The Whitefish Bay Middle School Green Team is greening their thumbs and growing their minds with a new landscaping project in the school's front lawn. The Green Team first began the project on May 20, when they spread 10 cubic yards of mulch across the front garden area. In the future, the group hopes to add landscaping and native plants in an effort to not only beautify the grounds but also create an eco-classroom for long range curriculum that integrates science, art and human ecology classes. It is also a good opportunity to fill a niche for students who want to get involved. "This is …

‘Why Did God Make Sparrows?’, a student-written and directed play based on the real diary of a young man’s final year battling cancer, will run one night only on June 4 at 7 p.m. at Whitefish Bay High School. In 1975, 18-year-old C.J. Smith, Jr. passed away after a struggle with cancer, leaving behind family, friends and a journal he kept over his final year of life. Last summer, Drew Pfiefer, who had been Smith’s best friend, lent the journal to his daughter Kelsey, a junior at Whitefish Bay High School. He’d been given the journal by Smith’s family. Kelsey Pfiefer was inspired by Smith's …

The Whitefish Bay High School National Honor Society inducted new members to the academic honors program Monday night. To be inducted, students must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 and perform community service by the end of their fifth semester. This year's inductees are Lindsey Agnew, Justin Alt, Ryan Ballentine, Elena Beckman, Brien Behling, Quinn Beightol, Thomas Bihler, Sam Bischmann, Kay Burns, Sam Casey, Katie Cook, Madeline Crider, Kelly Danek, Kirstin Edwards, Kristin, Enea, Emma Fallone, William French, Matthew Frick, Emily Garcia, Costanza Genarali, Caitlin Gent, …

Eleven North Shore students won individual categories on National History Day and will represent Wisconsin at the national event, June 12-16 at College Park, MD. National History Day students compete with their peers statewide at junior and senior levels by writing papers, giving performances, building websites, or by creating documentaries or exhibits that reflect an annual theme. This year's theme was "Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences." The Wisconsin Historical Society coordinates the National History Day program in Wisconsin. The winning students from the …

Traditionally, the appearance of religious icon Our Lady of Guadalupe is considered miraculous. Clad in a pale dress and turquoise-colored robe with palms pressed together in prayer and beams of light radiating from her figure, she’s an image of the Virgin Mary recognized the world over. However, when she graces the walls of St. Monica School next month, it won’t be a miracle that put her there, but the talents and hard work of fifth grader Will Drea and his father Ray. Working in tandem, they’ve created a breath-taking version that will be presented at the 8:30am Mass on Friday, June 30. …

Drew Summers, of Whitefish Bay Boy Scout Troop 398, has been awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, scouting's highest honor. Drew will be awarded his Eagle Scout badge on May 7 at his Eagle Court of Honor at the Urban Ecology Center.  Drew's service project at the Urban Ecology Center improved the accessiblity of the footpath to the Milwaukee River, by building two sets of stairs and improving wheelchair access on a series of switchbacks.   Drew managed the work of 25 volunteers who performed over 150 hours of service to complete this project.  The path to Eagle demands a commitment to service and…

Whitefish Bay High School freshman Kat Thien has qualified to participate in the Future Business Leaders of America's National Leadership Conference this summer. Thien participates in the Business Club, an extracurricular club advised by Mr. Lippe of the Business Department, which includes a membership in FBLA. She competed in Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure at the FBLA Regional Leadership Conference and took 3rd place, which gave her the chance to go to the State Conference in Appleton on April 11-12. She took 2nd and became the fifth student in Whitefish Bay history to qualify for …

The Whitefish Bay High School Forensics team is sending a record eight students to the National Catholic Forensic League championships in Washington D.C. on Memorial Day weekend. The students qualified individually through a tournament at the Milwaukee Archdiocese level, where they competed with other Milwaukee area schools. The top 30 entries qualified for the national competition, and seven of those entries were from Whitefish Bay High School. Only Brookfield East High School had more qualifiers. This year's team doubled the number of students that qualified for the tournament last year, …

When North Shore Presbyterian Church was damaged by the floods last summer, Whitefish Bay High School Junior Zack Serebin was there to help. A member of Boy Scout Troop 400, Serebin initiated a volunteer project that replaced the drywall and insulation of the Shorewood church’s badly damaged basement. The project served as Serebin’s Eagle Project, and after nearly 50 hours of volunteering, he and his team of volunteers completed the project in March. Serebin will be recognized as an Eagle Scout later this year. As the project leader, Serebin organized a team of more than 20 volunteers from …

Amidst all the basketball games and March madness, another local team took home a state championship trophy last weekend - the forensics team at St. Monica School. About 1,400 middle school students from 80 schools around the state participated in the MLFA state forensics tournament at Oconomowoc High School Saturday. St. Monica's took home the first place team trophy, coach Anne Rice was recognized as Coach of the Year for her 10 years of intermittent volunteer service and her daughter Rachel Rice won a first place trophy in the prose category with two perfect 42 scores and first place …

Both the girls and boys basketball teams have made it to state, and now Whitefish Bay Middle School seventh grader Alec Lindfors has taken fourth in another state tournament - the 2011 Wisconsin Geographic Bee. Lindfors, son of Georgia Mavrinac and Michael Lindfors of Whitefish Bay, was one of 100 students that competed at the state level bee of the National Geographic Society, which was held in Madison on April 1. To qualify, Lindfors advanced through multiple rounds of the Whitefish Bay Middle School Geography Bee to become the school champion. A written test is available to all students …

Each week, Whitefish Bay Patch selects individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments for our Whiz Kid feature. This week's Patch Whiz Kid of the Week is 17-year-old Erin Lehrmann. School: Senior at Whitefish Bay High School Accomplishments: An accomplished oil painter, Erin is weighing her options for top-tier art colleges. She has been accepted and offered scholarships at Pratt Institute and Maryland Institute College of Art, and she is waiting to hear back from the Rhode Island School of Design. Key to Awesomeness: Erin said she made up …

What started as a hobby for Jack Malone, poking around websites, buying whole-sale laser pointers and other gadgets for his friends, is now shaping up to be a growing business venture. Malone, 17, said he started buying cheap gadgets online when he was in middle school. By the time he was a freshman, he had expanded his business, and the next year he had an online catalog. Last year, he and his friend Riley Gasiorowski decided to see how far they could take the idea, so they created a website for product orders and jumped through the hoops of licensing their business, WFB Gadgets, with the …

Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree. Each week, Whitefish Bay Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens, and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid.  Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to Editor Jeff Rumage. Here's our first Whiz Kid: Name: Matthew Frick, 16 School: Whitefish Bay High School …