Gibraltar students Ben Anderson and Carl Witteborg.
Over
1,000 Marketing Education Students were involved in 46 different
competitive events at the State DECA Career Development Conference in
Lake Geneva recently. Gibraltar’s team of Ben Anderson and Carl
Witteborg competed in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Promotion
Plan event. They researched and developed a promotion plan for the Red
Putter. They placed 7th overall in the State of Wisconsin. The contest
involved written examinations in marketing and the proposal
presentation to a business executive.
Their written proposal and professional presentation earned a 99 out of
100 score. Their judge is quoted as saying, “This is a very doable
proposal. These young men know what they’re talking about and have a
very professional proposal.” DECA is an international marketing
organization for students learning marketing, entrepreneurship and
management skills in high school. Anderson and Witteborg worked with
business professionals and their advisor to develop their presentation.
L to R: Isaiah Spetz, Josie Morkin, Andrew Olson, and Becky Thoma rehearse a scene from “The Birds’ Christmas Carol”.
One of
the greatest things about Door County is the many artistic opportunities
available for people of all ages. The Third Avenue Playhouse has
created an opportunity of excellent quality with the addition of the
StageKids theater company.
StageKids is Door County’s newest community
theater company, featuring plays and workshops for children and teens
from the community. It is also a terrific chance for children to be able
to act with more experienced adults.
Recently,
Sturgeon Bay High School students came together to celebrate school
pride as a part of their annual Homecoming Week. Throughout the week,
each class competes for points. Everything counts- from the number of
people participating in dress up days, to window and float designs, to
the grade that represents this year’s theme the best. The four grades
take this very seriously, portraying the theme of Rockin’ Red the best
they can, and hoping to come out on top. The prize? The spirit stick of
course! The class with the most points and school spirit in the end wins
the honor of claiming the spirit stick for themselves.
Door
County can certainly boast its share of heralded authors. From Norb
Blei, writer of 17 books of non-fiction, fiction, poetry and essays, to
Richard E. Carter, winner of the Ellis/Henderson Outdoor Writing Award
for Through the Cabin Door, the list of published poets and writers who
call Door County home is impressive.
The newest member of this elite club may also be the youngest. After
winning 1st Place at the state level with his poem, The Lake, 9-year-old
Sturgeon Bay resident, Elliott Feldman’s winning entry went on to the
National Level, sponsored by PBS Kids.
The
Door Kewaunee Business & Education Partnership (DKBEP) will host a
ground breaking ceremony to celebrate the start of the sixth annual
DKBEP High School Home Construction Project in Valmy. The ceremony is
open to the public and will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 17th
at the jobsite, 4970 Hwy 57, Sturgeon Bay (Valmy).
The program
is an effort to grow the local construction industry's skilled
workforce while providing real-world learning experiences for our area
youth.
Third
Avenue Playhouse in downtown Sturgeon Bay will open its fourth play of
the inaugural season for the new 84-seat Studio Theater with a special
opening night benefit for the GO BO Fund. The date is Thursday,
September 20 and showtime is 7:30 pm, with doors open for general
seating at 7:00 pm. The play is Almost, Maine, written by John Cariani
and directed by James Valcq. It stars Door County actors Amy Ensign,
Anne St. Henry, Chad Luberger and Ryan Patrick Shaw.
Bo Johnson is the 13-year old Sister Bay boy who has been battling a
rare form of childhood leukemia for the better part of a year.
Tremendous community support has been an inspiration to him and his Mom,
Annika Johnson, daughter of the late Al Johnson and part owner of Al
Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay. Now Sturgeon Bay joins the
entire county for a special GO BO evening.
Y Free Lunch Program volunteers Dan Bayavich, Eleanore Bayavich, Cindy Florian, and Carin Stuth.
The first
time I had heard of the Free Lunch Program at the YMCA, I had been
walking towards the track. It was one of those rare occasions where I
decided to go for a run. A man had stopped me and asked “Are you coming
for the free lunches today?” I responded “Oh, no thank you.” It almost
didn’t register that he had said the lunches were free.
Later on, I spoke with Madelyn DePrey, the Marketing and Community
Connections Director at the Sturgeon Bay YMCA. She explained to me that
Sturgeon Bay qualified for a free lunch program because 50% of local
children are living below the poverty line. This opportunity is made
possible by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer
Food Service Program.
As
technology evolves, so do the ways children learn in and out of the
classroom. With constantly changing tools and trends, teachers can do
more to stay up-to-date to help children thrive. It is important that
parents understand what these changes mean so their children can
maintain a competitive edge.
Here are some new trends in education that every parent should know about:
Jacob and Pamela Schulz with Sam Perlman of the Door County Economic Development Corporation.
