Brian Edwin Zordel, 78, Whitewater, passed away on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at Holton Manor in Elkhorn, WI.
Brian was born on April 4, 1942 in Battle Creek, MI to Edwin and Elsie (Seidenberg) Zordel. He graduated from Appleton West High School and received his bachelor’s degree in education from UW- Eau Claire. Brian played football for the Blugolds and was on the 1963 conference championship team. “Zorch” was very proud of this accomplishment and remained good friends with his teammates.
Brian taught for 3 years at Iola-Scandinavia High School before moving to Whitewater where he taught geography and social studies. It was there that he met his future wife Mary Felber. They were married on December 26, 1971. Together they enjoyed traveling and camping at many National Parks in the United States. For many years they rented a cabin in northern Minnesota where they enjoyed fishing & swimming.
Brian was very involved in trains: antique, toy and real. He attended many national train conventions and ran an antique train store in Appleton. Naturally, Brian was a huge Packer fan and enjoyed the Brewers too. His sense of humor, great smile and blue eyes will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his wife of 49 years Mary Zordel, Whitewater; sister, Marion Koepke, Appleton, WI; many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Margo Koehnke. A Graveside Service will be held in the spring and will be announced at that time.
Carlo Nevicosi, Interim Director of Walworth County’s Health & Human Services Department, recently told the Banner, “In our 2021 budget, we added two clinical social workers with the purpose of ’embedding’ them in law enforcement agencies. We know that law enforcement is the first responder for lots of things that aren’t criminal. The goal with this pilot is to work alongside officers to manage behavioral health issues and to coordinate follow-up responses for calls they get that are not crime-related. For the pilot, we selected Delavan and Whitewater Police Departments. It’s been a great partnership setting this up with Chief Raap.”
In response to the Banner’s inquiry as to what prompted the department to propose this pilot, and to select Whitewater and Delavan, Nevicosi replied, “A lot of the conversation started around the fact that law enforcement tends to be the first responder for just about everything, mental health and substance abuse problems included. We have very strong relationships with our law enforcement agencies and starting thinking about how we could better support them AND get good outcomes for our community members in need. We have a 24/7 Crisis Intervention Program. They’re mobile, but housed in Elkhorn. We looked at some of our data regarding population and volume of crisis responses and we landed on Delavan and Whitewater. We’ve launched the program in Delavan and are recruiting for the Whitewater position. The scheduling is certainly a bit trickier. Delavan opted for a pretty standard first-shift workday. Whitewater sees more value in a second shift position. They will each get a full-time Crisis Specialist housed in their departments. During the remaining hours in the day, they’ll continue to use our team housed in Elkhorn. We’re calling this a pilot for now. We’ll be gathering data, but the overarching goal is to let the police do police stuff and we can help handle issues with social service needs. This pilot is not grant funded. With some data, I think we’ll be well-positioned to apply for grants.”
Mr. Nevicosi indicated that this article on Yahoo news is the kind of story that has inspired Walworth’s pilot.
The Whippets’ winter sports season officially ended last week. Our Whippets had a very successful season with regional champions, sectional qualifiers, and state qualifiers. We want to congratulate all our Whippet athletes on a great winter!
We’d also like to recognize our all-conference Whippets. Each sport had at least one all-conference member. In girls’ basketball, Kacie Carollo was voted Rock Valley Conference Player of the Year!
The Whippets will now move into the delayed fall sports season. Volleyball started practice this Monday and has their first games this coming week. Football, Cross Country, Boys’ Soccer, and Girls’ Tennis will be starting soon.
Carol McCormick writes, “With the warmer weather, Trippe Lake has begun to partially thaw. What appears to be a couple of broken off chunks of snow are actually two swans dozing on the ice. Also spotted are migrating goldeneyes and mergansers! Spring is on the horizon!”
Our thanks to Carol McCormick for submitting this timely photo.
— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share. Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com or click on “submit a story” near the top right of our homepage. Thanks for thinking about this!
(UW-Whitewater submission) Since 1983, faculty experts from UW-Whitewater have been presenting free public lectures on topics from art and history to current events and influential people. Join us online this spring, as we travel, virtually, through space and time.
Traveling came to an abrupt halt in 2020, but virtual journeys through time and across the world can take place through the experiences of others. Join us as we visit Louis XIV’s France; travel with students and faculty to Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America; and examine the impact of (and by) those who immigrate to the U.S. Stay safe at home this spring, while exploring our world through the experiences of our fellow global citizens.
Monday, March 1 at 3:00 p.m.
