News & Events

Whitewater High School Players presents the hit Broadway Musical Mean Girls, The High School Version, book by Tina Fey, music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Neil Benjamin and based on the Paramount Pictures film Mean Girls. It tells the story of Cady Heron, a teenage girl who finds herself in a suburban Illinois public high school after years of being home-schooled on the African savanna. Confronted with the animalistic social order of American teenagers, Cady devises a plan to topple the school’s queen bee Regina George and her cohorts: The Plastics.

Under the artistic direction of Jim McCulloch and musical direction Liz Elliott, the cast and crew have been working very hard preparing for opening night. Due to mature themes and language a rating of PG-13 is recommended for audiences. 

The production cast, pit band, and stage crew includes:

Stage Managers Kara Long and Gabi Kirley.

Cast members Brooke Mason, Alex Sullivan, Ayden Clark, Hayleigh Pond, Haley Keltesch, Lauren Rollette, Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman, Chacha Binagi, Ava Van Daele, Alex Clarksen, David Enns, Jocelyn Alcala, Ian Agen, Hailee Ambrose, Deven Bawden, Kaci Beaver, Belle Cohen, Peyton Comfort, Esteban Diaz-Gallegos, Vivian Harris, Nina Heim, Jimmy Kinson, Ameera Lin, Ruth Lopez, Sam Nickelsburg, Sophia Noonan, Kai Peterson, Lia Ramirez, A’lani Ross, Josie Selby, Taylor Speerbrecher, Willow Vogelzang, Sophia Walenton, Elora Wildermuth-Breitzman.  

Production Crew: Kat Dunham (Tech Director) Costumes: Alexa Casino-Pena. Sound: Matt Zingsheim. Scenic Painter: Kerry Ramsden. Crew: Payton Bunger, Natalia Gallegos, Laken DePorter, Emerson Dunham, Ava Nygren, Lucy Troxel, Joshua Nygren, Rae Breisath, Ace Hudec, Miles Nickelsburg, Taiya Kolb, Payton Peacock, Cora Schimming.

Pit Band Members: Sam Averill (Conductor), Thayer Coburn, Isabelle Lavertu, Liz Ngabo, Jay Downs, Dante Baker, Justin Kamp, Maddy Blain, Samantha Van Daele, Kayla Mikos, and Adam Drefs.

Performances of Mean Girls, High School Version will be held November 16-18 at 7 p.m. and November 19 at 2 p.m. in the James Stewart Auditorium located in the Whitewater High School. General Admission seating is $10 for adults and $7 for students. Call the box office at 262-472-8178 for more information.

Article Submitted by Jim McCulloch
WUSD Drama Director
jMcCulloch@wwusd.org
Photos Courtesy of Tom Ganser

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Knight Public Affairs, LLC.

The Discover Whitewater Series (DWS): Half Marathon, 5k, and W3 Fit Kid Shuffle held their eleventh annual race banquet on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at Willow Brook Golf Course. Race sponsors, team leaders, volunteers, and four local charities came together for an evening to celebrate the accomplishments of the 11th Annual DWS race. 

During the banquet, the DWS presented $5,000 to each of the four charity partners to total $20,000 distributed. The four charities include: Working for Whitewater’s Wellness (W3), Bethel House, Whitewater LEADS, and the J-Hawk Aquatic Club. In addition $260 was donated directly from anonymous individuals to the charities of their choosing on the DWS website. Throughout the past eleven years, the DWS has raised a total of $274,500 for the local charities of Whitewater. 

“DWS’ mission is to make this a community event and give back to organizations that dedicate their time and support others in the city of Whitewater. ”DWS Executive Director Jeffery Knight says, “I’m glad we get to celebrate the hard work of the individuals who put a lot of effort into the race. It was an honor to present these distinguished charities each $5,000 and I look forward to doing it for years to come.”

