The Oconomowoc High School Drama Department’s fall production of “Into the Woods” has won an “Outstanding Musical” award. The newly opened Performing Arts Center was the backdrop for a fabulous display of talent by our local high schoolers. I attended the production, and was blown away! The poise and professionalism of these young actors, was incredible. The scenery, costuming, singing and acting were all comparable to a professional production.
The Tommy Awards are part of a state wide musical theater competition, administered by the Overture Center, in Madison. Professionals from around Wisconsin and Chicago spent 6 months attending and ranking performances to select the nominees. “Into the Woods” won in 7 categories, with 2 Honorable Mentions. The winners are as follows:
Outstanding Musical
Outstanding Direction – Thomas Klubertanz
Outstanding Lead Performer – Anna Herro (Little Red)
Outstanding Lead Performer – Hanna Gaffney (Witch)
Outstanding Lead Performer – Cria Ama (Cinderella)
Honorable Mentioned Supporting Performer–Tyson Monroe (Baker)
The ceremony to present the awards will take place on June 6th and 7th, at the Overture Center in Madison. Excerpts from the winning shows will be performed to a live, public audience. To be a part of this wonderful event, that celebrates the talents of our local Wisconsin youth, contact the Overture Center Box Office at: 608-258-4141, or visit their website.
For more wonderful theater in Oconomowoc, attend the current drama production, “Metamorphoses”, running through this Sunday, at the OHS Little Theater.
Location: OHS Little Theatre Comments: The OHS Drama Spring production of “Metamorphoses” presented in the Little Theater May 19-21 @ 8:00, May 22 @ 4:00 and 8:00, May 23 @ 2:00. Tickets are $15 for adult and $12 for students/seniors, general admission. Tickets go on sale at the OAC box office April 13th at 12:00. Tickets include sales tax. Service fees apply on all sales.
This weekend, sailors from the newly formed, Oconomowoc High School Sailing Team, head east to Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, in search of a chance to place in the prestigious Toby Baker National Regatta.
Teams from across the Midwest will compete for the coveted spot, to represent the MISSA at this event. Qualifiers will move on to the event, held on May 21-23, in Seattle, Washington, at “Sail Sand Point”, Seattle’s Community Sailing Center.
Participants from Oconomowoc High School are Senior: Ben Otten, Juniors: Connor Trepton, Katrina Debbink and Bridget Murphy, Sophomore: Brittan Keck, and Freshman: Dan Groskopf. Smooth Sailing and Fair Winds to our local metro Milwaukee kids!
High School sailing is in full swing in the Midwest. This past weekend, our local sailors played host to 12 teams from Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. They competed in “team racing,” which consists of a round robin format, pitting one school against another in a 3 on 3 boat situation. Teams utilize strategy to block their opposing team. Boats are awarded points based on their respective finishes, i.e. 1st through 6th places, and the team with the lowest points wins that round. At the end of the regatta, the team with the most wins is the victor. Kids love this format, because in addition to their individual sailing skills, they can assist their team mates in maneuvering boat position.
Discovery World allowed us to use their docks as a base camp, allowing spectators a wonderful view of the sailing. Clear skies and blustery winds, at times in excess of 30 knots, made for some very exciting sailing!
This weekend, our teams from Oconomowoc High School and Marquette High School, will travel to Wayzata, Minnesota, to compete in a National Team Qualifier for the Mallory Regatta. Top teams from each region across the country, will compete in May in Connecticut, should they qualify.
For more information regarding local high school sailing, contact Milwaukee Youth Sailing Team at www.mystracing.org.
Tomorrow, communities throughout Southeastern Wisconsin will be holding various local elections. Realtors tend to be a very patriotic bunch, as we are part of one of the oldest voices in America, the National Association of Realtors. As a Realtor, I’d like to encourage all of my fellow “Wisconsinites,” to get out and vote tomorrow, April 6th.
I just received an electronic news letter from my local school district, and was impressed with the poise of the students at Oconomowoc High School, who moderated a local forum for the Oconomowoc School Board candidates. If you haven’t had a chance to hear the message of these accomplished candidates, check out the video below, and remember to exercise your right to vote, tomorrow.
