Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,[1] is celebrated annually on February 14.[2] It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.[3]
There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines connected to February 14,[4] including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century.[5][6] According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer.[7] Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer’s daughter a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell before his execution;[8] another tradition posits that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry.[6]
There is a tradition that the Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269.[9][10] The feast is found in the Gelasian Sacramentary (which was compiled after Gelasius), meaning that is has been observed since at least the eighth century.[11] The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the “lovebirds” of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[12] In Italy, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart”, as well as to children to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine’s Malady).[13]
Saint Valentine’s Day is not a public holiday in any country, although it is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion[14] and the Lutheran Church.[15] Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day on July 6 in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and on July 30 in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).[16]
Demolition on the Hawk Bowl and Apartments has begun. A 20,000 square foot Aldi grocery store will be constructed on one of two developable pads. Previous Banner posts regarding plans for the Aldi construction may be found here and here.
In December, Whitewater High School’s new Esports Team started their Winter season through the WIHSEA (Wisconsin High School Esports Association). Coach Justin Buntrock created 3 teams, a Varsity Rocket League team and 2 Varsity Fortnite teams. One Fortnite team played on Tuesday nights and one played on Wednesday nights.
Fortnite is an FPS Battle Royale, survival style game, where you and your teammates drop into a large map along with several other players. As time progresses in the game, the storm (large circle) continues to get smaller and smaller. This forces the players to move closer to the center of the map as they continue to battle and fight to be the last survivor.
This season, there were over 30 teams from schools across the state. WHS played in “Trios” or teams of three. Points were tallied up after every game based on placement each week and kills per team per game each week.
Whitewater’s Wednesday night team placed 5th out of over 200 teams across the state of Wisconsin, thus qualifying for State, which will be held at 4:00 p.m. on February 21st. This will be round one of potentially three to find the best team in the state!
Article Submitted by Justin Buntrock Whitewater High School Head Esports Coach jbuntrock@wwusd.org
The following joint statement was released on February 12 by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office and Rock County Emergency Management regarding the tornado that affected the Evansville to Lake Koshkonong areas on February 8.
Low-level rotation tracks from MRMS from the Thursday evening tornado; Fort Atkinson is near the upper right corner
Rock County Emergency Management continues to conduct damage assessments using the FEMA Damage Assessment Criteria. The most current information we have follows. Total Number of Residences Impacted: 31 ▪ Destroyed: 3 ▪ Major: 10 ▪ Minor: 11 ▪ Affected: 7
The National Weather Service surveyed the affected area on February 9, 2024, and summarized their findings on their website at https://www.weather.gov/mkx/FebruarySevereWeather.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville awarded diplomas to nearly 500 students for the fall of 2023.
Students from this area who graduated include:
Whitewater, WI (Name, major, campus)
Allison Heckert, Health and Human Performance, UW-Platteville Hannah Hoesly, Civil Engineering, UW-Platteville Robert Liberto, Health and Human Performance, UW-Platteville Sydney Treder, Industrial Engineering, UW-Platteville
On Saturday, February 10, the Whitewater Wrestling Team traveled to Clinton to participate in the 13 team Regional Wrestling Tournament, which is the first phase of the state tournament series. This is an individual tournament where the top four competitors in each weight class advance next weekend to Campbellsport for the Sectional Tournament. Team scores are also kept during this event based on individual success and the top two teams advance to the Team Sectional to be hosted by Whitewater High School on Tuesday night, February 13.
After the dust settled, the Whippets found themselves with 9 competitors advancing to the individual sectional next Saturday, and the team finished at the top of the heap to be able to compete in their home gym on Tuesday night.
Individually, Jasen Porras (113), Connor Friend (138), and Sebastian Cuellar (165) all won their weight classes. Jasen had outstanding 3rd periods in his open match and in the championship to come away victorious having 2 pins and a decision on the day. Connor Friend started the day with two pins and then a well wrestled 4-0 win in the championship. Closing out the champions, Sebastian Cuellar had a pin, technical fall, and a very well wrestled championship match winning 8-3.
