina Cano has earned a Wisconsin Honorable Mention. Marina also received an Honorable Mention last year. Both girls are members of Ferradermis, the WHS FIRST Robotics team, as well as the high school computer programming team. Marina recently started a girls’ coding group at Washington Elementary as well. The Wisconsin NCWIT affiliate recognizes around 40-50 girls total statewide each year. Awardees will get cool prizes, gadgets, and can apply for scholarships to several Wisconsin university programs. The Wisconsin award winners and honorable mentions will receive an engraved award for both the awardee and her school.

For more information on the award, you can visit https://www.aspirations.org/aspirations-community/wisconsin

Marina Cano at Washington Elementary with her girls’ coding group.

JoAnne Soffa, age 87, of Whitewater, passed away at Fairhaven Senior Services in Whitewater, Wisconsin on February 9, 2018, surrounded by her family. 

She was born on September 26, 1930, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, the daughter of Esther and William Seymour.

Anne graduated from Elkhorn High School and attended UW-Stout and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating with a degree in Food Sciences.  She was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority.  She was a registered dietician and practiced in this area for many years, including at the VA Hospitals in Madison and Milwaukee, Fort Memorial Hospital, and Countryside Nursing Home in Jefferson.  She married Sam J. Soffa on November 17, 1956.  She was a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Whitewater and later joined the First English Lutheran Church, also in Whitewater.

She was dedicated to making sure people in her community had access to good food, and she generously dedicated her time to the Gathering, a free community meal program at St. Luke’s.  She also volunteered at the Whitewater Food Pantry and was a member of Whitewater Chapter CI of PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization).  She enjoyed knitting with her friends in knitting club, working in fiber arts, cooking, canning, baking, gardening, traveling with her husband, swimming, and playing bridge. With her family, she adopted several Gordon Setters through Gordon Setter Rescue.

She is survived by her husband Sam, daughter Dianne, brothers William Seymour (Marlyne) and Daniel Seymour, and sister Kathryn Larson (Roger).  She was preceded in death by her sister Mary French (Clayton), with whom she often traveled, knitted, and played bridge.

Services will be held at the First English Lutheran Church, 401 W. Main Street in Whitewater, at 11:00 a.m. on February 24, 2018, with Pastor Steve Hanson and Father John Splinter presiding.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the Whitewater Food Pantry, c/o Jacki Hale, 599 S. Franklin Street, Whitewater, WI  53190.

UW-Whitewater Human Resource Management Program Honored with Prestigious Award

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics was recognized for the excellence of its Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management at the 36th annual LEAD Awards on February 8, 2018. In the category of Degree Program with Emphasis on HR, 150 programs were nominated and the top 15 were ranked. UW-Whitewater’s BBA in human resource management placed third in this elite group.

The LEAD Awards program is an exciting part of HR.com’s annual conference. Each year this conference draws esteemed executives and experts from around the country, and the awards celebrate exceptional leadership and innovations in developmental programs by organizations, education programs, and individuals.

UW-Whitewater’s award-winning Human Resource Management major features core credits from the College of Business and Economics’ respected BBA and 24 credits of courses that align with the standards of the Society for Human Resource Management. All students must complete a capstone course that integrates the HRM content from previous courses and builds critical thinking skills.

Program Coordinator and Associate Professor Kelly Delaney-Klinger explained, “The SHRM Competency Model has been very helpful for identifying learning objectives, both for individual courses and the overall major. Having students participate in hands-on activities, research and client-sponsored projects greatly improve learning in the courses. These activities also boost students’ confidence in their ability to perform as an HR professional.”

A relatively new addition to the program is a required e-Portfolio. HRM students all must create an electronic portfolio, which is intended to collect and demonstrate what students learned throughout their HR courses. Students must present their e-Portfolios to HR professionals during the capstone class.

Regarding the e-Portfolio component of the HRM program, Management Department Chair and Professor Jon Werner shared, “This has been an important tool for helping students integrate their knowledge and experiences. It is evident the competency-based curriculum, capstone course and e-Portfolio prepare students to effectively present themselves as HR professionals when they graduate.”

Werner adds, “In the marketplace, the program’s success is ultimately measured in terms of job placement and career advancement. We have seen, on average, that 94% of the graduates of the BBA in HRM are working in their field of study within six months of graduation.”

Dean John Chenoweth was pleased with the LEAD award distinction, which helps highlight the competencies-based model and e-Portfolio component.

Chenoweth explains, “The UW-Whitewater College of Business and Economics places great emphasis on assurance of learning goals. We want to ensure our graduates are prepared to transition successfully from college to career, and that they have acquired the skills and business knowledge they need to succeed. The SHRM Competency Model used in the human resource management program allows faculty to map student outcomes onto the expected learning outcomes of the college.”

Human resource management is one of 14 undergraduate majors available from the AACSB-accredited UW-Whitewater College of Business and Economics.

Chili Cook-off Winners

1st Place- Joe Murn with Joe’s Chili

2nd Place- Blake Scharine with The General’s Blend

People’s Choice- Clyde Curtis with Man’s Chili

Best Decorated Table- Christopher Cohen with Mean Beans

Thank you to the judges: Brian de la Torriente, Cameron Clapper, Chief Lisa Otterbacher