News

(Provided by Marcia James)
The Wisconsin Marketing Education Association lifetime achievement award recognizes individuals who demonstrate the dedication and commitment to the profession.  In addition, compassion and humanity is at the core of this award with recognizing the hard work that this profession demands while also understanding and focusing on the whole person and not just the teacher is paramount. The students that are influenced by this nominee are held to high standards, while also being cared for and mutually respected.

WMEA developed the lifetime achievement award in honor and recognition of Carol Mooney with the plans of recognizing dedicated leaders within the profession each year.  Dr. James’s former students and current members of WMEA have been invited to witness this virtual event on Wednesday, January 20, at 7 p.m.

James began his teaching career after serving in the Air Force in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan.  He was hired by the Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1971, to serve as the Marketing Education Coordinator.  In 1974 Kansas honored him with the Outstanding Young Educator’s Award.  After receiving his master’s degree, he enrolled in Northern Illinois University’s doctoral program where he met his wife Marcia and won the Lyle Maxwell Award.  They moved to Whitewater in 1978 and both taught for the College of Business & Economics.  That same year, they won the American Vocational Association’s award for best instructional material for their publication, MICROCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS FOR SMALL BUSINESS. 

While at UW-Whitewater, James was recognized with several service awards for his work on the prairie restoration and for Mini Business World, where he brought local business professionals, business students, and business teachers together for a two-day competitive event.  He also received a service award from the Marketing Education Association for his mini-competition efforts and in 2002 won Wisconsin’s Outstanding Postsecondary Teaching Award.  His Mini Business World project was recognized nationally in 1998 when he won the Leavy Award sponsored by the Freedoms Foundation. 

James (pictured with Marcia in 1986) continues to communicate with his former students and often says that UW-Whitewater was a great place to work! (Photo courtesy of Marcia James)

This week’s #FlashbackFriday image with the Whitewater Historical Society depicts one of Whitewater’s most iconic landmarks: the Territorial Oak!

Shown here with a fresh blanket of snow, this bur oak tree is located at the northwest corner of Main and Franklin Streets. When the area was surveyed in 1836, the surveyors used two bur oak trees as natural reference points for their plat maps. Though one of these trees was cut down in 1923, the remaining tree still stands today and has grown to 11 feet in circumference (compared to 16 inches in the 1830s).

The local fire department donated a small marker for placement next to the tree in 1962. In 1981, the city council nominated the tree as a Historic State of Wisconsin Tree and in 2019, the Whitewater Landmarks Commission designated the Territorial Oak as the 25th Local Landmark to be recognized by the City.

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society collections!
(3212P, Whitewater Historical Society)

Banner note: Our apologies for the delay in posting last week’s Flashback Friday. Watch for another post on Saturday.

Iowa State University announces fall 2020 Dean’s List

AMES, Iowa (January 20, 2021) – More than 11,000 Iowa State University students have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the fall semester 2020 Dean’s List. Students named to the Dean’s List must have earned a grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 scale while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded course work.

HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, CLASS YEAR, CURRICULM

Whitewater, WI

 Ashley Elizabeth Young, 4, Veterinary Medicine

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
January 19, 2021

In December the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, for the first time, started providing COVID-19 data for each municipality and school district in the state. This is particularly helpful for Whitewater, as the previous information that was enumerated by census tract did not isolate the portion of the city that is located in Jefferson County. The new local cases for the seven days ending January 19 reflect a return to the progress that had been made for several weeks prior to an increase last week. Eleven new cases were diagnosed, compared with twenty-five in the previous week.

The city’s rate per 100,000 population is still the lowest among the cities/counties shown on the chart below; however, it must be noted that with many of the UW-W students just returning for the spring semester, Whitewater’s current population was overstated for this purpose. No new cases were reported on the campus during the period.

Thirty-one deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported in the city, an increase of three from last week; thirty-four have been reported in the school district. It is believed that the majority of the deaths that have been reported in the city have taken place in senior residences.

Rapid testing that has been offered to the community at UW-W is scheduled to end on Friday, January 22.

