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Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by Sheryl Robinson.
Whitewater Student Teen Lacey Skime, Awarded $10,000 Girl Scout Gold Award Scholarship for Pioneering Mental Wellness Initiative
Lacey Skime, an enterprising and compassionate resident of Prairie Du Chien, has been honored with a $10,000 Girl Scout Gold Award Scholarship for her innovative project, the “Mental Wellness Fair and Kits.” This remarkable achievement showcases Lacey’s dedication to fostering mental wellness and building a more supportive community.
Nationally, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) recognized nearly 3,200 members of the 2023 Gold Award Girl Scout class who identified issues in their communities, took action, and found or created solutions to earn their Gold Awards. This year’s world-changer class raised $2.5 million in funding and invested over 300,000 hours to address real-life problems such as environmental sustainability, racial justice, mental and physical wellness, and gender inequality in STEM.
This year GSUSA awarded 110 Gold Award Girl Scouts from across our Movement, one from each council, a scholarship, made possible in part by the Kappa Delta Foundation, in addition to funds from GSUSA and its National Board.
In line with this mission, Lacey Skime’s “Mental Wellness Fair and Kits” project epitomizes the values of the Gold Award. The project began with a mental wellness fair encouraging open conversations and learning. Thought-provoking posters were displayed throughout her school, sustaining the conversation. Lacey’s commitment extended to radio interviews and strategic social media posts, ensuring a broad reach.
Collaborating with her friends and fellow troop members, Lacey developed mental health bags that found their way to various community agencies, creating a supportive network for young individuals facing challenges. These carefully crafted bags contained resources, encouragement, and practical coping skills to navigate difficult times. Agencies such as Crossing Rivers Hospital Behavioral Health Department, local schools, behavioral health clinicians, police departments and more readily embraced these emergency kits.
Reflecting on her impactful project, Lacey shared, “You don’t know exactly what’s going on with your gold award project to start one. A big part of this is learning about your issue while you go through this. You are not expected to be an expert on the issue. It’s building your understanding, reaching others, being willing to learn more, grow personally, and teach others with the help of your community. It’s bringing it all together in the end from a curious start.”
Lacey’s leadership shone through as she coordinated every aspect of the fair, demonstrating exceptional organizational and collaboration skills. Collaborating with many agencies, she successfully united different resources, facilitating a comprehensive approach to mental wellness.
Lacey’s enthusiasm was infectious, inspiring her peers and the community to rally behind her cause. She realized that the resources are available through surveys and conversations, and the need for these conversations is apparent. Lacey’s dedication also attracted the attention of the Crawford County Mental Health Coalition, further extending her network and impact.
“Lacey Skime exemplifies the spirit of the Girl Scout Gold Award Scholarship through her unwavering commitment to mental wellness and community collaboration,” said Sheryl Robinson, Badgerland Council Gold Award Mentor. “Her project showcases her leadership, resourcefulness, and compassion, making her deserving of this scholarship.”
Lacey’s initiative addresses mental health concerns and empowers others to join the conversation. Her journey proves that one determined individual can create a lasting impact, leaving behind a more supportive and connected community.
Lacey is attending UW Whitewater this fall. She’s interested in elementary education or early childhood suction. However, she’s also open to learning more about herself and her interests during these years. She plans to work on campus and spend time with her nephews, build friendships and experiences.
The Whippet Volleyball Squad finished 16th overall in the Warhawk Invite this past weekend. Once again, the Whippets showed they are a team who can compete beating the 11th place Union Grove team in two straight sets and competing with a very tough pool play bracket with the likes of Monona Grove and Prescott (4th and 5th place finishers respectively).
We continue to see sparks of our young team pointing it together. Mental errors made the difference in this tournament, which saw the young squad miss 77 total serves over the course of two days. In sharing with the team this staggering stat, we discussed the fact that had we not given those points away, we would have been on the winning side of matches.
Through these mistakes we continue to see progress. This is a great group of athletes who are owning the areas needed to make us a great team. They continue to reflect, ask questions, and give 100% every day at practice. As we competed with high caliber teams, and beat Union Grove in straight sets, the Whippets saw they could put things together and do what was needed to win ball games. This confidence is what we need to build!
I was proud of their fight and their will to keep supporting one another. As we shore up the mental errors and fine tune our offensive and defensive skills, we will be ready for conference play.