The Door
County Economic Development Corporation, in association with the
UW-Green Bay Small Business Development Center, announced today that
Jacob & Pamela Schulz of Sturgeon Bay are the winners of the $1,000
cash award for the best business plan originating from the 11th annual
Door County Entrepreneurial Training Program course conducted earlier
this year.
Jacob and Pamela Schulz wrote a business plan for
their proposed start-up, The Black Eyed Bean Market. The Black Eyed Bean
Market will be a retail specialty shop for re-packaged bulk foods,
including: spices, dry goods, grains, candies, soups, snack foods, dips
and more.
For
kids who love soccer, Door County is the place to be in the summertime.
Thanks to the help of over 50 volunteers, the Door County Soccer
Association (DCSA) is a thriving program for kids ages five to fifteen
who want to participate. It is a great chance for youth to get outside
and play the fun sport with their friends. The Door County Soccer
Association is part of a larger organization called Soccer Association
for Youth (SAY), which helps organize recreational soccer for children
all over the country.
Among
the young talent of Door County, singer-songwriter Anya Kopischke
played this past weekend in the Steel Bridge Songfest in a night
celebrating young musicians.
According
to the organization’s website, Steel Bridge was formulated from a
grassroots group called the S.O.B.'s (Save Our Bridge) about 11 years
ago. It was organized to save the Michigan Street Bridge, which was
planned to be destroyed. The S.O.B.’s transformed into the Citizens for
Our Bridge a non-profit group and developed a long-term plan to raise
funding for repairs and restoration of the bridge.
Olivia Demarinis, a native to northern Door County, will be
the newest addition to the staff of DoorCountyTravelersJournal.com. The Journal, formed in 2005 as a travel website and then as a digital magazine in 2011, serves the
growing market of online vacationers and locals alike who turn to the Internet
for information on who and what is happening on the peninsula.
As the summer intern, Demarinis will write articles and try
to expand awareness about the online magazine publication, as well as bolster
her own skills in professional writing.
A graduate of Gibraltar Area School, Demarinis was
involved in a variety of activities in high school. Most notable was the
founding of The Viking Voice, a
student newspaper, with several classmates, during her junior year.
For Gibraltar High School, the school year is rapidly coming
to an end. With graduation just around the corner, the senior class is
preparing to head off in their own directions, leaving the all too comfortable
Door County. Most students at Gibraltar have been with these classmates since
kindergarten, moving through the grade levels with the majority of the class
list unwavering.
The Senior Class of 2012’s valedictorian, Peter Burress, and
salutatorian, Ashley Zahn, are two very representative Door County seniors.
Caleb Navarro emerges on the Door County music scene.
When Caleb Navarro picked up his
sister’s guitar in eighth grade, he surely did not know where it would take
him. Now a sophomore at Sturgeon Bay High School, Navarro is writing his own
music, posting videos of original music and cover songs on his own YouTube
channel, and performing at talent shows and open microphones around the county.
Sharon Grutzmacher of the PMF and teacher Lauren Bremer pose with the musicians after class.
Students
in Mrs. Lauren Bremer's English classes at Gibraltar High School know
that British novelist Jane Austen was an avid amateur pianist and
started her day at the piano. "She played piano perhaps an hour a day,
early in the morning," explained Stephen Alltop, pianist with the
Peninsula Music Festival.
Alltop, from
Evanston, Illinois, was joined by vocalist and violinist Josefien
Stoppelenburg, who now lives in this country but hails from the
Netherlands. The pair were in town for February Fest, The Peninsula
Music Festival's annual chamber music series. The
February Fest is made possible thanks to sponsorships from Doug
Peterson and Joan E. Mills, Gen Follingstad, and the Peninsula Music
Festival Sustaining Committee.
The
annual Career Day for Door & Kewaunee County 8th grade students
will be held on Tuesday, March 13th, 9am to 2:30pm at NWTC-Sturgeon Bay,
sponsored by the Door Kewaunee Business & Education Partnership
(DKBEP), Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) and the Sturgeon
Bay Noon Rotary Club.
The Career Day program provides area students an understanding of
local career clusters and the variety of occupational opportunities
available; information about the skills that employers are looking for;
and recommendations about what courses and extracurricular activities
they might participate in during their high school years to prepare them
to enter the local workforce.
On
Saturday, February 11, at 7 p.m., six Door County teens will compete
for the title of 2012 Door County Idol. This highly anticipated annual
event serves as both a vibrant community gathering and as a celebration
of Door County’s abundant homegrown talent.
From dozens of auditioning students, Door County Idol screeners have
chosen six finalists for this year’s competition.
