News & Events

According to a report in the Lake Geneva Regional News, “Jeyson A Rizo Meija, 25, of 123 S Cottage St. Whitewater, has been charged with identity theft-financial gain. On Sept. 16, a Whitewater police officer conducted a traffic stop of a black Chevrolet Cruze that nearly struck another vehicle in the City of Whitewater. The driver identified himself as Lenis Adonis Rizo Meija.” At the time of the traffic stop, the registration was expired and “Lenis” claimed that the vehicle belonged to his brother, but when the officer checked the registration, it was registered to the alias “Jeyson Rizo.” The officer searched the vehicle and found a wallet that had a Nicaragua voter identification card with the name “Jeyson Abimael Rizo Mejia,” the defendant. The officer also located a fake Wisconsin ID card and a fake social security card, both of which contained the initials “OIR” on them. Meija later admitted that the cards were stolen and he knew it was a crime to be in possession of them. He said he obtained the cards around one year ago to be able to work. Contact was made with “OIR” and he wanted to press charges.”

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. The Christmas season is in full swing now, so enjoy this c.1900 photograph of a grocery store in Whitewater’s downtown decked out with Christmas goods for sale. Note the huge candy canes and Christmas trees and wreaths for sale! I wonder if the candy canes were really candy or some type of decoration.

Frank Hall was a partner in a grocery store in the late 19th century and in January of 1899, he started his own store on Center Street. He was in business alone until around 1910. This photo was taken during that time by Henry Scholl, from whom the historical society has over 400 glass plate negatives.

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

(3709P Whitewater Historical Society)

Congratulations to Whitewater High School junior Kayla Mikos and senior Dayna Carlson who were recognized by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at Michigan Technological University for their excellence in math and science.

SWE strives to give women a unique place and voice within the engineering industry and help them reach their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders. Both Kayla and Dayna have pursued advanced coursework in science, math, and/or computer science while in high school and both have worked with Ferradermis, Whitewater High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition Team.

Article and Photo Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Computer Science Teacher and Banner Volunteer
lmasbruch@wwusd.org

Editor’s note: The following announcement was provided by the Whitewater Arts Alliance.

The annual Whitewater Arts Alliance (WAA) Members Show (and sale) officially ended its voting poll for the Viewer’s Choice Award on Sunday, November 20. The Viewer’s Choice award winner receives 25 notecards of their winning art that they can sell at their leisure. The WAA also receives 25 notecards to sell at the Cultural Arts Center for $2 until they are gone. This year voting occurred through both in-gallery and online. Visitors would receive four stickers to put on place cards beside each art piece to vote for their favorites. Online visitors would select four pieces to submit and be added to the tally. In-gallery visitors were given one sticker set per visit while online visitors were asked to vote only once per day. Both systems were anonymous.

The winner this year was Dawn Hunter’s “Women’s Rights Targeted.”

Additionally, on Saturday, November 5, all the artists were entered into a blind drawing for a free 2023 WAA membership. The winner this year was John Koebler.

The show will continue to be available for in-person viewing until Sunday, December 18. After that, the show will be viewable online for the rest of the month. For more information about the Members’ Show, or to see the art, visit https://www.whitewaterarts.org/members-show-2022

This year’s UW-Whitewater American Marketing Association (AMA) chapter continued its long legacy of success by turning heads at this year’s Regional Conference.

On October 6th and 7th, the UW-Whitewater AMA chapter hosted its 15th Annual AMA Regional Conference. Students from around the world attended both live and virtually to watch keynote presentations, compete in competitions, and connect with companies at a career fair.

The event was a tremendous success. UW-Whitewater AMA senior advisor, Jimmy Peltier, commented on the massive turnout compared to past years, “It was our largest live event ever, with over 550 total attendees; about 20% were virtual. We had almost 30 universities involved, from as far away as Florida, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Germany, and the Netherlands.”

