News

Wisconsin Makers is holding two “Copper Enameling” workshops during March. The “Mondays@Makers” class will take place at the community makerspace, 200 E. Clay St., on both March 10 and 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the makerspace, located at 200 E. Clay St. in Whitewater. [Editor’s note: Our apologies that this announcement was not posted prior to the first workshop.] Note that these are separate workshops, although people may sign up for both if they wish.

The fee per workshop is $20 plus the price of copper used, likely $1-$10 depending on the size of the piece. Students may register by calling Chris Spangler at (920) 728- 2960 or emailing her at editorspangler@gmail.com. Include the names of attendees and their contact information. Payment may be made at the workshop, which is geared toward ages 10 and up.

Copper enameling is a traditional technique that involves fusing powdered glass to a copper surface at high heat to create a
permanent, colorful coating. Students will be able to decorate a small dish and/or jewelry to take home that night.

Leading “Copper Enameling for Beginners and Beyond” is Leani Schoor of Madison. Schoor earned her bachelor of science degree in art education and master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She taught art at Jefferson High School for 38 years. The owner of Studio 2154 in Madison, Schoor teaches wet and needle felting, beadwork, glass fusing, cement yard art, ceramics, copper enameling, metal work and quilting.

Mondays@Makers
Suggestions for “Mondays@Makers” classes are welcomed. “If there is a skill in the arts you are interested in learning, please let us know and we will see what we can do to help you on your journey,” Schoor said.

Located at the corner of East Clay and Wisconsin streets in Whitewater, Wisconsin Makers is a makerspace that creates an affordable, collaborative and educational environment that inspires people of all ages to becoming innovators by unlocking
their skills through continual training. It has members from Jefferson, Walworth, Rock, Dane and Waukesha counties and
beyond, and all have access to the workshops around the clock. The facility houses machine, welding/fabrication, electronics,
automotive, 3-D printing, laser engraving and woodworking shops. It also offers pottery, ceramics, metal art, quilting, fabric
arts, matting/framing and more. The building is accessible and has off-street parking, WiFi, and many other amenities. For more information about the makerspace or workshops, contact Chris Spangler at (920) 728-2960.

Whitewater High School Technology Education Teacher Mike Fellin has received the 2025 Wisconsin Technology Education Association [WTEA] Spirit Award.

Each year, WTEA recognizes educators and industry professionals who demonstrate exceptional service and dedication to technology education. Mr. Fellin’s commitment to inspiring students and advancing technical education has made a significant impact on the field and the students he serves.

“We are thrilled to recognize Mike Fellin for his outstanding contributions to technology education,” said WUSD Superintendent Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty. “His passion and dedication exemplify the spirit of this award, and the impact educators can have on shaping the future workforce. A big congratulations goes out to Mr. Fellin for all his outstanding work on behalf of our students.”

Mr. Fellin was presented the award at the annual WTEA Awards Banquet on March 5 at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells. The banquet is part of the WTEA annual Technology and Engineering Education Conference, themed “Workforce Ready.”

Mr. Fellin, who began teaching in 1979, spent time at WHS (1989-2000) and returned again in 2023. He specializes in Woods Construction, Metals Manufacturing, and Fab Lab implementation.

The National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan Weather Forecast Office issued the following update on Saturday morning:

Very strong south to southwest winds are expected today, especially during the morning hours.  These winds are not associated with thunderstorms.  Wind Advisories are in effect for most of the area, with a High Wind Warning for southeastern Wisconsin [including the Whitewater area] from 5 AM through noon (with an Advisory in the afternoon).  

Within the High Wind Warning area, gusts as high as 60 MPH are possible.  Gusts to 50 MPH can be expected within the Advisory area. 

Tree, powerline, and minor structural damage will be possible with these winds, especially in the warning area.  In addition, any damaged trees or debris from the storms that moved through the area late Friday night will pose an additional hazard if blown around by the strong winds today.

Light snow will develop over southeastern and east central Wisconsin after midnight tonight, continuing into the morning hours on Sunday.  Accumulations are currently expected to be around an inch or less, with the highest amounts across the far southeastern portions of the state.  

Temperatures are expected to be around freezing, and accumulation will be greatest on grassy and elevated surfaces.  Temperatures will then rise above freezing by mid-day Sunday, with most snow melting during the afternoon. 

The League of Women Voters Whitewater Area will hold a Candidate Forum for Whitewater Unified School District school board candidates on Saturday, March 15, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM, in the City of Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room, 312 W Whitewater Street.

There are four candidates running for two open seats on the school board. The candidates are Miguel Aranda (incumbent), Jennifer Kienbaum (incumbent), Nick Baldwin, and Wayne Redenius. All four candidates accepted the League’s invitation to attend the forum. League board member Ellen Penwell will serve as moderator.

The League sponsors candidate forums for the benefit of YOU, the voter. At the forum, you will be asked to write your questions on cards distributed by the League. Questions are reviewed by question checkers, who sort them by topic and check for redundancy, before forwarding them to the moderator. We do not accept questions targeted to specific candidates. Questions prepared by the League board will be used only if there are not enough questions provided by residents in attendance at the forum.

Bring your family, friends and neighbors! Be an active participant in our democracy!

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit our website at https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area and like us on Facebook.

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.

This week’s image in our Fairhaven series is a view of what can only be called a “mid-century modern” style lounge at Fairhaven, first built in 1962 and dedicated in September of 1963. The modern architecture of the facility was lauded at the time. Fairhaven initially cost almost $2,000,000 to build and consisted of six different types of apartments, all with kitchenettes along with lounges, dining rooms and other facilities. Also included was an “infirmary” that later was defined as a skilled nursing facility, or nursing home. But, the primary focus of Fairhaven, as it still remains today, was to provide an active, but safe, lifestyle for elderly residents.