New daily confirmed cases reported as an average over the last 7 days and rate per 100,000 population:

City of Whitewater	Average new daily cases	Rate per 100,000 population
12/5	7.14	48.4
12/12	10.57	71.6
12/21	4.29	29.1
12/28	3.00	20.3
1/4	1.57	10.6
1/11	3.57	24.2
1/19	1.57	10.6
Whitewater Unified School District
12/5	9.29	46.1
12/12	13.14	65.2
12/21	5.00	23.4
12/28	4.57	22.7
1/4	3.00	14.9
1/11	5.00	24.8
1/19	1.86	9.2

Rates per 100,000 population for selected municipalities based on past 7 days as of 1/4

	12/12	12/21	12/28	1/4	1/11	1/19
Madison	35.1	25.8	24.3	27.9	38.9	23.1
Jefferson	39.4	43.1	46.6	55.6	53.9	26.9
Palmyra	49.5	40.9	24.8	57.6	24.8	16.7
Fort Atkinson	50.6	52.9	25.3	50.6	50.6	39.1
Jefferson County	53	42.2	33.4	45.4	52.0	33.6
Entire state of WI	65	61.4*	51.3**	40.1***	38.5 ****	44.4 @
Milton	66.5	17.9	20.4	89.7	69.2	38.4
Walworth County	67.5	49.4	31.9	34.4	50.3	21.2
Milwaukee	67.8	53.4	30.1	34.5	43.7	31.6
Rock County	67.8	50.1	33.5	40.4	45.9	31.8
Whitewater	71.6	29.1	20.3	10.6	24.2	10.6
Elkhorn	73.6	56.2	33.2	27.4	46.1	18.8
Janesville	78	60.4	34.8	35.0	41.9	29.8
Cambridge	80	45.6	0	45.6	56.8	11.2

*The statewide rate is for the past 14 days. ** Statewide rate for the 14 days ending 12/22 ***14 days ending 12/29 **** 14 days ending 1/5/21 @ 14 days ending 1/12/21

(News release Rock County Sheriff’s Dept.)
Sheriff Knudson is pleased to announce that the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will offer an
additional D.N.R. Snowmobile Safety Education Course on February 27, 2021. Anyone
born on or after January 1st, 1985 is required to complete this course in order to legally
operate a snowmobile in places open to the public.

Class size is limited to twenty-five (25) students. After completing the online enrollment
form, you will receive an email with confirmation and the mandatory class registration
information.

Enroll online at: http://www.co.rock.wi.us/sheriff-snowmobile-education

Snowmobile Safety Education Course:
Class #3
Mandatory Registration: February 1st, at 7:00 p.m. @ Online Zoom Meeting
Class: February 27th, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. @ Rock County Fairgrounds

There is a class fee of $10 per student, which will be collected when picking up course
materials. A parent/guardian signature is required for all persons under the age of 18 on
the registration form.

Any questions concerning registration or the course, should be directed to Deputy
Cisneros at eric.cisneros@co.rock.wi.us.

(WUSD press release) — WUSD was proud and excited to welcome students back for face-to-face instruction, on Monday, January 18. Students began the day with cheerful greetings from their teachers and classmates.

Second semester begins on Monday, January 25, 2021. Parents were previously given
the following options for second semester (January 25-June 8, 2021). Elementary
students can continue a fully virtual or in-person model. Middle/High school students
can return in-person or fully virtual with live streamed classes taught by our
WMS/WHS teachers, or the continuation of either the JEDI or Edgenuity platforms.
Our families were offered the ability to continue instruction virtually; however, 73.2%
opted to return in-person.

We will continue our plans to utilize mitigation measures such as using masks,
encouraging hand washing, social distancing, and quarantine when exposure occurs.
We are advocating for options for our staff to be vaccinated and have kept our staff
updated on planning and progress of the options as they become available.

By pulling together as a community, we can continue to support our students and the
strong tradition of excellence at WUSD.

Best,
Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty
District Administrator

Banner note: Our thanks to Tom Ganser for the following photos taken on Monday at Lincoln Elementary.

