News & Events

Applications to fill the Common Council vacancies for Member at Large/ Even Years and Aldermanic District 1 are now available. The term for an individual appointed to the District 1 seat would expire in April, 2025. For the at large position, the term would expire in April, 2024. [Presumably a person residing in District 1 could apply for both seats.] A map of the districts may be found here. District 1 is basically in the east/southeast part of the city; a call to the city clerk’s office can confirm a resident’s district.

Common Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Members are expected to review the agenda packet prior to the meeting. In addition, all members serve on one or more committees. The salary is $300 per month.

Applications can be physically picked up at the second floor of the Municipal Building, found at 312 W Whitewater Street. Or they can be found online at the City Website via the City Clerk’s Page or below:
For District 1:
https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/FormCenter/Clerks-Office-12/Application-for-Appointment-to-Common-Co-119
For At Large:
https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/FormCenter/Clerks-Office-12/Application-for-Appointment-to-Common-Co-120

The Application deadline is January 30th at 4:30 p.m. and interviews are to be conducted by the City Council on February 6th at its 6:30 p.m. meeting.

If you have any questions about the application please contact the City Clerk at 262-473-0102 or a
hboehm@whitewater-wi.org.

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the City of Whitewater Public Works Department.

– Clearing Snow from Fire Hydrants can Save Lives…

A clearly visible, accessible fire hydrant could save your home – or even your life. If a fire hydrant is buried in
snow, firefighters can lose valuable time trying to locate it when they arrive at a fire. You can perform a
valuable public service and protect yourself, your family and your neighbors by taking on the responsibility of
shoveling out and clearing a fire hydrant near your home during and after a snowstorm. Here are a few
suggestions:

• Know the location of the nearest fire hydrants.
• Make sure they are shoveled after each snowfall.
• Clear the snow 3 feet around the hydrant so firefighters have enough room to use the hydrant.
  
  Taking the time to remove the snow from around a hydrant near you can save precious minutes in case of a
  fire. The City of Whitewater appreciates community members who take the time to shovel out hydrants.
  
  Brad Marquardt
  Director of Public Works
  (262) 473-0560
  bmarquardt@whitewater-wi.gov

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point honored more than 2,500 undergraduate students for attaining high grade point averages during the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Full-time undergraduates who earned grade points of 3.90 to 4.0 (4.0 equals straight A) are given the highest honors designation.  High honor citations go to those with grade point averages from 3.75 to 3.89 and honor recognition is accorded to those with grade point averages from 3.50 to 3.74.

The student who received an honor:

Whitewater, WI

 Caroline Skindingsrude, Honors

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from Rainbow Community Care.

Rainbow Hospice Care Rebrands to Rainbow Community Care: Ushering in a New Era for Understanding Wellness as We Age

Rainbow Hospice Care, a trusted local provider of hospice care for over three decades, proudly announces it is rebranding to Rainbow Community Care. This transformation reflects its Board’s longstanding commitment to provide a broad spectrum of services that supports patients and families throughout the entire aging journey, not just at end-of-life, and, in the process, improves the overall health of the communities the organization serves in rural southern Wisconsin.

“It has been a tremendous honor to be viewed as the area’s cornerstone hospice provider for so many years,” said Karen Carrig, Rainbow Community Care CEO. “Our vision began in 1990 with a small, but dedicated group of volunteers who recognized that advances in medical technology and treatment had added years to average life expectancy but changed where and how most of us were dying. These courageous women saw patients and families struggling to manage this new reality and felt it was their duty to create an organization whose people would be at their side with compassion, commitment and comfort. We are very proud how our reputation has evolved from this humble beginning to one that has consistently grown and has provided exceptional end-of-life care.”

Carrig also emphasized that Rainbow has been dedicated to helping people live well prior to the onset of terminal illness for many years. “In 2003, for example, we added a new volunteer program that provides neighborly assistance to the elderly, disabled and seriously ill – folks who could benefit from receiving just a little extra non-medical help in order to remain living independently in their homes. A decade later, we added advance care planning and palliative care to our continuum of care followed more recently by community grief support services and parish nursing. What we discovered, however, is that a lot of people are not fully aware of this work.”