A Heartland Visa to Revive and Internationalize the Midwest
Jonathan Burkham, associate professor, Geology, Geography and Environmental Studies
The following was shared by Valley of the Kings Sanctuary from Sharon, WI: On Monday, February 22 at approximately 1:15 p.m., the weight of the snow caused the entire roof to collapse on the pole barn. Three pot belly pigs, a blind horse and 3 goats were trapped inside; thankfully none were injured other than a few scrapes. The remainder of the barn residents, 3 llamas, 2 ponies, 5 cows, 2 emus, were outside.
The pigs and goats have been moved to enclosures inside the main barn. Our volunteer construction crew will be able to build emergency shelters for Canela, our blind horse, the cows and the llamas. The animals are doing well and enjoying the warmer temperatures. NO exotics were involved in the disaster.
The barn is not insured, due to age of the structure and because we are an exotic animal facility. We have set up several fundraisers to help raise the approximate $75,000 needed to replace the barn. Please look for our pages, Valley of the Kings Sanctuary & Retreat on Facebook, GoFundMe.com/f/votkbigcats, Associated Bank- VOTK Construction account and Paypal.me/VOTK. VOTK is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
A MAJOR Thank you to the Sharon & Darien Fire Departments for getting our animals safely out of the pole barn. Our vet has checked the animals and all are in good health, just some minor scrapes. The workers had just finished their chores in the barn. A blessing that no workers were inside. Thank you all for your prayers and support. www.VOTK.Org
From their website Valley of the Kings Sanctuary and Retreat provides a home for abused, abandoned, retired and injured large felids, exotics, and domestic non-human animals. We give the best available diet, housing, veterinary care and positive human interaction. Valley of the Kings educates the general public concerning the bond between human and non-human animals in the natural world. We teach that private or commercial ownership, hunting for profit or sport and the destruction of natural habitat will mean eventual extinction for these creatures. Lastly, we believe that when we remove animals from the wild, we take their freedom and wildness, the essence of their being.
Wisconsin’s Division of Energy Services oversees the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP). This includes the federally-funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Public Benefits Energy Assistance Program. WHEAP provides financial assistance to help eligible households pay a portion of their heating and electric energy costs. Eligible households may receive a benefit payment once per heating season (October 1 through May 15), and crisis assistance funds and help for non-operating furnaces and heating systems may also be available. The amount of the benefit payment depends on household size, income level, and energy costs. WHEAP is administered locally through county social services offices, tribal governments, and private non-profit agencies in each county in Wisconsin.
Who is eligible for this program?
To be eligible for this benefit program, you must be a resident of Wisconsin and you must need financial assistance with home energy costs.
A person who participates or has family members who participate in certain other benefit programs, such as SNAP, SSI, TANF, automatically meets the eligibility requirement. In order to qualify, you must also have an annual household income (before taxes) that is below 60 percent of the State Median Income. This site will give you further information, including a calculator of the maximum qualifying income based on family size.
Click here to begin the application process. If you need help completing the online application, or need to apply in-person or by phone, Walworth County residents should call Energy Services, Inc. at (262) 427-8505, Rock County residents may contact Energy Services, Inc. at (608) 363-9200, Jefferson County Residents may contact Energy Services, Inc. at (920) 568-0604.
Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program: Please see the information shown below. More information, including answers to frequently asked questions, may be found here. Rock & Walworth County residents should be prescreened by filling out the form that is found on the Community Action, Inc. site. Jefferson County residents should contact Energy Services, Inc. at (833) 900-9372.
The following is a press release from Gov. Evers regarding this program. It has a link that provides the household income limits depending upon the household size. Gov. Evers Announces New Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced more than $322 million in funding to help support Wisconsinites who have experienced income loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program, administered by the Department of Administration (DOA), provides direct financial assistance for rent, utility, home energy costs, and wraparound services for individuals who qualify.
“I’m proud of the efforts we’ve made through the Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program to get folks the help they need so they don’t have to worry about losing the roofs over their heads, and this program will build on that success,” said Gov. Evers. “While we continue working to get vaccines distributed and shots in arms as soon as we have supply, these funds will be critically important providing families the stability and support they need to get through this pandemic.
”Eligible applicants include Wisconsin residents who demonstrate a risk of experiencing housing instability, have seen their income reduced by the COVID-19 pandemic, and/or earn a household income at or below 80 percent of the county median income. Once approved, eligible individuals may receive up to 12 months of assistance. Rental and utility assistance payments are made directly to the landlord or utility provider on behalf of the tenant.
The DOA will partner with Wisconsin Community Action agencies and Energy Services, Inc. to accept applications and distribute rental and utility assistance. Residents of Brown, Dane, Milwaukee, and Waukesha Counties and the cities of Madison and Milwaukee can apply directly to their local government’s rental assistance provider.
