News & Events

The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library Community Room will be the venue for monthly Medicare Scholar educational seminars presented by local business owner Jean Linos of ePlatinum Health. The Medicare Scholar program provides timely information about updates to the Medicare program, law changes, benefits, different types of insurance coverage and more. Each seminar includes a visual presentation, handouts on the topic covered are provided to all attendees and time for questions and answers at the end. The August topic is Medicare for Veterans.

The seminar will cover the two main ways veterans receive medical coverage as a result of their service to our county.  We will review which type of coverage is required to enroll in Medicare Part A & B, what type of Medicare coverage is optional and which veterans would benefit from adding Medicare to their existing veterans coverage.  Handouts of the material covered will be provided to all in attendance.   

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Whitewater Unified School District.

Whitewater High School has earned an Advanced Placement Pacesetter Award from the Wisconsin Advanced Placement Advisory Council (WAPAC) and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

The Pacesetter Awards, unique to Wisconsin, are presented annually to districts throughout the state. This year, they recognize the top 142 out of over 500 high schools for student participation and achievement on Advanced Placement exams. 

The Level 3 distinction is awarded to schools in which 10 percent or more of the student body took one or more AP exams, and 60 percent or more of those students earned scores of 3 or above on the exams.

“We are thrilled to receive this statewide recognition,” said Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty, WUSD Superintendent. “The Pacesetter Award represents the amazing work that our staff and students put in each and every day at WHS. We are excited to celebrate this achievement as we continue to empower our students to achieve excellence.”

Whitewater High School offers 11 AP courses as part of a rigorous curriculum emphasizing academic excellence. The AP program allows students to participate in college-level coursework while they are still in high school, with the culminating AP exam earning college credit and placement. 

UW-Whitewater hosted the Special Olympics Wisconsin summer games for the first time in June. About 1200 athletes competed in track and field events, soccer, tennis, cornhole, and powerlifting. 600 volunteers assisted in running the event.

Nicole Christensen, Senior Director of Sports for Special Olympics Wisconsin, told The Banner, “We are excited to return to Whitewater for the Special Olympics Wisconsin Summer Games. The event will be June 6-8, 2024. The games were held in Stevens Point for 4+ decades before we moved to Whitewater in 2023.”

Sharon Reigstad shared the following story on Facebook a couple weeks ago and gave The Banner permission to pass it on.

I had a chiropractic appointment this afternoon – when I just finished that I stopped at Arby’s on the way home to get something to eat because Ron was out of town. I get up to where I have to order and I know it’s almost impossible for me to hear but I know what I want. I tell the guy on the phone, “You can’t ask me any questions cause I can’t hear what you’re saying to me, so I’m gonna drive up to the window and we can finish the order.” All of a sudden the back door of the building opens. A nice man comes out and he said, “So do you read lips?” I told him yes, he said, “So then would you like to have your drink as part of your meal?” He finished taking my order. I drove up to the window and they gave me the order. I have never ever had this happen to me before; he was so nice and so kind. His name is Wicker!!

I was holding back the tears when I got to the window, so I even forgot what I ordered. It was so amazing!

Our thanks to Sharon Reigstad for allowing us to share her gratitude for a special kindness.

Editor’s note: This information from a Facebook post was submitted by Rhonda Kolander. The Banner regrets that we were unable to obtain clearer images.

New artist at the Tealux Cafe, 129 W. Center Street – James Thelen. Go check out his work!

Whitewater High School is the only school in Walworth County and the Rock Valley Athletic Conference with a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. Ferradermis, FRC Team #6574, is seeking to build a sustainable and long-term funding solution and is reaching out to the community for assistance. The mission of Ferradermis is to prepare members for STEM and business careers, while challenging and inspiring them as students. Ferradermis also aims to build leadership skills, communication skills, and professionalism. The team has found a great deal of success in competition over the years, ranking statistically in the top 17% of 3,323 teams in the world for the 2023 season. However, the cost-intensive nature of robotics necessitates external funding beyond existing support.

