News

As was previously reported, Lakeview Principal David Brokopp will become the next Superintendent of the Bangor School District on July 1, 2021.

From the Lakeview Family Connection Newsletter dated April 22, 2021:

“Mr. Brokopp has served as the Principal at Lakeview Elementary School for the last 11 years. He has also filled the roles of District Transportation Officer and District Safety Coordinator. Currently, Mr. Brokopp is enrolled in the educational leadership and policy analysis executive Ph.D. cohort through the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has completed his superintendent certification and anticipates completing his Ph.D. later this fall.

Mr. Brokopp and his family have been at the heart of our Lakeview family for many years. Mr. Brokopp is a welcoming presence to anyone that enters the building. He is an incredible leader, but it is his dedication to our families, students, and staff that makes his leadership extra special.

Mr. Brokopp is often seen at the front door greeting students at the beginning of the day and wishing them well at the end of the day. He is in the STEAM center building projects with kids, partaking in all-school assemblies, and enjoying PTA family fun events. He is behind the grill, making food for families at Open House, for teachers during teacher appreciation week, and feeds the whole school lunch at Natureland.

Students enjoy reading him a book, making him a picture, throwing a football with him at recess, seeking comfort, and sharing their joys with him every day. Mr. Brokopp provides guidance, support, humor, and a helping hand. He truly has the health, safety, and happiness of everyone at Lakeview in the center of his heart, and that is what we will remember the most.

Lakeview will greatly miss our Leaping Lizard Leader. We wish Mr. Brokopp the best as he moves into this exciting new position!”

(Young Auditorium submission) Young Auditorium’s 2021 Big Read project comes to a close with an important immigration-themed presentation courtesy of Old World Wisconsin.  Especially fitting for this year’s Big Read literary selection, The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang, let the team at Old World Wisconsin teach you and your family about the local immigration experiences… both past and present. Register today for a free presentation of ‘Immigrant Story’, Saturday, May 1^st at 10:00 a.m.

Why do people leave everything they know with only a few possessions to start a new life in Wisconsin? Historical and contemporary immigration stories help unpack this question as you explore immigration through an immigrant trunk, folk art, and firsthand accounts.

This program is being presented virtually in conjunction with Young Auditorium’s 2021 NEA BIG READ. An Arts initiative in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA BIG READ seeks to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. This year’s BIG READ novel, The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang, pays tribute to thousands of Hmong families made the journey from the war-torn jungles of Laos to the overcrowded refugee camps of Thailand and onward to America.

TO REGISTER FOR THIS FREE VIRTUAL EVENT:

Online registration forms for all BIG READ 2021 events can be found at https://youngauditorium.wordpress.com/. All registrants will receive an exclusive link to access the virtual presentation.

A major thank you to our Big Read Event partners:

Hoard Historical Museum	The Book Teller	Rotary Botanical Gardens	Old World Wisconsin
Fairhaven Lecture Series	UW-Whitewater Children’s Center	American Association of University Women	UW-Whitewater Philanthropy & Alumni

For information on all Young Auditorium BIG READ 2021 events, including details about the author and book selection, and a complete listing of community and library partners, please visit: www.youngauditorium.wordpress.com.

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.

Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 35 years. For more information, please visit artsmidwest.org.

Funded in part by a grant from Wisconsin Humanities, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Wisconsin Humanities strengthens the roots of community life through educational and cultural programs that inspire civic participation and individual imagination.

City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission – Monday @ 4:30 p.m.
Agenda includes tree planting update
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/788697245
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (571) 317-3122
Access Code: 788-697-245

Whitewater School Board – Monday @ 5:45 p.m.
Whitewater High School Library, 534 South Elizabeth Street
Agenda includes Ratification of the Whitewater Education Association (WEA) 2021-22 Collective Bargaining Agreement – Click on “meetings” in upper right corner

———————————————
5:45 p.m. via Zoom Online – Organizational Meeting
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88907159209?pwd=R01qb1Y2a0NSYlVuT3I3ckxSNVhlQT09
– Passcode: 432492
———————————————-
– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 889 0715 9209
– Passcode: 432492
———————————————-
Closed Session – Begins after organizational meeting (login is private)
———————————————-
7:00 p.m. via Zoom Online – Open session
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87998225146?pwd=eHNDVmZkWHEySXRadW81dEV4VnFJUT09
– Passcode: 977322
———————————————-
– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 879 9822 5146
– Passcode: 977322