Thus, the decision to rebrand is very much a conscious effort by Rainbow to reframe how it is perceived. Carrig added, “Perhaps the best way to think of Rainbow Community Care is as an umbrella term that allows us to better convey the breadth of the services we currently offer to the community, including hospice care, supportive care management, advance care planning, grief support, friends in action, and community health ministry. And, moving forward, as we add new programs that better meet the evolving needs of the vulnerable people living among us, the Rainbow Community Care name will take on even greater meaning.”

Interesting Facts about Rainbow

• Rainbow is one of the state’s few remaining local, independent, and non-profit providers of hospice care. Nationally, nearly 75% of hospices are for-profit.
• Over time, Rainbow – in collaboration with its local care partners – has turned Jefferson County into a place where more people choose to receive hospice care at end-of-life than almost everywhere else in the United States. In 2019, for example, Hospice Analytics – an expert in all things related to hospice claims and data – shared that Jefferson County ranked 35^th out of 3,143 counties (Top 1.1%) nationally in terms of the percentage of Medicare beneficiaries (67.6%) choosing to receive hospice care in their final days, weeks or months.
• Stories about the extraordinary care our teams provide are regularly published in local papers including the Cambridge News, Daily Jefferson County Union, Lake Mills Leader, and Watertown Daily Times.
• Last summer, Rainbow was among four organizations in the country selected by the producers of Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid to be the focal point of an upcoming short-form documentary series titled Hospice & Palliative Care: Serving Families with Honor & Compassion. The public television segment featuring Mr. Quaid and Rainbow will be distributed to PBS stations throughout the United States in February of 2024.
• Rainbow recently opened an office in Beaver Dam to better serve northern Dodge and eastern Columbia counties.

The rebranding efforts of Rainbow Community Care encompass a refreshed visual identity, including a new logo, website and marketing materials. These changes reflect the organization’s high-touch approach to delivering comprehensive care, while honoring its enduring commitment to the community.

For more information about Rainbow Community Care and its services, please visit www.RainbowCommunityCare.org.

Rainbow Community Care is a local, independent and non-profit provider of services that support patients and families throughout the entire aging and serious illness journey. Highly regarded for excellence in hospice care, palliative care, advance care planning, grief support, parish nursing, and volunteer programs, Rainbow cares for people living at home, in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, and at the Rainbow Hospice Care Inpatient Center in Johnson Creek. Regardless of age, race, gender, faith, ethnicity, insurance coverage or economic status, they treat all patients and their loved ones with the same respect, kindness and concern—focusing on enhancing quality of life, maintaining comfort and dignity, and providing expert support tailored to each individual’s unique needs and wishes. To learn more call (920) 674-6255 or visit www.rainbowcommunitycare.org.

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area.

January 18th Program on the Use of Electronic Poll Books in City of Whitewater 2024 Elections

Please join us in person on Thursday, January 18, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., at the Irvin L Young
Memorial Library, 431 W Center St, Whitewater, for a public program on the use of
“Badger Books” in the City of Whitewater elections beginning this year. This is not a training for poll workers but a general information program for all City of Whitewater voters. Learn what will be new when you vote in April and meet our new city clerk Heather Boehm!

The City of Whitewater is transitioning from the use of paper poll books to electronic poll
books. In keeping with the League’s mission to inform voters of election changes, two
months ago we invited then Whitewater City Clerk Karri Anderberg to speak on the use
of “Badger Books,” which is the electronic poll system to be used in 2024 elections to
check in voters, print tally slips, enter registrations, and record absentee voters. After
Karri resigned in early December, Fort Atkinson City Clerk Michelle Ebbert, kindly
offered to fill in. We have since confirmed that our very newly hired Whitewater City
Clerk, Heather Boehm, will be in attendance at this program, available to address any
City of Whitewater specific election concerns. Refreshments will be served and there
will be ample time for Q&A.

Our main speaker, Michelle Ebbert, has served as the Clerk/Treasurer/Finance Director
for the City of Fort Atkinson since September 2014. She has several years experience
working with Badger Books in Fort elections and has been an advocate for municipal
support for the devices.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages
informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of
major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
Visit our website at https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area and like us on
Facebook!

