By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
In 1989, Whitewater High School hosted three students of Hispanic origin. Today, 35 percent of the high school’s student body has some degree of Hispanic heritage.
This rapid demographic change, revealed by former elected official Jim Winship at a Common Council meeting April 19, serves as the backdrop of a growing effort by city leaders to ramp up outreach efforts to members of the Hispanic community and other ethnic groups.
Winship, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater professor specializing in social work, has extensive background in working with people of Hispanic heritage. Last year, he spent time abroad in Cartagena, Colombia after receiving a Fulbright Scholar Teaching/Research award.
Winship is one of nearly a dozen community members who has served on the city’s Committee Promoting Hispanic and Immigrant Community Involvement. City Manager Cameron Clapper formed the group last year in an effort to increase citizen engagement across all corners of the city.
Winship in his report to the council pointed to a pivotal moment in 1990 that reflected cultural norms, yet left officials in the Whitewater Unified School District scrambling.
Without advance notice, 26 Hispanic students with little to no English mastery began attending a local elementary, middle or high school, and district staffers had to move quickly to ensure the students’ needs were being met.
As Winship noted, “In Mexico, you show up on the first day.”
In an even bigger picture sense, Winship said about 10 percent of Whitewater’s overall population today is of Hispanic origin.
A quarter-century after the WUSD enrollment experience, the city and school district are better equipped to meet the needs of the Hispanic and immigrant population, though Winship said more work is needed.
Winship and other committee members surveyed the Hispanic and immigrant community and learned residents enjoy Whitewater for many of the same reasons of other residents, including low crime rates and small-town charm.
But concerns also bubbled to the surface, including a perceived lack of communication and an occasional racist comment.
Some of the committee’s recommendations included offering information in Spanish and incorporating activities into city festivities that represent Hispanic culture.
Further discussion on the committee’s findings are anticipated in the future.