(Whitewater Unites Lives submission) The Whitewater Responds Team members, made up of Terrie Parenteau; Barb Dickens; Deb and Dave Gamble; Kelli Danielski; Jessie, Ethan and  Colin Dugan; and Traci and Nick Wilson,  are Hometown Heroes for, “The Whitewater Responds Team members at First United Methodist Church have prepared and distributed over 8,000 free, take-home microwavable meals since the start of UW-Whitewater’s fall semester. Though these meals are given to many university students, they also feed families and community members. This ministry is in response to the needs of students and community members during these COVID times.”

The nomination includes:  “The Whitewater Responds Team is small but powerful. They prepare nutritious meals, complete with yummy desserts. All meals are prepared in the FUMC kitchen and are prepared with love. All meals are home-cooked. The team works all week – and often on the weekends – to prepare take-home meals for distribution on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (The smells coming out of the church kitchen are heavenly.) The team not only cooks, they also meet and greet the folks coming through the church parking lot to pick up meals at the ‘take-out window.’ Even during these times of physical distancing, relationships are formed in the giving and sharing of meals.

All are welcome to receive meals. No questions are asked. No identification is required. If you’re hungry, you are invited to join in the feast. Our role model is Jesus: he fed the 5,000 simply because they were hungry.   

This ministry is sustained with gifts from the FUMC congregation and community members. Oftentimes we receive donations from parents of UW-Whitewater students, thanking Whitewater Responds for their nurturing and nutritious care.

Whitewater Responds took a hiatus during the month of December to allow the team a rest and to review and reassess the needs of the community.” Banner note: The meal distribution continues to be paused while the church kitchen is undergoing a major renovation.

WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.   

Anyone who would like to nominate a local hero of any age should send their nomination, with a short description, to whitewaterunites@gmail.com 

(Roberta’s Art Gallery submission ) Roberta’s Art Gallery warmly welcomes distinguished Warhawk alum and faculty member Mutope Johnson in his exhibit Blue Through Brown Eyes: The Art of Mutope Johnson.

Blue Through Brown Eyes: The Art of Mutope Johnson will be at Roberta’s Art Gallery from January 13 – February 26. This exhibit starts during UW-Whitewater’s winter break, and starting Monday, January 18, the gallery will return to its usual hours of 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Friday. Come see the art before spring semester kicks off or stop by when you’re on campus. The exhibit is also available on the gallery website.

Join Roberta’s Art Gallery for a virtual reception to learn more about the experience and insight Mutope Johnson’s art offers on Wednesday, February 10 at 5 p.m. through Facebook live. Johnson describes his artwork as “reflections of African-American history and culture where they become a useful artistic tool for presenting visual art in a format that promotes meaningful discourse about art, cultural identity and cultural conservation.”

Mutope Johnson earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from UW-Whitewater, and then earned his Master of Fine Arts Degree from UW-Milwaukee. He now works as a Lecturer in the Department of Art and Design at UW-Whitewater and is a coordinator of inclusive excellence and diversity for the College of Arts and Communication at UW-Whitewater as well. Johnson recognizes, “The power of the arts can add a tremendous value to all of our lives when artists choose to tell our own stories and share what we’ve created.” Come see artist Mutope Johnson’s creations at Roberta’s Art Gallery to see the stories told through his artwork.

Roberta’s Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the James R. Connor University Center (UC) at UW-Whitewater. The gallery hosts multiple exhibits and workshops each semester by collaborating with the artists–both locally and regionally. Many of our events will be held virtually this semester.

Roberta’s Art Gallery prides itself on all of their exhibits being free and open to the public. This means anyone: whether you’re a student, a Whitewater community member, or someone wanting to support the artist, stop on by to support a fellow Warhawk! For questions or further information, contact Roberta’s Art Gallery at (262) 472-3193 or ucart@uww.edu or visit our website.

Per Lyle Hollingshead, the annual lot owners and directors meetings of the Cemetery Association of Whitewater will be held at Hawk Bowl, 1398 W. Main St., Whitewater on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. for election of officers and other business. The association is responsible for Hillside and Oak Grove Cemeteries.