Update 1/17/24 @ 5:00 p.m. – Peter Underwood, former Whitewater resident now living in Arizona, indicated that we misidentified this bird as a falcon, stating that, “it is in fact an immature Cooper’s Hawk, a very common backyard hawk across the country. (Peregrine would rarely if ever be seen in Whitewater area.)” Our thanks to Peter for this correction.

Crystal Singer discovered this beautiful bird in her backyard on Saturday morning, January 13.  

Our thanks to Crystal Singer for sharing these beautiful photos of her backyard discovery.

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com. Thanks for thinking about this!

Named after FIRST Robotics Founder Dean Kamen, Dean’s List is an opportunity for each FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team to recognize up to two sophomore and junior team members for their demonstrated leadership and commitment to the FIRST core values of discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork, and fun. Nominees should show effectiveness at increasing awareness of FIRST in their school and community, demonstrate passion for a long-term commitment to FIRST, and be a role model who can motivate and lead fellow team members. The student’s individual contributions to their team should contribute to the overall success of the team, and they should have proven experience in areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

For the 2024 FRC season, the head coaches of Ferradermis have selected Junior Andrew O’Toole and Sophomore Erison Dreksler as their Dean’s List Semi-Finalists. These two students will participate in an interview with a panel of judges at one of the team’s regional competitions in a bid to become one of two Dean’s Lists Finalists selected from that regional. Roughly 250 finalists then compete at FIRST Championships in Houston to become one of ten Dean’s List Winners for the world. The head coaches must submit short 800-character responses to a series of questions for each nominee. Below are the nominations for each student:

Erison Dreksler

Erison is a kind soul who supports everyone who wants to be involved with the team. They are the first to welcome new members and get them hands-on with the robot, no matter their skill level. They are most often the one to gather the team at the end of a meeting for a wrap-up so that each member has an opportunity to celebrate their individual contribution to the team that day. Erison fully embraces any opportunity for team bonding, attending every activity. Erison served as technician for the drive team in 2023, but at the Wisconsin Regional, when our Human Player experienced a medical emergency moments before our first elimination match, our drive coach looked at Erison, and said, “you’re up!” Erison never blinked; they just seamlessly stepped in with only minutes to learn the signals.

Erison plans to study electrical engineering and will make an incredible mentor for any FIRST level. They demonstrated this already with their work with our district’s FLL teams. They accompanied five teams to regionals last fall and spent the day going between teams to make sure everyone had what they needed. When a presentation is to be done for a sponsor or student group, Erison is the first to step up. They recently presented to our school’s multilingual learners in an attempt to involve some of our new migrants in the team. Erison was one of three students to represent FIRST Wisconsin at the SLATE Educational Technology Conference in Wisconsin Dells where they worked all day to make connections with representatives from other school districts and encourage them to start FIRST teams.

When our electrical subteam lead unexpectedly moved before the start of the 2023 season, Erison stepped up and assumed that role without ever having the recognition of the title. They did this as a freshman who only weeks earlier had never touched the robot; they just learned what they needed to, when they needed to. Erison continued to help out the administrative team when needed and worked with another student to open a new method of interaction with the community by making all of the connections needed to get a booth for the team at the Whitewater City Market on five occasions last summer. The two also used this opportunity to create a new fundraising stream for the team by learning to use the school’s laser engraver to produce trinkets that could be sold at the market.

As a freshman, Erison joined the team strictly to do administrative work and expressed no desire to ever work on the robot. A few weeks later, they were knee-deep in electrical work. As a direct result of their freshman experience on the team, they enrolled in the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Introduction to Engineering course as a sophomore and are signed up for a program to spend a week at MSOE this summer learning about the school’s various areas of study. Erison has stepped into the role of electro-mechanical subteam lead as a sophomore, stretching out of their comfort zone to learn to operate the CNC milling machine and other shop equipment. Erison also stepped up to learn to both drive and operate the 2023 robot in the offseason so that they could do demonstrations for the community.

