WHS French teacher Alecia Pasdera was one of sixteen secondary educators (grades 9-12) awarded a Fulbright grant and acceptance into the Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad Program to Morocco through the U.S. Department of Education, a program with applicants from all around the nation. The four-week program has been postponed until 2022, but Mademoiselle Pasdera will use this time to prepare for her curriculum project that she will work on while abroad. Participants in the program will travel throughout Morocco, learning about various aspects of life in the Maghreb region. Participants will also engage with Fulbright alumni and educators at various schools in the Moroccan education system.
Mademoiselle Pasdera is excited to experience this francophone country firsthand and bring back valuable knowledge and resources to enrich her curriculum. While she loves France, she tries to move away from the narrow viewpoint that French is solely about baguettes and the Eiffel Tower. This invaluable experience will help guide her ongoing curriculum development efforts to make her students more knowledgeable and exposed to the French-speaking world around them.
Article and Photos by Kathy Bullis Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach kbullis@wwusd.org
Senior Captains
The Whippet Volleyball Team finished the RVC season going undefeated with a record of 9-0 overall. Tuesday night, Whitewater defeated Clinton 3 games straight by the scores of 25-12, 25-9, 25-11. After the match, the Whippets arrived back in Whitewater to a surprise celebration! They received RVC Championship t-shirts, caps, cupcakes, Grandma J’s Oreo Balls, and an RVC Championship Trophy presented to the team by Athletic Director Justin Crandall.
The Whippets celebrated Tuesday evening but will wake up Wednesday morning with their eyes on a regional Championship! Whitewater earned the #1 seed in the region and will host Saturday, April 10th. At 1:00 pm, Whitewater will play the fourth seed Jefferson. At 3:00, Fort Atkinson will take on Big Foot. 5:00 will be the regional Championship between the winners of the 1:00 and 3:00 matches.
UW-Whitewater is hosting the Joint Committee on Finance public hearing on the Governor’s 2021-23 biennial budget on Friday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Irvin L. Young Auditorium, 930 West Main Street.
Hearing attendees must follow the COVID-19 safety protocols, including wearing facial coverings and maintaining social distance. Available seating will be limited due to social distancing guidelines.
Parking is available in Lot 1 for those attending the event.
The public hearing will be live streamed by WisconsinEye and can be viewed at http://www.wiseye.org/live.
Banner note: The following is from the Joint Finance Committee website. That page also has a link to a form where persons may submit comments to the committee without attending a hearing.
If you are planning on attending one of the public hearings, here are a few important things to note:
-The primary purpose of the public hearings will be to hear from Wisconsin citizens, while committee members may ask questions of speakers, it’s not meant to be a debate.
-Speakers (virtual and in-person) will be given two minutes to speak to make sure the committee is able to hear from everyone.
-We will be following the guidelines from local public health departments for the host location regarding masking, social distancing and room capacity.
-We ask that once you are done speaking, you exit the room so other individuals who haven’t had the chance to speak can do so.
Erik Peter Stottrup, 79, of Waterloo, Iowa passed away on Monday, March 29, 2021 at his home in Whitewater, WI.
Erik was born on September 28th, 1941 in Waterloo, Iowa. He graduated from Warrensburg-Latham High School in 1958. Erik earned his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Southern Illinois University in 1963. After graduation, Erik started his journalist career at the Southern Illinoisan newspaper in Carbondale IL. He worked as a reporter and writer at the Chicago Suburban News and later for a construction trade magazine.
Erik retired from his celebrated journalism career in 2001 from Krause Publications in Iola, WI.
On June 15th, 1963, Erik married his wife, Janet Nottelmann-Stottrup, and together raised two sons.
Erik enjoyed cheering on the Cubs, Bears, and Bulls, as well as College football. He also enjoyed spending time with his family especially his grandsons.
He enjoyed travelling especially to the Keys in Florida where he spent a few months during the winter every year with his Wife.
His other passions were politics, history, and reading; he played an active role in raising money for political parties by making phone calls and contributing to causes he strongly believed in. He was also a lifelong member of the SIU Alumni Association.
