Lakeside Bowling Club wraps successful inaugural season

The charter year for the Lakeside Bowling Club recently wrapped up with several successes in the books. The new club was a co-op team comprised of students from Lakeside Lutheran in Lake Mills and Lake Mills High School.

The team participated in six baker-format meets (two matches per meet) at several bowling centers across the 6th district (greater Watertown area) under the high school division of the Bowling Centers Association of Wisconsin (BCAW). The team won three matches and placed 4th in the division 2 standings. Competition is stiff as all teams in the district compete regardless of school size and level of expertise. The district wrapped up the season with a fun tournament where the Lakeside club qualified 4th out of 12 teams and took 3rd place overall in the stepladder competition. The team wrapped the year with a bowling party at Hering’s Fish Bowl in Lake Mills.

Charter members of the Lakeside Bowling Club include: back, l-r:  Nick Peterson, Austin Schwab, Connor Slattery. Front: coach Tom Horn, Josh Bittorf, Brooke Engel, Kristel Hafenstein, Emma Horn and coach Rich Parkhurst.

Team members included senior Brooke Engel, Lake Mills HS co-op; Lakeside juniors Kristel Hafenstein, Beaver Dam; Connor Slattery, Lake Mills; sophomores Josh Bittorf, Waterloo; Nick Peterson, Sun Prairie; Austin Schwab, Fort Atkinson; and freshman Emma Horn, Watertown. The team was coached by Tom Horn and Rich Parkhurst, both of Watertown.

The club is grateful for those instrumental in making this charter year a success. Thanks go out to Jon Hering and Hering’s Fish Bowl for hosting weekly practices and the end-of-season party; to Tyler Speth of American Family Insurance in Lake Mills for sponsoring the club’s first season and providing custom shirts; to Amy Slattery of Bugaboodles in Lake Mills for producing custom shirts under a tight timeline; to Jen Hafenstein for recording all individual and team scoring for the season.

The club expects to continue with a 2020-21 season, with most of the team returning since there is only one senior graduating and news of several interested incoming freshmen. The goal is to enroll multiple teams from Lakeside in 2020-21 meets. For those interested in participating next year, reach out to coaches at lakesidehsbc@gmail.com and be on the lookout for further information and sign-ups in the fall.

Lakeside Lutheran High School is committed to assisting parents in nurturing the faith of students through a Christ-centered education that emphasizes the grace of God in Christ.  In all areas of academics and extracurricular activities students learn about living Christian lives of service in the home, the church and society. Lakeside Lutheran is supported by a federation of 32 area Lutheran congregations. For additional information about Lakeside, go to llhs.org or call 920-648-2321 and ask for Principal James Grasby.

Principal’s Pen: Your faith DNA

Genealogy is “all the rage.” In recent years, millions have taken DNA tests, performed online research, and searched family Bibles and letters, all to find out about themselves through their ancestors. Perhaps they feel their past will also reveal their future. As God’s people, we have a “faith-genealogy.” It tells us about ourselves by looking at the lives of believers who preceded us. It also gives us the sure hope of our future life to come.
The Apostle Paul warned the Galatian churches about “a different gospel” [Galatians 1:6] that some of them embraced. As an “apostle to the Gentiles” [Galatians 2:8], the Holy Spirit led him to explain how Christ perfectly fulfilled the law of Moses.  As such, the law’s requirements —particularly circumcision—no longer bound believers. Unfortunately, some Galatians believed the false teachers’ lies that they were obligated to live by the law.
Near the letter’s midpoint, Paul states, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” [Galatians 3:28]. In God’s eyes, we “are all one.” When God views us, he does not see us as we are. He sees us as Christ has made us.
Without Christ’s righteousness, a holy and righteous God sees all humans as sinners. He views us “like one who is unclean.” In this state, even our attempts to fulfill the law by  “righteous acts are like filthy rags” [Is. 64:6]. For this, we deserve only God’s wrath and eternal punishment.

Through Christ’s atoning work, God sees us in a wholly different way. We are not “Jew nor Gentile … slave nor free … male and female.” Rather, we “are all one in Christ Jesus.” Through him, we are also “without blemish and free from accusation” [Colossians 1:22].

If you researched your ancestry, you may have made interesting discoveries. Some of them may even have provided you with personal insights. Never forget your greater ancestry with all believers by faith in Christ. Through him alone, we “are all one.”
Lord, as your family members by faith, lead us to thank you daily with our words and actions.

