News & Events

Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center Hosting 2nd Annual Egg Hunt

The Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center is “hoppy” to announce that the Egg Hunt is returning this year! Last year the event saw nearly 100 participants, ranging in ages from two to twelve. We can’t wait to see what this year has in store! The event will take place on Saturday, April 12, with a $5 entry fee per participating child. Registration the day of the event is available.

Each age group will have a designated time to hunt for eggs in the leisure pool:
2-4 year olds: 10:00 am-10:30 am
5-8 year olds: 10:30 am-11:00 am
8-12 year olds: 11:00 am-11:30 am [Editor’s note: It’s unclear as to why 8-year-olds are shown in two time frames. Presumably they should choose one of the sections.]
Eggs will be in the leisure pool in areas that aim to be accessible for each age group and ability. Children are encouraged to collect as many eggs as possible. Once they’ve gathered their eggs they can redeem them for one goodie bag at the concessions stand window.

The Easter Bunny will also be in attendance, ready to take pictures with children starting at 9:00 am!

Advance registration is appreciated. To register in advance, log into (or create) your Civic Rec account, go to the Aquatics tab, and register your child for the appropriate age group. Advance registration may also be completed over the phone (262-473-4900) by calling the WAFC or coming to the front desk in person. Payments made online or over the phone must be card payments, as there is not a pay later option. If you pre-register at the front desk or on the day of the event, they can take cash, check or card payments.

Following the Egg Hunt, all families are invited to stay at the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center for the remainder of the day. We hope to see you there! [Editor’s note: It is unclear as to whether family members who did not pay for the egg hunt will be free for the rest of the day or perhaps will need to pay $5.]

About Whitewater Parks and Recreation:
Whitewater Parks and Recreation is committed to providing diverse recreational opportunities
for individuals of all ages and abilities in the Whitewater community. Through innovative
programming and collaborative partnerships, we strive to promote physical activity, social
interaction, and overall well-being.

According to a press release, the City of Whitewater Fire/EMS Department was dispatched on April 9 at 7:04 p.m. to a mobile home fire at 755 N Tratt St., Lot 190. The occupants of the home were not there when the fire started. When they returned home, they were met with smoke upon opening the front door. They immediately evacuated and called 911. When the first firefighters arrived, the mobile home was completely engulfed in flames. The fire quickly spread to two vehicles that were parked nearby. The press release indicates that “An aggressive attack by Engine 121 halted the spread of the fire, preventing the neighboring trailer and shed from catching fire.” No injuries were reported. The fire was not deemed to be suspicious. The Lauderdale-LaGrange Fire Department assisted on the scene.

Editor’s note: One of the residents of the home has started a GoFundMe account.

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This week’s image is a childhood portrait of Vernon Rieder from the society’s collection of children’s photos. The photo is probably from around 1900 and depicts the child in a full “Little Lord Fauntleroy” costume. The book by the same name was highly popular in the late 19th century and illustrations of the main character dressed like this were widely circulated. Turn-of-the-20th-century mothers loved dressing their boys in these costumes with ruffled shirts and bows, but whether the boys liked it is questionable. Here, Vernon may be just trying to stay still for the photo, but we would like to think he was not happy in this get-up.

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

(0116P, Whitewater Historical Society)

K9 Fund Disbursement 6:00 pm on April 15 @ Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
In front by the K9 memorial Statue – Open to anyone.

Lettsew K9 Foundation is dissolving after 5 years of fundraising for Jefferson County K9s
and the surrounding area. Lettsew K9 is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. LETTSEWK9
FOUNDATION stands for Law Enforcement Training Teams of Southeastern Wisconsin.
Our mission is to support K9s in law enforcement and educate the communities they
serve to protect. Over the years we have fundraised and raised awareness for the needs
of K9 units in our communities.

We have supported K9 units in
★ Lake Mills
★ Watertown
★ UW-Whitewater – 2 K9 Units
★ Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office – 4 K9 units
★ Fort Atkinson
★ Ripon
K9 units rely on community support.

These small K9 units have always been “for the community, by the community” which
means that the unit is not taxpayer-funded. We are truly blessed to have these
dedicated teams in our community!

Local K9 units are trained to assist in;
explosive detection
narcotic detection
suspect apprehension
searching for suspects and lost people
crowd control and building searches

Our Board of Directors is made up of volunteers who have dedicated their time and
heart into fundraising for the paws that enforce the laws. Unfortunately, we have
struggled to find volunteers to commit, which has ultimately led our group to dissolve.

Lettsew K9 Foundation is thrilled to donate over $50,000 divided equally between the
10 K9 units.

The National Honor Society will be celebrating National Student Leadership Week April 21-25 with a life-saving American Red Cross Blood Drive on April 16, a Spring Silent Auction April 7-25, a clothing drive, and recognition of outstanding student leadership at WHS.  Teachers will be nominating students who have made a difference in our school and community and serve as a source of inspiration and hope – not just for their peers but for all of us.  Community members who wish to donate blood can sign up here:  CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment. Donors must be at least 16 years old or older to donate blood.  All student donors must have a signed permission slip turned into Mrs. Sonmor Wintz before scheduling an appointment.  Clothing contributions may be dropped off in the WHS Main Office. A great time will be had by all!

Congratulations to these high school students for successfully completing their CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) course! Your dedication, hard work, and commitment to caring for others have led you to this amazing achievement. This course, taught in partnership with Gateway Technical College, prepares students for employment as nursing assistants and for other health-related programs. During the 75-hour course, held in the Whitewater High School CNA Lab, students learned about communication, basic nursing assistant and personal care skills, attention to clients’ rights, and care of clients with dementias. This program is recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services as a nurse-aide training program.