Stat leaders for the Whippets included:
Prescott (14-25, 12-25) Calli Grosinske with 3 kills, 3 assists, and 1 block, Ella Spear with 6 digs, and Emmanuella Mbifi with 1 block
Monona Grove (17-25, 14-25), Calli Grosinske had 5 kills and 1 block, Ella Spear had 6 digs, Emmanuella Mbifi with 1 block, and Marina Linos led with 6 assists
Union Grove (25-23, 24-14), Calli Grosinske and Emmanuella Mbifi with 4 kills, Grosinske with 9 digs, and Marina Linos with 6 assists
Beloit Memorial (27-29, 29-27, 15-12), Calli Grosinske with 9 kills and 10 digs, Ella Spear with 10 digs, Marina Linos with 10 assists, and Falyn Krahn and Emmanuella Mbifi with 1 block
Saturday Stats:
Monona Grove (9-25, 17-25), Calli Grosinske with 5 kills and 1 block, Ella Spear with 8 digs, and Marina Linos with 6 assists
Union Grove (17-25, 12-25), Calli Grosinske with 3 kills, Falyn Krahn with 6 digs, Marina Linos with 4 assists and 1 block
Tomahawk (24-26, 25-23, 12-15), Calli Grosinske with a double-double in 10 kills and 13 digs, Marina Linos with 9 assists, and Meg Roselle with 1 block
Tremper (24-26, 25-23, 10-15), Calli Grosinske with 9 kills and 11 digs, Marina Linos with 13 assists, Emmanuella Mbifi, Falyn Krahn, Meg Roselle, and Sydney Schilt with 1 block apiece
As we look to next week, the Whippets invite all youth to YOUTH NIGHT on August 31st at home against Wilmot. JV1 and JV2 will begin at 5:00 PM and the Varsity at 6:30 PM. All youth in attendance wearing Whippet red or their VB camp shirt will receive free admission. Youth are invited to make the tunnel for the Varsity squad prior to warmups and pass with the athletes upon completion of the match. Hope to see you there!
Article and Photos Submitted by Mary Kilar
Whitewater High School Head Volleyball Coach
mkilar@wwusd.org
Update 8/28 @ 10 a.m.: Local resident Wesley Therrian indicates that he and his son Joshua are in the movie, “way up in the stands in the top row under Bob Uecker. If you could slow it down, there is a spot in there that shows Josh just getting into his seat. We are unfortunately unaccredited for our role in the filming. It was really fun.”
Update 8/28 @ 10 a.m. – Projectionist Mark Dorn passed on that UW-Whitewater Baseball Coach John Vodenlich also appears in the film.
“Mr. 3000”
Tuesday, August 29, 1 p.m.
(Comedy/Drama/Romance/Sports) Rated PG-13;
1 hour, 44 minutes (2004)
Stan Ross, a retired Milwaukee Brewers baseball player perhaps bound for the Hall of Fame, must come out of retirement at age 47 when it is discovered he is three hits shy of 3,000. Filmed at American Family Field (Miller Park) Milwaukee, and Waukesha!
Starring Bernie Mac, Angela Bassett, Paul Sorvino, Chris Noth, Larry King and Jay Leno.
An event to celebrate the Heart Prairie Norwegian Methodist Episcopal Church being listed in the National Register of Historic Places will be held on Sunday, September 10th at 2:00 p.m. The church is located at N7372 County Road P, Delavan. The program will feature music, speakers, and attaching a bronze plaque to the front of the church. There also will be a marked walk of the historic cemetery. Refreshments will follow. There is limited parking and seating. For more information, contact Georgia Kestol at gkestol@yahoo.com.
Editor’s note: The above announcement was provided by Georgia Kestol.
Whitewater Grocery Co. is thrilled to invite GroCo Owners to attend our Annual Meeting on October 19th, 2023 at Second Salem, 111 W. Whitewater St, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Since our last annual meeting, we’ve made tremendous leaps toward our goal of opening our friendly neighborhood grocery store. This year will be the biggest one yet for Whitewater Grocery Co. and we’d love to share in that excitement with all of our Owners.
Join us to hear Board of Directors election results, updates from committee chairs and special guests. Have your questions answered and find out how you can help open our store even faster.
Stay tuned for more information. We can’t wait to see you there!
WUSD Professional Learning Community Presentation – Monday @ 8:00 a.m.Members of the Whitewater School Board will be attending a presentation by Eric Twadell at Whitewater High School. A quorum of the School Board may be present; however, the Board will not be conducting any business during the event.