City of Whitewater 2021 Board of Review – Monday @ 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Agenda
Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device:
Please click this URL to join.
https://zoom.us/j/98321899477?pwd=SWl3NWJscm1uZkVpb3JJQ0liQit3Zz09
Passcode: 831447
Or join by phone:
Dial 312 626 6799 or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 983 2189 9477
Passcode: 831447

City of Whitewater Finance Committee Meeting – Tuesday @ 4:30 p.m.
Agenda includes American Rescue Plan Act update
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/903229757
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3311
Access Code: 903-229-757
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/903229757

Whitewater University Technology Park Board – Wednesday @ 7:00 a.m.
Agenda includes consideration of Tech Park expansion
WebEx Connection Information:
Meeting number (access code): 133 105 5820
Meeting password: Mf6frCpx45U
Join by phone
+1-415-655-0001 US Toll
+1-855-749-4750 US Toll Free

City of Whitewater Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee – Wednesday @ 5:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Presenter- Megan Smith, Sustainable Transportation Intern UWWhitewater
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/293069741
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3212
Access Code: 293-069-741
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/293069741

(WHITEWATER- April 1, 2021)  The Whitewater Community Foundation is now accepting applications for the Spring Community Action Grant Cycle.  Grants will be awarded to local non-profit organizations actively working to support the Whitewater community.  

Interested organizations can find more information here and should fill out an application form.

In the Spring of 2020, with the onset of COVID-19 and the resulting loss of jobs, the Foundation awarded Community Action Grants totalling $21,175 to the following organizations to reimburse them for funds expended in response to the needs of community members struggling with meeting their basic needs:  The Whitewater Food Pantry, The Community Space, Bethel House, First United Methodist Church, St. Patrick Catholic Church, and the Whitewater Rescue Squad.

The deadline for submitting applications is April 30, 2021.

Please spread the word to groups trying to effect positive change in the Whitewater area. We look forward to working with leaders who are striving one goal at a time to make our community a greater place to live, work, and learn.

About WCF: The Whitewater Community Foundation’s mission is to “Enhance quality of life in the Whitewater area via educational, cultural, charitable or benevolent expenditures” through scholarships and community action grants. To donate and support the continuation of the Whitewater Banner, simply send a check made out to Whitewater Community Foundation to P.O. Box 428, Whitewater, WI, 53190, or donate online at whitewatercommunityfoundation.org by hitting the “Donate” button on top of the contact page. For tax purposes, the Whitewater Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) Corporation. 

(Whitewater High School submission) The faculty at Whitewater High School has chosen sophomore Kindyl Kilar to attend the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar this year!  The Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar (HOBY) is a dynamic hands-on program designed to recognize and develop leadership potential in outstanding sophomores.  Each year, every high school in the state is invited to nominate one student to attend the local seminar based upon that student’s leadership potential.  The 2021 Seminar is scheduled to take place virtually June 12 – 13. 

Jackie Carper, HOBY Alumni, current Director of Recruitment for Wisconsin and member of Pi Sigma Epsilon – a marketing organization at UW-Whitewater will be awarding Kindyl a $225 scholarship to pay the fee for the seminar.  Congratulations Kindyl!

HOBY website:  https://www.hoby.org/

Jeff Bierman writes, “The Eagle frequents this tree in Hillside Cemetery.”

Our thanks to Jeff Bierman for generously sharing his photography.

A March 25, 2021 article from NPR, titled “Once Imperiled, America’s Bald Eagle Populations are Soaring,” includes this information:

“The number of bald eagles in the lower 48 U.S. states — a population once on the brink of extinction — has quadrupled in the last dozen years to more than 316,000, federal wildlife officials say, despite steep declines in other American bird populations.

A new survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found there are more than 70,000 breeding pairs of the iconic raptor in the contiguous U.S. In the late 1960s, there were fewer than 500.

The turnaround is a “historic conservation success story,” said newly confirmed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland at a news conference Wednesday……

A report by the National Audubon Society found that two-thirds of North America’s bird species are at increasing risk of extinction due to a warming climate.”