Coming in second for the Whippets included Jarvis Porcaro (120) who had a pin and major decision on the day before falling for the second week in a row to a highly ranked student from East Troy. Odair Porras (150) dropped his semi-final match by 1 point, however battled back to take third place. Because he had not wrestled the 2nd place wrestler he got a wrestle back winning to claim the second-place position, which placement is important as it determines how you are placed at Sectionals. Also bringing home silver was Payton Lyon (190) picking up a pin and very well wrestled semi-final match winning by decision.
Closing out the Whitewater qualifiers were Brady Friend (132), who was 5-1 on the day, Traysen Thomason (144), who dropped a tough semi-final match in overtime, and Junior Soto (HWT) who had a big pin against the number 2 seed in the quarter-finals.
Just missing out on a trip to the sectional meet was JJ Gonzalez who finished the day 3-1 and in 5th place.
The Whippets will host the team sectional on Tuesday night with the semi-finals beginning at 6:00. Whitewater will face Campbellsport in the opening round. The winner of the two dual meets on Tuesday night will compete at Team State on March 2.
The individual boys who qualified as well as the girls’ team will travel to Campbellsport on Saturday, February 17, as they look to place in the top 3 for the boys and champion for the girls to advance to state.
Article Submitted by John Schimming Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach jschimming@wwusd.org Graphic Courtesy of Johnny Gomez
LORETTO, PA — Congratulations to Emma Allamian from Whitewater, WI for being named to the Dean’s List at Saint Francis University. Allamian, majoring in Psychology, was among 801 students who earned a spot on one of the honors lists (President’s and Dean’s) for the Fall 2023 semester.
To earn an honors list distinction a student must have full-time status with a quality point average of 4.000 (President’s) or 3.500 (Dean’s) on 12 or more credits during a single semester, with no continuing or incomplete grades.
Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA, is the oldest Catholic-Franciscan college in the United States. Its mission is to help students grow into compassionate, successful professionals through a culture of faith, generosity, respect, discovery, and joy. Saint Francis University offers traditional campus-based learning and competitive online and graduate degree offerings.
Editor’s note: The following press release was received from UW-Whitewater.
Director of Residence Life Terry Tumbarello participates in a LEAP conference with students and staff on Jan. 10, 2019. (UW-Whitewater/Craig Schreiner)
Fort Atkinson’s Tumbarello recognized as UW-Whitewater housing keeps students feeling at home
Terry Tumbarello’s typical day at the office is often atypical to any other day he’s had in his 26 years on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus.
On a November morning following the Thanksgiving break, his meeting topics included esports, university dining, budget, and a discussion with a student about the heating in their dorm room.
“On any given week, you could look at my calendar, and I think you’d be shocked at the types of meetings I have,” said Tumbarello, who is in his second year as executive director of University Housing.
“Every day is different, and I love that.”
Thanks to his knack for tackling a vast array of situations and challenges, coupled with his ability to lead a department that continues to evolve to meet student needs, Tumbarello earned one of the highest honors given to housing and residence life professionals in higher education.
In November, he was announced as winner of the William B. Sweet Distinguished Service Award from the Upper Midwest Region-Association of College and University Housing Officers (UMR-ACUHO) at the organization’s annual conference. The Upper Midwest Region includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Manitoba.
The organization’s most prestigious honor, the award is given to an individual who represents a standard of excellence through contributions and dedication to the regional and international housing association and profession. The winner’s service should leave a positive and lasting impact, and they should be viewed as a role model for colleagues and new professionals.
Tumbarello received nominations from four different people on four different campuses in three different states, including former UW-Whitewater colleague Greg Thompson, who now works as director of residence education at the University of Iowa.
“It’s humbling and flattering — a tremendous honor,” Tumbarello said. “I was thrilled that it was done at the conference when I could have some of our staff present.”
Thompson met Tumbarello at a UMR-ACUHO conference and worked with him as a coordinator for leadership and academic initiatives at UW-Whitewater during the 2006-07 academic year.
