IN 26 PHOTOS & 1 VIDEO: WIlliams Bay High School 2023 Homecoming Parade
Williams Bay High School's 2023 homecoming, themed "Tropical Paradise," included a full slate of Bulldogs school spirit activities Sept. 18-22, including a bonfire and powerpuff football and volleyball games.
Homecoming activities culminated on Friday, Sept. 22 with a festive, well-attended 4 p.m. homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay, followed by the 7 p.m. homecoming football game against the visiting Elkhart Lake/Glenbeulah Resorters.
American Legion Riders help patriotically kick off the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
American Legion Riders drawn from Lake Geneva, Mukwonago and Burlington provided a patriotic kickoff to Williams Bay High School’s 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22.
Lake Lawn Resort entry in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
Lake Lawn Resort in neighboring Delavan was among the participants in Williams Bay High School’s 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. Shown riding in Lake Lawn’s hay ride wagon are members of the Williams Bay Middle School softball team.
A large crowd lines West Geneva Street for the 2023 Williams Bay High Schiool homecoming parade
Showing their Bulldogs Pride, a large and enthusastic crowd of all ages lined West Geneva Street (State Hwy. 67) in downtown Williams Bay on Sept. 22 for Williams Bay High School’s 2023 homecoming parade.
Yerkes Observatory special guest Albert Einstein tosses candy to parade-goers at the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
Not every high school homecoming parade draws famous guests like Nobel Prize-winning German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, a notable historical guest famed for visiting the Great Refractor telescope at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay. Here, Einstein tosses candy to parade-goers lining West Geneva Street (State Hwy. 67) in downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. Playing the part of Einstein was Yerkes Observatory facilities and grounds staff member Phil Krueger.
Williams Bay Middle-High School e-sports team participates in the 2023 homecoming parade
Members of Williams Bay Middle-High School's e-sports team ride their scooters down West Geneva Street moves during the high school's Friday, Sept. 23 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay.
The Williams Bay High School Bulldogs football teams rides atop a fire engine in the 2023 homecoming parade
Joined by school mascot Victor E. (Victory) Bulldog, Williams Bay High School’s football team got a lights and sirens emergency services escort from the Williams Bay Fire Department at they ride atop Engine 3623 in the school’s 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay. Pictured, from left, are Trevor Quinn, Jacob Haynes, Derrick Benitez, Alex Johnson, Gage Stanek, Keegan Wehrwein and Ethan Welsh.
Williams Bay High School's volleyball teams ride atop a fire truck in the school's 2023 homecoming parade
Members of Williams Bay High School’s volleyball team got an aerial view of the parade route as they rode atop Williams Bay Fire Department Engine 3621 in the school’s 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. Pictured from left are Aleks Koledova, Brynn Reinhardt, Ciara Benitez, Lauryn Sikes, Allison Wickersham, Avery Tyshenko and Kalie Stanek.
Williams Bay High School freshman homecoming representatives Aubrey Kunes and Nick Gonza
Williams Bay High School freshman homecoming representatives Aubrey Kunes and Nick Gonza toss candy to parade-goers at the school’s 2023 homecoming parade in downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22.
Members of the Williams Bay Middle School HOPE Squad ride in the 2023 homecoming parade
From left, Williams Bay Middle School HOPE Squad members Marteen Gomez, Olivia Beth and Rachel Marten toss candy to parade-goers during the high school’s 2022 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. HOPE Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. Members are nominated by their classmates as trustworthy peers and are trained by advisors.
Williams Bay High School 2023 homecoming junior class representatives Lydia Olson and Simon Pils
Williams Bay High School 2023 junior class homecoming representatives Lydia Olson and Simon Pils ride in the homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22.
Williams Bay High School 2023 homecoming royalty - King Zachary Malison and Queen Sarah Beinetti
Williams Bay High School 2023 homecoming royalty, King Zachary Malison and Queen Sarah Beinetti, toss candy to parade-goers along West Geneva Street (State Hwy. 67) as they ride through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22 during the homecoming parade from Lions Field to Edgewater Park.
Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy participates in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
Williams Bay-based nonprofit Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy was among the local groups and organizations participating in Williams Bay High School’s 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. Among those pictured are Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy founder and chairman Harold Friestad (seated as passenger). Founded in 1990, Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy, 251 Elkhorn Rd. (State Hwy. 67) operates a 231-acre nature preserve featuring prairie, woodland and wetland areas, as well as an aboretum, picnic pavilion, nature-viewing tower and an extensive trail and boardwalk system.
Barrett Memorial Library participates in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
The Barrett Memorial Library and its "Story Time Crew" were among the many community groups and organizations participating in Williams Bay High School's 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. Pictured processing the library's banner sign down West Geneva Street are Cassie Silverman (left) and Emily Sanders (right).
Members of the Williams Bay Lions Club process in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
Members of the Williams Bay Lions Club — First Vice Presiden Mark Zimmerman (left), Third Vice Chair Tom Lothian (center) and Secretary Jack Lothian (right) — process in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. Both Zimmerman and Lothian are members of the Williams Bay Board of Education, with Lothian serving as board president.
Williams Bay Recreation Department flag football players process in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
Players in the Williams Bay Recreation Department's Grades 4-5 flag football progam process down West Geneva Street on Friday, Sept. 22 during Williams Bay High School's 2023 homecoming parade.
Williams Bay High School marching band performs during the 2023 homecoming parade in downtown Williams Bay
LEFT: Members of the Williams Bay High School Marching Band performed in the school’s 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. BOTTOM LEFT: Williams Bay High School 2023 homecoming royalty, King Zachary Malison and Queen Sarah Beinetti, toss candy to parade-goers along West Geneva Street (State Hwy. 67) as they ride through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22 during the homecoming parade from Lions Field to Edgewater Park. BOTTOM RIGHT: Riding atop their class’ Tropical Paradise-themed float, Williams Bay High School sophomores (from left) Sarena Brown, Brooke Nickelsen and Sophia Count toss candy to parade-goers along West Geneva Street (State Hwy. 67) on Friday, Sept. 22 during the school’s 2023 homecoming parade.
Kickoff of the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
The Williams Bay Police Department provides a protective escort as the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade makes its way down West Geneva Street through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22, followed by the American Legion Riders.
Williams Bay High School 2023 homecoming senior class representatives Mattison Stanek and Jacob Bradburg
ABOVE: Williams Bay High School 2023 homecoming senior class representatives Mattison Stanek and Jacob Bradburg ride through downtown Williams Bay during the school’s Friday, Sept. 22 homecoming parade. ABOVE RIGHT: Williams Bay High School 2023 junior class homecoming representatives Lydia Olson and Simon Pils ride in the homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. RIGHT: From left, Williams Bay Middle School HOPE Squad members Marteen Gomez, Olivia Beth and Rachel Marten toss candy to parade-goers during the high school’s 2022 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. HOPE Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program. Members are nominated by their classmates as trustworthy peers and are trained by advisors.
Sophomore class float in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
Riding atop their class’ Tropical Paradise-themed float, Williams Bay High School sophomores (from left) Sarena Brown, Brooke Nickelsen and Sophia Count toss candy to parade-goers along West Geneva Street (State Hwy. 67) on Friday, Sept. 22 during the school’s 2023 homecoming parade.
Wiliams Bay High School sophomore class homecoming representatives Maisie Smith and Michael Pecht
Williams Bay High School sophomore class homecoming representatives Maisie Smith and Michael Pecht greet parade-goers during the school’s 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22.
Williams Bay School District staff members show their Bulldog Pride at the 2023 homecoming parade in downtown Williams Bay
Clad in school color orange-and-black in an enthusiastic show of homecoming spirit, Williams Bay School District staff members Judy Hopkins and Karen Panek whip up the parade-going crowds lining West Geneva Street (State Hwy. 67) during the 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22.
Williams Bay High School Spanish Club marches in the 2023 homecoming parade
The Williams Bay High School Spanish Club was one of several school clubs and organizations participating in Williams Bay High School's 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. Pictured, from left, are Spanish Club members Jaylee Carr, Libby Anhold, Piper Janssen and Gabby Klein.