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

The State Joint Finance Committee visited the Young Auditorium on April 9 for a well-attended public hearing on the biennial State budget. It was the first of only three in-person hearings around the state, and reportedly was the first time in many years that the committee had not scheduled a hearing in Madison or Milwaukee. This perceived oversight was noted by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. A final, virtual hearing, is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28. Individuals wishing to provide input can also do so via the dedicated portal available at: www.legis.wisconsin.gov/topics/budgetcomments or via email at budget.comments@legis.wisconsin.gov .

The committee was welcomed by Chancellor Dwight Watson and City Manager Cameron Clapper. A number of Whitewater residents

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Photos courtesy of Tom Ganser

Below is the statement provided by City Manager Cameron Clapper on behalf of the City of Whitewater and the League of WI Municipalities.

(Whitewater High School submission) Whitewater High School is proud to announce that Carson Ellenwood has been named the Class of 2021 DAR Good Citizen!  Fort Atkinson DAR Representative, Nancy Olson, presented Carson with a certificate on April 16 to recognize his outstanding qualities of dependability (which includes truthfulness, loyalty, and punctuality); service (which includes cooperation, courtesy, and consideration of others); leadership (which includes personality, self-control and ability to assume responsibility) and patriotism (which includes unselfish interest in family, school, community, and nation); to an outstanding degree. Congratulations Carson!! 

“I am so honored to be named the WHS Class of 2021 DAR Good Citizen! I would like to thank the faculty for their nomination and all of their guidance throughout my high school years. I would also like to thank the community that has helped me so much along the way. Your kindness and compassion inspired me to be the person that I am today. Thanks again for the honor and the wonderful years in Whitewater!” said Carson Ellenwood.

Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Ferradermis Advisor and Banner Volunteer
lmasbruch@wwusd.org

Ferradermis, Whitewater High School’s FIRST Robotics Team, has been named the Skills Competition Finalist (2nd place in their group of 30 teams) for Infinite Recharge at Home! When you rank all of the teams in the world together who submitted for the challenge, Ferradermis ranks #71 out of 1,302 teams.

FIRST divided all of the teams who opted into this competition into groups of 30, naming each group for an element. Ferradermis competed in the Oxygen Group with teams from 16 states, Turkey, and Mexico. Teams first had to submit technical information on their robot and complete a virtual presentation and interview with a panel of judges before they were allowed to enter the skills portion of the competition. Teams then could select any three of five challenges to record on video and submit for judging. Ferradermis elected to participate in the Power Port Challenge, the Interstellar Accuracy Challenge, and the Hyperdrive Challenge.

For the Power Port Challenge, the team was given 1 minute to score as many points as possible by shooting power cells (yellow dodgeballs) into the circular inner port (3 points) and hexagonal outer port (2 points) of the power port. The team was only allowed to use 3 power cells during the challenge, and only 2 team members could retrieve the power cells and return them to the robot. Many team members took turns practicing as the human players for this challenge, but eventually, team members Drew Swartz and Sterling Truesdale set record time rebounding and delivering the power cells back to the robot while drive team members Reilly Aschenbrener and Elijah Grall operated the robot. Ferradermis’ final video submission showed the robot completing 10 cycles of 3 power cells in 60 seconds hitting 29 out of the 30 power cells in the higher scoring inner port, with the 30th cell hitting the lower scoring outer port. The final score of 89 tied for 12th place in the world.

The Interstellar Accuracy Challenge required that the robot shoot 3 power cells from 4 different distances in less than 5 minutes. Ferradermis was one of 93 teams in the world to score a perfect 45 points on this challenge.

The final part of the skills challenge submission required driver Elijah Grall to traverse four different obstacle courses (barrel race, slalom, bounce, and lightspeed circuit) in the fastest time possible. Elijah’s final time was 49.6 seconds total, placing the team in the top 12% of teams in the world for this challenge.

Ferradermis’ combined final score for all 3 skills was 438.87 out of a possible 450. Many team members spent countless hours fine tuning the robot, running the video camera, and resetting course markers over the course of the skills competition. It was truly a team effort! 

For a list of the winners and finalists from all groups, visit the FIRST blog. It is interesting to note that the teams are listed in numeric order by their team number with a smaller number generally meaning an older team. Ferradermis is the 5th youngest team on the list.

Ferradermis thanks all of its generous community sponsors for making this experience possible.