News

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]

(From Wikipedia)

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. Here is the second post featuring the growth of Old Main on the UW-Whitewater Campus that burned on February 7, 1970.

This image shows the first addition to Old Main, completed only eight years after the Whitewater Normal School opened. The Second Empire (mansard roof) style addition was designed by noted Madison architect David R. Jones. Jones designed several buildings on the UW-Madison campus and became notable for being one of the most important Welsh-American poets in the United States.

This addition burned in 1891, but was quickly rebuilt along with a new gymnasium addition attached to the west wall.

Join us again next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

(1633P, edited, Whitewater Historical Society)

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.co

The Walworth County Health & Human Services Department stated in its February 10 weekly report that the county, along with 15 other WI counties, moved from Wisconsin’s critically high to very high COVID disease activity level. The transmission level for the past week decreased to 372.59 cases per 100,000 from 707.53 cases per 100,000 the previous week.

Walworth County statistics as of February 10 may be viewed here. 14.2% of ICU beds in the county were reported as being available, compared with 7.7% two weeks ago. Updated: We previously reported the two weeks ago statistic as .077%; 7.7% is correct.

Information on testing sites, including at UW-Whitewater, may be found here. As was previously announced on the Banner, the federal government is now mailing four at-home COVID-19 test kits to any residence upon request. Those tests have started to be delivered.

Whitewater Unified School District School Board Legislative Breakfast – Monday @ 8:00 a.m.
Whitewater Unified School District Central Office
William D. Kyle Board Room
419 South Elizabeth Street
Agenda – Click on “meetings” in the upper right

City of Whitewater Plan and Architectural Review Commission – Monday @ 6:00 p.m.
This Meeting is IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL
City of Whitewater Municipal Building
Community Room- First Floor
312 W. Whitewater St.
Agenda includes Review And Possible Recommendation To Consider A Change Of The Zoning Ordinance
Regulations, To Enact Proposed Amendments To The City Of Whitewater Municipal Code
Title 19, Chapter 19.46 Floodplain Ordinance and Review And Possible Recommendation To Consider A Text Amendment To Of The City Of Whitewater Municipal Code Chapter 19.38 – Whitewater University Technology Park District (WUTP).
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/822623277
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3212
Access Code: 822-623-277

City of Whitewater Alcohol Licensing Commission – Tuesday @ 6:15 p.m.
Community Room – Whitewater Municipal Building, 312 W. Whitewater St.
Agenda: Request for Class B Beer License for San Jose Mexican Grocery, 148 W. Main Street

City of Whitewater Common Council – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.
City of Whitewater Municipal Building – Community Room
312 W. Whitewater St
This will be an IN PERSON MEETING as well as a VIRTUAL MEETING
Agenda includes Authorizing the Sale of Real Estate in the Industrial Park to Richter Excavating, LLC
and to enter into Development Agreement with Richter Excavating LLC, Update on Code Enforcement, and Discussion regarding Charter / Spectrum streaming transmission.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89707150076?pwd=cVBFZnd5QjVEbXdwRGt0b21LOEpEQT09
Passcode: 043422
Or Telephone:
Dial 1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 897 0715 0076
Passcode: 043422

Editor’s Note: This information was provided by the Whitewater Unified School District.

Whitewater Middle School (WMS) Associate Principal Ben Holzem and 26 members of the WMS Builders Club walked over to UW-Whitewater to meet with the Whitewater chapter of Circle K this week.

WMS Builders Club members attended a Circle K meeting, toured Hyland Hall and worked with the Circle K Club on making blankets for Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee.

The visit promoted public service, post secondary education and the value of giving back to the community. 
Also present were several members of the local Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club–which sponsors Builders Club at Whitewater Middle School. The Builders Club is made up of 60 students in grades 6-8 who meet to identify community needs and work to meet these needs through community service events throughout the greater Whitewater community.

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by the Whitewater Unified School District.

On Wednesday, February 9th about 30 fourth and fifth grade students at Lincoln participated in the spelling bee. Emma Schultz-Majkrazak took first and Rafaela Los took second. Everyone had a great time and showed great sportsmanship. It was wonderful having the spelling bee back!

Editor’s note: The following statement was provided by the Whitewater Community Foundation.

John Newhouse, a Co-Founder of the Whitewater Community Foundation, passed away on February 2, 2022. John was born on December 4, 1931 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1949. John earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education at UW-Oshkosh in 1954 and a Master’s Degree in Secondary School Administration at UW-Madison in 1960. John joined the Whitewater community in 1968 serving as Principal of Whitewater High School until his retirement in 1987. John continued to serve the community through volunteerism on the Library Board, the Historical Society, the Whitewater Breakfast Kiwanis, the American Legion, the VFW, Fort Healthcare Partners and served as an usher at the Irvin Young Auditorium.