“When I reflect on the legacy of Bill Sweet, and the intent of this prestigious award, I can think of no one more deserving than Terry,” Thompson wrote in the nomination. “He has dedicated his life, his passion and his time to the advancement of housing as a professional field.”
Housing that supports academic success and personal growth
As executive director, Tumbarello’s main responsibilities include planning and directing the administrative operation, financial affairs, and programmatic aspects of University Housing, including room assignments, support services, staffing and training, educational programming, facility renovation, policy/procedure development, and central office management team supervision. Tumbarello is no stranger to university leadership positions — he served as interim dean of students in 2015-16.
While the upkeep, maintenance and renovation of each residence hall remains a priority, University Housing supports student success on a day-to-day basis through a robust slate of programming.
Tumbarello and his team oversee UW-Whitewater’s Boxes and Walls program, an interactive diversity experience created for the campus community that encourages people to think outside of the box by throwing away stereotypes and tearing down walls of oppression. Boxes and Walls was recognized in 2020 by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) with the Region IV Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award.
The 2023 programming, which was held Oct. 15-19 at Esker Hall, showcased Black, LGBTQ+, mental health, physical disability and LatinX experiences. Each experience was designed to allow participants to feel and/or sense what life is like from those various diverse perspectives.
“It continues to evolve every year to meet the needs of students,” Tumbarello said.
UW-Whitewater’s Learning Community program, a collaboration among University Housing, the First Year Experience office and several academic programs, invites first-year students to live and study with peers who share similar interests and includes 17 communities in 2023-24.
“It’s a tremendous experience for those students,” Tumbarello said of the program.
The Learning Community concept was also recently developed for students who are enrolled at UW-Whitewater at Rock County and living in the residence halls on the Whitewater campus.
“Most years we have anywhere from 100 to 115 students from Rock,” Tumbarello said. “This year, for the first year ever, we created a special living option for those students to live together in a particular residence hall so we could put targeted programming and support services to better meet their needs.”
University Housing also supports academic success center programming in Wells Hall, where more than 1,200 students live; Jitters, a coffee house run by student volunteers that’s open 5-6 nights per week; and the campus’s recently-launched esports studio, which is located in Wells and is also supported by the university’s Center for Inclusive Transition, Education, and Employent (CITEE).
According to recent surveys, residents are consistently satisfied with their on-campus housing experience at UW-Whitewater. University Housing rated highly when compared to its peer institutions, and residents were particularly satisfied with the department’s ability to:
Enhance their ability to live cooperatively
Respect other students
Help them interact with residents who are different from them (i.e., race, gender, beliefs)
Enhance their ability to use campus resources to support their academic success
“Our students indicate that they find it to be a significant value,” Tumbarello added. “They tell us that it positively contributes to their learning and their ability to be academically successful here.”
A campus that cares
Tumbarello’s people-centric approach carries over to the University Housing team, which includes 60 full-time staff members, 10 graduate assistants and more than 400 student assistants. University Housing is “on the clock” year-round, underscoring the importance of a unified, organized staff.
“We continue to have really high luck in recruiting and retaining and attracting the most talented staff in the country,” Tumbarello said.
He estimates that more than 50 former University Housing staff members are currently employed at other institutions around the country in housing, residence life or student affairs. Several of them were on hand as he received his distinguished service award last month.
“In my time here, I’ve had more than 300 grad assistants graduate and matriculate to other student affairs positions and housing positions all over the country,” Tumbarello said.
Last summer, University Housing held a reunion — more than 100 current and former staff members attended, including all five of the department’s directors and all 15 of the associate directors who’ve worked at UW-Whitewater over the last 50 years.
“We had a couple who were RAs together at Wells in 1971 who are married, we had people who graduated last year, and we had everything in between,” Tumbarello said.
The loyalty of current and former staff members reflects Tumbarello, who has built a legacy of excellence in Whitewater with his vast network of current and former employees through programming and facility renovations that contribute to the university’s vibrant campus life.
“We care about our students,” Tumbarello said. “It’s not just lip service or buzz words or taglines. We truly care. I’ve never, ever once felt that we weren’t making a difference. I think that’s likely what keeps me going.”
