News

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by Whitewater High School.

Seven Whitewater High School students have been selected to attend Badger Girls State this year!  Badger Girls State is a program designed to develop leadership skills in high school students and train future stateswomen in the science of government.  It will be held on the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campus from June 19-24, 2022.  Students selected to attend are juniors and seniors who have an interest in government and citizenship, outstanding qualities of leadership, good moral character, cooperativeness, dependability, and participation in extracurricular activities.  One student will be sponsored by the Whitewater Rotary Club, two students will be sponsored by the Breakfast Kiwanis Club and four students will be sponsored by the Whitewater American Legion.

Congratulations Caelyn Caputo, Kate Coburn, Savannah Hill, Skylar Staebler, Josephine Treder, Sophia Walton, and Emma Weigel.  We are so proud of you!  Thank you to our wonderful service organizations for sponsoring this amazing program each year!

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

The following students from the Whitewater area earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at winter commencement, held Dec. 18, 2021.

• Nicky Anditon graduated with the following degree: Elementary Education – BSE
• Grant Behrens graduated with the following degree: Information Technology – BBA
• Caitlin Bowen graduated with the following degree: Psychology – BS
• Nelson Calvillo graduated with the following degree: Integrated Science – Business – BS
• Gerardo Cervantes graduated with the following degree: Criminology – BS
• Kiley Dempsey graduated with the following degree: General Business – BBA
• Jessica Dittner graduated with the following degree: Art – BA
• Belen Esquivel graduated Summa Cum Laude with the following degree: Elementary Education – BSE
• Brandon Forbes graduated Cum Laude with the following degree: Finance – BBA
• Hana Jacobs graduated with the following degree: General Management – BBA
• Tessa Jaskolski graduated with the following degree: Liberal Arts – AA
• Elliot Jezo-Sywulka graduated with the following degree: Social Work – BS
• Krystal Leon graduated with the following degree: Psychology – BA
• Devin Lewis graduated with the following degree: Human Resource Management – BBA
• Betsy McKelvey graduated Magna Cum Laude with the following degree: Computer Science – BS
• Joyce Mendoza graduated with the following degree: Business Administration – MBA
• Hope Montey graduated Magna Cum Laude with the following degree: Early Childhood Education – BSE
• Reese Nasser graduated with the following degree: Journalism – BA
• Raevin Peek graduated with the following degree: Psychology – BS
• Kayla Pintar graduated with the following degree: Social Studies – BSE
• Brianna Pope graduated with the following degree: Social Work – MSW
• Vahid Rakhangi graduated with the following degree: Business Administration – MBA
• Mark Rastenis graduated Magna Cum Laude with the following degree: Music – BM
• Abdoul-Aziz Savadogo graduated with the following degree: Business Administration – MBA
• Allyson Schmude graduated Magna Cum Laude with the following degree: General Management – BBA
• Lindsi Starrett graduated Magna Cum Laude with the following degree: Music – BM
• Sonia Tomei Castro graduated with the following degree: Communication Sciences and Disorders – BS
• Andrew Yang graduated with the following degree: Computer Science – BS
• Ian Zaeske graduated with the following degree: Criminology – BS

More than 762 students crossed the stage to receive their degrees at the ceremony, held at Kachel Fieldhouse in the Williams Center. The graduating class included 4 international students, 71 military veterans and 168 nontraditional students, defined as undergraduate students who are 25 years of age or older. In addition, 79 self-identified students with disabilities received degrees.

Dozens of students participated in the university’s Hired Before Graduation campaign, which celebrates students who landed a job, earned acceptance to graduate school or started their own business before commencement.

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The following individuals from the Whitewater area have been named to the Dean’s List at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for the Fall 2021 semester:

 Catherine Strait, Education Undergraduate
 Nicole Tomomitsu, AOC-Undergraduate
 Eleanore Treder, Business Undergraduate
 Viet Vo, Social Welfare Undergraduate

Editor’s Note: This information was provided by Terry Boydston.

St. Johns Lodge #57 Whitewater-Palmyra had its annual “Stick it to Bruce” canned goods drive in December. Begun several years ago by Br. Bruce Eshelman, the food drive challenges members of St. Johns to donate funds to purchase canned goods for the food pantries in Whitewater and Palmyra. Bruce matches the donations until he reaches a point of “crying uncle.” This year the lodge members raised a total of $2100. Due to supply chain issues, it was decided to donate money to the pantries.

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

While online education is no longer new, universities that deliver on engagement, excellence and affordability stand out now, more than ever. According to the latest rankings of Best Online Programs from U.S. News & World Report, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s online degree programs are among the best in the state and nation for 2022.

The UW-Whitewater online MBA was ranked No. 1 in Wisconsin among single-institution programs, 17th among Best Online Programs for Veterans and 24th in the nation overall. With an array of business master’s programs, the university was nationally ranked 64th for Best Online Master’s in Business Programs – Excluding MBA. Additionally, UW-Whitewater’s online business bachelor’s was No. 1 in Wisconsin and 30th in the nation, while the overall online bachelor’s offering was ranked 44th in the nation.

