On Saturday, March 9th, students from Whitewater High School performed at the District Solo/Ensemble Festival at East Troy High School.
Students participated in both vocal and instrumental events.
Congratulations to these students who will advance to the State level on April 27th at UW-Whitewater: Sophie Mayer, Katie Kuhtz, Colin Dugan, Nick Kuzoff, Nicole Sedmak, Audrey Mayer, Jared Clapper, Caroline Crowley, Jillian Harkness, Henry Bresser, Natalie LaBreche, Nikita Hartzheim. Sophie Walton, Gio Anello, Jul Boss, Lauren Harkness, Alec Holt, Cally Julson, Weston Lema, Angie McKelvey, Alisha Parboteeah, Chris Porcaro, Ella Smith and Carter Waelchli.
The Whippet Track and Field Family opened their season at the Nelson-Daniels Classic on Friday night. The meet, named in honor of legendary WHS coaches Phil Nelson and John Daniels, turned out to be a great start for the Whippets.
Abby Grosinske was 3rd (out of 45) in the Shot Put and part of the 3rd place 4x200 relay.
Emme Bullis was 6th (out of 28) in the 55 Meter Hurdles.
Morgan Radaj was 4th (out of 62) in the 55 Meter Dash and part of the 3rd place 4x200 relay.
Sydney Treder was 3rd in the Pole Vault.
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Setting the tone for the evening the girls 4×800 relay team gave a great effort in the first event of the year. Olive Coburn, Odessa Sonn, Ella Willman, and Jenna Lee ran hard to open the meet. Morgan Radaj finished 4th in the 55 M Dash in an outstanding field of sprinters running 7.82. Grace Black showed she’s back from an injury that slowed her most of her freshman year by winning her heat of the 55 in 7.98. Amanda Tovar rounded out the girls evening in the 55 sprinting to a very respectable 8.16. Running in her first hurdles race Emme Bullis advanced to the finals of the 55 M Highs and then finished 6th in a time of 9.93. When the 4×200 Relay came around the Whippet girls were ready to roll. In a very tough field that included defending State Champion Catholic Memorial. The team of Morgan Radaj, Abby Grosinske, Kacie Corollo, and Hailey Murphy finished third overall in 1:56.72. Corollo and Murphy teamed up with Emme Bullis and Catherine Skindingsrude in the 4×400 finishing 9th in 4:33.05.
In the pole vault Sydney Treder and Jenna Caldwell finished 3rd and 4th respectively and tied their all time bests with vaults of 9’ and 8’. Abby Grosinske narrowly missed her all time best in the shot put with a toss of 35’ 8” garnering a 3rd place finish. All in all, the girls of Whippet Track and Field competed their hearts out to the very end finishing 6th out of 24 teams with 31 points.
Juan Cueller was 1st (out of 20) in the 400 Meter Dash and part of the 3rd place 4x400 relay.
Sashi Popke was 1st in the Pole Vault with a vault of 13' 6", 2nd (out of 43)in the Long Jump with a jump of 21'-1.5", and the anchor in the 4th place 4x200 relay.
Will Leibbrand was 6th (out if 62) in the 55 Meter Dash and part of the 4th place 4x200 relay.
Arturo Franco was 9th (out of 46) in the Shot Put.
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On the boys side it didn’t take long for things to heat up when the Whippet 4X800 M relay took to the track.
Trenten Zahn ran a very smart lead off leg to put the whippets in first. Gio Anello, Daniel Trost, and Ignacio Cuevas finished things off in tough competition for a 3rd place finish. In the 55 M Dash Will Leibbrand, Jared Clapper, and Tyler Pavlik led the Whippet contingent with Leibbrand advancing to the finals and finishing a solid 6th running 6.84. Gio Anello and Denver Isbell ran solid races in the 800 with times of 2:15.55 and 2:22. While Will Hoffman and Cooper Hammond battled it out in the 1600. The quartet of Jack Mayer, Jared Clapper, Will Leibbrand, and Sashi Popke finished 4th in the 4×200 running 1:39.29. Juan Cuellar excited the Whippet crowd when he burst out to an early lead in the 400 M Dash and won going away in a time of 53.71.
Joe Gmur and Ben Stoll represented in the high jump with Gmur finishing 6th with a leap of 5’8”. Arturo Franco set a personal record of 41’ 11 ¾” in the shot put, while Sashi Popke won the pole vault going 13’ 6” along with a second place finish in the long Jump at 21’ 1 ½”.
With his anchor leg in the 4×200 Sashi scored 20 points and was named “The Athlete of The Meet”. The 4×400 contingent of Juan Cuellar, Jack Mayer, Ignacio Cuevas, and Trenten Zahn capped off the evening with a 3rd place finish helping the Whippet boys capture the team runner-up trophy with 50.5 points.
It was a great night and a great start for girls and boys of Whippet Track and Field. ONE TEAM/ONE FAMILY.
She was 91 years old. Lois will be remembered for her positive attitude, zest for life, love of adventure and her fantastic cooking. She regularly walked the Wonderland Lake trails in Boulder with her stylish sunglasses, a straw hat and a warm smile. Described as a fashion diva with a heart of gold, she was adored and loved by all who knew her. She will be missed terribly by everyone whose lives she touched.