Budgeting for Robotics

The team’s annual budget target is $64,000, which covers essential expenses and allows for participation in local and regional competitions. If the team qualifies for world championships as demonstrated in 2018 and 2019, the team needs to collect an additional $25,000 in as little as two weeks. While these numbers are high, the team has worked hard every year to collect donations and build long term relationships with sponsors. 

The Whitewater Unified School District recently began contributing $14,000 yearly, a funding level similar to that of an athletic team. Unfortunately, other funding sources vary every year and are not guaranteed. Typically, students author and apply for competitive grants that account for about $12,000. An additional $24,000 is sourced from businesses, individuals, and organizations. Students, families, and mentors contribute another $10,000, while fundraising events raise an extra $4,000.

Where do the Funds Go?

Ferradermis’s annual expenses primarily center on competition-related costs, including travel, accommodations, registration fees, and materials for building a new robot each year. The team is committed to ensuring that no student is barred from participation due to financial constraints, offering scholarships to those in need. However, this has led to an increasing fundraising burden as more students and families require support each year.

In addition to the high school program, in 2018 Ferradermis member Bennett Miles initiated the first FIRST Lego League (FLL) team at Lincoln Elementary School. FLL has since expanded across all district elementary schools and the middle school, guided by Val Troxel, Chris Nate, Sara Brautigam, Lisa Kaminski, and Kerry Ramsden. Ferradermis remains involved by providing student mentors, raising funds for LEGO Spike Prime robots, and chartering buses for FLL members to observe the high school team’s Wisconsin Regional competition in Milwaukee.

The Ferradermis Fund

Recognizing the need for a more sustainable funding solution, Ferradermis has been collaborating with alumni Michael Borglin (WHS class of 2008) and Tim Walsh (WHS class of 2006). Both are computer science graduates and former students of Ferradermis Advisor Laura Masbruch at Whitewater High School. Now residing in California and working in technology, the two are using their unique skill sets to support Ferradermis. Borglin established the Borglin Family Foundation in 2021 and launched the Ferradermis Fund under the Whitewater Community Foundation soon after. The aim is to establish a $500,000 endowment (Ferradermis Fund), enabling the team to draw up to $25,000 annually from the fund’s interest indefinitely. Achieving this ambitious target requires involvement from the community and other alumni. The Borglin Family Foundation has pledged $70,000 over five years and has been matched by another anonymous alumni (WHS class of 2006). Borglin stated, “I always felt that learning by doing was the best way to learn, and that is why I support the Ferradermis team.”

Community Partnerships

In addition to hosting the Ferradermis Fund, the Whitewater Community Foundation has given Ferradermis access to manage its Google Ad Grant. This grant, available to nonprofits, provides $10,000 in ad credits each month that groups can use to draw attention to their programs. Walsh’s expertise in Google marketing guides the grant’s utilization. Additionally, a partnership with the Whitewater Advertising Association at UW-Whitewater is providing an advertising internship opportunity, contributing to the team’s growth and visibility while deepening community ties.

Why Ferradermis is Important to Whitewater and the Students

Ferradermis functions as a student operated small business. The overall team is divided into sub teams, half of which focus on business and outreach, while the other half focus on designing and building a robot. All students work under the guidance of a wide variety of volunteer adult mentors – programmers, metal workers, engineers, businesspeople, and more – building a network of professional contacts. These professional contacts support students in their future education and beyond to their careers.

Each year, The FRC game is revealed in January. At that point, the team must start from scratch to plan, design, build, wire, program, and test a brand-new robot in eight weeks before taking the competition field. This tight timeframe helps students develop time management skills.

FIRST focuses heavily on the concept of Gracious Professionalism, encouraging all teams to work together to make each other the best that they can be. Students develop many soft skills through FIRST as they interact, communicate, and build relationships with other teams from around the world as well as with their sponsors. Team members regularly practice public speaking for sponsors, judges, and community groups.

