Whitewater Middle School Students Awarded for Excellence in Writing by Whitewater Kiwanis

Posted on: July 7, 2020

Whitewater Middle School students in the 8^th grade were invited to participate in a writing contest held by the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club, and the following students received awards:

Short story

1st — Ghati Binagi;

2nd — Cheyenne Bohman;

3^rd — Viktor Goldsmith;

Mentor Story

1st — Silas Baker;

2nd– Iza Tovar;

3rd –Andrae Alcala

Pictured in the photo are: John Newhouse, chair of the project and secretary of Kiwanis; Whitewater Middle School Associate Principal Ben Holzem; Laurie Koppein, president of Kiwanis; and Jean Bromley, chair of the Middle School Builders Club.

Kiwanis President Lorrie Koppein said, “Our group was very impressed with the quality of the writing for this project. Whitewater truly has a remarkable group of students with lots of talent.”

Prizes for both the Short Story and Mentor Story categories included:

1st place – $50.00 and Kiwanis Certificate; 2nd place – $20.00 and Kiwanis Certificate; and 3rd place – Kiwanis Certificate.

Please note that Whitewater Middle School Associate Principal Ben Holzem was on-hand to accept the awards on behalf of the students.

This was the first of what the Kiwanis hope will be an annual writing contest.

The Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club is made up of dedicated volunteers who help children in the Whitewater community and the world, all with 100 percent of funds raised going directly to projects and zero to administrative costs. Each year, the club distributes approximately $20,000, with over half going to the Whitewater Unified School District, including Ferradermis, ELL Summer School Transportation, shoes for students, Badger Boys State and Badger Girls State, and scholarships. Kiwanis helped to build and maintain the Flowing Well Shelter, the shelter and accessible playground at Starin Park and Treyton’s Field of Dreams, as well as adopting a highway to clean up. In addition, the group donates to the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club, the Friends of the Whitewater Aquatic Center Family Partnership Fund, the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House and more.

Funds are raised through annual Pancake Breakfasts that have been served continuously since the 1950s, the Discover Whitewater Series Half-Marathon Pancake Breakfast since it began, and yearly poinsettia and lily plant sales. More information can be found on the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club Facebook page.

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