Erik is survived by his wife Janet Stottrup; children, Erik Paul Stottrup., Wife, Marie Stottrup (Hartland, WI) and Stephen Stottrup, Wife, Anita Stottrup (Chicago, IL); Sister, Enid Stottrup-Weygandt (Madison, WI), Brother-in-law, Jerry Weygandt; Grandchildren, Andrew Stottrup, Willem Stottrup, and Markus Stottrup, Many nieces, nephews and cousins on all sides of the family.
He is preceded in death by his father, Sigurd Stottrup, mother, Maxime Stottrup, younger sister, Sigrid Stottrup, and his in-laws, Herman and Zada Nottelmann.
No formal funeral services will be held at this time due to Covid. A graveside service will take place at Stonegate Cemetery in Hartland, WI, on April 14, 2021 at 2:00 pm CDT.
In the Tuesday, April 6 election, Carol McCormick was reelected unopposed to represent District 1 on the Common Council, as was Brienne Brown for District 3. All other reports in this article are unofficial. The race for Council in District 5 was a very close call, with incumbent Gregory Majkrzak’s 62 votes only a two vote margin over challenger Neil Hicks. On the other hand, there was a decisive margin in the Council’s at-large position, with Lisa Dawsey Smith garnering 708 votes to Dan Machalik’s 328.
Maryann Zimmerman and Larry Kachel were apparent victors for the two open seats on the school board, ousting incumbent Tom Ganser. Kelly Davis chose not to run for reelection, and Andrea M. Svec, who had withdrawn from active pursuit of a seat, still received 299 votes. The tallies, broken down by counties, are shown below.
Walworth
Jefferson
Rock
Total
Maryann Zimmerman
1064
173
117
1354
Larry Kachel
1024
182
116
1322
Tom Ganser
858
136
81
1075
Andrea M. Svec
224
36
39
299
Further details on the election results will be forthcoming on the Banner.
WUSD School Board Cancels School April 14 & Adds a Make-Up Day at the end of the 2020-2021 School Year
WHITEWATER, WI, April 6 — Last evening, the School Board was asked to consider instructional plans for Wednesday, April 14, as the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be administered to WUSD staff on Tuesday, April 13. This consideration was to help avoid unexpected or emergency closures of school due to potential absenteeism. Studies have shown and local school districts report that up to 30% of staff could miss work the day following the second vaccine dose due to side effects. The School Board voted to cancel school for Wednesday, April 14 and add a make-up day at the end of the 2020-21 school year. Tuesday, June 8 will be a full school day. Wednesday, June 9, the last day of school, will be a half day for students. No changes were made to the High School Seniors year-end schedule; graduation will be Sunday, June 6, 2021.
Banner note: Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty, District Superintendent, indicated to the board that 23 staff had already been vaccinated prior to the mass immunization day that the district sponsored. On the day after their second vaccine, 17% were absent. Jefferson County Epidemiologist Samroz Jakvani indicated that it might be anticipated that approximately 28-30% of persons receiving the second dose might experience sufficiently severe symptoms the next day that they would not be expected to be able to report to work. Pate-Hefty indicated that a high water mark in absences had occurred on a day in March when 23 staff called off, amounting to approximately 10% of the teachers. Fifteen substitutes were able to be recruited for the day, but it was felt that if circumstances had gotten much worse it would have been close to an emergency situation.
Pate-Hefty suggested that there were four alternatives for the board to consider: 1) No school on April 14, and not make up the day since only one snow day has been used for the year. 2) No school on April 14, but add on a day at the end of the school year. 3) Schedule virtual instruction for April 14. 4) Continue with in-person instruction on April 14.
In view of the instructional time that had been lost due to virtual instruction this school year, the superintendent recommended the second option, particularly since it is unknown at this time as to how the state will count virtual instruction towards the required hours. Board members agreed, and voted unanimously to choose the second option.
Whitewater hosted Columbus in tennis on Monday, April 5, and won, 4-3. The Whippets swept the four singles matches and Columbus swept the 3 doubles matches. Pictured is the Whippet #1 singles player, freshman Emilia Houwers, who defeated Alyson Theilen 6-0, 6-2.
(UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club submission) The UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club did not let the pandemic stop them from collaborating with others to help carry out two events in March.
On March 6, Community Optimist members, along with UW-Whitewater Student Optimists collaborated with the staff and students from the UW-W Young Auditorium to sponsor a benefit concert. Upbeat music filled the Young Auditorium as the Milwaukee-based Funk Club Wagon entertained its audience during a 90-minute jazz-funk concert.
Business donations from The Coburn Company, Fox Chiropractic, and Fort Community Credit Union, along with a virtual silent auction and donation bucket helped to raise money for two local organizations.
Proceeds were donated to the Whitewater Unified School District Family Emergency Fund and the UW-Whitewater Warhawk Emergency Fund.
Kate Ksobiech (left) and Kim Adams (right) of the Optimist Club present a check for $670 to Lanora Heim (middle) of the Whitewater Unified School District for the Family Emergency Fund.
Kim Adams (left) and Kate Ksobiech (right) present a check for $670 to Dr. Lauren Smith for the UW-Whitewater Warhawk Emergency Fund.
Between rain showers on March 27, the Optimist Club put a new spin on their annual Easter Egg Hunt. This year’s event was titled The Easter Bunny and Friends and was held at the Whitewater Middle School.
The event included many friends of the Easter Bunny, including Thumper, Willie Warhawk, Scoopie, a chick, carrot, and McGruff the Crime Dog. Goodie bags were distributed to cars with smiling children—after the bunnies and McGruff were escorted to the site via a Whitewater fire truck and squad car. Remaining goodie bags were donated to the Whitewater Community Space. Additional event support came from the UW-Whitewater Student Optimist Club and UW-W communication students.
The Easter Bunny and Thumper greet customers and help hand out goodie bags to children.
Friends of the Easter Bunny join in greeting customers.
(Reutebuch family submission) James John Bruynell, age 84, of Oceanside CA, went to be with our Lord and Savior on March 21, 2021. Jim was born to Erma and John Bruynell on September 18, 1936. He grew up in Mishawaka, Indiana, attended Mishawaka High School and graduated in 1955. Jim was a proud and active member of every community he lived in. He served in the United States Army for 3 years and the majority of that time was spent at The Redstone Arsenal. He worked as an Engineer and a Sales Engineer for Dodge Manufacturing and Reliance Electric of Rosemont, Illinois for 44 years.
Jim Bruynell
He was part of the Cursillo Movement for over 60 years in Indiana and Illinois. Jim served in the Kairos Prison Ministry for many years, where he shared the love and forgiveness of Jesus. Moreover, Jim served weekly at Brother Benno’s, serving the poor and marginalized. If you couldn’t find Jim on a Saturday morning, he was out feeding the migrant workers a hot breakfast. Also, he had a special love for the Capuchin Franciscans who welcomed his family to Northwest Indiana and befriended them.
Jim was an avid, gifted joke teller and loved to share a smile with everyone. He enjoyed fishing and was especially fond of the family summer trips at Big Fish Lake. He cherished many memorable fishing trips with his sons and grandchildren. He could fix just about anything and got plenty of opportunities to so with his large family. He loved playing the drums and delighted in family musical sessions in Wisconsin. Jim was a dancing enthusiast and had so much fun on the dance floor. He never missed the opportunity to celebrate his family and was most proud of his nine cherished children, 21 grandchildren, and precious one great grandchild. His family was a priority in all he did.
Jim enjoyed ocean walks and oceanside meals with his beloved wife and best friend, Carol. They enjoyed traveling and visited most of Europe together. He adored waking up to the California sunshine daily, and he grew beautiful lemons. He delighted in mailing his family boxes of his prized California fruit. Jim was proud of his Belgian roots and the little Flemish community that he came from. He made sure his family knew their special Belgian blood and stories.
He made the best batches of Chex mix to share. He loved people, conversations, and sharing a meal. Jim was loved by so many. Jim was Santa for many decades and shared joy with many by helping to bring the magic of Christmas to his community.
His favorite hobby was his postcard ministry. He sent hundreds of postcards to loved ones and shared his faith, life lessons, and unique, funny sayings. Jim had a passion for connecting with people.
