Walworth County’s top-achieving school district on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s recently-released school report cards for the 2021-2022 school year was Grades 4K-8 Geneva Joint 4 School District (Woods School), N2575 Snake Rd. in the Town of Geneva, with an 86.4 score that ranks in the Significantly Exceeds Expectations performance category. Woods School was established in 1858.
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Walworth County’s second highest achieving school district on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s recently-released school report cards for the 2021-2022 school year was Grades 4K-8 Reek Elementary School (Linn Joint 6 School District), W4094 S. Lakeshore Dr. in the Town of Linn, with an 85.6 score that ranks in the Significantly Exceeds Expectations performance category. Named for John Reek, Jr., Reek School was established in 1843, five years before Wisconsin’s 1848 statehood.
Spreading some Christmas cheer in the lead-up to winter break, Brookwood Elementary School principal Luke Braden took to the roof of the Grades 4K-3 school on Dec. 21 to welcome arriving students. An alumnus of Badger High School in Lake Geneva and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Braden has been principal at Brookwood Elementary since 2017. The popular Elf on the Shelf tradition had its origins in 2005 when Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell self-published the book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition,” inspired by a family tradition started by Aebersold in Georgia for her twin daughters, Bell and Christa Pitts. Said Braden of being Elf on the Shelf, “I’d seen it online with parents doing it to pretty much embarrass their children and I said, ‘I bet the kids would love that,’ so I decided to make a costume, head up with a harness, and I greeted the kids as they arrived ... with a ‘good morning, I’m glad you’re here, make it a great day.’ With the phenomenon of the Elf on the Shelf being so prevalent, it was something that really connected with the kids and the families. It really started off the day with a lot of fun, going into break with a lot of excitement and happiness to bring us all together with smiles and laughter.”
In 76 Photos: Whitewater Lake Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Walworth County
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Ice Age National Scenic Trail - Boardwalk in Whitewater Lake Segment
The 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail passes through northwestern Walworth County near Whitewater in the Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit. The 4.6-mile Whitewater Lake Segment of the Ice Age Trail, between Clover Valley Road and U.S. Hwy. 12, includes this scenic boardwalk and bridge section near Whitewater Creek.
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Ice Age Trail yellow blaze marker
Signature yellow blazes mark the 1,200-mile Ice Age Scenic National Trail as it meanders its way through Wisconsin. This marker identifies a turn in the trail along the 4.6-mile Whitewater Lake Trail in northwestern Walworth County near Whitewater. The Ice Age Trail is one of 11 national scenic trails.
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Hand-dug by Adam Channing, roadside artesian aquifer “Flowing Well,” 8267 Clover Valley Rd. in the Town of Whitewater, has gushed continuously year-round since 1895. A small park area at Flowing Well features several benches and a small shelter.
Glacial deposits on Ice Age National Scenic Trail
This section of the 4.6-mile Whitewater Lake Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail illustrates the historic record of glacial rock deposits that created Wisconsin's signature hilly moraines some 10,000 years ago.
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Nodding thistle found along the Ice Age Trail.
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Ice Age National Scenic Trail overlook view
Several scenic overlooks atop the hilly moraines on the Ice Age Scenic National Trail's 4.9-mile Whitewater Lake Segment in northwestern Walworth County provide hikers with dramatic sweeping views of the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest.
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Pine forest found along the Ice Age Trail.
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Brush clearing in a power line corridor along the Ice Age Trail, south of Hwy. 12, has allowed a prairie-style habitat to get established and flourish.
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Russulaceae fungi on the forest floor along the Ice Age Scenic National Trail
A hike along the 4.6-mile Whitewater Lake Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail in northwestern Walworth County can turn up some interesting hidden sights for the observant, including this colorful Russulaceae fungi mushroom on the floor of the Kettle Moraine State Forest's Southern Unit.
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Ice Age National Scenic Trail overlook
Scenic overlooks on the forested high hilly moraines along the 4.6-mile Whitewater Lake Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail in northwestern Walworth County provide hikers with dramatic views of the 22,000-acre Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, including Whitewater Lake in the distance.
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St. John's Wort blooming along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail
St. John’s Wort, also known as Devil Chaser and Devil’s Scourge, is one among many wildflowers that bloom in the summer along the 4.6-mile Whitewater Lake Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
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