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Boys Register 17 Best Times Against Elkhorn

January 4, 2023

The Whippet Boys’ Swim Team competed against Elkhorn on Tuesday, January 3rd. The boys registered 17 best times, and many tried out new events for the first time.

Some highlights include:

  • Tyler Arnett edged out his competitor to win the 200 Freestyle by .04 seconds with a time 2:02.94
  • David Enns had a huge time drop in the 200 Freestyle, dropping over 16 seconds.
  • Cruz Aranda & Xavier Zei both going best time in 200 IM!
  • Jack Hefty had a stellar night going best times and winning both individual events. Jack continues to put up a strong performance in the 50 Freestyle going a 25.68. He improved his 100 Breaststroke time by 4 seconds!
  • Miles Nickelsburg had a strong performance in the 100 Freestyle dropping 6 seconds off his previous time.
  • Onyx Thompson had a great night despite having all four of his events back to back. He tried out the 400 for the first time and then immediately went into the 200 Freestyle Relay where he went a season best split, then continued right into the 100 Backstroke, and then finished off the night 1 race later in the 400 Freestyle relay where he again went a season best split!
  • Myles Morse swam a great race in the 100 Backstroke where he edged out his competitor by 1.08 seconds.
  • Andrew O’Toole had a great 50 Freestyle going a best time of 29.45.
  • Sam Nickelsburg continues to work hard and drop time in the 400 Freestyle.
Jack Hefty

The boys are back in action on Tuesday, January 10th at home against Platteville/Lancaster and PSC starting at 5:30 p.m. Come out and cheer on the Whippet Swimmers!

Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Co-Head Boys’ Swim Coach
sreynolds@wwusd.org

PBS Wisconsin Features Milton House, Underground Railroad on Thursday

January 4, 2023
Milton House [from the website]

A new episode of “Wisconsin Life” which will air on Thursday, January 5 at 7 p.m. features, among other stories, the Milton House Museum, the last certified underground railroad stop in Wisconsin that can be toured. Blacks traveled the Underground Railroad to escape slavery in the South in the 1800’s. PBS Wisconsin is on Channel 11 on Spectrum (Charter) and may also be viewed online at https://pbswisconsin.org/

According to an article in the Milton Courier:

“Wisconsin Life” is a show produced by PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio that highlights local history, but each episode details a new city or region of the state. During the production of the episode, host Angela Fitzgerald spoke with Milton House Museum Executive Director Keighton Klos about the Underground Railroad and some about the Goodrich family.”

“Fitzgerald suggested the Milton House as a potential location of the show. Fitzgerald and producer Kelly Saran spent a day at the museum last summer to work on the show.”

“What surprised me was the role Wisconsin had in the abolitionist movement and how many freedom seekers came to Wisconsin,” Saran said. “People crawled through the tunnel, and we walked through it. That was moving and was so impactful.”

Whippets Make Strong Showing at Mid-States 

December 30, 2022

The Whippet Wrestling Team had the opportunity to host and participate in the Mid-States Wrestling Classic held at UWW on December 28 and 29. This is a long-standing tournament that has been going on for over 40 years and has some of the top talent from WI and IL participating. This year this talent consisted of 41 teams partaking in the very talented pool. There were many highly ranked teams from Illinois and Wisconsin in the tournament with 6 of the top 8 teams from Illinois.

Connor Friend on the Podium

Although the Whitewater team did not have as high of finish as they have had in years past, the coaching staff feels this may have been one of the team’s best performances on the mat. The level of competition may have been the best in the 17 years Coach Schimming has been coaching at Whitewater, so team placement is deceiving. Coach Schimming stated that Whitewater has at times struggled in the opening round of this tournament; however, this year the team did outstanding. They won the first 6 matches contested with 5 of them coming with a pin! Of those 5 weight classes, the loss Whitewater saw was against an opponent that ended up making the semi-finals and thereby guaranteed top six placement, so we consider those some quality losses. 

Whitewater had 3 wrestlers advance to day two of the competition, placing these individuals into the top 12 of their weight class. Jarvis Porcaro had his best outing of the season on day 1 with 3 great wins, putting him into day 2. Jarvis ran into tough competition on day 2. He wrestled tough but ended up taking 12th place for the tournament.

Aaron Porras also won 3 on the first day and made day two of the tournament. Aaron opened the day with a tough loss but then came back with one of his best matches of the season as he had a strong opponent from Nicollet, and it was a tight match going into the 3rd period. Aaron turned it on and put together a couple of nice takedowns and ended up using basic techniques and pinned his opponent. Aaron ended his tournament in 10th place.