Jim Grasby is principal of Lakeside Lutheran High.
Reach him at 920.648.2321 or jgrasby@llhs.org

Musicians qualify for State Music Festival

Eighteen Class A entries from Lakeside Lutheran earned a starred first rating at the Wisconsin State Music Association (WSMA) Solo-Ensemble District level held the week of Feb. 24-29. Starred first ratings in Class A, the highest level of music selection, qualify musicians to perform at the WSMA State Festival at UW-Whitewater Saturday, April 25.

The Warrior Percussion Ensemble earned the right to perform at the State WSMA Festival at UW-Whitewater on April 25. Members pictured, front row, L-R: Anika Stone, Emily Meiller, Jadyn Duddeck, Rachel Mayer, Ella Collins. Second row: Evelyn Schauer, Madelyn Vanderhoof, Trevor Geerdts, Benjamin Ertman, Benjamin Klug, Logan Preskar. Third row: Elizabeth Isham, Cody Gumz, Joseph Balistreri, Kyle Jaeger, Allen Lester, Carter Huber. Back: Caleb Hermanson, Benjamin Kasper, Elijah Wohling, Ella Butzine, Trevor Holzhueter, Elijah Grow.

The Warrior Percussion Ensemble, directed by Mr. Brett Duwe, is among those advancing to state competition. Two piano trios also advanced: Elizabeth Isham, Watertown; Sarah Ulsberger, Fort Atkinson; and Jada Gresens, Sun Prairie, and Jack DePrey, Sun Prairie, Isaac Winters, Watertown, and Jonah Heyerholm, Cottage Grove.

Soloists that are moving on include Emma Berg, DeForest, (vocal and music theater); Ella Collins, Lake Mills (piano); Madelyn Plitzuweit, Oconomowoc, (piano);  Aaron Fritz, Middleton, (euphonium); Benjamin Kasper, Helenville, (drum set); Cody Gumz, Marshall, (drum set); Gilbert Haw, Marshall (trombone); Katelyn McGurk, Lake Mills (french horn); Elijah Wohling, Beaver Dam (marimba); Hannah Meyer, Jefferson (vocal and music theater), Jack DePrey (piano); Jada Gresens (piano), and Elizabeth Isham (piano). Mr. James Buege is the director of choirs, Mr. Glen Pufahl is director of bands and Mrs. Julie Hildebrandt manages all and teaches many of the Lakeside piano students.

Other Lakeside Lutheran  instrumental and vocal solo/ensemble students advancing to the WSMA State Festival include: Front row, L-R: Elizabeth Isham, Sarah Ulsberger, Hannah Meyer, Katelyn McGurk, Isaac Winters, Jack DePrey. Middle: Aaron Fritz, Cody Gumz, Emma Berg, Gil Haw. Back: Benjamin Kasper, Elijah Wohling, Madelyn Plitzuweit, Jada Gresens, Ella Collins. Missing: Jonah Heyerholm. 

In addition to the starred first performances, Lakeside Class A entries were awarded fourteen first ratings, five seconds, and one third for a total of 38 Class A performances. In class B, Lakeside Lutheran had 21 entries. Of those, 11 earned a first place rating, and ten earned a second. Three of the seven Class C entries from Lakeside earned a first rating while four received a second.

Overall, Lakeside had 66 solo or ensemble entries that involved more than 85 students. Lodi High School and Luther Prep School were the 2020 sites that hosted more than 650 entries from among 11 Capitol North Conference middle and high schools.

Haw is Merit Scholar finalist

Senior Gilbert Haw has been named a Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program, placing him in the top 1% of 2018 PSAT academic test-takers.

Lakeside Lutheran High School is pleased to announce that senior Gilbert Haw, son of Steve and Heidi, Lake Mills, has been named a Finalist in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. This distinction places him in the top 1% of participants in a process sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation that began the fall of his junior year.

Haw, also one of the Top Ten academic students in his class, is one of only 15,000 students throughout the nation who have been recognized for their exceptional academic promise. These high school seniors are eligible for 7,600 scholarships worth more than $31 million that are offered in the spring. About half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. More than 1.5 million students entered the 2020 competition by taking the 2018 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).

Beyond the classroom, Haw has been involved in Jazz and Warrior Marching Bands, STEM and Robotics Clubs, Tech/AV Club, Academic Bowl and Math Team. After graduation this May, he plans to attend Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology or Valparaiso University to pursue German and Mechanical Engineering.