Ferradermis placed third in its third and final Regional of the season which was held from April 3 – 6 at State Fair Park in West Allis in what was the last ever Wisconsin Regional. Next year, Wisconsin will be switching its model of competition to what are known as “Districts” where teams will compete in-state for a chance to play in the State Championship. The top teams in the state will advance from there to the FIRST Championships in Houston.

The robot was led onto the field in West Allis by Driver Andrew O’Toole, Operator Erison Dreksler, Human Player Jayden Kehrer, Technician Nina Heim, and Drive Coach Mark Zimmermann. The robot performed very well, regularly scoring a piece of coral on the highest level of the reef during the autonomous period, something it could not do during previous events. Programming Lead Ace Hudec and programming mentors Jacob Korf and Andy McKenzie spent much time on the practice field between matches working on additional automation. The drive team guided the robot to efficient scoring of coral throughout each match, increasing the number of cycles they could complete by making use of their recently added ability to pick up pieces of coral from the ground instead of needing to go to the human player station. The robot demonstrated its quick deep climb onto the cage at the end of nearly every match. A broken intake mechanism during two matches left the team playing defense for part of each of those matches. After compiling a 5-5 record in qualifications, Ferradermis ranked #21 out of the 47 teams at the event.

Recognized by Team 2506 Saber Robotics from Franklin, Wisconsin as a great complement to their 7th seeded algae bot, Ferradermis was their first pick to join the #7 alliance, and the 14th team to secure a spot in the playoffs. The two teams then invited Team 2194 Fondy Fire from Fond du Lac to round out their playoff alliance. Ferradermis was represented on the field during alliance selections by Emerson Dunham, Zoe Olson, and Letty Trautman.

The #7 alliance played very well together, defeating the #2 alliance in the first match 190-176. They then fell to the #6 alliance 189-177 to drop into the lower bracket of the double elimination tournament. Ferradermis knocked out the #8 alliance in a close match with a final score of 176-172 before eliminating the #5 alliance by a score of 165-131. This set up a rematch with the #6 alliance for the right to play in the finals against the #1 seed. The scoring for this match was so close that no one knew for sure who had won until several minutes after the match ended. When the score was finally revealed, the Ferradermis alliance was eliminated on a one-point loss, 184-183, finishing the event in third place.

Throughout the event, the pit was staffed by Safety Captain Elora Wildermuth-Breitzman. Overseeing our scouting alliance with Team 1259 Paradigm Shift from Pewaukee and Team 3596 Rocket Robotics from South Milwaukee was Game Strategy Lead Rae Breisath, assisted by head scouts Cyrus Hudec and Andrew Zimmermann. Scouting in the stands was done by many team members including Emilie Bruns, Asher Downs, Georgia Esch, Vivian Harris, Toby Kapfer, Colby Long, Carson Miller, Preston Miller, and Virginia Nelson, and scouts were advised by mentors Kevin Housel, Matt Doherty, and Kat Dunham. Cooper Housel continued to wear the team’s media badge, and Margaret Brown continued to film matches for review by the drive team. Maddi LaHaie, Chacha Binagi, and Sam Raupp again presented to a panel of judges on our team’s impact on Whitewater, the state, and the FRC community.

In addition to the competition, Ferradermis had the opportunity to attend a Brewers game on Thursday night after pit setup. The highlight of the event, however, was perhaps the visit from 57 of the WUSD FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge Team members from Lakeview, Lincoln, Washington, and the middle school. The students were teamed up in small groups with Ferradermis members and spent time completing one BINGO card in the pits and another while watching practice matches. The BINGO cards were designed by the high school students to encourage the younger students to spot and ask questions about various parts of the event. 

Over the course of the 3 regional events, Ferradermis compiled a match record of 28 wins, 16 losses, and 1 tie. Statistically, they are ranked 5th in the state of Wisconsin with an EPA (estimated points added) of 52.9, being expected to contribute at least 53 points to their alliance during a match. The robot has seen a steady increase in EPA since the season began, growing by 20 points since the first event in Duluth. Their current EPA places them in the top 12% of teams in the world.

Next up for the team is a trip to the FIRST Championships in Houston. The team will depart Whitewater on Tuesday, April 15 and compete over the course of four days, with the world champion alliance being crowned on Saturday evening. The 600 teams competing in Houston will be divided into 8 divisions. The divisions will play on 8 fields arranged end-to-end, with 300 team pits located on either end of the fields. This arrangement stretches for a full ⅓ of a mile. Ferradermis will learn its division assignment later this week.

As Wisconsin prepares to move to the district model, Ferradermis has received an invitation to compete in an inaugural state championship event in Sheboygan on June 13 and 14. This event will allow the state to test out new equipment and systems to be used to run events next year.  

Until then, Ferradermis will continue to fundraise for its trips. This week, Rocky Rococo’s hosted a fundraising event for the team on Wednesday. On Thursday night, April 10, Toppers Pizza will donate 20% of their sales to the team between 4:00 and 9:00. Toppers asks that customers mention robotics when ordering so they can track the success of the event. Then, on April 22, the Real MacCoys will host a Ferradermis Bingo Night. If you would like to make a contribution to help the team get to its championship events, you can donate using the button on https://www.ferradermis.org/ or mail a check made out to WHS to Laura Masbruch at Whitewater High School, 534 S Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, WI 53190.

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

Photos from dress rehearsal on April 8 courtesy of Tom Ganser

General admission tickets are “Pay What You Can” for the April 10 performance, and $8 adults and $5 students for the April 11 and 12 performances. Tickets are available one hour before the performances.