“Many families face the possibility of losing the roof over their heads or having their utilities shut off because of the effects of the pandemic,” said DOA Secretary Joel Brennan. “Gov. Evers is committed to helping Wisconsin families stay in their homes and keep their heat and lights on. We are grateful to our local partners for working with DOA to distribute rental and energy assistance to Wisconsinites who need support as we put our state in the best possible position to bounce back in the coming months.”
The effort is funded by the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury. More details about the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program are available here.
(WUSD press release, Feb. 25) – Lincoln Elementary principal Mary Kilar is among 16 statewide winners of the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation 2021 Principal Leadership Award. The Herb Kohl Principal Leadership program is established to recognize and support administrative leadership. The 16 Kohl Leadership Award winners are each recipients of a $6,000 grant from the Herb Kohl Education Foundation.
Mary Kilar commented that she is honored to be chosen for the award. “But also fully cognizant that I do not accept this award because of my work alone. Rather, this award represents the dedication the entire Lincoln School staff and community puts in daily,” said Kilar. “We are a school that believes in the potential of every student and when a community like this one comes together for students, great things happen! I am certainly blessed to be chosen, but even more blessed to be part of something as special as Lincoln School!”
Principal Leadership Award recipients are selected by a statewide committee which consist of civic leaders, and representatives of education-related associations and the program’s cosponsors: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools, Wisconsin Cooperative Educational Service Agencies, and Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation.
“Mrs. Mary Kilar has been an innovator for the Whitewater School District since 2014,” said Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty, Whitewater Unified School District superintendent. “The outcomes of Mary’s work as an instructional leader, during a pandemic are perfectly balanced with assuring that the needs of ALL are met in her school community.”
Award recipients were notified of their awards on Wednesday.
“We are extremely proud of Mary’s accomplishments,” Pate-Hefty added.
(UW-Whitewater submission) The following individuals were inducted as student government senators at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Whitewater, WI: Nick Doolittle, who is studying political science
Whitewater, WI: Austin Schlief, who is studying political science
Whitewater, WI: Lexington Gracia, who is studying communication
Elections were held in the fall of 2021, and 16 new members were inducted for the 2021 calendar year. WSG Senators hold positions in five different districts across campus: Drumlin, Esker, Rock County, Off-Campus and At-Large. The placement of senators into these five districts depends on where senators live and attend classes.
To become a senator, students go through an application process, which includes collecting signatures in their desired district, appearing on a ballot and undergoing a campus-wide vote.
Once elected, the senator’s foundational responsibility is to act as the outreach of student government. This includes communicating with constituents in each of their districts, bringing the concerns of campus forward to the student government and writing resolutions/acts either to make a statement on behalf of WSG or make a call to action. Members of the WSG Senate also sit on various campus committees and represent not only WSG, but all student voices.
“The newly sworn in Whitewater Student Government senators are a bright, ambitious and optimistic group. The senate makes a positive impact through legislation, constituency events and sitting on UW-Whitewater’s committees to advocate for students. Their dedication, leadership and desire to make our campus better will shape the future of our university for years to come,” said Jody Wentworth, student body president.
The WSG Senate meets virtually every Monday at 7 p.m. All individuals are welcome to attend any of the meetings to bring forward any concerns, aspirations, or ways to improve the UW-Whitewater campus.
College of Arts and Communication, Department of Music
(WHITEWATER, WIS.)— The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Department of Music continues its virtual event offerings with the next concert in the Music Mosaics series, titled “A Night at the Opera”. All proceeds from the Music Mosaic series go directly towards scholarships for Department of Music students. This virtual performance will take place on March 2 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $13 for a single viewer ticket and $26 for a family viewing ticket for two or more. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at tickets.uww.edu or by calling (262) 472-2222. Although tickets must be purchased by March 2, the content will be available through March 15, 2021 for viewing.
“A Night at the Opera” features UW-Whitewater voice and piano faculty performing their favorite arias from opera works by Handel, Mozart, Wagner, Strauss, Thomas, Massenet, Donizetti, Puccini, Stravinsky, and more. Performers include Brian Leeper, baritone; Jessica Schwefel, mezzo-soprano; Adam Shelton, tenor; Rachel Wood, mezzo-soprano; and MyungHee Chung, piano.