Gracious and loving mother, sister, grandmother, great grandmother and friend, Lois was born on January 25, 1928. Her parents were Fred and Viva Chamberlain. She attended schools in Whitewater, Wisconsin where she lived for 80 years. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, in Home Economics Education. Lois married Robert “Bob” Ketterhagen in 1952. She was elected to the Walworth County Register of Deeds position in 1972 and served in that role until her retirement in 1998. In 2008, Lois moved to Boulder, Colorado where she enjoyed daily walks, spending time with her family, traveling and creating a welcoming and beautiful community at her home.
She was preceded in death by her husband Bob, her sisters Goldie Rhodes and Virginia Dyke and her grandson Tommy Ketterhagen. Lois is survived by her two sisters, Delores Fenlon (Wisconsin) and Dorothy Millar (Illinois) and seven children: Kathy (Jeff) Meyer, Alabama; Thomas Ketterhagen (Luz), Texas; Mary Jo Ketterhagen (Bryan), California; Andrew Ketterhagen (Karla), Wisconsin; Theresa Ketterhagen, California; Rob Ketterhagen, Colorado; Chris Ketterhagen (Julie), Colorado. She is further survived by 16 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Lois’s sweet and joyful spirit will carry on in the lives of her family and many friends. She embraced entertaining and found a reason to celebrate the smallest news about someone or a daily event and did so by throwing a party to show her support. To honor Lois, the family suggests cooking a fabulous meal and sharing it with loved ones. Donations in memory of Lois Ketterhagen can be made to the Whitewater Food Pantry, Whitewater Armory, 146 W. North Street, Whitewater WI 53190. (262) 473-5792. The family will be holding a private memorial.
The concert will be historic. It will be the first time that the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra – an orchestra comprised of volunteer musicians from across south central Wisconsin and northern Illinois established in 2001 – will be performing in Whitewater.
The performance will be the culmination of the orchestra’s massive nine-year “Beethoven Project” that began in February, 2011, with a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2.
Each season since then has featured a different Beethoven symphony, moving one step closer to “Beethoven 9.”
Beethoven’s final symphony – ultimately a celebration of the brotherhood of mankind – includes the “Ode to Joy” theme of the fourth movement, one of the most recognized melodies in history.
Collaborating with the orchestra’s musicians as vocal soloists will be UW-Whitewater faculty members Rachel Wood and Brian Leeper, along with Desirée Hassler and John Concepcion from the Chicago Lyric Opera Choir.
The chorus of more than 160 voices will feature members of the UW-Whitewater Chamber Singers and Concert Choir, the Moody Chorale from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and the University of Northern Iowa Concert Chorale.
Tickets may be purchased online or by mail. Visit LakeGenevaOrchestra.org or call 262-359-9072 for details.
Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the Greenhill Center of the Arts Box Office, Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The League of Women Voters, Whitewater Area held two Candidate Forums on Saturday, March 9, in the Whitewater City Hall Council Chambers in advance of the April 2 Spring Election.
Replays of the Whitewater Common Council Forum and the Whitewater School Board Forum are online at http://vimeo.com/cityofwhitewater
In addition to the Forum, the League of Women Voters, Whitewater Area Board developed a Candidate Questionnaire that all candidates were invited to complete. Responses were posted on the League’s website on Monday, March 11. If a candidate elected not to participate in the questionnaire, the words “no response received” was placed next to their name.
Pictured is Jessica Murphy, Kathleen Fleming, Lawren Fleming, and Lisa Beck with the “2019 Choice Destination” plaque
The Whitewater Tourism Council is happy to announce the airing of “Just off Main Street.” This is a Discover Wisconsin program that features four different communities. Whitewater will be the third city featured in this half hour program.
The short five minute segment showcases some of the best features Whitewater has to offer. The segment starts by reviewing our weekly city markets with emphasis on the vendors, products, and live music. Next, the show features our Ice Age Trail with special interviews by Cameron Clapper and Ruth McCann about how the trail benefits our community. Last but not least, the segment focuses on biking in Whitewater. An interview with Liz Sotherland from BicycleWise and Sports Fitness reveals how blessed we are to have miles of designated paved roads for biking. The segment then wraps up with a beautiful montage of our city.
The segment airs Saturday, March 16, at 5 pm on ABC (WKOW) and Sunday, March 17, at 10 am on Fox (WITI).
On March 11, a special preview of the full segment was held at Whitewater Cinemas. In the audience was the show’s producer, Jessica Murphy, and Discover Wisconsin Marketing Coordinator, Lisa Beck. At the end of the show they presented the Whitewater Tourism Council with their “2019 Choice Destination” plaque.
The League of Women Voters, Whitewater Area invites the public to a presentation by Whitewater resident Jenny Rule on Gun Violence Prevention and Our Community. It will take place in the Common Council Chambers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 21 in Whitewater.
