The following individuals have filed to appear on the April 7 ballot for the Whitewater Unified School District Board: Thayer Coburn, Casey Judd, and Steven Ryan.
The following individuals have filed to appear on the April 7 ballot for the City of Whitewater Common Council: AD 2 – Matthew Schulgit; AD 4 – Lynn Binnie; and Councilmember at Large – Jim Allen.
It is expected that the only race on the February 18 primary ballot will be for State Supreme Court Justice.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of the WHS Players Production of “The Little Mermaid” on their 14 Jerry Award nominations! The show was performed November 21-24, 2019, involving more than 60 cast, technical crew, and pit band members. The plot involved Ariel, King Triton’s youngest daughter, who wished to pursue the human Prince Eric in the world above, bargaining with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to trade her tail for legs. But the bargain was not what it seemed, and Ariel needed the help of her colorful friends to restore order under the sea.
“The Jerry Awards encourages, recognizes, and honors excellence in high school musical theater. Educators and industry professionals review productions at more than 85 high schools in 30 counties around the state providing valuable feedback. School and student achievements are honored and featured in an awards show held at the Overture Center in June, and two outstanding performers are selected to represent the program at The National High School Musical Theater Awards (The Jimmys) competition in New York City.” Last year, Whitewater High School’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee” won Outstanding Musical, and Lauren Harkness was selected to represent the state in New York City.
Jerry Award nominations are based on three adjudicators’ reviews and recommendations. Winners will be announced in May after all competing high school productions have been evaluated. Winners will be honored at the Overture Center in early June.
Please congratulate the nominees below as well as the rest of the cast and crew for their outstanding contributions to the production.
2019-2020 Jerry Award Nominations from Whitewater High School
Outstanding Lead Performance:
Lauren Harkness, Ariel
Carter Waelchli, Ursula
Henry Bresser, Sebastian
Ella Willman, Scuttle
Chris Porcaro, King Triton
Outstanding Supporting Performance:
Anderson Waelchli, Flounder
Sophie Mayer, Chef Louis
Outstanding Direction- Jim McCulloch
Outstanding Stage Management- Josie Hintz, Hailey Long, Emma Van Daele
Outstanding Overall Design
Outstanding Set Design- Jim McCulloch, Kat Dunham
Outstanding Costume Design- Karen McCulloch, Deborah Blackwell
Outstanding Lighting Design- Jim McCulloch
Outstanding Sound Design- Tony Hansen
For more information on the Jerry Awards, visit https://www.overture.org/programs/jerry-awards
Photo Credit: Tom Ganser
Current Ferradermis members, their mentors, and a few of their alumni traveled to Mukwonago High School on Saturday, January 4, for the 2020 FIRST Robotics season kickoff joining host Team #930, the Mukwonago BEARs; Team #5976, the CyberSaders from Catholic Memorial; Team #6421, the WarriorBOTS from Muskego; and Rookie Team #8002, The Knack from Lake Country School.
The game for the season, Infinite Recharge, was unveiled worldwide with a series of videos between 10 and 11 a.m. The main game piece this year is a 7-inch playground ball known as a Power Cell. Teams score points by shooting the Power Cells into their various Power Ports, rotating and holding the position of a colored wheel known as the Control Panel, and hanging from and potentially leveling the Shield Generator structure by hanging multiple robots from the same bar.
After the unveil, teams spent the rest of the day digesting the rules of the game and planning their strategy for game play. Ferradermis’ ultimate season goal they kept in mind while planning is winning a regional event and qualifying for the World Championships for the third straight year.
The team now has approximately 7 weeks to design, build, wire, and program their robot before their first competition at the Northern Lights Regional in Duluth from March 4 – 7. Different this year is the absence of a “bag and tag” day; teams no longer have to seal their robot and cease work at a designated time.
To view the game animation video (explanation of the game) for Infinite Recharge, visit https://youtu.be/gmiYWTmFRVE
The Whitewater area community was more than generous in donating needed items to the annual UW-W/Community Optimist Club Mitten Tree Project. There were enough items donated that Rick Fassl, co-chair of the project, contacted Whitewater Police Chief, Aaron Raap, to see if our local police squad cars could use some extra hats and mittens since they are often the first on the scene of traumatic events. Chief Raap consulted with his staff and was delighted when, on Dec. 31, 2019, Rick and Jeanine Fassl were able to deliver 10 sets of hats and mittens to add to each of the City’s 10 squad cars for use in case of emergencies.
Current University at Buffalo football coach Lance Liepold was ranked at No. 78 on ESPN‘s list of the top 150 football coaches of all time, released in December.
The selections were made by a blue-ribbon panel of 150 media members, administrators and former players and coaches, ESPN said.
Leipold was lauded primarily for his time at UW-W when he posted a record of 109-6 from 2007 to 2014 and won six Division III national titles. He was named national coach of the year six times and reached 100 career wins faster than any football coach in NCAA history at any level. Leipold was also recognized for taking down “the dynasty that was Mount Union.
For the article in The Buffalo News, click here.
At an election to be held in the City of Whitewater on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, the following offices are to be elected to succeed the incumbents listed. (Note: all incumbents are eligible for re-election.) The term for Council member offices listed below begins on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 and expires April 19, 2022.