Lights, camera, action! Nature Hill Intermediate School in Oconomowoc is proud to present the theatrical production of Beauty and Beast. The performance will take place in the newly built Oconomowoc Performing Arts Center at Oconomowoc High School on March. 11, 12 and 13. I stopped in at school the other day, and happened to see the kids rehearsing. As usual, residents will be treated to a wonderful display of talent and entertainment for the entire family! It’s a special treat for the kids to perform this production in the Art’s Center. It’s the policy of the NHI drama department, to produce one show a year in the new building. See this flyer for further information regarding ticket purchases, show times and dates. Check it out!
Youth Basketball is in full swing in Southeastern Wisconsin. This Saturday, January 9th, Oconomowoc hosts the OYB Cooney Classic Tournament. There will be 40 teams participating and 60 games being played throughout the day. Teams participating are coming from all over Southeast Wisconsin. All games will be played at the Oconomowoc High School Field House, located at the south end of the building. Admission is $2 for adults, students and seniors. Children under 5 are free. Half of all the admission fees collected will benefit “Coaches vs. Cancer,” in addition to all of the proceeds from additional donations to this cause.
Teams playing are from Oconomowoc, Wisco, Brookfield East and Central, Watertown, Waukesha West, Cedarburg, Arrowhead, Pewaukee, Mukwonago Gold and Waukesha North.
If you love basketball, and would like to see the “up and coming youth talent” in our area, visit the OHS field house and watch some great youth basketball! Games start at 8am and will run through the late afternoon.
As I was driving this weekend, I heard the term “Super Saturday” being tossed about on the radio, describing it as the last big push for Christmas shopping. Believe me, I’m not against shopping, gift giving or the trappings of the holidays, however, it did make me raise an eye brow and pause. “Super Saturday??” It seems that every year, we, as consumers are led down yet another “retail therapy” path, making it increasingly difficult to focus on the true spirit of the Christmas season.
So, it pleased me to read these articles (Click here for first article) (Click here for second article) about some Oconomowoc High School students, who took it upon themselves to spread the spirit of giving, this holiday season. It has become an annual event for some, who used their own money, in addition to funds that they raised, to purchase gifts and some essentials for other students who are less fortunate. Especially in these challenging economic times, it is essential to remember our community organizations that assist those who are struggling..food pantries, shelters, religious and fraternal organizations who collect for those in need, etc.
So, thank you OHS students who remembered this important lesson, and without any fanfare, went about doing something for others. I wish you and your families, a blessed holiday season!
It’s official. School’s out for summer! For many of you, this happened a few weeks back, but in many public schools across Southeastern Wisconsin, this week marked the end of the 2008-2009 school year.
For residents of Oconomowoc Area School District, this year was especially eventful. We saw the completion and opening of two new, state of the art, intermediate schools; Nature Hill Intermediate and Silver Lake Intermediate. These beautiful facilities serve grades 5-8. The grouping of these ages is a new trend among communities, and slightly modifies the traditional middle school system of 6th - 8th grades. Students are grouped by floor and grade, with most of their classrooms revolving around a POD format.
As a parent of 3 boys, all of whom attend schools in the Oconomowoc system, I was thrilled to see my youngest and my middle son, thrive at Nature Hill. I’ve always been an advocate for Oconomowoc Schools, but the technology and resources available to the teachers in these classrooms was incredible! Teachers were able to incorporate lessons into a DVD format for projection on their permanent, in classroom, media screen, which was linked to their desktops. These “smart screens” also allowed for viewing a wide array of multi-media. The teachers were also treated to teacher resource/conference rooms for their respective bases, allowing for greater teacher interaction and planning, within the school day.
The elective course facilities include, but are not limited to individual Band, Orchestra and Choir Rooms, an Art Studio complete with a neighboring Graphic Design Studio, a multi-purpose stage and presentation area, a flexible gymnasium complete with rock climbing wall, and the list goes on.
A favorite of the Nature Hill facility, that cannot go unmentioned, is Nature Hill itself. Nature Hill boasts some of the most beautiful walking trails, complete with several examples of various eco-systems and a charming creek. Students are treated to a “rocking” sledding hill in the winter, and stimulating biology and science lessons on the Hill, throughout the year.
In addition to these new schools, Oconomowoc welcomed the absolutely stunning, Oconomowoc Arts Center, which is attached to the High School. If you haven’t been there yet, please come! This facility is going to be a hallmark of the Performing Arts in Oconomowoc, for years to come. OHS has a proud tradition in the arts, and this center only enhances the wonderful talent that is home to the Oconomowoc community.
