Whitewater Middle School Builders Club officially chartered
By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
The Whitewater Middle School Builders Club, part of Kiwanis International, has grown in popularity while grooming future leaders.
The WMS Builders Club, which started last fall, went from five to 45 members and was officially chartered during an Oct. 14 ceremony.
Ben Holzem, WMS principal, serves as advisor of the group and said the Builders Club offers students many leadership opportunities.
“We are trying to give these kids great opportunities to showcase who they are, to learn about leadership, to learn about helping other people,” he said during the ceremony. “We feel that defining a person by their actions is something that is really important, and we want to give students the opportunity to demonstrate what type of people they are and to learn about what kind of leaders they can become.”
Fay Burmeister, Kiwanis Builders Club Regional Director for Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, joined the chartering ceremony virtually.
Burmeister, who noted there are 31 Builders Clubs in the Region, indicated the group is the largest service organization for middle school and junior high school students.
“Builders Club is the largest service organization for middle school and junior high school students in the United States. In Builders Club, members learn to work together and develop servant leader skills as they serve their school and community,” she said.
Burmeister, meanwhile, also serves as an advisor for a Builders Club and noted many students channel their energy into service projects.
“I know that middle school students have a vast amount of energy. Builders Club gives them a good way to use that energy.”
She also emphasized the role of the Builders Club members in leading the group, stating, “We like the students to come up with their own service projects because then they’re more eager to see those projects through and be proud of those projects.”
“We are incredibly proud of the efforts that you have put forward to help other people raise themselves up,” Holzem added.
“We united as a team and formed close friendships with one another. None of us are perfect, but when we unite together, our talents come together and we’re able to serve other people.”
Since its launch in Fall 2019, the Whitewater Middle School Builders Club has participated in several service projects, including its first “Rake and Run” consisting of doing yard work at various homes, farms and gathering places.
Additionally, the group has served free spaghetti dinner at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Whitewater, assisted in the annual Community and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Optimist Club trivia night, building a public-share library for the Jefferson County Humane Society, participated in the UNICEF-UW mens hockey team fundraiser and hosted a Culver’s fundraiser for the Whitewater Middle School Parent Teacher Organization.
The WMS Builders Club, meanwhile, is currently assisting the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club with the poinsettia sale and working on a way of saying “Thank You” to the Whitewater Unified School Board as part of National School Board Day on Oct. 26.
Future projects include working with the Jefferson County Humane Society on building a rabbit habitat, helping complete the outdoor mural at Washington Elementary School, reading to early childhood classrooms throughout WUSD, assisting with maintaining the Lincoln Elementary School garden, serving at the free spaghetti dinners in town, and participating in holiday parades.
Holzem believes there is value in students participating in the WMS Builders Club.
“Teaching students the value of public service and working with others to accomplish something positive for others. We’ve found that setting a tone like this promotes building positive friendships with others,” Holzem said. “It demonstrates that it is possible for a diverse group of people to come together as a team. It demonstrates that the bonds formed in situations like this are positive and strong. We aim to provide students with the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing something positive for others. We see this as an important part of developing a better sense of self-respect and respect for others.”
Jean Bromley, president of the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club, participated in the chartering ceremony.
“Builders Club is for middle school students and is a part of the Kiwanis family of clubs which develops leadership potential through guided projects,” Bromley said. “Fundraising is not a requirement, although they help the Breakfast Kiwanis with their fundraisers. It gives the students the opportunity to build character and the ability to work with others, and to create leadership skills to carry over to the community in a positive way, along with building lasting friendships.”
The following WMS students are members of the Builders Club:
Sixth grade: Payton Peacock, Elora Wildermuth-Breitzman, and Abigale McGarey.
Seventh grade: Natalia Casillas, David Servin, Emmanuel Cansino-Pena, Quinton O’Toole, Dylan Sears, Lucy Davis, Lilly Huebanks, Mya Graves-Koran, Daniela Valadez, Peyton Clark, Jackson Repinski, Becca Sciortino, Cody Rogers, Cha-Cha Binagi, and Ava Hensen.
Eighth grade: Isabelle Aranda, Justin Dankert, Jackie Franco, Ariadna J Gonzalez-Cervantes, Andrew O’Toole, Estefany Reyes-Saldana, Alexandra Valadez, Willow Vogelsang, Maritza Vidales, Jowe Wainwright, Aimee Servin, and Liz Servin.
Ninth grade (transitioning to Whitewater High School Key Club): Meridyth Cashion, Kaden Thorne, Alexandra Cansino, Owen Hicks, Evan Copeland, Natalie Pett, Rayne Caughlin, Colton McDermott, Xander Jochims, Jaydin Heederick, Emma McGarry, Wyatt McGeogh, Benjamin Raufman, Donnie Wegner, Robert Holt, and Jasmine Engle.