Erison shows up. They are present, they are engaged, and they are determined. No job is too small or too large for them, and that sets a standard for others. Whether it is replacing the carpet in our practice space, assembling furniture, or cleaning the tech room, Erison will be in the middle of it. Every time the team packs for an event, Erison is the one to oversee packing. The mentors don’t worry that the team will have everything they need; they know Erison will help their fellow students get it done right. Our team knows they can trust Erison to support them and be there for them when they are struggling without judgment. Erison is not afraid to approach mentors with concerns on behalf of their fellow students, and the mentors have a great deal of respect for their opinions.

Erison’s involvement in the school’s Diversity Alliance shows their commitment to making all students welcome with everything they do. Their 3.8 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale and their superb performance in honors math and English courses shows their dedication to academics as well.

Andrew O’Toole

Andrew typically likes to avoid the limelight. However, FIRST Robotics competitions tend to bring out his fun side, especially when it comes to hats, including the infamous, “Drive it like you stole it,” hat and a certain goose that he adopted from another team during the finals at an off-season event. Andrew is great with our littlest fans, recently helping kids as young as five learn to drive swerve at a public library event and working with the elementary students on STEAM Night. We think he had the most fun putting on a show with our parade bot in the slush recently during the Holiday Parade! Andrew is a terrific spokesperson for Ferradermis and FIRST Robotics as evidenced by his two appearances on Behind the Bumpers in 2022 and 2023, sharing details of our bot with other teams.

As a freshman, Andrew presented to an auditorium full of Student Council members from our athletic conference schools and to the entire school as part of our Robotics Week assembly. As a sophomore, he worked within the school to recruit for the team at the freshman activities fair and by doing  presentations for our tech-ed classes. Andrew has recently been a lead presenter for two of our newest and largest sponsors, paying a visit to MicroPrecision and giving MacLean-Fogg management a tour of our workspace, engaging them in conversation about the importance of robotics. He recently spoke at a school board meeting on behalf of the team as well. Andrew’s mentoring plans for the future will be on a timeline related to his military service, but he does see himself giving back to the program.

Andrew is our “big picture” kid. He is a problem solver that can quietly study a mechanical issue and talk through multiple potential solutions with his engineering mentors, quickly grasping new concepts. He can then turn around and explain the concept in lay terms to teammates without as much mechanical knowledge. As a freshman, he spent endless hours figuring out the optimal approach to use our robot’s windmill arms to climb in the hangar during the endgame until he could nail it every time in less than 10 seconds, making the team highly competitive on the field. As a sophomore, he took over as head driver and became an expert at pushing the swerve to its limits. Andrew has also been at the center of pit operations for two years and will take over as pit crew chief this year.

Andrew is well respected for his mechanical knowledge and multiple times has been asked by our school’s technical education teachers to demonstrate equipment in the shop. He is the school’s resident expert on the CNC milling machine and CNC router. Andrew has taken two years of programming coursework in Python and Java, including AP, so although he doesn’t work directly on programming the robot, he can help troubleshoot. His knowledge of circuitry is expanding as he studies microcontroller programming this spring. He will also support our team’s CAD subteam lead and do a large portion of the CAD work on the robot this year. He has already led the charge to prototype and CAD several mechanisms on the 2024 robot.

Growing from mechanical subteam lead last year, Andrew is serving as team Co-Captain this year, overseeing the entire technical side of the team, including the electro-mechanical, CAD, programming, and safety subteams. Much of his leadership comes by example. He is not one to waste time, and his work ethic is contagious. He is a quiet leader, but he often heads up complex design discussions with his teammates and mentors. His fellow teammates are very comfortable asking him questions and participating in discussions. Andrew’s sense of humor often draws just an, ”O’Toole!” from his teammates and adds a light moment to meetings. In his two years on Drive Team, Andrew has been at the center of many strategy discussions, providing leadership to both his teammates and alliance partners.

Andrew is enrolled in a lot of STEM coursework, excelling in AP Calculus as a junior but also spending time in the shop with Exploratory Tech and Metal Fabrication. His 3.9 GPA on a 4.0 scale, maintained through many honors and AP courses, shows his dedication to his studies. In addition, Andrew finds time to excel in athletics, running at the State Cross Country meet and having been a member of the swim and track teams. He is currently pursuing entrance to a military academy post high school.

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