News & Events

UW-Whitewater welcomes Disney historian Todd James Pierce for a presentation on Walt Disney and the talented individuals who helped him realize his vision for Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Constructing the beloved theme parks in California and Florida was an enormous task. Walt Disney needed to build a team of people with certain skills and goals in order to achieve the visual storytelling he imagined for the attractions in the parks. In many cases that meant redirecting those he hired so they could find passions and talents they didn’t realize they had. Pierce will share some of the stories behind Walt Disney and his designers as they worked together to create the theme parks that are among the most magical places on Earth.

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 | Two Locations
UW-W University Center, Room 275, Whitewater | 1:00 p.m.
Hedberg Public Library, 316 S. Main St., Janesville | 6:00 p.m.

Parking may be purchased through the Passport Pay by Space app – information is available here.
Visitor parking may also be purchased online or at the kiosk behind the Visitor Information Center. See this link for information.

Editor’s note: The above news release was received from UW-Whitewater.

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the City of Whitewater on April 11.

ALDI has submitted plans to the City of Whitewater for a 20,000 square foot grocery store on the west side.  

Since 1976, ALDI’s number one priority has been to deliver great quality food at the lowest possible prices. ALDI is committed to making a difference in the communities they serve by offering market-leading wages and benefits for employees, using environmentally friendly building materials and stores to promote sustainability, and giving back to the community through product and financial donations.  

The ALDI proposed location is the current site of Hawk Bowl and Hawk Apartments at 1380 and 1398 West Main Street. The property is zoned B-1 and does not need to be rezoned. The Pinnacle Engineering Group in Brookfield, which is working on behalf of ALDI, submitted plans for a grocery store on the site on April 10. 

Chris Bennett, Neighborhood Services Director, shares, “Bringing a grocery store into town is long overdue. It is exciting to see it finally happening in Whitewater. A devoted standalone grocery store will be an asset to the community.”  

The developer is proposing to demolish the existing structures, clean up the site, install stormwater and other utilities, and create two developable pads. The eastern pad will result in a 20,000 square foot ALDI store and, as proposed, the other developed pad on the west side will be retained by the original property owners for future development opportunities.  

The City of Whitewater’s Plan & Architectural Review Commission (PARC) will conduct site plan review at their next meeting on May 8, 2023, and render its verdict. The site plan review is the only procedural matter ALDI must go through to receive clearance to build. Chris Bennett, Neighborhood Services Director, further explains, “During site plan review members of the Plan Commission will examine the proposed building for architectural integrity – it looks good and as it should – and ensure that landscaping, traffic, lighting, parking, street access and other factors are in line with city ordinance.” 

Once PARC renders its verdict and accepts the ALDI design, then ALDI representatives will apply for building permits. Also, the City of Whitewater staff will begin working with the developer to outline an agreement to resolve the environmental contamination (asbestos) and redevelopment of the site. This agreement would then need to be vetted and approved by the Common Council, most likely in May or June.  

The internal review by city staff will continue throughout the building process, with engineers and public works personnel ensuring the building and site are constructed in compliance with the city code. The ALDI plans are available for review on the second floor of the municipal building at the Public Works/Neighborhood Services counter. 

John Weidl, Whitewater City Manager, shares, “Staff is unanimously supportive of this project for its immediate impact providing vital access to affordable food and long-term investment in the new tax base and jobs for the community.” 

Brian Hayes, Clerk for the Town of Richmond, confirmed to the Banner that following a recount on April 7 of all ballots for the position of Town Board Supervisor 2, the Board of Canvass approved the recount totals confirming the machine results from the April 4 spring election.

The incumbent Susan Miller was re-elected with a vote count of 288 votes to 287 votes for the challenger Michael Bergman.

From Wednesday, March 22, through Saturday, March 25, the Whitewater High School FIRST Robotics Competition Team 6574 Ferradermis competed at the Wisconsin Regional in Milwaukee with 47 teams from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Mexico.

Seventeen team members traveled to the event and took on various roles and responsibilities over the course of the four days. The team was led onto the field by Drive Team members Andrew O’Toole, Ace Hudec, Jazmin Cederberg, Erison Dreksler, and Elora Wildermuth-Breitzman, while the pit crew was headed by Safety Captain Peter Portwine. Additional students rotated in and out of the pit, including Luc Pomazak and Belle Cohen. Other students, including Mel Prince, Rae Breisath, Zoe Olson, Chacha Binagi, and Margaret Brown focused mainly on scouting and gathering detailed data on the performance of other teams under the leadership of Competition Logistics Captain Emerson Dunham. The Impact Presentation Team of Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman, Maddison LaHaie, and Andrew Zimmermann focused on talking with judges about everything the team does outside of the robot, greeting judges at the pit as well as doing their formal presentation. The team’s Dean’s List Nominees, Emerson Dunham and Maddison LaHaie, also had a chance to do their personal interviews with the judging panels at this event. 

On Wednesday afternoon, before doing pit setup, the team visited the Milwaukee Public Museum and enjoyed the “Streets of Old Milwaukee” exhibit, as well as the special exhibit on “Survival of the Slowest,” and viewed “Wings Over Water,” a film in the domed theater. The team attempts to schedule one non-robotics activity in each city they travel to for multiple-day events.

Throughout Thursday’s practice day, the team enjoyed visits from many Whitewater School District staff. School administrators and counselors had been specifically invited by the newly formed board of FIRST Wisconsin to attend a meeting to learn more about grant funding for robotics, and Whitewater was well-represented. The team is also thankful for all of the sponsors, community members, parents, and school staff members who joined us for parts of the competition on Friday and Saturday, despite the interesting weather events. 