Whitewater Unified School District School Board – Monday @ 5:30 p.m. (Closed Session) 7:00 p.m. (Open Session)
Agenda (click on “meetings” in upper right corner) includes 2023-24 Budget Hearing
Whitewater High School Library
534 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin
5:30 p.m. via Zoom Online – Closed Session
– Passcode: 308069
- Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
- Webinar ID: 851 0780 8798
– Passcode: 308069
Closed Session
7:00 p.m. via Zoom Online
– Passcode: 727968
- Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
- Webinar ID: 886 0545 6019
– Passcode: 727968
City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission – Monday @ 4:30 p.m.
Agenda
Community Room – 2nd Floor – 4:30 p.m. In Person and Virtual
312 W. Whitewater St.
Please join meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/280678605
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 280-678-605
United States: +1 (571) 317-3122
WUSD Staff Kick-off – Tuesday @ 7:00 a.m.
Members of the Whitewater School Board will be attending the 2023 WUSD Staff Kick-Off at Whitewater High School. A quorum of the School Board may be present; however, the Board will not be
conducting any business during the event.
- 2023 WUSD STAFF KICK-OFF
A.
In the 21st running of the Dirk Seibold Alumni Cross Country Meet on Saturday, August 26, Jack and Mady Hefty led their teams as the top finishers in the first race of the season. The event was contested with good weather and the always challenging 5000m course at UW-Whitewater. Jack cruised to a great first effort with a time of 17:30. Running very poised and together much of the race were Nate Holden and Xavier Zei who placed 2nd and 3rd with times of 18:41 and 18:49. Miles Nickelsburg nabbed a 4th place finish with a sub 20 effort to stop the clock in 19:44. In a bit of a surprise finish, Onyx Thompson and Chad Hein duked it out at the finish to take the 5th and 6th place positions with times of 21:52.3 and 21:52.7. Quincy Boudreau rounded out the top 7th by placing 7th in 22:10. The top alumni finisher was CJ Tomomitsu who placed 8th in 22:16. The current Whippets beat the Alumni with a finishing score of 15-59.
On the girls’ side, Mady Hefty looked under control and accelerated as the race rolled on. She was able to pull into 2nd overall, behind the overall winner of Whitewater Middle School staff member Maddy Blain. Mady Hefty’s time was 22:43. Nola Coburn came in 3rd for the Whippets in 23:28. Athena Soto and Carley Boudreau finished close to each other in 4th and 5th, stopping the clock in 23:21 and 23:57. Lindsey (Shulte) Taylor was the top Alumni finisher in 6th place with a time of 25:07. Isabella Aranda was the team’s 5th runner today and finished in 8th with a time of 26:28. Lauren Buehler and Silvia Harris rounded out the scoring varsity runners by placing 10th and 11th with times of 27:02 and 27:16. The current Whippets defeated the alumni with a score 17-42.
There were numerous friends of the program and alumni who attended the event that did not run. Coach Carstens would like to thank all those who came to the event and keep the running community within the Whippet CC Program strong year after year!