Geneva Lakes VFW Post 2373 Color Guard marches in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
Members of the Geneva Lakes Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2373 Color Guard patriotically lead Williams Bay High School’s 2023 homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. Color Guard members, from left, are Nathan Bond, Ron Grabski and Peter Kahl. Williams Bay-based Geneva Lakes VFW Post 2373 serves Williams Bay, Lake Geneva, Fontana and Walworth.
Geneva Lake Water Safety Patrol participates in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
Members of the Geneva Lake Water Safety Patrol — Williams Bay High School seniors Lainey Millard and Joe Sorensen — ride atop a trailered patrol boat as it makes its way down West Geneva Street (State Hwy. 67) on Friday, Sept. 22 during Williams Bay High School's 2023 homecoming parade. The Williams Bay-based Geneva Lake Water Safety Patrol, founded in 1920, is a private, nonprofit organization with a mission of keeping Geneva Lake safe and enjoyable for all through lifeguarding services, educational programs including swimming lessons and boating safety classes, and seasonal boat patrols.
The Williams Bay Women's Civic League marches in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
Members of the Williams Bay Women's Civic League — from left, President Mary Umans , Vice President Rita Pilarski and Sheryl Michaelson — process down West Geneva Street (State Hwy. 67) on Friday, Sept. 22 during Williams Bay High School's 2023 homecoming parade. Marking its 75th anniversary in 2023, the nonprofit Williams Bay Women's Civic League is dedicated to service and fundraising to benefit and enhance the lives of area youth.
Williams Bay Historical Society participates in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade
The Williams Bay Historical Society was among the local community groups and organizations participating in the 2023 Williams Bay High School homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay on Friday, Sept. 22. Affiliated with the Wisconsin State Historical Society, the nonprofit Williams Bay Historical Society works to assist in the preservation and exhibition of items of historical interest that are within the boundaries of Williams Bay and the immediate surrounding area.
Williams Bay High School Marching Band plays in the 2023 homecoming parade
Eric Johnson
Reporter
Williams Bay High School’s 2023 homecoming, “Tropical Paradise,” included a full slate of Bulldogs school spirit activities Sept. 18-22,which culminated on Friday, Sept. 22 with a festive, well-attended 4 p.m. homecoming parade through downtown Williams Bay.
Williams Bay High School Principal Emily Soley-Johnson announced Oct. 6 that Class of 2024 senior Aaron M. Johnson, son of Ryan Johnson and Kr…
The Wisconsin Policy Forum named DCF the inaugural recipient of the La Follette/Gladfelter Award for Innovation in State Government for itsefforts in stabilizing and sustaining Wisconsin’s child care industry.
Ecologically thinking outside the box in an increasingly green-focused and green-friendly world, the educational GREENSPACE initiative will so…
Most school districts in Walworth County will receive less state general aid for the current 2023-2024 school year.
Fanning out across Williams Bay on Oct. 20, around 175 Williams Bay High School students in grades 9-12 [erformed various acts of community service outreach at 20 sites as part of the school's annual Charlie Mestek Day of Service.
MADISON… Williams Bay veteran police officer Mark Erickson was honored as the First Responder of the Year by State Representative Tyler August…
The school-based property tax levy within the Williams Bay School District boundaries will see a 13,83% decline after the Williams Bay Board o…
After a three-month vacancy filled on a interim basis by Northbrook, Ill.-based national public-sector staffing firm GovTemps USA, a new perma…
Williams Bay Elementary School hosted area mililary veterans for a special Veterans Day Celebration program on Thursday, Nov. 9, in advance of…
Gov. Tony Evers on Nov. 10 announced Microsoft will invest billions of dollars to expand its data center footprint in the Village of Mount Pleasant in Racine County. This move is expected to bring significant benefits to both the local community and the entire state.
Five projects in the Williams Bay got a financial boost on Nov. 20 as village trustees approved the expenditure of $105,000 of Williams Bay's $276,000 short of COVID-19 pandemic relief American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
Facing a steep projected drop in revenues for its General Fund 10 operations under the mandated state-mandated property tax levy limits and Wisconsin's current school funding formula, the Williams Bay School District is facing a "fiscal cliff" in the upcoming 2024-2025 according to district officials.