Seeing a need to provide scholarships to support Whitewater’s graduating youth, John wrote a letter to the local newspaper which would serve as a catalyst to the formation of the Whitewater Community Foundation (WCF). In 1993, a key group of people came together to form a framework that would enable the community to raise funds to provide opportunities for graduating seniors to continue their education. In 1995, the IRS granted the Foundation 501(c)(3) status enabling the Foundation to receive tax deductible donations. The first two decades were spent building and enhancing scholarship funds. The Foundation currently provides financial stewardship for 23 scholarships totaling over $1.9 million. Beginning in 2013, the foundation expanded their vision to create community action grants awarded twice a year given in support of projects by community organizations such as Bethel House, New Beginnings, the Whitewater Fire Department, the Whitewater Food Pantry, The Community Space, Studio 84, Whitewater Parks & Recreation, and many others. The WCF awards grants twice a year in the Spring and Fall and has awarded over $110,000 in Community Action Grants. The Foundation also acts as a fiscal sponsor for organizations through conduit accounts that provide a vehicle to collect donations for larger community projects such as the Whitewater Aquatic Center, Treyton’s Field of Dreams, the Frawley Family Cravath Lakefront Amphitheater, the Community Space, the Kiwanis Inclusive Playground and many others.

John’s family has requested that memorials be directed to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund or to the John Newhouse Memorial at the Whitewater Community Foundation (WCF). WCF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Checks made payable to the Whitewater Community Foundation can be mailed to P.O. Box 428, Whitewater, WI 53190. Donations can also be made online at www.whitewatercommunityfoundation.org by clicking on the “Donate” button and selecting the designation for the John Newhouse Memorial. Donations will be used to fund a specific community project (yet to be determined by the family).

In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of the most outstanding secondary school students in FIRST, the Dean Kamen family sponsors awards for selected 10th or 11th grade students known as the FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Dean’s List Award. (Dean Kamen is the founder of FIRST.) Each FIRST Robotics team may nominate up to two students as FIRST Dean’s List Semi-Finalists by submitting a series of essays on their behalf.

Whitewater High School’s FIRST Robotics Team Ferradermis is proud to nominate juniors Jazmin Cederberg and Daniel (Peter) Portwine as their Dean’s List representatives for 2022. Jazmin and Peter will interview with a pair of judges while the team is at the Wisconsin Regional in Milwaukee from March 23 – 26 for the opportunity to be named Finalists. Finalists will move on to compete to become one of ten Dean’s List Winners at the FIRST Championships in Houston.

Jazmin and Peter are great examples of student leaders who have led their teams and communities to increased awareness for FIRST and its mission while achieving personal technical expertise and accomplishment. Criteria for selection of the FIRST Dean’s List Award shall include, but not be limited to a student’s demonstrated leadership and commitment to the FIRST Core Values, effectiveness at increasing awareness of FIRST in the school and community, interest in and passion for a long-term commitment to FIRST, overall individual contribution to their team, technical expertise and passion, entrepreneurship and creativity, and ability to motivate and lead fellow team members.

Below are excerpts from the essays submitted by the mentors on behalf of both students:

Jazmin possesses a rare blend of artistic and technical skill; she is just as happy working on graphics as she is programming. Jazmin always wanted to be a programmer, and she launched into that role without ever having used Java before. Now, as an AP Computer Science student, Jazmin is well-versed in Java and says she really feels like she understands everything that is going on this year for the first time. She truly grew into her role as programming lead, and now she is patiently helping others blossom. As a veteran, she carries valuable programming and troubleshooting knowledge and can apply that knowledge to new situations. Shy, quiet Jazmin is now a member of the drive team, starting out as human player during the 2021 off-season in preparation for taking on a larger role in 2022. Jazmin will not be the person in front of the room demanding everyone’s attention; she will be the person who just comes in and goes to work, leading by example. The other members of Jazmin’s subteam are just as quiet, but the three have bonded. At a recent meeting, they stood together at the board for hours discussing autonomous programming routines; they were focused and dead serious about their plans, and also having a lot of fun. Jazmin sets the tone. Our team has been experimenting with Romi robots, and Jazmin has led the charge. It has been fun watching her tape out fields on the floor and challenge her team members to traverse them with their Romi. Jazmin does all of this without direction; she knows what needs to be done, and she guides her team through the process.

When told of his Dean’s List nomination, Peter responded, “I was just having fun, and then this happened.” That sums up Peter’s approach to everything. He doesn’t do things for recognition, he does things because they challenge him, because they are fun, or simply because they need to be done. Peter’s designated role on the team is to be part of Competition Logistics, but he spends time with any sub-team that needs help, working on administrative tasks, helping build the field elements, or helping assemble the robot. Recently, we gifted new Spike Prime kits to two of our elementary FLL teams, and it was fun to watch the kids’ reaction to seeing Peter’s name on the card; he has certainly made an impact on those students through his outreach efforts. Peter has never taken a computer science course, but he is a quick learner. In preparation for volunteering with our elementary school FLL teams, he sat down one night at a meeting with an EV3 for the first time. Never having used an EV3, he built a multi-functional bot and wrote and tested an elaborate program. No mentors assisted him; he just made it happen. This is very similar to Peter’s approach to learning to use the CNC Router to manufacture the hub for the practice field. He had never used a CNC router; he had never used the VCarve software. A mentor spent a few minutes with him giving him an overview, and then he ran with it. He is now our resident expert on the machine. Peter is definitely not intimidated by new experiences. Peter is learning how to help others understand what comes naturally to him, and it is a beautiful thing to see.

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