McGurk awarded Herb Kohl scholarship

Senior Katelyn McGurk received a 2020 Student Initiative Scholarship from the Herb Kohl Foundation.

A $10,000 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation 2020 Student Initiative Scholarship was presented to senior Katelyn McGurk at a recognition luncheon hosted by Herb Kohl, Wisconsin philanthropist and businessman. Katelyn plans to attend Martin Luther College to study Elementary and Special Education. She is the daughter of Damion and Laura Dehnert of Lake Mills and Chris McGurk of Fargo, N. Dak.

The Kohl Initiative Scholarship recognizes students who are putting forth extraordinary effort to do their best in the classroom and have overcome significant obstacles or adversity. Recipients are selected by their teachers and school administrators.

“Katelyn is a very deserving recipient of the Kohl Initiative Scholarship,” says Lakeside Lutheran Guidance Director Andy Rosenau. “Not only does the award recognize the challenges recipients have overcome, but it offers hope and opportunity to students that might not otherwise be able pursue a four-year college degree. It can be truly life changing.”

Since 1990 the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation has annually awarded scholarships to 200 graduating high school students throughout Wisconsin. Since it was established in 1990, the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation has awarded $14.5 million to Wisconsin students, teachers, principals, and schools.

Lakeside Lutheran robotics team heads to state

One team from the Lakeside Lutheran High School VEX Robotics Club is advancing to the Wisconsin State VEX Robotics Championship on February 22 in Appleton. The senior team clinched the state berth by finishing third in skills at the 2020 Wisconn Valley VEX Robotics Competition held Jan. 18 at Shoreland Lutheran High School, Somers.

Team members include Katelyn McGurk, Lake Mills; Trevor Geerdts, Lake Mills; and Gilbert Haw, Marshall. This is the first-ever state qualifier for the three-year-old LLHS VEX Robotics program. Participants strategically drove the robots they designed, built, and programmed—with guidance from their teachers and mentors—to score as many points as possible in matches and skills challenges.

The high school participates in the VEX VRC division in a game called “Tower Takeover.” The goal is to strategically stack six-inch cubes in corners and place cubes in towers. Two teams compete in matches involving driver-controlled play and self-driving play, which relies solely on coding skills.

“These student competitors raise their own funds, design and construct their robots with in game criteria, and enter competitions to test their progress. Today’s students need to develop skills for jobs that don’t even exist yet,” said Andrew Willems, technology director and VEX Robotics coach at Lakeside Lutheran. “VEX Robotics pushes students to be creative, problem-solve, and work together to help students learn to apply their STEM knowledge.”

The VEX Robotics Competition, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, is the largest and fastest growing middle and high school robotics program globally with more than 11,000 teams from 32 countries playing in over 750 tournaments worldwide. The 2020 World Championships are in Louisville, KY April 23-25.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education in the STEM Academy at Lakeside Lutheran teaches a curriculum designed by Project Lead the Way (PLTW). The PLTW program engages students in activities, projects, and problem-based learning to focus on college and career goals. STEM courses are for students who may be considering college or technical fields related to STEM, and considered an Academy because STEM courses are taken concurrently with required math and science courses needed to graduate from Lakeside Lutheran. For more information, contact Director Andrew Willems at awillems@llhs.org or visit llhs.org/stem.

2020 Badger State reps announced

Lakeside Lutheran High School has announced its 2020 Badger Boys and Girls State representatives. The boys selected to represent Lakeside Lutheran at the 79th session of Badger Boys State at Ripon College from June 13-20 are Will Jorgensen, son of Mark and Nancy, McFarland, and Devin Splinter, son of Dan and Cheryl, Ixonia. The girls representing Lakeside Lutheran at the 77th session of Badger Girls State at UW-Oshkosh from June 11-26 are Lydia Buxa, daughter of Greg and Linda, Oconomowoc, and Ashley Grundman, daughter of Todd and Sherry, Waterloo.

Lakeside Lutheran representatives for the 2020 Badger Boys and Girls State Conferences in June include (L-R) Devin Splinter, Ashley Grundman, Will Jorgensen, and Lydia Buxa.

