Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The district's focus is to make the Nature Pod more useable for science students, and then possibly installing the nine-hole disc golf course.
Disc golf fans hoping to see a new course built in the Nature Pod on the Whitnall School District grounds near the middle and high schools will have to stem their enthusiasm a bit, at least for now. The Whitnall School Board wants to explore partnerships with other school groups before committing to installing a nine-hole course as proposed by Whitnall senior Clayton Anderson with the help of the district’s Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Matt Karshna. Superindent Lowell Holtz said the district's science department has shown an interest in turning the Nature Pod into a school forest. “That’s the focus now, getting it cleared out of the invasive species and making it easier for the science students to use it,” Holtz said. “And then it …
Monday, May 13, 2013
The board's clerk and treasurer are also different.
Monday's special Whitnall School Board workshop marks just the second time its new officers are in place in their new roles. Bernard Shaw was voted in as the board’s president April 29, beating Elieen Valaitis, 5-2, in a secret ballot. Shaw replaced Nancy Zaborowski, who declined Shaw’s nomination to return to that role. Shaw has been on the board since 2008 and was most recently its vice president. Valaitis, who has been on the board since last April, won a 4-3 vote over Zaborowski to serve as vice president. T.J. Anderson was the unanimous choice for treasurer and Stephanie Richter, who was reelected to the board in April, was the unanimous choice for clerk. The newly shaped board will tackle a handful of discussion items Monday, …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Elertson was a high school associate principal and handled the school's athletics for nearly two years. He and his family are moving to Colorado.
In his two years as the Whitnall High School athletic director and associate principal, Rick Elertson has seen the opening of state-of-the-art Falcon Field and helped the school launch seven new clubs, all while Whitnall has remained near the top of the heap academically. And while he’s quick to point out he’s not necessarily directly responsible for any of those things, he’s happy to have been a part of them. “There’s a sense of pride at Whitnall,” Elertson said. “There’s a stadium we can be proud of, the community has rallied around athletics and the district’s academics. Things tend to snowball from there in a positive way. “It’s a big deal for me to feel like I’ve been a part of that renewal.” To see what happens next, however, …
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Both local school boards meet Monday evening.
Both the Whitnall and Greenfield school boards are slated to meet Monday at 6:30 p.m. at their respective district offices. Check out the agendas below by clicking on the links, and let us know which item you'd like to see a story on in the comments.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The Whitnall School Board celebrated many of the district's success stories at its meeting Monday.
Several members of the Whitnall community shared the spotlight Monday evening. The Whitnall School Board recognized the students, teachers and others before its meeting in the Whitnall Board Room. Those honored were:
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Several races were uncontested this time around, including those for mayor and both the Greenfield and Whitnall school boards.
Greenfield voters were largely bereft of contested races they could determine the outcomes of during Tuesday’s spring election. The city’s mayoral race was uncontested for just the second time in city history as Michael Neitzke ran for a third term, and both the Greenfield and Whitnall school board contests each featured just two candidates vying for two available seats. The result was low voter turnout. Only 23.5 percent of the registered voters hit the polls Tuesday. Neitzke collected 3,608 votes, including his own (see video), and is on his way to becoming the longest-tenured mayor in Greenfield history. Greenfield School Board incumbent Rick Moze got 1,757 votes, while board newcomer Robert Hansen received 1,986. Hansen will replace …
Monday, April 1, 2013
Many of this year's local races, including that for mayor, are uncontested. But there are still plenty of reasons for voters to go to the polls.
Before you hit the voting booth Tuesday, April 2, we want to give you all the information you know about all the candidates you'll see on the ballot. Three races are uncontested: mayor, Greenfield School Board and Whitnall School Board. But voters will have other choices to make. See below for information on the upcoming election and a breakdown of every race, with links to individual candidate profiles. Sample Ballot: The state provides sample ballot information on its Voter Public Access website. Registered voters can enter their name and birthdate to see their voting history and a sample ballot. Polling locations: There are six polling locations in Greenfield: Here are the races and candidates who will be on the ballot: Greenfield Mayor…
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Stephanie Richter is seeking a second term on the Whitnall School Board, while LuAnn Bird is running in the uncontested election on April 2.
The Whitnall School Board will have one new face come April. Barring an unexpected write-in candidacy, LuAnn Bird will replace Richard Kollauf, who was selected to finish out the term of a board member who resigned last year. Stephanie Richter, the incumbent, is also on the ballot again and is seeking a second term in the April 2 election. Bird and Richter are the only two candidates on the ballot, and there are two seats available. Age: 40 Family: Married to Jon, mother to Rebecca Occupation: Office manager, Tadych Financial Services Education: 1990 Graduate of Whitnall; Bachelor's degree, Alverno College December of 1994; currently accepted as a master's degree candidate for the Helen Bader School of Social Work, UW-Milwaukee. How long …
But Dr. Lowell Holtz said he was assured no Whitnall students were victims and waited to make a statement until he had the most accurate information available from police.
Whitnall Superintendent Dr. Lowell Holtz understands why parents were upset media outlets broke the news that a contractor who had access to students had been arrested for trying to lure a 15-year-old boy before they found out from the district. Holtz answered approximately three dozen parent-submitted questions about how the district handled the communication of the arrest and subsequent firing of James Heidke, and A’viands employee, in front of a crowd of about 50 people and several news stations Monday in the Whitnall High School auditorium. He said he wished he had been able to put out more information sooner, but waited because he didn’t feel comfortable with the facts he had. Holtz said the district did not receive Heidke’s criminal …
Friday, March 15, 2013
The district will hold an open discussion about the arrest of food service manager James Heidke, and the timing of the communication the district delivered to parents.
Updated 3:30 p.m. March 15 Whitnall School District parents and residents with questions about the food service manager's arrest for using a computer to facilitate a sex crime—and the timing of district communication about it—can learn more at an informational session later this month. The district will hold an informational session on March 25 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Whitnall High School auditorium, prior to a regularly scheduled School Board meeting, to discuss lingering concerns about James Heidke and how the district handled the news of his arrest. Heidke, 55, was arrested after police say he tried to lure a 15-year-old “boy” he met online for sex. That “boy” was an undercover police officer. Heidke was charged with using a …
Mike Harrington
12:36 am on Thursday, May 23, 2013
I am the person who volunteered to design the course (because of my passion for disc golf and my desire to get into disc golf course design) and I am working on some volunteer ideas as well as fundraising efforts to try and turn this project around again. I honestly feel if done right this property could be an excellent recreational and educational area. I agree let's get rid of the invasives. … more ›