The Mid-States Classic honors the top 8 wrestlers in their weight class on the podium at the end of the night. This year Whitewater had Connor Friend make the podium with a 6th place finish. Connor lost a close quarterfinal match 8-7 that came right down to the end with Connor almost getting a turn to claim back points but just did not quite make the turn. Connor came back on day 2 with a convincing 10-0 win and then a 4-0 win to reach the top 6. He then dropped the consolation semi-final match to go into the 5th place match. Connor wrestled tough in the last match but could not quite pull it out. Connor wrestled well throughout the tournament with quality matches that allowed us to find things we will work on as we enter the back half of the season.

The team is next in action on January 5th when they travel to Jefferson for an RVC Dual. On January 7th the team will host a large JV Tournament with approximately 20 teams at Whitewater High School. 

Article and Podium Photo Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org
Action Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka

Moving Forward: Grief & Ambiguous Loss Associated with Dementia Caregiving

December 29, 2022

Moving Forward:

Grief and Ambiguous Loss Associated with Dementia Caregiving

The Aging & Disability Resource Center of Rock County is offering the 16-week educational support group on Wednesday evenings from 6-7:30 p.m. beginning on January 16th and running through May 3rd. This is a hybrid group being offered in-person at the UWW Community Engagement Center in Whitewater and online. There is no cost to attend.

Who is this group for? The group is for anyone who is caring or has cared for someone with dementia. Caring for someone with dementia entails a constant series of losses and not just losses related to death. The first 30 minutes of each session will cover a variety of grief, loss and bereavement topics followed by about 60 minutes of conventional support group discussion.

To register, please contact Karen Tennyson at 608-741-3615 or karen.tennyson@co.rock.wi.us.

United Way Grant Cycle for 2023 is Open

December 27, 2022

Bethel House Announces Transitional, Interim Leadership Team

December 26, 2022
Megan Hartwick
Nicolle Muskevitsch

WHS National Honor Society Lakeland School Waffles with Santa Fundraiser

December 26, 2022

Editor’s note: The following report was submitted by Pamela Sonmor-Wintz, National Honor Society advisor.

Whitewater High School National Honor Society members made over 1100 waffles for a wonderful fundraising event for Lakeland School called, “Waffles with Santa” on Saturday, December 10!  Please enjoy the YouTube photo story here of pictures taken during the event, or click on the arrow on the image below! Thank you to the following members for participating: Aidyn Amundson, Danielle DePorter, Brandon Haas, Kindyl Kilar, Cali Kopecky, Alexandra Martin, Aileen Perez, and Ashlyn Prah.

Seniors in the Park Presents Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

December 24, 2022

“Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”

Tuesday, December 27, 1 p.m.

(Action/Adventure/Comedy)

Rated R (violence, language)

2 hours, 19 minutes (2022)

Look forward to the future and the new year, as we enter the Multiverse, a theoretical reality that includes a possibly infinite number of parallel universes. In this adventure, an aging Chinese immigrant (Michelle Yeoh) is swept up in an insane adventure, in which she alone can save our world, by exploring other universes connecting with the other lives she could have led. Also stars Jamie Lee Curtis. This film has garnered a lot of 2023 Oscar buzz. As the 2023 Golden Globe and Academy Awards approach, Seniors in the Park will be screening the nominated films. 

Obituaries

Obituary: Shirley A. Knuteson, 85

SHIRLEY A. KNUTESON, age 85, of Whitewater, died Thursday, June 27, 2024 at Glenwood at Mulberry Campus in Whitewater. She was born to Hugo and Helen (Wilson) Ferge of Elkhorn, WI. She attended school in Walworth High School, graduating in 1956. Shirley worked at Sterlingworth in Elkhorn and then Fairhaven Nursing Home prior to retirement.  As a young woman, she loved roller skating, had a love for animals, especially her dogs and horses on the farm. She was a loyal Brewer and Packer fan. Her diverse family was her pride and joy.  Shirley is survived by her six children Jerry … Read more

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Celebration of Life: Dave Triebold

A celebration of life for Dave Triebold will be held July 27 at Triebold Farms, with festivities beginning around 11:30 am. A rememberance service will take place at 12:30 pm. A pig roast will follow, and the pool will be open. The family encourages you to stay through the evening for a bonfire as well. Contact Kris (262)949-5474 or Kath (414)412-4385 with questions.