“This is our eleventh annual banquet and it’s always a wonderful night to get together, to enjoy our friendship and get excited for next year’s race,” said Greater Whitewater Committee Chairman, Crystal Singer. 

“It is great to see all of the hard work pay off on race day, from the sponsors, volunteers, and community members. It really makes the DWS a special community event,” said Race Director, Dawson Miller. 

The DWS Team would like to thank everyone who came together to make the 11th Annual race a success. The banquet celebrated the hard work and dedication that was put forth by the volunteers, sponsors, charity partners, and team leaders who make the DWS an event to remember year after year. 

For further details, please contact Executive Director, Jeffery Knight, at 920.728.0662 or jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com.

About the DWS

The goal of the DWS is to promote the City of Whitewater and highlight its greatest features, while keeping everyone in the community active. All the proceeds from the race are donated to four local non-profit partners: Bethel House (which provides interim housing for homeless families), Whitewater LEADS, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness (W3), and the J-Hawk Aquatic Club. The DWS partners with the city, business community, and the university to make this a tremendous event that benefits all who participate. For more information about the race visit: www.runwhitewater.com.

On Wednesday, November 8, Whitewater High School honored our bus drivers, thanking them for getting our students to school safely every day! As each bus rolled up, the driver was greeted with a “thank you” and a bag of treats.

Each bag represented the collective effort from multiple student groups. Key Club decorated the bags, Ferradermis wrote individual thank you messages, Advanced Foods class baked treats for each bag, and Student Council provided the lemonades and arrived early in order to greet each of our buses and deliver the thank you bags. 

Article and Photos Submitted by Kate McNulty, WHS
kmcnulty@wwusd.org

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Kiwanis.

The Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club is selling florist-quality, red and white poinsettia plants, in 6.5 -inch pots with plants for $18. Orders are due November 10, and the plants will be available December 1 and 2.

Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club President Patrick Taylor said, “We are delighted to be able to sell florist-quality poinsettias from a new grower this year, with the funds helping children in our community and the world as well as brightening your holidays.” 

If you would like a plant, please contact any Kiwanian or contact Jerry Grant at 262-473-2214 or Penny Ardelt at pardelt@firstcitizensww.com or 262-473-1411.

Whitewater Kiwanis is a group of dedicated volunteers who help both children of the Whitewater community and the world. Over the past several years the club raised funds to make possible the recent installation of the city’s first piece of inclusive playground equipment, a We-Go-Round, in Starin Park.  Annual donations are also made to provide shoes and winter clothes for students, as well as support for organizations such as the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House, The Community Space, and the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club.

If you have an interest in helping youth in Whitewater, you can check out Whitewater Kiwanis on Facebook and join our Club by contacting Patrick Taylor at Petaylor.law@gmail.com.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.

Editor’s Note: The following was shared by Jorge Islas Martinez from the Whitewater Unified School District.

Join us on November 9th, at UW-W at Rock County, 2909 Kellogg Ave, Janesville, for a climate change and environmental discussion with professor Dr. Tracey Holloway!

Learn about the atmosphere, how our past experiences will change how we address our earth in the present, and discuss how we can make a sustainable impact on our planet.

Editor’s note: The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by Anja from Pixabay.

The WHS Choirs presented their Fall Concert “Why We Sing” on October 18th in the James M. Stewart Auditorium at Whitewater High School under the direction of Mrs. Karen Tordera.  The students from the Bel Canto Choir, Cadenza Singers, and Music Masters Ensemble performed songs that highlighted the reasons we sing. Ms. Kathy Schereck was the collaborative keyboard artist and fiddler Eric Funk added a country feel to a song sung by Cadenza Singers. The Choirs collected items for a community baby shower which were donated to The Community Space in Whitewater. Congratulations to the WHS Choirs on a fine concert and a big thank you to all who donated to the community baby shower!!  (Concert Photos Credit: Tom Ganser) 

Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by Karen Tordera.