Outreach and the promotion of STEM education are valued heavily by FIRST. You will often find Ferradermis at other schools, the public library, and community events demonstrating the robot and giving younger students a chance at the controls. Ferradermis also values its relationship with the technology and engineering program at Whitewater High School, working with staff members to purchase new equipment and arrange the donation of used equipment, all in an effort to improve the shop for both WHS students in tech ed courses and the team.

Ferradermis is active and still growing. Thirty-two WHS graduates from the classes of 2021 and 2022 participated on the team for at least one season. Of these students, 68% are pursuing STEM fields with 38% studying engineering. Two from this group have already returned as mentors. 

How to Donate

To support Ferradermis, donations can be made to the Ferradermis Fund through the Whitewater Community Foundation’s website or by contacting Bonnie Miller at info@whitewatercommunityfoundation.org. Those interested in learning more about Ferradermis or robotics within the Whitewater Unified School District can contact ferradermis@gmail.com, visit www.ferradermis.org, or call 262-472-8159.

Article Submitted by Michael Borglin and Laura Masbruch
Photos Courtesy of Laura Masbruch and Rich Grosse
lmasbruch@wwusd.org

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Update: Clarification made that the board agenda for the July 13 meeting did not allow for voting by that body, although the council’s agenda did.

The City of Whitewater Common Council (“council”) and the Whitewater Unified School District School Board (“board”) will meet tonight at 6 p.m. with the hope of concluding a nearly six month effort to reach a new agreement for the operation of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center (“WAFC”). The bodies last met on July 13, and by the conclusion of the nearly 100 minute meeting there seemed to be growing consensus, but there were substantial frustrations expressed along the way by both officials and the public.

Representatives of the council and board have been meeting, whether as full bodies or in a subcommittee, since March 2. From the beginning of the July meeting it was evident that the groups had different ideas regarding the purpose of the session. The council’s agenda allowed for discussion and possible action on the proposals offered by the city and the district, and Council President James Allen indicated that everyone was prepared to stay as long as necessary to hopefully conclude negotiations. Board President Larry Kachel, however, soon made clear that the board would not be taking any votes. In fact the board’s agenda did not allow for action on the proposals.

Although there were several points of contention, the primary potential deal breaker was the district’s plan to reduce its annual contribution towards operating expenses to $78,000 versus the city’s request for $178,000. The city planned to contribute $250,000 annually in addition to covering any operating deficits. The district offered to take full responsibility for capital expenses on the building after $100,000 annual contributions from the city and the district. All contributions would be subject to a 3% annual escalation factor. The city continued to maintain that it would be unable to operate the facility without the full district operating expense payment.

The public comment period at mid-meeting allowed Jeff Knight and Steve Ryan, among others, to express their disappointment that they were unable to congratulate the representatives on completing their months-long work, as they had planned to do.

A restroom break seemed to clear the air, and ultimately the suggestion was made that the city might be willing to increase its annual capital improvement payment to $200,000 in exchange for the district meeting the $178,000 annual operating expense request. The council voted unanimously to request staff to provide a new financial analysis based on that proposal, and though the board took no vote, members appeared to be willing to consider the proposal at their next meeting on August 14.

It may be anticipated that tonight’s audience will likely include some citizens hoping to provide their representatives with postponed appreciation and congratulations on achieving a new agreement that will keep “Whitewater’s jewel” open for recreation, education, and fitness for the next six years.

The Whitewater Cross Country teams are conducting their annual water softener salt fundraiser and would like you to be a buyer! The CC athletes will stack your order wherever you see fit, including your basement provided you are home during our delivery window and request that level of service. 

There is a two bag minimum order required and orders are due on Wednesday, August 30th. All orders must be prepaid. Delivery will take place on Friday, September 8th from 3:30-6:00 p.m. Use this link to access the flyer.

Thank you to Dalee Water Conditioning for supplying the salt for this year’s fundraiser!

Place an order with any member of the CC team or email Coach Chad Carstens at ccarstens@wwusd.org