JUNE 23, 2003

Local Scouts awarded Eagle rank

WAUKESHA - Members of the Potawatomi Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America were recently awarded the rank of Eagle.

The following local Scouts recently received the rank of Eagle: Stuart Jennejohn, Troop 327; Kristofer Conry, Troop 229; Michael Knutson, Troop 167; Ryan Schmidt, Troop 119; Bryan Szalewski, Troop 109; Kevin Roloff, Troop 109; Robert F. Bakic Jr., Troop 93; Brent Bates, Troop 53; David Canada, Troop 47; Benjamin Brunner, Troop 38; Michael Stanzek, Troop 38; Aaron Fenker, Troop 21; Kristopher Rockey, Troop 21; David Mulveney, Troop 21; Vikram Gopal, Troop 246; Michael Wilkins, Troop 327; Christopher Davis, Troop 167; Joseph Hanson, Troop 159; Nicholas Pranger, Troop 152; Karl Stonger, Troop 135; Brent Schiller, Troop 110; Thomas Henry, Troop 99; William Restock, Troop 99; Stephen Lovas, Troop 87; John Nelson, Troop 84; Kurt Peter, Troop 71; Richard Paustian, Troop 41; Alden Bartczak, Troop 26; Eric Beetcher, Troop 26; Eric LeMieux, Troop 26; and John Cruikshank, Troop 26.

The rank of Eagle is the highest a Boy Scout can earn, and only about 1 percent of all Boy Scouts earn the right to be called Eagle. To become an Eagle Scout, a boy must prove he exemplifies scouting and is a model citizen and leader for others to follow. To prove he is worthy, an Eagle Scout must develop and execute a service project that improves his community; show leadership skills, pass a board of review and earn 21 merit badges, 11 of which are predetermined to cover various skills.

Local author wins statewide award

BROOKFIELD - Brookfield author Kathleen Winkler received the Council for Wisconsin Writers Award for best juvenile nonfiction book of 2002 for "Tattooing and Body Piercing: Understanding the Risks."

The book was published by Enslow Publishers, a New Jersey company specializing in books for middle and high school libraries.

Winkler also had two new books published by Enslow this year: "Cutting and Self-Mutilation: When Teens Injure Themselves" and "Cosmetic Surgery for Teens: Choices and Consequences."

More information can be found on Winkler’s Web site: www.kathleenwinkler.com.

APRIL 28, 2003

Artist finds permanent home in gallery

WAUKESHA - The work of Pewaukee tile artist Jayne Laste will go on permanent display at the St. Paul Gallery in Waukesha beginning with the Art Crawl scheduled for Saturday.

Laste, a graphic designer who has also worked in printmaking, draws from a range of influences such as cubism, contemporary Christian imagery and post-modernism to create her pieces. She employs various paints, grouts and found objects such as tree bark, stained glass and hardware to give each tile a truly individual flavor.

Regular hours for the St. Paul Gallery, located at 136 E. St. Paul Ave., are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Sweitzer to design awards for Women of Distinction

WAUKESHA - The YWCA of Waukesha announced that Waukesha artist Dint Sweitzer has been selected to create the 2003 Women of Distinction awards. Each year, these awards are original artwork created by local artists to honor these distinguished recipients in a unique and special way. Past awards have included sculptures, portraits, paintings and dolls made of paper.

Sweitzer is a recognized local artist specializing in acrylic on canvas. A Pewaukee resident, she has been commissioned by the Hotel Metro in Milwaukee to create custom paintings for its guest rooms. She is a member of the League of Milwaukee Artists and her work can be seen at the Almont Gallery in Waukesha. She received her education and training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin-Waukesha, along with numerous seminars and group sessions.

For more information, contact Traci Huntemann-Piatt at the YWCA at 547-1872.

MARCH 24, 2003

Wisconsin Press Women announce contest winners

WAUKESHA - Wisconsin Press Women, an affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women, have announced the winners in its "Expressions/Impression" literary and visual arts contest. The contest included some Waukesha County winners, including Deb Voss Quail of Delafield, third place in essay; and Elaine Cavanaugh of Hartland, honorable mention in poetry.

Winning entries will be published in a yearbook this spring which will be distributed to libraries throughout the state.

FEBRUARY 24, 2003

Muskego students win scholarships

MUSKEGO - Muskego High School students Miron-James Mironczuk, Tim Surprenant and Bill Brownlow are three of 32 winners of an American Legion Americanism and Government Test Program Scholarship. The $250 scholarship money they each have earned will be sent to the college or university of their choice upon receipt of notification they have enrolled.

Students advance to state FBLA competition

WAUKESHA - Recently, Waukesha students competed with more than 30 southeastern Wisconsin schools at Menomonee Falls High School for the annual Future Business Leaders of America Regional Competition.