Join us next week for more history of Fairhaven from the Whitewater Historical Society.

(4453PC, Whitewater Historical Society)

Greetings!

My name is Mike Smith, and I humbly ask for your vote in the upcoming election for Alderman in the 1st Aldermanic District. (the east end of the city).

I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and attended Michigan Technological University. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1995. My career has focused on mechanical system design and plastics. I currently hold a position as Senior Mechanical Engineer at GE Healthcare in Pewaukee. I am very fortunate to love my job. I am also currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Theology from Covenant Theological Seminary.

I am the proud father of two Whitewater Middle School students, Melody & Eric. Both are active in several extracurricular activities. I am appreciative of the availability of these activities by the school district, local area clubs and the Park and Rec Department. I am honored to be involved as both a volunteer and coach in several youth sports clubs.

Whitewater has been my family’s home since 2011. I am proud to serve on the Planning and Architectural Committee for the City of Whitewater. I regularly attend City Council and School Board meetings. Outside of coaching, parenting, practicing my faith and performing my civic responsibilities, I can be found walking my dogs around our small town and its once picturesque Cravath & Trippe Lakes. Finally, I am the author of “Discerning Whitewater”, a blog about local issues affecting Whitewater.  DW has been a strong medium for my voice and the voice of others to be heard.

Ultimately, my city property taxes going up 50% over the last three years has driven me to run for Alderman.

The housing issue has gotten much attention over the last six months. The $5.1M TIF subsidy given by the city to the 128-unit apartment on the east side of town has gotten much deserved scrutiny.

TIF can be very helpful with the development of businesses. Businesses will, in return, create jobs and tax revenue rather quickly. Unfortunately, the city’s focus on apartments restricts the opportunity to use TIF money to bring in businesses and jobs. It’s like maxing out a credit card with nothing to show for it, and the taxpayers will be paying the bill for a very long time (seventeen years in the case of the 128-unit apartment).

I want to see the focus shift to making the quality of life significantly better in Whitewater. Whitewater can have a downtown area that competes with Delavan, Elkhorn, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, and other neighboring communities.

I also want to see quality of life improve with cost-effective fixes to Cravath and Trippe Lakes.

I absolutely love this community. I very much want to be part of the leadership that improves the quality of life in such a way that every citizen sees it and feels it.

I hope to get your vote on April 1st. I will strive to be a candidate of integrity.  One that will not look for the easy answer, but the correct one. It is with great conviction that I wish to be of service to this community.

If you want to chat, whether you are on the east side of town or not, give me a call. I would love to hear from you.

Respectfully,

-Michael Smith
262.366.0467
mike@mspd-llc.net

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club.

The Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club is holding an Easter Lilies fundraiser again this year to raise funds to help children.  Each lily plant is $20 and will be available for pick up on Friday, April 11 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church at 145 South Prairie in Whitewater.  Deliveries can also be requested.  Anyone interested in ordering the plants should contact Al Stanek at (608) 320-9781 or any Kiwanian.  Orders are due by March 21.

Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club Co-President Corey Davis said, “We hope everyone will spring into action to order these beautiful lilies and help out children at the same time.  Spring is just around the corner, and these lilies will brighten your day as well as the days of the children Kiwanis helps.” 

Whitewater Kiwanis is a group of dedicated volunteers who help both children of the Whitewater community and the world. The club raised funds to make possible the installation of the city’s first piece of inclusive playground equipment, a We-Go-Round, in Starin Park.  Annual donations are also made to provide shoes and winter clothes for students, as well as support for organizations such as the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House, The Community Space, and the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club.

If you have an interest in helping youth in Whitewater, you can check out Whitewater Kiwanis on Facebook and join our Club by contacting Corey Davis at coreydavis77@yahoo.com

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.

Ferradermis is headed to Houston for the FIRST Championships!

Wednesday morning, as part of FIRST’s new qualification protocols for Champs, the Whitewater High School FIRST Robotics Competition Team Ferradermis received an invitation to compete in Houston based on their rankings in the regional pool! Ferradermis performed very well on and off the field at the Lake Superior Regional two weeks ago, winning the event and the Team Sustainability Award, and was ranked #78 in the world out of the 754 teams that had competed in the first two weeks of global regional events. Some of those 754 teams received automatic bids at their event or were pre-qualified from last year, but all teams were ranked based on points earned at their event(s). Points were based on a team’s ranking after qualification rounds, their position in the alliance selections, their alliance’s performance in the playoffs, and team awards won. As of Wednesday, Ferradermis was the 25th highest ranked team in the world in the pool without an automatic bid, and Wednesday morning, FIRST extended invitations to 26 teams from that pool.

108 FRC teams from around the world have now secured a spot at FIRST Championships. With four more weeks of competitions, that number will eventually grow to 600 (out of 3,715 teams competing globally this year), and Ferradermis can’t wait to be part of that excitement!

Ferradermis will compete in two additional regional events before the trip to Houston. The public is invited to attend the Phantom Lakes Regional at Mukwonago High School on March 28 or 29 or the Wisconsin Regional at State Fair Park in West Allis on April 5 or 6. Both events are free and open to the public, and they make great fun family entertainment!

Ferradermis will now go into fundraising mode for the Houston trip, with a need to raise an additional $30,000 to take 30+ people to Houston for 6 days. If you would like to show your financial support to the team, donations can be made online at https://www.ferradermis.org/, or checks made out to WHS can be mailed in care of Laura Masbruch to Whitewater High School, 534 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, WI 53190.

Article and Photo Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Robotics Advisor
lmasbruch@wwusd.org