Jenny Rule is a Wisconsin native and a Whitewater resident of 14 years. She and her husband are proud parents of two teenage boys and are active with the local youth soccer club. Last March, after the tragic rampage shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, she felt called to action and started a local chapter of Moms Demand Action here in Whitewater. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that protect people from gun violence. Moms Demand Action is non-partisan, open to all (not just mothers) and is active across the country. Jenny plans to speak about local actions that her group is undertaking, including supporting survivors, teaching parents how to prevent unintentional child gun deaths, holding local gun violence awareness events, and even lobbying at the state capitol for stronger gun laws.
A Message from the Whitewater Community Food Pantry Co-Manager Pat Chaput
The Whitewater Community Food Pantry is the largest food pantry in Walworth County. 440 families were served this past year. Over the 52 weeks of 2018, 2,607 visits were made by our patrons. 7,867 individuals came to the Pantry.
Patrons get groceries once a month and can come every week for baking and produce.
The Whitewater Community Food Pantry Board of Directors, Managers and Volunteers wish to thank the Whitewater Community for their generous support! Our patrons are very grateful for everything they receive.
We also wish to thank our many volunteers. We have drivers who pick up and deliver to the pantry from places like Panera Bread, Walmart, Festival Foods and Feeding America, and volunteers who serve our patrons, stock shelves and sort the food.
The people of Whitewater make this possible. Thank you very much!
And we are grateful to Cub Scout Pack 173 “Scouting For Food” who collected and sorted 937 lbs. of food for the Pantry this past Saturday, March 9. They did a marvelous job!
Whitewater Breakfast Kiwanis donate $1,000 to the Whitewater Community Food Pantry
This week, Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club donated $1,000 to the Whitewater Community Food Pantry to help with baby food and other items for people in need.
Picture here are Left to Right: Food Pantry Volunteers Darlene Wood and Pete Bolchen; Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club Member Irene Potocki; Whitewater Food Pantry Co-managers Pat Chaput and Barbara Quast; Food Pantry Volunteer Janie Anderson; Kiwanis President Lorrie Koppein; and Food Pantry Volunteer Russ Saunders.
The pantry is located at the Armory on 146 North Street, Second Floor, in Whitewater. The mailing address for financial donations is: Whitewater Community Food Pantry, P.O. Box 63, Whitewater, WI 53190.
Trent Hernandez of Delavan-Darien High School won first place and a free year of tuition with his pitch for InflataFLAP.
Vying for one year of free tuition at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 11 high school students competed in the third annual Midwest High School Pitch competition held in Hyland Hall on Feb. 27.
As the only event of its kind in the Midwest, the competition drew 58 applicants from Wisconsin and Illinois. Seven finalists traveled to UW-Whitewater for the live “Shark-Tank”-style event. Each individual or team had six minutes to present their idea and business model to a panel of judges, who asked follow up questions, evaluated the presentations and provided feedback.
Trent Hernandez of Delavan-Darien High School won first place and a free year of tuition with his pitch for InflataFLAP. He was inspired to improve on prosthetic attachment technology after Delavan-Darien football coach Henry Johnson, who died in October 2018, had shared the challenges he had with his lower leg prosthetic. Along with two student partners, he has connected with more than 350 amputees to develop a product allowing an amputee to attach their prosthetic more quickly and comfortably thereby increasing their quality of life.
Hernandez was thrilled to win the competition and free tuition.
He shared, “I chose UW-Whitewater because it has an amazing business school and that is what I want to pursue in college. Winning the competition and free tuition was icing on the cake.”
Reflecting on his achievement, Hernandez stated that his student partners at Delavan-Darien High School have been essential to ideation and development. He was also grateful for encouragement by his technology education teacher, Michael Rick, and mentorship through the Geneva Supply BizTank program.
He added, “The experiences I had through BizTank—especially the podcast and TankTalk experiences—helped prepare me to speak in front of the judges and crowd in Hyland Hall.”
Other finalists included Camille Simmons of Monona Grove High School, Margaret Mroch and Meghan Mertes of Elkhorn Area High School, and William Bethard of Fort Atkinson High School, who won second, third, and fourth places, respectively. Placing fifth through seventh were Karson Quevillon of DC Everest Senior High; Guinivere Hausser, Kora Lathers, Nolan Urish and Cameron Davilla of Rock County Christian School; and Hailey Kiser of Pewaukee High School.
Dave Gee, UW-Whitewater entrepreneurship program coordinator, stated, “We are incredibly impressed with the caliber of startup ideas we are seeing from these high school applicants. The competition provides them a real-world opportunity to formulate their ideas into real pitches in front of real investors—just like Shark Tank. Two of the startups this year actually received offers for funding from an angel investor before they left the competition!”
First launched by the UW-Whitewater Collegiate Entrepreneur’s Organization in 2017, the Midwest High School Pitch competition was developed to foster creativity, innovation, and solution-orientated thinking within high school students. The event also highlights the nationally acclaimed entrepreneurship major within the College of Business and Economics.
The UW-Whitewater CEO chapter’s mission is to inform, support and inspire college students to be entrepreneurial and to seek opportunity through enterprise creation. This successful student organization offers access to invaluable resources, such as the UW-Whitewater Launch Pad and UW-Whitewater Incubation Program, as well as exceptional entrepreneurial education and networking experiences.