Sturgeon Bay High School Student Council raises money for United Way
of Door County
On Thursday, December 22, the students at
Sturgeon Bay High School participated in a Talent Show.Prior to having the Talent Show the
Student Council was required to raise money to support local charities.This year one of the charities that the
Student Council choice to support is United Way of Door County.Pictured are David Tauber, Jr. and
Rebecca Fredrickson with a check for $600 for United Way.David and Rebecca are students at
Sturgeon Bay High School and members of the United Way of Door County Board of
Directors.
Bo and visiting buds play video games in the hospital.
Hi
everyone, Skipper here. The guys here at the magazine finally let me
get some extra computer time so I could write this story. It was kind of
my own idea, because when I ventured up to Sister Bay to sneak a peek
at the big Fall Fest that the humans do every year, I saw scads of the
humans wearing orange thingys on their heads and on their wrists and
stuff. They all read "Go Bo!"
So I asked my own self, what in the heck is this "Go Bo" craze all
about? Orange, orange, orange, everywhere. Humans large and small were
dancing around (see the vid below by Chris Miller), shouting happy
slogans loudly, and generally having a great time. I also spotted humans
putting money into hats and buckets ... very cool, but why?
The kids learn how to make apple juice with volunteer John Kierstyn.
Remember
our story last spring about the third graders who planted their gardens
as a class project? The kids are now fourth graders. Read the previous story here.
Sturgeon Bay,
Wisconsin's 4th grade classes from all of that city's schools returned to the
Peninsular Agricultural Research Station on October 4th to harvest the
crops they planted last spring. This field trip project for the kids is
sponsored each year by Door County Master Gardeners, a volunteer
organization of folks who know a lot about plants!
Kids can use cell phones to check in regularly with parents.
Being
a parent can sometimes feel like your heart is walking around in
someone else's body. And while your instinct is to protect your children
from any and all harm, it is also important to give them an appropriate
amount of freedom to prepare them for the real world.
"Parents
will always have a lot to worry about," says Tony Pham, vice president
at Life360, a company that uses technology to keep families connected
everyday and during emergencies.
A visit to the pediatrician will help keep your child healthy for school.
As the new school year gears up and to-do lists get longer, make sure to put your child's health on the list.
Updating
vaccinations, scheduling annual physicals and alerting your child's
school about allergies and illnesses are crucial steps to ensure their
academic success, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Growing children shouldn't carry more than 20 percent of their weight.
School may be a figurative pain in the neck for many children, but what about a literal pain in the neck - and back?
These days, the answer is yes, and backpacks are to blame. Or more specifically, the improper use of backpacks.
"The average child
carries a backpack that would be the equivalent of a 39-pound burden for
a 176-pound man, or a 29-pound load for a 132-pound woman," says Dr.
Rick McMichael, president of the American Chiropractic Association
(ACA).
Annual eye exams may help improve school performance.
Did
you know that 80 percent of what we learn is acquired visually? From
reading to visual mnemonics (think stop signs and multiplication
tables), vision plays a critical role in your child's academic success.
That's why it's important to put a visit to the eye doctor on your back-to-school to-do list.
Make sure students have the right gear for college.
After years of living under your roof, it's finally time for your child to head off to college to live an independent life.
While
you can't put tracking devices on them to account for their every move,
you can make sure your students are prepared with the essentials they
will need to survive the next four years.
"Dorm
rooms are pretty basic," says Rachael Risinger, Bed Bath & Beyond
spokesperson. "Four white walls, a bed, and if they're lucky, a desk and
chair. But, with some basic dorm room accessories it's easy to create a
space they'll be happy to call home."
Hundreds
of kids in Door County add fun to their summer by playing soccer with the Door
County Soccer Association (DCSA). They love to come to the John Miles County Park (the
fairgrounds) to practice their dribbling, shooting and passing, and other
soccer skills. Volunteer coaches
help the kids at practices and games.Here is some information about DCSA
soccer.
Master Gardener Vicki Durst explains how Native Americans raised crops in ridged fields in Door County.
Once
again this spring the Door County Master Gardeners organization hosted
area third graders at the Peninsular Agricultural Research Station north
of Sturgeon Bay for a fun-filled morning of learning and planting. The weather was
gorgeous as 103 kids from St. John Bosco, Saints Peter and Paul, and
Sunrise Schools became knowledgeable producers-to-be of potatoes,
carrots, marigolds, and other plants and vegetables. Teachers and
volunteers assisted the young farmers as they got to work with much
enthusiasm. The students will return in the fall as fourth graders to
reap the fruits of their efforts.
The
Peninsula Music Festival has selected Jonathan Conjurske, a senior at
Southern Door High School, as the recipient of their college
scholarship. Jonathan will be attending the University of Wisconsin -
Eau Claire in the fall.
Each year the Peninsula Music Festival awards a $3000 scholarship to a
graduating senior who desires to further his or her education in music.