“We are pleased to be once again named among the best online programs in the U.S.,” said Paul Ambrose, interim dean of the College of Business and Economics. “It reflects our efforts to deliver an exceptional education to distance learners while remaining one of the best values in the region.”

“Having delivered a fully online MBA since 1998, the college paved the way for an ever-growing portfolio of online programs in the university,” said Linda Yu, interim associate dean of the College of Business and Economics. “And with the college’s AACSB accreditation, which drives continuous improvement, a high caliber framework was established from the start.”

The online MBA program has ranked highly year after year and is one of the best values among programs in the top 10 percent. This reputation for quality and affordability — along with flexibility and opportunities for customization — helped the program become the largest Milwaukee-area MBA program in 2021.

The college also has a growing portfolio of specialized business master’s programs, which can be ideal for professionals looking to change careers or position themselves for advancement. The newest offering is the online Master of Science in Marketing — a 30-credit program designed to help meet the demand for marketing professionals who can thrive in a dynamic digital ecosystem.

Meeting the needs of adult learners who have some or no college credit is an aspiration across the university. There are now 15 unique online bachelor’s programs that serve working adults through 100 percent online delivery and an asynchronous format. Among the newest online bachelor’s degrees are a BBA in accounting, BA/BS in communication – corporate and health communication, BS in human performance,  and a BBA in supply chain management.

“These programs help meet the demand for professionals with four-year degrees and provide a path for students who must balance work and family responsibilities, or for whom distance is a barrier,” said Ambrose.

Whether students enroll in a bachelor’s, master’s, or graduate certificate program, they can expect rich learning experiences, readily accessible support services, and opportunities to build connections with faculty and peers. With a dedicated veterans benefits coordinator managing veterans services, UW-Whitewater also has an outstanding reputation for assisting with military education benefits.

U.S. News rankings are highly regarded as a benchmark of excellence in online education, measuring student engagement and success, faculty credentials, university services and technology, reputation within the academic community and admissions criteria, among other factors. Schools included in the veterans ranking are evaluated on making distance education affordable and accessible to veterans and active-duty service members.

For more information on the breadth of UW-Whitewater online programs, visit uww.edu/online.

For more information on the U.S. News & World Report ranking, visit www.usnews.com/online.

Teens are invited to eliminate the mystery in chemistry! Is it a chemical or physical change? You decide as you explore one of the most exciting and fundamental sciences! Watch as sand floats on top of water and take home your very own crystal garden! For middle and high school students. Presented by Mad Science Milwaukee in the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library Community Room on Tuesday, February 15th at 6:00 p.m. Registration is required! Please register to participate at whitewaterlibrary.org by February 7th!

By Ellen Long and Amy Schumacher

Rollie and Nancy Cooper’s 21-year old Alaskan grandson Gus Schumacher will be competing in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing as a member of Team USA Cross Country Ski Team.

Gus was born in Madison and moved to Alaska as an infant as his parents started work in Anchorage. Dad, Greg, (from Platteville, WI) was stationed at Elmendorf AFB as an orthopedic surgeon, and mom, Amy, joined the AK Native medical center as a pediatrician.

Gus started enjoying outdoor sports at a young age on the trails and mountains of his hometown, and joined the community based Junior Nordic program, finding fun with friends and an endless trial system in town.
When his dad volunteered as a team doctor for the U.S. cross country ski team, Gus enjoyed the opportunity to travel to Europe and watch World Cup racing and loved it! He loved it enough to spend long hours training with the Alaska Winter Stars club team. He has continued with this same club and coach, Jan Buron, since age 8 years.

After multiple high school ski and running championships and US junior/senior national podiums, Gus moved on to the world stage. He qualified for his first world junior team in 2018, then anchored the U.S. men to their first-ever medal in the 4x5km relay that year. In 2019, he anchored the relay to its first-ever American world junior gold medal and finished just off the podium in two other distance races. In 2020, just before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Schumacher became the first American skier to win an individual junior world title (10k classic) and helped the U.S. men defend their relay title.

Last season, in his first full year competing in the World Cup, Schumacher finished in the points in almost every race he entered, with a career-high eighth place in a 15k classic race. And he finished 18th overall in last season’s Tour de Ski (the best-ever U.S. men’s result).

Gus has two younger siblings, Rudy (U of Utah) and Heidi (9th grade, Service HS). He is a civil engineering major at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

It’s common for high schools in Alaska to field a “Nordic” ski team. Eight of the 14 members of the US Winter Olympic 2022 men’s and women’s teams were born and raised, or trained in Alaska. Gus is excited to share this experience with friends.

“I really have to stop and give myself some credit because it’s a lifelong dream coming to fruition, but at the same time my goals keep coming and just making the team isn’t the end of the road. I wanna race fast! But overall I’m very excited for the opportunity to represent the U.S. on the highest level in my sport.”

2022 Olympic Winter Games Cross Country Schedule runs from Sat., Feb. 5 – Sat., Feb. 19.

Gus plans to race in the 30km skiathlon, 15km classic, 4 x 10 relay, and 50km freestyle mass start.
Follow him at
gusschumacher.com
https://www.instagram.com/gus.schumacher
https://www.facebook.com/people/Gus-Schumacher/100015070396868/

The Winter Olympics will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the Senior Center from the City of Whitewater.

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