Last, but not least, I would be remiss if I did not mention the International Baccalaureate program, offered in addition to, Advanced Placement classes. Students can now earn an IB Diploma, from a school within a school, so to speak. IB diplomas are recognized throughout the world, as a standard for academic excellence. OASD is one of a handful of school districts offering this program. My eldest son will be participating in the IB program, and we are eager to see him test his mettle with this rigorous academic curriculum. You can read more about all of these topics by going to http://www.oasd.k12.wi.us.
So, for now, we turn our attention to the matters at hand; swimming, biking, sailing, tennis playing, baseball, picnics, outdoor festivals and concerts, and all things summer! If your summer plans include house hunting in the Lake Country area, give Oconomowoc a nod. Call me. I’d love to show you some of what makes it a great place to live!
Minnesota may be the “Land of Lakes”, but in Wisconsin, we like to claim that we are the heart of the Midwest’s Lake Country. From the stunning cityscape along the Milwaukee Lakefront, to the beautiful spring fed lakes, and chain of lakes throughout Southeastern and Northern Wisconsin, Wisconsin boasts some of the best water frontage in the country!
Water recreation comes in many forms, but a passion near and dear to Southeast Wisconsin, is SAILING! The Inland Lakes Yachting Association dates back over 150 years. Big boat sailing has an equal and passionate following on Lake Michigan.
A recent addition to the club, is the newly formed, Milwaukee Youth Sailing Team, a group of high school teens, committed to competitive sailing. Milwaukee Yacht Club is host to the group, consisting of several area high schools. MYST, as the team is referred to, trains as a collective, and then competes in smaller groups by high school. They sail 420’s and Lasers.Oconomowoc High School, Marquette High School and Trinity Academy all have official high school teams. Other students compete as mixed teams, from various high schools in the area.
MISSA, the Midwestern Interscholastic Sailing Association, is our region’s governing body of ISSA, the national group. Our Midwest kids are some of the best sailors in the country, and are competitive on a regional, as well as national basis. Many have sailed nationally and internationally since they were young kids, in the opti.
On May 9th and 10th, MYC will play host to the region’s area schools. Kids will be here from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota. Follow the action on Sailgroove, or on any of the websites linked to these organizations.
Karen Trepton
This weekend, sailors from the newly formed, Oconomowoc High School Sailing Team, head east to 
High School sailing is in full swing in the Midwest. This past weekend, our local sailors played host to 12 teams from Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. They competed in “team racing,” which consists of a round robin format, pitting one school against another in a 3 on 3 boat situation. Teams utilize strategy to block their opposing team. Boats are awarded points based on their respective finishes, i.e. 1st through 6th places, and the team with the lowest points wins that round. At the end of the regatta, the team with the most wins is the victor. Kids love this format, because in additi
on to their individual sailing skills, they can assist their team mates in maneuvering boat position.
Lights, camera, action! Nature Hill Intermediate School in Oconomowoc is proud to present the theatrical production of Beauty and Beast. The performance will take place in the newly built Oconomowoc Performing Arts Center at Oconomowoc High School on March. 11, 12 and 13. I stopped in at school the other day, and happened to see the kids rehearsing. As usual, residents will be treated to a wonderful display of talent and entertainment for the entire family! It’s a special treat for the kids to perform this production in the Art’s Center. It’s the policy of the NHI drama department, to produce one show a year in the new building. See 
As I was driving this weekend, I heard the term “Super Saturday” being tossed about on the radio, describing it as the last big push for Christmas shopping. Believe me, I’m not against shopping, gift giving or the trappings of the holidays, however, it did make me raise an eye brow and pause. “Super Saturday??” It seems that every year, we, as consumers are led down yet another “retail therapy” path, making it increasingly difficult to focus on the true spirit of the Christmas season.
As a parent of 3 boys, all of whom attend schools in the Oconomowoc system, I was thrilled to see my youngest and my middle son, thrive at Nature Hill. I’ve always been an advocate for Oconomowoc Schools, but the technology and resources available to the teachers in these classrooms was incredible! Teachers were able to incorporate lessons into a DVD format for projection on their permanent, in classroom, media screen, which was linked to their desktops. These “smart screens” also allowed for viewing a wide array of multi-media. The teachers were also treated to teacher resource/conference rooms for their respective bases, allowing for greater teacher interaction and planning, within the school day.
has an equal and passionate following on Lake Michigan.