A highlight for the team was a visit on Friday morning by members of the FIRST Lego League Teams from Washington Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Whitewater Middle School. Ferradermis chartered two buses to bring these students to Milwaukee so that the younger students could experience the excitement of the competition and see the opportunities that await them as part of the robotics program. Mel Prince, Zoe Olson, Chacha Binagi, Belle Cohen, Maddison LaHaie, and Andrew Zimmermann greatly enjoyed cheering with their groups of students in the stands and leading them on tours of the pits to collect buttons and see all of the robots up close. Thank you to chaperones Val Troxel, Chris Nate, Lisa Kaminski, Sara Brautigam, Kerry Ramsden, Suzanne Chenoweth, and Jill Bergman for making this possible! The team was also excited to see so many classrooms in the Whitewater schools joining in the fun by watching matches online.

There are so many opportunities for students to engage with other teams and sponsors at a regional event. Chacha Binagi, Mel Prince, Rae Breisath, Maddison LaHaie, and Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman joined the FRC Team Choir to perform the National Anthem for Saturday morning’s opening ceremonies. Maddison LaHaie and Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman also served as official Team Ambassadors, giving tours to visiting VIPs. Behind the Bumpers is a program produced by FIRST Updates Now and hosted by Tyler Olds which does interviews to highlight teams that are finding success on the field. Andrew O’Toole, Ace Hudec, Elora Wildermuth-Breitzman, and Erison Dreksler were honored to be interviewed by Tyler on Friday, and we look forward to seeing the finished piece appear online.

The team ended the qualification rounds with an 8-4 record and ranked 10th out of 47. Following qualifications, an alliance selection process takes place where eight alliances of three teams each are formed for the elimination (playoff) rounds. After declining an offer to join the #2 seeded alliance for the playoffs, a decision based on our scouting data, Ferradermis became the captain of the #8 seeded alliance. During the alliance selection process, the #8 alliance captain makes its two picks back-to-back, and Ferradermis invited Red Raider Robotics from Sheboygan and Graffiti from Greendale to join them in the playoffs.

Ferradermis launched into the double-elimination playoffs with a fury, defeating the #1 seeded alliance led by Team 930 from Mukwonago, 133-127. They then fell to the #4 seeded alliance led by Team 2202 BEAST Robotics from Brookfield, 107-126 to drop into the lower bracket of the playoffs. Ferradermis rallied and defeated the #6 seeded alliance led by Team 93 NEW Apple Corps from Appleton in round 3, 118-91. In round 4, Ferradermis was eliminated by the #2 seeded alliance led by Team 537 Charger Robotics from Sussex, 108-144. The Ferradermis-led alliance ended the regional in 4th place, and the event was eventually won by the #3 seeded alliance led by Team 1732 Hilltopper Robotics from Marquette University High School.

For full results and match videos, visit https://www.thebluealliance.com/event/2023wimi

Ferradermis will continue to meet throughout the remainder of the school year in preparation for summer off-season events including ones in Mukwonago and Kettle Moraine. We are open to new membership at any time, including incoming freshmen over the summer. Students do not need any particular skill sets to join, as they will learn everything they need to know from the veteran students and mentors. Students interested in joining should reach out to Laura Masbruch at lmasbruch@wwusd.org or stop by room 249 at the high school. Students will also be available for question and answer as well as robot demonstrations at Lincoln Elementary’s STEAM Night on May 2. The team is also in search of additional adult mentors with knowledge in machining, CAD, programming, business, marketing, or any number of other skills.

Thank you to all of our sponsors and volunteers who make this exciting opportunity available to our students at Whitewater High School. Co-advisors Laura Masbruch and Jacob Lee would especially like to thank volunteers Dilpreet Randhawa, Doug Grall, Mark Zimmermann, Kat Dunham, Rob Prager, Reilly Aschenbrener, and Rosie Aschenbrener for working with the students throughout the event this past week.

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

Master Gardener, Ruth Flescher, will be at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library on Tuesday, April 4 at 6:30 p.m. to present “Let’s Talk Tomatoes.” The public is invited to attend and learn about how to choose tomato varieties and grow them successfully from transplant until the season is done.   

The presentation will be held in the library’s Community Room located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater. There is no cost or registration. For additional information, visit the library’s website at www.whitewaterlibrary.org or call 262-473-0530.  

“Women Talking”

Tuesday, March 28, 1 p.m. 

(Drama) Rated PG-13; 1 hour 44 minutes (2022)

A group of Mennonite women who have been victims of sexual assault by a sect of men in their small Bolivian colony, come together after years of silence to form a secret council to discuss their options and ultimately their decision to seek their own justice. Based on the novel, this film received Oscar nominations for Best Film and Screenplay. Its stars include Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Frances McDormand and Ben Wishhaw. .

Michael Hilliger, WHS ’17, invites readers to the premiere of his independently made animated short, “Marcus The Teenager’s Never-Ending Quest for Popularity.” Michael says it’s, “The goofy film I’ve been crafting for 2 years! 10 Minutes of Funny Animation! Stellar Voice Acting! An original score! A jazz piece with real players! Test audiences seem to love it!”

The event:

On Monday, March 27, doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at the door. Michael will be there to answer questions after the film and talk about how he created the short, so be sure to bring your questions. Merchandise and concessions will be available for purchase.

The plot:

A neurotic teen named Marcus desperately tries to improve his social standing through short-term “quests for popularity,” which often succeed (and backfire) in delightfully unexpected ways.

The creator:

Michael Hilliger is a lifelong creator of entertainment media specializing in animation. He was an animator on Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” and other animated shows since his graduation from Whitewater High School in 2017.

We are so excited to be hosting this premiere right here in Whitewater! MARCUS your calendars, we’ll see you on March 27th!