Next up for the Whippets will be the Bulldog Invite in West Allis at McCarty Park on Friday, September 1st. Race times are: 4:00 – Boys JV, 4:35 – Girls Varsity, 5:05 – Boys Varsity, 5:35 – Girls JV
Article and Photos Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Obituaries
Sally A. Schutte, age 73, of Whitewater, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on September 21, 2026, while at Hearthstone Memory Care in Whitewater. Sally was born on November 6, 1952, to Roy and Elsie (Rohloff) Haas. Sally married William Schutte in the spring of 2003. Sally grew up on the family farm in the Town of Hebron and graduated from Jefferson High School. She dedicated nearly her entire career to Fort HealthCare, where her hard work and versatility shone through various roles. Over the years, she served in housekeeping and medical records, Center for Dermatology. Sally … Read more
Zachariah “Zach” Schoenke, 41, of Whitewater passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. He was born April 4, 1985, to Keith W. Schoenke and Kathleen Schoenke in Fort Atkinson, WI. He grew up and graduated from Whitewater High School in 2003. Zach worked various jobs over the years but was currently working at Cracker Barrel in Janesville. He was a big Packers Fan and liked to play fantasy football. He enjoyed reading, cooking, and watching horror shows. Zach fiercely loved his son, Lincoln, his sisters, Cami and Cary, his mom and stepdad, and his aunt Robin. He will be dearly … Read more
Carla Winn, 82, died September 5, 2026. Funeral Service will be at 12:00 PM, Saturday, September 12, 2026, at East Heights United Methodist Church, 4407 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67218, followed by a burial at 2:00 PM at White Chapel Memorial Garden 1806 N Oliver Ave. Carla is preceded in death by her parents, Vivian Dwight and Wilma Lois Krehbiel; and sister, Jennifer Krehbiel. She is survived by husband, Stephen; daughter, Ashley (Clint) Gagel, of Overland Park; siblings, Paul (Kay) Krehbiel, of Socorro, NM, Lynn (Bill) Oetting, of Wichita, Ellen (John) Querner, of Wichita, Teresa Woodson, of Lawrence, KS, … Read more
Susan Miller Celebration of Life There will be a gathering of friends and acquaintances at Susan’s Farm Store to celebrate Susan’s life on Saturday, September 19th from 2-5 p.m. at N6623 Lake Lorraine Rd., Delavan, Wisconsin
Our loving mother, JoAnn E Harrop, age 95, passed away on September 11, 2026. Our sorrow is deep, but we are filled with gratitude for the many years we had with her. Even as her mind was failing, she remained strong and appreciative of all who cared for her. JoAnn was born on January 13, 1931, daughter to Fred Braun and Evelyn Braun {Storck). She was raised in Whitewater, Wisconsin by her grandparents, Otto and Edith Storck. She attended Whitewater High School and helped at the Storck tavern where she met her husband Earl C. Harrop. They married on November … Read more
Russell O. Johnson “Russ,” 88, passed away on September 4, 2026 in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Russell was born on July 12, 1938, in Janesville, Wisconsin. Russ grew up in Janesville, and after high school he joined the Air Force on May 1, 1958, serving as an aircraft mechanic until June 12, 1962. He then worked at Parker Pen in Janesville for a time, where he met his future wife, Avis. After marrying Avis Mason in April 1964, Russ worked for Gillman Manufacturing for a time, then began a career at Dana until its closing in 1980. In 1981, Russ started working … Read more
Marcia Zingg, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, businesswoman, and friend, passed away peacefully on September 1, 2026, at the age of 75. Marcia will be remembered for her unwavering love, remarkable strength, generous spirit, and lifelong devotion to her family. She shared 40 wonderful years of marriage with her husband, Jeffrey Zingg, who considered her not only his wife but also his best friend, business partner, and the love of his life. Together, Marcia and Jeffrey built a successful life rooted in perseverance, hard work, laughter, and love. As entrepreneurs in Whitewater, Wisconsin, they owned and managed new car franchises and … Read more
Amanda Jean Hunter was born to Ralph and Malinda (Thomas) Hunter of Whitewater, Wisconsin, on October 6, 1976. She passed away on August 4, in Fort Worth, Texas, where she lived with her family. Amanda passed peacefully in the hospital, surrounded by her loved ones. Amanda was a kind-hearted free spirit with an unmistakable hippie warmth. Generosity, spontaneity, a quick wit, a macabre sense of humor, and an open heart were traits that she embraced. She was a tireless champion of those in need, an innate characteristic that became among the best of her qualities. She proved to be a … Read more
Ellen Eichmiller, 82, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, passed away on Saturday, August 22, 2026. Ellen was born on September 10, 1943, in Monroe, Wisconsin, to Chester “Guy” and Irene (née Holmen) Steig. She married the love of her life, Paul Eichmiller, on December 7, 1963, and together they made their home in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Ellen spent much of her working life as a secretary at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where she formed many lasting friendships and memories. Ellen cherished her family and friends and treasured the time she spent with those closest to her. She was known for her love of … Read more
Janet Quinn, age 71, of Jefferson passed away on Thursday, August 20th. Janet was born on December 22nd, 1954 in St. Joseph, MI to Robert Mounsey and Edith Christison Mounsey. She was a granddaughter to Herbert Bragg Mounsey, Charlotte Mounsey, and Ester Christison West. She married Michael Durden in 1979 and later married Eury Quinn Jr. (J.R.) in 1988. Janet grew up in Benton Harbor, MI, and subsequently lived in New York and Arkansas before moving to Wisconsin in 2016. She was a dedicated caregiver to her disabled Mother, and worked as a custodian for various employers over the years. … Read more
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