Above all, Jim was a follower of Christ. His retirement business card was Isaiah 41:18 “For I, the Lord thy God will hold your right hand saying, Fear not, I will help you.” This was the card he shared with as many as he could. In Jim’s final hours, all that could be heard, were the sweet words of gratitude to our dear father, grandfather, and husband for a life well lived.
Joy is one word to describe Jim’s life and legacy. As Trisha, his granddaughter, so beautifully recalled, “Grandpa, when I think of you, I think of joy. Joy that is generous and energetic, unwavering, and unconditional. Joy that is readily given and therefore plentiful – because it’s the kind of joy, it seems, that is replenished by the very act of sharing it with others. How lucky am I to have a Grandpa like that. To know joy like that. To have been loved like that.” Jim simply loved people and enjoyed meeting everyone. He wanted to know their story. As Jim’s son, Paul, so lovingly shared, “It’s been just hours since he left this earth, but I guarantee he has shaken hands with three quarters of heaven.”
Jim is survived by his loved wife of 30 years, Carol Bruynell; nine children: Jim (Marie) Bruynell of Haverhill, MA; Mary Sue (Tim) Reutebuch of Whitewater, WI; Tim (Heather) Bruynell of Anderson, SC; Beth (Mike) Ringel of Austin, TX; Amy Sky of Huntsville, Al; Tom (Kim) Bruynell of Pleasanton, CA; Carly (Ken) Kolanda of Maricopa, AZ; John (Madison) Brand of Monticello, IN; Paul (Mary Kate) Brand of East Hampton, CT; 21 grandchildren: Kara Bruynell of San Diego, CA; Laura (Dan) Brosnan of Beverly, MA; Trisha Bruynell of London, England; Ellen (Nick) Pantuosco of Clinton, MA; Alexis (Trevor) Parmentier of Round Rock, TX; Thomas (Jordan) Bruynell of Indianapolis, IN; Ryan Bruynell of Mountain View, CA; Christine Bruynell of Cary, NC; Angela Paolella of Pleasanton, CA; Zachary Ringel of Austin, TX; Cody Torres of Maricopa, AZ; Jeremy Reutebuch of Whitewater, WI; Michael Bruynell of Pleasanton, CA; Collin Torres of Maricopa, AZ; Luke Varghese of Anderson, SC; Ethan Varghese of Anderson, SC; Conor Torres of Maricopa, AZ; Whimsy Brand of East Hampton, CT; Grady Brand of East Hampton, CT; Remy Brand of East Hampton, CT; and Matthew Riordan of Haverhill, MA; one great grandchild: Oliver Brosnan of Beverly, MA and last, but not least: Baby Pantuosco to arrive in August 2021.
Jim was preceded in death by his sister, Geraldine Gyrarmati; his mother, Erma and father John.
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 23 at 10:00 am. A Catholic Funeral Mass will follow at 11:00 am at the Serra Center at Mission San Luis Rey, 4070 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92057. A Graveside Service with the presentation of Military Funeral Honors at 12:00 pm at the Old Mission Rey Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Brother Benno’s, https://www.brotherbenno.org, in memory of Jim.
Whitewater Unified School District Board Special Meeting – Monday @ 7:00 p.m. Agenda: Consideration of Instructional Plans for April 14, following 2nd COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic. District staff will be receiving their 2nd COVID-19 vaccine dose on April 13. The Board will consider various educational options for April 14, the day following staff vaccination. Studies and local school districts indicate up to 30% of staff could miss work due to vaccine side-effects. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81307880431?pwd=cXdkTFg3S1p4MDQ1TVJadXBRU2pkUT09 – Passcode: 925065 ———————————————- – Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799 – Webinar ID: 813 0788 0431 – Passcode: 925065
City of Whitewater Common Council – Thursday @ 6:30 p.m. Agendaincludes prohibition on smoking and vaping in city parks and update on State budget. Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/99738023614?pwd=Mi9CN0pMdTJyS0ZmeGEwcGhpWG5JZz09 Passcode: 623078 Or Telephone: Dial 1 929 205 6099 Webinar ID: 997 3802 3614 Passcode: 623078