Lydia Buxa, currently tied for first in class GPA, is planning a career in pediatric or neonatal nursing. She started Butterflies for Henry, a charity that donates all proceeds from the sale of hand-painted magnets and printed stickers to the family of a two-year-old boy who suffers from a rare skin disease. She is a member of Teens for Christ, a service organization at Lakeside, and this summer will participate in a STEAM Camp in Alaska  as part of Lakeside’s Operation Go mission teams. She has also volunteered at Twice is Nice Resale Shop seasonal changeovers, St. Paul, Lake Mills’ annual Trunk or Treat, Thrivent Financial’s Military Day, and at Lighthouse Youth Center in Milwaukee.

Buxa, who works at Kwik Trip, is a member of the National Honor Society, Academic Bowl team, and the Math team. She is also on the yearbook staff and the newspaper editorial team. She attended the Lake Mills Leadership Optimist’s Club Breakfast and was a delegate to the 2019 Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) Camp. A member at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Farmington, she sings in the A Cappella choir, played volleyball for one year, basketball for two seasons, and has been on varsity track for three years.

“I’m glad to be chosen for BGS because it’s an opportunity to let my leadership grow,” she says. “I’m excited to not just learn about how government works, but also actually experience and become a part of it.”

For three years, Ashley Grundman has participated in golf, STEM Club, math meets, and the Academic Bowl. She was a founding member of Lakeside’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, is also a member of the National Honor Society, has been part of FFA for two years, was in the drama production her sophomore year, and managed the girls soccer team her freshman year. She serves as the secretary of Teens for Christ, “which I feel is a huge honor as a junior,” she says. A member of A Cappella Choir, she has participated in Operation Go mission trips, helps with chapel set up and the Grand Event—the school’s fundraising gala.

At her church, St. John-Newville, Waterloo, she helps with VBS and Sunday school, the Altar Guild, church decorating committee, and the church band. She is also active in the youth group and helps younger kids participate in the Christmas service. In addition, Grundman holds three part-time jobs as an assistant to a SimplyFun™ educational board game company rep, seasonal work at James J. Chocolate in Lake Mills, and as church secretary.

Grundman, who is considering a career in teaching or the medical field, is “looking forward to meeting with girls from other schools around the state, talking with them and learning about the different cultures within our own state. I’m also excited for what I might learn there, as I’ve been told the different life skills you learn can be used throughout your entire life,” she says.

Will Jorgensen, a member of Our Redeemer, Madison, volunteers at his church’s vacation Bible school and is active in their youth group. He has participated in Operation Go, taking two mission trips to Alaska. At school, Jorgensen participates in forensics, Teens for Christ, track, National Honor Society, and A Cappella Choir. His freshman year, he was on the baseball team and took piano lessons.

As a member of the football team, he earned 1st team all-conference as an offensive lineman and he is the off-season football captain, in charge of making sure people are in the weight room and stay interested in football.

Jorgensen is considering a career in business or international relations, “because I enjoy learning Spanish and business classes,” he says. He is looking forward to Badger Boys State to “meet new and interesting people, and to learn how government works by experiencing it firsthand. I think that BBS is going to be a fun and memorable experience, and I am honored to have been nominated.”

Through Badger Boys State, Devin Splinter is “looking forward to learning how to be a better leader in my school and my community,” he says. Splinter, who is considering being a middle school teacher, is active in his community, having been a beef representative on the Jefferson County MAP committee and 12-year member of the Ixonia Victory 4-H club, where he has served as president, vice-president, and secretary. This summer will be his seventh year showing and selling steer at the Jefferson County Fair, where he has won multiple awards and ribbons.

Splinter is a member of St. Matthew, Oconomowoc, where he serves as a group leader for Vacation Bible School and Christmas 4 Kids. At school, Splinter participates in football, track, Teens for Christ, National Honor Society, math team, and New Friends. He is headed to Chattanooga, Tenn., this summer as part of an Operation Go mission trip.

“I am glad to have been chosen for BBS because I know it is a huge honor. I am also really glad that my teachers have chosen me for this because it helps me stay focused on my schoolwork and the way I act around other people,” he says.

 

Badger State Government and Leadership Conferences are an opportunity for students entering their senior year of high school to put the principles of democratic government into action during a weeklong assembly. Sponsored by the Wisconsin American Legion and its Auxiliary, the goals of Badger State assemblies are to prepare young men and women of high school age for citizenship in a modern world, teach principles of democracy, instill a love of country and desire to preserve our government. Schools are encouraged to select representatives based on a combination of interest shown, leadership qualities, character, fitness, scholarship and extra-curricular activities.