Rachel Wood
“Although the COVID-19 pandemic has forced artists to reimagine the performance experience, we are excited to continue to share our art with the Whitewater community and beyond. Even without the staging, the costumes, or the live audience, the glorious music and powerful stories stand on their own, and we have the opportunity to present them in a completely unique way. Most importantly, though, we are doing so safely: all of the performances you will see were recorded in real time in separate spaces using low-latency technology” says Wood. Dr. Wood has appeared in opera, concert, and recital performances across Canada, the United States, Italy, and the Netherlands. She has performed the title role in “The Rape of Lucretia”, La Natura and Endimione (“La Calisto”), and Penelope (“Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria”), Dorabella (“Così fan tutte”), Zita (“Gianni Schicchi”), La Zia Principessa (“Suor Angelica”), and Alma March (“Little Women”). Other opera credits include Madame de Croissy (“Dialogues des Carmélites”), Cornelia (“Giulio Cesare”), and Dame Doleful in the Canadian premiere of “Too Many Sopranos”.
The music has gone on at UW-Whitewater in a big way with the help of a program called SoundJack. “SoundJack is a low-latency audio platform that allows musicians to collaborate in real-time over the internet. Unlike other popular online platforms such as Zoom, Soundack reduces the latency to an imperceptible amount. UW-Whitewater faculty use SoundJack to safely teach applied lessons, hold rehearsals, and to collaborate on recordings and performances like this one,” says Wood. SoundJack is being used at UW-Whitewater in a variety of ways by the Department of Music and also to aid in the Department of Theatre/Dance production of “Antigone” which also releases in March.
Faculty performers Wood, Leeper, Shelton, Schwefel and Chung have an impressive list of credits to their name.
Brian Leeper (Photo Craig Schreiner)
Baritone Brian Leeper joined the music faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2004. He currently teaches Studio Voice, Meistersingers Choir and directs the Opera Workshop. An active soloist and clinician, he also presents masterclasses and recitals at Universities across the US and abroad. He is also on the voice faculties of two international opera programs in Italy; FIO-Italia and Opera festival di Roma. Equally at home with Oratorio and Opera, Mr. Leeper has performed over twenty major operatic roles, including a national radio broadcast concert performance of Candide with the Cleveland Orchestra. He has appeared as soloist in oratorio with conductors Leon Botstein, Robert Page, Weston Noble and Vance George. Most recent solo appearances include Brahms Deutches Requiem, Elijah, The Creation, the St. John Passion, Messiah, Don Pasquale, L’Elisir d’amore and Die Fledermaus.
Adam Shelton
Shelton is a Wisconsin transplant from Tennessee and is a singer, teacher and director. Shelton has performed with Madison Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Madison Savoyards, Music Theatre of Madison, Four Seasons Theatre, Soo Symphony & Opera, MidColumbia Mastersingers & Orchestra, La Musica Lirica, Arizona Opera, Knoxville Opera, and Opera For the Young. Career highlights include: Frederic in “The Pirates of Penzance”, The Magician in “The Consul”, Alfred in “Die Fledermaus”, Ferrando in “Così fan tutte”, Lyric Tenor in Argento’s “Postcard from Morocco”, the title role in Mascagni’s “L’amico Fritz”, Don José in “Carmen”, and Nemorino in Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.”
Jessica Schwefel
Mezzo soprano Dr. Jessica Schwefel has performed in over 30 operatic productions with Madison Opera, Opera for the Young, Fresco Opera Theatre, UW Opera, Music By The Lake, among others. Dr. Schwefel has also been a member of the Florentine Opera Chorus since 2008, where she has been involved in a number of productions and outreach performances. She also participated in the Florentine’s recordings of “Elmer Gantry” and “Rio de Sangre”, which collectively earned three Grammy Awards in 2012 and 2013. Her involvement with the Florentine Opera’s production and recording of “Prince of Players”in 2018 culminated in two Grammy award nominations in 2021. Solo concert performances include engagements with the Oshkosh Chamber Singers, UW Summer Choir, South Shore Chorale, UW Choral Union, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW-Oshkosh Choirs, and UW-Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra. Her singing has also been heard on WPR programs such as “University of the Air”, “On Higher Ground” and “The Midday.”
Myung Hee Chung (Photo Craig Schreiner)
Dr. Chung has performed extensively throughout the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Asia. She has soloed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonic Orchestra, and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed as a member of Seraphin Trio at the University of New Mexico for 4 years and with the UW-Whitewater Piano Trio since 1999. Dr. Chung is a recipient of numerous national and international awards, including first prize at the 1977 William Kapell Maryland International Piano Competition, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Performer’s Competition, Portland Symphony Orchestra Competition, and The Juilliard Concerto Competition. She was a prizewinner in the 1980 Gina Bachauer International Competition and a finalist in the 1981 Busoni International Competition.
“A Night at the Opera” virtual performance will take place on March 2 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $13 for a single viewer ticket and $26 for a family viewing ticket for two or more. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at tickets.uww.edu or by calling (262) 472-2222. Although tickets must be purchased by March 2, this content will be available through March 15, 2021 for viewing.