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Celebration of Life: James Paul Fisher, 86

James Paul Fisher, 86, known by friends as JP or Jay, passed away on Sunday, June 9, 2024, at UW Hospital, Madison, with his immediate family by his side. His body finally surrendered to a heart attack after battling heart and kidney ailments for many years. Born in Fond du lac, Wisconsin, on October 25, 1937, to Lorraine and James Fisher, JP was a resident of Elkhorn and then Whitewater, Wisconsin. At age 2 JP was diagnosed with polio. Through daily therapy administered by his mother and grandmother, he overcame this life threatening virus, and with a prognosis of limited … Read more

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Obituary: Shirley M.  Messier, 86

Shirley M. Messier, 86, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, passed away on July 8, 2024. Shirley was born to Erwin and Leona Reese on May 20, 1938, in Farmington, Wisconsin. Shirley (“Shirttail”) attended the local country school, then set out on her own, taking a job doing factory work. On August 24, 1957, she married Blaine Messier in Jefferson, Wisconsin. They had three daughters, Michele (Shelly), Terry, and Karen. Shirley spent many years being a working wife and mother, finally retiring from Polymer Technologies / MacLean Fogg in Whitewater. Shirley loved country music and spent her retirement years going to George Jones … Read more

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Celebration of Life: Patricia Parr

Patricia Ann ParrBorn 7/20/42Departed to Heaven 5/10/23 About herself, Patricia often said “I love life, I love God, He always has taken care of me, and He always will”. Patricia died peacefully at Angels Grace Hospice in Oconomowoc, after a long and courageously fought season of declining health. Patricia was born in Beaver Dam, to a lovely family, which included her older brother Dennis and not too long after, her lifetime best friend and little sister Mary. They grew up on an idyllic “Gentlemen’s Farm” outside of Jefferson, with horses and many animals. Her parents, Floyd and Kathryn owned the … Read more

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Obituary: Margorie Alice “GG” Roloff, 89

Marjorie Alice “GG” Roloff, 89, passed away Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at Golden Years in Lake Geneva, WI. She was born July 31, 1934, to Fred and Martha (Arndt) Papcke, in Whitewater, WI, the fifth of eleven children. GG attended South Heart Prairie School, across the road from the family’s home farm. She is a Whitewater High School graduate. On April 19, 1953, she married her high school sweetheart, Eric. She worked a variety of jobs over the years. Her most memorable of those being the local canning factory and as a crossing guard. After retiring, she and Eric would … Read more

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Obituary: Marilyn Mae Fuerstenberg, 81 (UPDATED)

Marilyn Mae Fuerstenberg, 81 of Whitewater, WI., passed away on June 27, 2024, at Agrace Hospice in Janesville, WI. Marilyn was born May 27, 1943, in Geneva Township, to Raymond and Doris Kilpin. Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, her two younger brothers, Mike and Donny Kilpin. Marilyn married William (Bill) Fuerstenberg on September 21, 1963. Bill and Marilyn lived in Whitewater. Together they raised three children, taking the family on yearly vacations and camping trips throughout the years. Marilyn worked for Walworth County Health and Social Services as a Child Protection Social Worker. She dedicated 25 years … Read more

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Obituary: Jerome Francis Burke, 76

Jerome Francis Burke, age 76, of Whitewater, WI, passed away unexpectedly following a brief illness on June 27, 2024. Jerry was born in Evanston, IL on May 13, 1948 to Stephen and Catherine Burke. He grew up in Glenview, IL, where he graduated from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grade School and then Loyola Academy (Wilmette). Those early days spawned treasured, lifelong friendships. He went on to graduate from St. Joseph’s College (IN) with a BA in Economics, and it was there thathe met his beloved wife, Eileen. They married shortly after graduation and were blessed to share their lives … Read more

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Obituary: Angelica E. Vicente Santa Cruz, 59, of Delaware / Obituario

Angelica E. Vicente Santa Cruz passed away Sunday, June 30th in home beside family and friends in Milford, Delaware from a long battle with cancer. Angelica E. Vicente Santa Cruz was born on February 24, 1965. She was the daughter of Doña Carmen Santa Cruz Valdez and Don Luis Vicente León, who allowed her to share a life of family union with her four brothers: Braulio, Carmen Rosa, Edgar and Juan. She was born in Lima-Peru and grew up in the Ventanilla district of the constitutional province of Callao of Peru. She completed her primary studies at the La Merced … Read more

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Obituary: Lowell V. Youngs, 87

Lowell V. Youngs, 87, of Whitewater passed away on Monday, June 24, 2024 in Madison. Lowell was born on September 4, 1936 in Wyoming to Isaac and Violet (Doble) Youngs.  He grew up in the very small town of Veteran, Wyoming, where he was one of nine students in his graduating class.  After graduating, Lowell attended the University of Colorado, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education in 1958.  Lowell was drafted into the US Army in 1960 and selected to be in the Army Band, where he gladly carried a clarinet instead of a gun.  He was … Read more

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