The recipient must be an outstanding music student, who has demonstrated
his or her ability as a performer and has shown a sustained interest in
music-related activities. Also, the student must major or minor in
music while attending college.
L to R top row: Jim Hogan, Dan Holdridge, Amelia Campbell, Sara Welch, Cambrie Davis, Katiee Glasheen;
L to R bottom row: Allie Rittle, Brenna Dubick, Sally Hippensteel, Zach Meredith, Christian Huehns, Erik Elliott
Our community needs people who actively care
about doing service.When young
community members get involved in service projects, they grow up into
responsible citizens who feel good about themselves and are productive and
pro-active members of our community. Door County has a teen-run service organization that helps local teens
to do service projects to help make this community -- and with some projects,
the world -- a better place.
The Rotary Interact Club of Door County was
started in 1999 by supervisor Ben Rikkola, the Youth & Family Development
Director at the YMCA. The club has
granted over 20,000 dollars to service projects, mission trips and other worthy
causes over the past 12 years.
This publication is now accepting written pieces and photos by kids! Children who live in or have visited Door
County know what they like here. They've done it. So why not share
their experiences with the world?
Door County is one of the top family
vacation spots in the United States, so kids who are coming in the
future ought to have some clue of what great things to do and eat await
them!
The Peninsula Music Festival is now
accepting applications for its college scholarship. This three year, $1,000.00 per year,
scholarship is to be awarded to a graduating senior who desires to further his
or her education in music. The recipient must be an outstanding music student,
who has demonstrated his or her ability as a performer and has shown a
sustained interest in music-related activities. Also, the student must major or
minor in music while attending college.
To
apply, a student must write an essay outlining his or her qualifications,
including accomplishments in music, future plans, academic achievements, high
school transcripts, and any other information he or she feels is appropriate
for this music scholarship.
DoorCountyTravelersJournal.com publishes school news as a service to our Door County community. Schools,
parents, and kids may submit articles with photos for publication in our
School News section.
We're especially looking for news of student accomplishments and school
activities of all kinds. Door County schools are great, so let's affirm
this by telling others of our successes and our fine students!
The Friends of Gibraltar, the Gibraltar Spanish Department, and the
Door Community Auditorium have teamed up to celebrate Spanish Literacy at
Gibraltar Schools. In celebration of the K-12 Spanish curriculum, the week of
February 20-26 will be the first annual celebration week of activities, food,
dance, music, and reading that honors Spanish-speaking cultures around the
world.
The celebration will include several activities and performances.
Students in high school and middle school will partner up with students in
elementary school to read and create stories in Spanish.
(Editor's Note: Zephyr Ciesar won the competition.)
Zephyr Ciesar. Photo courtesy Nathaniel Perry.
Rehearsals are well underway for the Seventh
Annual Door County Idol competition. Ever-increasing in popularity, the
competition has run for a sold out audience for the past three seasons. Eight
finalists will compete in the Door County Idol competition this year, which
takes place in conjunction with the Fish Creek Winter Festival on Saturday,
February 5, 2011, at the Door Community Auditorium.
Door County Reads from January 24 - February 18, 2011!
The
Door County Library will lead the event this year with support from
Friends of Door County Libraries, the MMG Foundation and the Door County
Community Foundation.
Free
copies of Fahrenheit 451
will be distributed through Door County libraries after Jan 2, 2011.
Copies of the book will also be distributed to high school classes
across the county. Every junior high school student in Door County will
receive a copy of the graphic novel of Fahrenheit 451 which was created
in consultation with Ray Bradbury. The book is also available for
check-out through the libraries as a large print book, graphic novel, audiobook and downloadable audiobook.
A
nice woman named Mrs. Martinez is leading the multicultural club that
she is just starting at Sevastopol school in order to help students from
different cultures make connections. The club is having a 3 on 3
soccer tournament to raise money for projects so they can open events to
the community. They are also looking for help to run the tournament
(people to help with advertising, people who can sell concessions,
referees and teams).
Award-winning
theatrical and opera costume designer K. Kopischke shares her knowledge and
experience with Gibraltar Middle and High School students and presents historic
renderings of Door County women in "Garments of Our Foundation" at the Link
Gallery in the Door Community Auditorium from January 7 through February
18.
Updated constantly ... What's going on in Door County
Welcome to DoorCountyTravelersJournal.com!
If you are looking for interesting places to visit and things to do, you're in the right place. This online magazine features articles that help you get the most out of your vacation in Wisconsin's magical Door Peninsula. Get useful visitor information and be sure to check out our Kids Edition to find places that children like to go. The opinions and recommendations herein are solely those of our contributing writers. Event information subject to change without notice.
We also publish articles of interest to local residents. Submissions and story ideas are welcome.