Of the 343 individual competitors, UW-Whitewater students won the most 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places of any chapter – by far.

UW-Whitewater Student Winners:
1st place winners: Trace Morrisey (Victor Envelope Perfect Pitch Competition), Madison Niezgoda (Henry Schein Mock Interview Competition), Noah Bulgrin (Gartner Sales Competition), Allie Sheline and Brielle Bird (AcuRite Digital Strategy).
2nd place winners: Emily Vorphal (Victor Envelope Perfect Pitch Competition), Colin Zander (Henry Schein Mock Interview Competition), Ethan Zgorzelski (Henry Schein Mock Interview Competition), Emily Vorphal (Gartner Sales Competition), Trace Morrisey (Gartner Sales Competition), Avery Goehring and Abby Daniels (AcuRite Digital Strategy), Almira Ajdini and Carmen De Cabo (AcuRite Digital Strategy).
3rd place winners: Claire Labecki (Victor Envelope Perfect Pitch), Joe Banish (Victor Envelope Perfect Pitch), Nick Walczak (Enterprise Virtual Perfect Pitch), Claire Labecki (Gartner Sales Competition), Abby Hodnik and Jacob Weston (AcuRite Digital Strategy), Ashlee Platta, Jillian Hansen, and Julia Wiggin (Sherwin-Williams Design), Avery Goehring, Lauren Arndt, Abby Daniels (Sherwin-Williams Design), Jacob Weston, Brielle Bird, and Alexis Johnson (Sherwin-Williams Design).

UW-Whitewater AMA Co-President, Madison Niezgoda, was among the top finishers overall taking 1st in the Henry Schein Mock Interview Competition and 2nd in the Gartner Sales Competition. “I thoroughly enjoyed competing against some of the best sales and marketing students from across the world. The opportunity to compete in and run one of the largest AMA Regional Conferences was one I will never forget!” added Niezgoda.

There were several highlights of the conference for Niezgoda, but she believed the most successful part was “creating an environment for students all across the world to network for the first time in person since 2019!”

A sizable event like this comes with a considerable number of hurdles. Planning efforts began several months in advance to set the chapter up for success. One of the largest challenges was the number of logistics that needed to be managed. “We had seven different competitions, all of which needed sponsors, judges, and students. The sheer number of competitions, students, food, room reservations, etc., created a logistical challenge – which our students handled with ease.” Peltier explained.

Several people were vital to the success of this conference beginning with the AMA Presidents Madison Niezgoda and Avery Goehring. Peltier was especially grateful for their dedication as he shared, “hats off to our two AMA Presidents. These young professionals drove everything, and while the stress was immense, they came through with flying colors.”

Niezgoda saw how the contributions of many came together to create a successful event. “I am extremely proud of the work the AMA Conference Team, advisors, and board put into making this event happen. We have been working on it since April and it was amazing to see all the details come together better than we ever expected!”

The experienced group of AMA advisors was a critical part of this conference’s success. Peltier noted how important their contributions were by adding he has “deep gratitude for AMA advisors Andy Dahl, Dan Herlache, Pavan Chennamaneni, and John DeGraff for their leadership and Stephanie Church for her assistance.”

UW-Whitewater’s AMA chapter has won International Chapter of the Year, an extremely prestigious accomplishment, for the past 11 straight years. This year’s chapter is preparing to make another run for the top finish at the 2023 AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans, LA this spring.

Whether you are here for yourself or to better support your team, this interactive four-hour workshop provides an essential understanding of the five major components of mental health, and immediately usable practices to help maintain well-being and balance in the workplace. In this course, learn how to support yourself and colleagues in the development of planning, decision-making and managing negative outlooks leading to successful habits and overall health in and out of the workplace.

This event is available to registrants aged 18 and up. Event Fee – $175; CEU (optional) – $25

Limited to the first 30 registrants each session.

UW-W Rock County Campus. Friday, January 6, 2023 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

For further information and to register, click here.