The following students will go on to participate in the state competition April 4 through April 6 in Green Bay: Max Conway, first place, business math, Waukesha West High School; Mike Wolfe, first place, accounting II, Waukesha West; Josh Lone, Pathik Soni and Tiffany Tesch, first place, Web site development, Waukesha North; Jacky Bodis, second place, marketing, Waukesha West; Tyler Goodling, second place, multimedia presentation, Waukesha West; Colin LaFavor, second place, impromptu speaking, Waukesha West; Morgan Ellison, third place, banking and financial systems, Waukesha West; Jean Liu, third place, word processing I, Waukesha North; Lisa Panyasithavong, third place, business communications, Waukesha West; Charles Thomson, fourth place, business calculations, Waukesha West; Peter Land, fourth place, computer concepts, Waukesha North; and Pathik Soni, fourth place, networking concepts, Waukesha North.

Other students who finished in the top 10 include: Katrina Alverson and Ryan Szablewski, sixth place, Web site development, Waukesha West; Matt Bliese, seventh place, business calculations, Waukesha West; Karen Alexander, seventh place, business calculations, Waukesha North; Alexis Dahms, ninth place, computer applications, Waukesha South; Brittany Graser, ninth place, word processing, Waukesha South; and Tiffany Tesch, 10th place, banks and financial systems, Waukesha North.

Future Business Leaders of America is a nonprofit career and technical student organization that prepares students for careers in business and business education.

Foundation awards $50,000 to Women’s Center campaign

WAUKESHA - The Nicholas Family Foundation has awarded The Women’s Center with a $50,000 gift to be applied to the center’s $3.2 million capital campaign.

The center has about $450,000 left to raise in the campaign before it can reach its goal and receive the $300,000 Kresge Challenge Grant that was awarded to the center last summer.

Construction on the new facility began in August and will be completed in June. The center’s new public facility will include an emergency shelter for abused women and children, transitional living apartments for single women and small families, counseling space, staff offices and an indoor children’s play area. The center’s current shelter, Sister House, will be moved to the new facility in June.

As an independent nonprofit human service agency founded in 1977, The Women’s Center provides a range of free services designed to address the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse.

For more information, call 547-4600.

CCWC benefit a success

WAUKESHA - Officials at the Cooperating Congregations of Waukesha County would like to recognize all the individuals who contributed to this year’s Helping Others Everyday dinner and auction. More than $42,000 was raised to help those in need in Waukesha County - a 20 percent increase over the previous year’s benefit total.

CCWC appreciates the support of the community, but the need continues even after big fund-raising events: children must still be fed and cared for; clothing, coats, underwear and shoes must be provided; and people still need help with rent, bills, employment and legal issues.

Last year almost 1,000 visits per month were made to CCWC’s Clothes Closet distribution center, up 31 percent from 2001. CCWC also served nearly 10,000 meals in 2002, up 21 percent from 2001, and direct aid contacts went up 83 percent.

For more information, call CCWC at 549-8729. The CCWC Outreach Center is located at 401 W. Main St.

FEBRUARY 3, 2003

Center announces board of directors

WAUKESHA - The Volunteer Center of Waukesha County would like to announce its 2003-04 board of directors. They are John Udvare, Waukesha, president; Elaine Banzhaf, Mukwonago, president-elect; Denise Gorecki-Labott, Delafield, vice president; Emily Lorenz, Waukesha, treasurer; Joe Niebler Jr., Sussex, secretary; and Sharon Schoeneck, New Berlin, member-at-large.

The board members are Patrick Avery, Waukesha; Patricia Madden, Waukesha; Maria Ortega Reich, Waukesha; Julie Rogers, Germantown; Mary Reinke, Waukesha; Deb Schroeder, Hartland; Vickie Bateman, Eagle; Bob Hollman, Muskego; Jim Fletcher, New Berlin; Heather Daoust, Waukesha; Marge Henes, Brookfield; Bob Lange, Genesee Depot; and Chris Berens, Waukesha.

Local cheerleaders place in championships

NEW BERLIN - The New Berlin West High School varsity cheerleaders received a second-place honor in the small varsity division at the Holiday Spirit Championship at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Klotsche Center last month.

They also placed third at the UCA Milwaukee Spirit Open Cheerleading Championship at the US Cellular Arena.

The team traveled to Peoria, Ill., for the Midwest Cheer Championships in January as well and also received a second-place award. The squad is preparing for the rest of the competition season and will be taking part in the WACPC Regionals in Menomonee Falls, WACPC State in Wisconsin Rapids and the Badger Championship in Madison.

JANUARY 2, 2003

Local photographers win calendar contest

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Art Museum announced the winners today for the 2003 MAM calendar. The photographs in the calendar celebrate the beauty of the Calatrava-designed addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum. The calendar is now on sale in the MAM Store for $11.66 for members and $12.95 for non-members.

Of the many submissions, only 12 photographs were chosen to appear in the calendar. The following photographers are featured in the calendar: Daniel J. Austin of Milwaukee, Richard Barr of Milwaukee, P.J. Boylan of Milwaukee, Melody Carranza of Milwaukee, Tony A. Gosetti of Chicago, Nicholas Hartmann of Shorewood, Peter Hovanec of Shorewood, Henry Jorgenson of Shorewood, Richard A. Knisbeck of Menomonee Falls, William Lemke of Waukesha and Trevor Reisz of Arlington Heights, Ill.