News & Events

(Ripon College press release) — Ripon College held its annual Awards Convocation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 21. As one of Ripon’s most prestigious events, the event honored outstanding students, faculty, and staff. The list of award recipients is available for viewing at ripon.edu/awards-convocation.

Clarice Bergman of Whitewater, Wisconsin, majoring in English and Politics and Government with a minor in Communication, joined the Ripon College Laurels honor society.

Lydia Wiley Deal of Whitewater, Wisconsin, majoring in Music and Physics , was awarded the Bruce Martz Endowed Music Award and joined the Ripon College Laurels honor society.

Jacob Zuehlke of Whitewater, Wisconsin, majoring in Music and Business Management , was awarded the Lucile Mosling Grams Music Scholarship and joined the Ripon College Laurels honor society.

(UW-W press release) The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Collegiate DECA chapter ended its competitive season on a high note at the International Career Development Conference, held virtually April 9-12, 2021. Twenty-five Warhawks participated in the international competition, 15 advanced to event finals and 13 students were top-10 international finalists.

The central mission of collegiate DECA — and the focus of the ICDC event — is to prepare students for their careers by developing the skills needed to become leaders and innovators.

Michelle Anderson, a marketing major from Oconomowoc and the chapter’s vice president of external relations, earned second place overall in the Emerging Technology–Marketing Strategy international competition. She described DECA’s impact on her college experience and career development.

“I have been able to take concepts that I have learned in the classroom and apply them to real world case studies in competition,” she said. “The events also allowed me to explore different parts of business that I wasn’t sure I was interested in. Overall, DECA helped with my confidence, professionalism and ability to create marketing campaigns effectively. I believe that without my experience with the UW-Whitewater Collegiate DECA chapter, I would not have been able to secure my past internship and my future job.”

UW-Whitewater was distinguished for outstanding commitment and impact throughout the year. Earned by only seven of the 250 collegiate chapters in 2020-21, the Chapter Community Service Award recognized students’ work with statewide food banks, the local Warhawk Pantry and the annual toy drive for the Ronald McDonald House.

“Our vice president of community events, Evan Nightingale, was able to put on numerous events throughout the year,” said Treise Langhammer, chapter president and marketing major from Brooklyn, Wisconsin. “He was also able to give members a chance to get involved fully, instead of just attending weekly meetings.” 

The DECA Leadership Passport Program celebrates chapter and individual activities that build personal and professional skills. UW-Whitewater received a Chapter Leadership Passport Award — a distinction that was given to just 20 chapters. Seven student members completed the Individual Passport Leadership program, including Michelle Anderson, Brendan Clementi, Tayler Jones, Treise Langhammer, Evan Nightingale, Lauren Reid and Devontae Sisk. Only 50 students from the 1,500 international collegiate members were able to complete the program this year.

Rounding out the non-competitive awards, Treise Langhammer and Evan Nightingale earned individual Student Leadership awards for their chapter leadership, community service and competitive success. Tayler Jones, Treise Langhammer and Devontae Sisk were each recognized with an Academic Honor Award for holding a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5.

All competitive events leading up to ICDC took place with pre-recorded presentations followed by live interactions with judges. The final rounds were conducted live by web conference. Despite this unusual format and an increased international presence drawn by the virtual performances, the chapter performed exceptionally.

“Competing at this level is stressful, but every member that gets there is ready for it,” said Langhammer. “We focus on teamwork and always provide resources for newer members. The hard work by our vice president of competition, Tayler Jones, also allows every competitor to succeed. We are proud of anyone who wants to step out of their comfort zone and try competition.”

UW-Whitewater DECA 2021 International Career Development Conference competitive award recap:

• Michelle Anderson: 2^nd place in the Emerging Technology–Marketing Strategies event
• Team of Kelsey Clark and Lauren Reid: 6^th-place tiein the Event Planning event
• Brendan Clementi: 7^th place in the Corporate Finance event
• Mary Domich: international finalist in the Hotel and Lodging event
• Lydia Forney: 9^th place in the Advertising Campaign event
• Grayden Gruchow: 6^th place in the Human Resource Management event
• Lauren Hanson and Treise Langhammer: 6^th-place tie in the Event Planning event
• Tayler Jones: 6^th place in the Advertising Campaign event
• Sammi Nelson: international finalist in the Corporate Finance event
• Evan Nightingale: 5^th place in the Entrepreneurship Operations event
• Melanie Thiede: 8^th place in the Advertising Campaign event
• Team of John Weber and David Zehner: 4^th place in the International Marketing event

Prior to the ICDC event, three DECA students also performed strongly in the national Stock Market Game, which simulates the global capital market to engage students in economics, investing and personal finance.

• Victoria Celsor: 2^nd place finish in the spring semester event
• Evan Hoier: 8^th place finish in the fall semester event
• Zach Zaharias: 4^th place finish in fall semester event

For information about the UW-Whitewater Collegiate DECA Chapter, visit uwwdeca.com.