OFFICE INCUMBENT
Council member, District 2 Matthew Schulgit
Council member, District 4 Lynn Binnie
Council member, at large James D. Allen
Information pertaining to district boundaries and nomination procedures may be obtained from City Clerk Michele Smith at 312 W. Whitewater Street, msmith@whitewater-wi.gov, or 262-473-0102
The final day for filing nomination papers is Tuesday, January 7, 2020, 5:00 p.m. in the office of the City Clerk. At least twenty signatures are required for district seats, and at least forty signatures for an at large seat.
If a primary is necessary, it will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2020.
The Presidential Primary will also take place on April 7.
As of 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 6, Jaclyn Tueting indicated that only Casey Judd and Steven Ryan had filed to run for one of the three seats that is open. Any interested persons are encouraged to file by Tuesday, January 7.
Residents of the Whitewater Unified School District are encouraged to consider seeking a position on the School Board. The final day for filing for those interested in becoming a candidate for one of the three open positions on the Board is Tuesday, January 7, 2020, by 5:00 p.m.
Any person who is a United States citizen and a qualified elector of the Whitewater Unified School District is legally qualified to become a member of the School Board. In addition, Board candidates should have a genuine interest in and devotion to public education, a willingness to give time and effort to the position, a capacity to understand people, and the ability to work cooperatively with others.
The School Board is the District policy-making authority and is responsible to the public for the success of all education services offered by the District. This success is dependent on many individuals, but also upon each Board member’s understanding of the workings of the District-wide operations and each member’s ability to participate meaningfully in the decision-making process that governs the District.
Three positions will be on the spring ballot. The incumbents are Miguel Aranda, Casey Judd and Steven Ryan. One incumbent, Miguel Aranda, has filed a non-candidacy document. Prior to the winter break it was reported that no additional candidates had filed.
The Board will provide an orientation for Board candidates in order to help them become quickly acquainted with the election process and Board members’ duties and responsibilities in January. The District Administrator has developed, in consultation with the Board, a candidate orientation program to be presented by District staff and a Board member appointed by the Board President.
The candidate filing documents may be obtained and filed at the office of the School Board Secretary at the Whitewater Unified School District Central Office, 419 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater. School Board candidates do not circulate nomination papers but the School Board Secretary, Jaclyn Tueting, will assist to complete necessary filing documents. One current Board member indicated that the process could be completed in as little as 15 minutes. The Central Office will be open on Monday and Tuesday, 1/6-1/7, from 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Again, the deadline for filing candidacy paperwork is Tuesday, 1/7 at 5:00 p.m.
The City of Whitewater – Department of Public Works will collect Christmas trees on Tuesday, January 7, 14, 21 and January 28. Please do not place your tree on the terrace before 4:00 p.m. on the Sunday prior to the scheduled Tuesday collection.
Trees that have been flocked or contain wire will not be collected. Please place these trees for collection by John’s Disposal on the second Thursday of the month, your bulk pick up day.
Kelly Freeman, Superintendent, Streets/Parks/Stormwater Utility
The Whitewater Community Food Pantry has been very blessed with the generosity of so many individuals and organizations. This made it possible for us to be very generous with our patrons.
The Whitewater High School and Middle School students collected 1300 lbs. of food with their Homecoming Food Drive. Beth Babcock, the “Stuff The Bus” coordinator, accompanied the students October 14th to drop off the food donation at the Whitewater pantry.
Monday, October 14th, through October 18th, the FFA and elementary school students collected food as well for the Stuff The Bus event.
October 21st, the Nelson stuffed bus delivered to the pantry 6,507 lbs. of food, and Beth Babcock presented a monetary donation of $7,212.00 collected through the generosity of many Whitewater citizens. We are very grateful to Beth for all her work in putting on this yearly event and to Dave Nelson for providing the Nelson Bus.
Also this past October, Festival Foods donated $1,000.00 worth of food for Thanksgiving.
November 10th, the Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, and Alpha Sigma Fraternity donated 1400 lbs. of food and $824.10 from their Fall 2019 Food Drive.
St. John’s Masonic Lodge brought in 70 cases of canned vegetables.
The Stone School 4H Club and the Katzman Family held a fundraiser to purchase 150 fruit pies to give to the Whitewater Community Food Pantry patrons to go along with their Thanksgiving meal.
December 12th, Stuff The Squad Car organized by the Whitewater Police Officers collected over 1200 lbs. of food.
Maclean Fogg donated 18(20 lb.) turkeys.
Large donations came in from the Congregational Church. The Congregational United Church of Christ collected ‘Gift-of-Love-Bags’ to be given to our pantry for Thanksgiving. Richmond Methodist Church, St. John’s Church, and St. Patrick Catholic Church, and several other churches and individuals, too numerous to mention, also brought generous Holiday donations.
Derek Harvey, a young man from Waterford, and his mother collected 2 large cart fulls of groceries for the pantry.
Dardan Agushi, a young Whitewater University graduate bought 12 bags of groceries for The Whitewater Community Food Pantry. He was so happy to be able to make this donation to the pantry.
We wish to thank the Whitewater Community and Walmart for their support and generosity.
The pantry will be open January 2, 2020, from 8:30 to 12:00 noon. Being the New Year, everyone needs to bring identification for all family members and a current address.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Submitted by Pat Chaput and Barbara Quast, Managers of The Whitewater Community Food Pantry