District administration at the Dec. 11 Board of Education meeting proposed seeking a non-recurring operating referendum in the amounts of $1,250,000 in 2024-2025, $1.5 million in 2025-2026 and $1,750,000 in 2026-2027.
The board is expected to take action on the recommendation at its Jan. 8 meeting.
Looking to proactively stave off an anticipated "fiscal cliff" next school year, the Williams Bay Board of Education on Jan. 8 unanimously approved an administrative recommendation to go to referendum on the April 2 spring general election ballot. The district will seek voter approval for a three-year non-recurring operating levy to exceed state-mandated property tax revenue limits.
The Williams Bay Business Association/Discover Lake Geneva will hold its popular 17th annual Day in the Bay event this Saturday, Feb. 3, from 2-6 p.m. at Privato Private Events. 2 W. Geneva St. (State Hwy. 67) in downtown Williams Bay.
The proposed redevelopment of the former Bayside Motel in downtown Williams Bay into an upscale hotel suites-style lodging facility took an incremental step closer toward becoming a reality on Jan. 16, as the Williams Bay Plan Commission approved a revised site plan and architectural design review, but a return visit to the Plan Commission in February will first be needed before the plans advance to the village board for discussion and possible action.
The Barrett Memorial Library is once again partnering with the Williams Bay High School Counseling Department to host its second annual Scholarship Open House on Friday, Feb. 28, from 4-7 p.m. at the library, 65 W. Geneva St. (State Hwy. 67) in Williams Bay.
Ongoing and projected future declines in Grades 4K-12 student enrollment, coupled with open enrollment caps approved Jan. 8, saw the Williams Bay Board of Education on Feb. 12 eliminate two teaching positions and implement a 20% cut to the district's technology specialist position for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.
The Williams Bay Village Board on Feb. 19 approved Village President Bill Duncan's appointment of Harvard, Ill. resident Ryan Knop as the village's new Recreation Department director. A graduate of Western Illinois University with a degree in recreation, park and tourism administration, Knop serves as the 6-1/2 year superintendent of Parks and Recreation for the 9,469-resident City of Harvard in McHenry County, Ill., between Chicago and Rockford.
On March 8, the Williams Bay School District released its 2023-2024 Semester 1 honor roll for Williams Bay Middle School and Williams Bay High…
Confusion, love and comedy take center stage this weekend as the Williams Bay High School Drama Club presents "Shakespeare, Clearly: Twelfth Night," with shows on March 15-16 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.
Proactively turning their sights ahead to the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, the Williams Board of Education on March 11 approved entering into collaborative renewal intergovernmental services agreements with two local school districts.
The Williams Bay School District has a school funding referendum on the April 2 spring election ballot, seeking voter approval for a three-year non-recurring operating levy to exceed state-mandated property tax revenue limits in the amounts of $1,250,000 in 2024-2025, $1.5 million in 2025-2026 and $1,750,000 in 2026-2027 to stave off a looming "fiscal cliff" for the district next school year.
Williams Bay High School is ranked #1 in Walworth County and #31 in Wisconsin according to the the recently released 2024 Best High Schools analysis by U.S. News & World Report.
“Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together.” — American ragtime music
On July 22, Williams Bay School District electors approved adoption of the district's total school-based $9,994,773 property tax levy for 2024-2025 at a mill rate of 0.00488 or $4.88 per $1,000 in assessed valuation, based on the assumption of a 5% increase in property values.
Two hirings headlined the short list of action agenda items on Dec. 9 as the Williams Bay Board of Education approved the hiring of Kevin Pietschman for the position of first shift maintenance worker and groundskeeper, and the hiring of Lexi Vesneske as the district's new cheerleading coach.
The festive sounds of the holiday season rang out at Williams Bay Middle-High School on Dec. 17 as the school hosted its annual Winter Band Concert. An audience of several hundred filled the school's lecture center and spilled out into the adjoing commons for the hour-long holiday music concert, which featured Williams Bay Middle-High School's four bands — the Sixth Grade Band, the Grades 7-8 Middle School Concert Band, the High School Jazz Band and the High School Concert Band.
Personnel matters headlined the agenda as the Williams Bay Board of Education met in session on Jan. 13, approving four hiring recommendations…