(UW-W press release) The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will celebrate this week as a total of 1,552 undergraduate and graduate students will be earning degrees at commencement.

This year’s ceremony will be held in a hybrid format, allowing graduates an opportunity to cross the stage in cap and gown and receive their degrees in person, and providing the speeches, music and other traditional elements in a virtual format.

On Friday, May 14, students will be recorded crossing the stage at either Young Auditorium or Kachel Fieldhouse in cap and gown as their names are read. Then, on Saturday, May 15, the entire recorded ceremony — including students crossing the stage — will be shared online on the commencement website at 1 p.m., allowing graduates to watch it with their friends and family members. The video will also be available for viewing at a later time.

This year’s commencement speaker is Sarahí Monterrey, an English learner/Bilingual teacher at Waukesha South High School who earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from UW-Whitewater, in 2002 and 2003, respectively. In 2018-19 she was named Wisconsin’s High School Teacher of the Year and selected as Wisconsin’s 2019 representative to the National Teacher of the Year Program, the first Latina in the state to earn this honor. In 2020, the UW-Whitewater Office of Alumni Relations selected Monterrey as the university’s Distinguished Alumna for Professional Achievement in recognition of her extensive career developing bilingual curricula and advocating for dual-language programs.

The student speaker is Annmarie Lavorata, a communication major from Crystal Lake, Illinois, whose passion for her major led to numerous hands-on opportunities at UW-Whitewater. Despite struggling with speech challenges and dyslexia, Lavorata excelled at broadcasting, among 12 Warhawks who took home honors at the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association 2020 Student Awards for Excellence. And when ESPN came to Perkins Stadium for the 2019 NCAA Division III semi-final championship football game, Lavorata and her UWW-TV peers worked alongside industry professionals for the live broadcast.

The ceremony will recognize 169 undergraduates from the College of Arts and Communication, 513 from the College of Business and Economics, 178 from the College of Education and Professional Studies, 94 from the College of Integrated Studies, 392 from the College of Letters and Sciences, and 200 from the School of Graduate Studies. An additional 6 students are receiving an undergraduate degree not specific to any college. 

The graduating class of 2021 includes 12 international students, 99 military veterans or service members, and 122 nontraditional students, defined as adult students 25 years of age or older. In addition, 150 graduating students used the services of the university’s Center for Students with Disabilities. 

An estimated 225 graduating students are participating in the university’s Warhawks Rising campaign, which celebrates milestones submitted by graduating students, including job offers, graduate school acceptances and shoutouts to faculty or staff members whose support was critical to their academic success.

The commencement video production is coordinated by UWW-TV, the university television station.  

For more information: https://www.uww.edu/commencement

(From timeanddate.com) The origins of Mother’s Day are attributed to different people. Many believe that two women, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis were important in establishing the tradition of Mother’s Day in the United States. Other sources say that Juliet Calhoun Blakely initiated Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the late 1800s. Her sons paid tribute to her each year and urged others to honor their mothers.

Around 1870, Julia Ward Howe called for Mother’s Day to be celebrated each year to encourage pacifism and disarmament amongst women. It continued to be held in Boston for about ten years under her sponsorship, but died out after that.

In 1907, Anna Jarvis held a private Mother’s Day celebration in memory of her mother, Ann Jarvis, in Grafton, West Virginia. Ann Jarvis had organized “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” to improve health and cleanliness in the area where she lived. Anna Jarvis launched a quest for Mother’s Day to be more widely recognized. Her campaign was later financially supported by John Wanamaker, a clothing merchant from Philadelphia.

In 1908, she was instrumental in arranging a service in the Andrew’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which was attended by 407 children and their mothers. The church has now become the International Mother’s Day Shrine. It is a tribute to all mothers and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

The image on the home page, “Happy Mothers Day ~ Fuzzy Flwrs” by Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon, is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

“The Land” (Drama) – Tuesday, May 11, 1 p.m., Rated PG, -131 hour, 29 minutes (2021)

An urban, middle-aged woman who has fled city life to live off the grid in a tiny cabin on the side of a mountain in Wyoming, knows nothing about getting by without electricity, running water, indoor plumbing or finding something to eat every day. Alone, isolated, and struggling to cope, a kindly stranger comes by and offers to to help her. Fearing and wanting nothing to do with him, she learns that her survival in the wilderness may depend on the kindliness of a stranger. Starring and directed by Robin Wright (AARP Movies for Grownups Best Actress nominee; and Demian Bichir (Winner: AARP Movies for Grownups Best Supporting Actor).

There is a capacity limit, and COVID-19 precautions, including facial mask, are required. Please register in advance online, by email (dweberpal@whitewater-wi.gov), or phone (473-0535).