OUR MISSION

The Winchester Academy, located in Waupaca, Wisconsin, is a center
for lifelong learning. It was inspired by the tradition of the
Scandinavian Folk Academy.
Our purposes are threefold:
1) to enrich the life of the
community by providing intellectually stimulating and informative programs;
2) to serve the public's wish for continued intellectual growth;
3) to provide a lay audience for Wisconsin's scholars and others with developed expertise to share their knowledge and enthusiasms outside the traditional structure of school and college.

It is not a military school or a building or a campus. It isn't even in
Winchester any more. Those who organized the Academy in 1973 saw
it as a center for adult education, a community of scholars and experts,
(professional and amateur), and a community of learners - folks who
enjoy learning outside the formal school structure.

The Winchester Academy is a nonprofit corporation, exempt under
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is the 18-member volunteer board of trustees, and it is the 450 or so families on the
mailing list. It is 40 or 60 or 150 interested people who come to each free public program. With 25 - 30 Monday evening programs a year, it is the 1000 or more people each year who enjoy the opportunity to learn something interesting and engage in dialog with the experts.

It is the daytime Community Outreach open forums, twice or thrice annually, which feature interactive seminars with guest scholars.

It is a lifelong learning project, offering the opportunity for continuing
informal education to everyone in the Waupaca vicinity.

It was organized and housed for 18 years in Winchester, Wisconsin. It took
its logo from the coat of arms of Winchester College, the first public school in England. (The lamp of learning and Waupaca's historic gazebo now
make the logo uniquely our own.) The Academy moved in 1991, having chosen Waupaca because of its vibrant and growing population. The Waupaca community also gave enthusiastic support to a "trial run" of several series of programs.

The Academy brings free programs to the community to stimulate participants to want to learn more about the topics. The speakers bring superior scholarship or expertise, yet are understandable to people with any level of education.
The topics are diverse, mostly in what we call the humanities,
but including liberal arts and sciences as well as moral and
ethical issues and current events.

Since the move to Waupaca, the Academy has offered around 25 - 30 free public lectures each year, in three series - fall, winter-spring, and summer. The programs do not promote causes or particular beliefs. Neither are they
merely for entertainment (although many speakers entertain delightfully).  In 2007 the Academy introduced three daytime seminars expressly to allow more time for audience participation.

Many programs have been videotaped and are available on loan.

The audiences represent a wide cross-section of the people of the Waupaca area. Some "regulars" come from Waushara, Portage,
Winnebago and Outagamie counties, and summer residents come from much farther.

A  core of people attend regularly; the majority attend because of interest
in the particular topic. Many are retired; many are not. Working people,
business and professional people, high school students, young people of
school age, and whole families attend. They have in common an interest in
learning. Numbers vary from as few as 40 to over 150.

Public donations fund the Academy's free programs. Thanks to a broader base of public support, foundation grants have become another source, as well as the Wisconsin Humanities Council.  Occasionally a "special event" for fund raising purposes is held.  Each has a unique theme and emphasis.

Expenses include publication and mailing costs, telephone and office expenses, post office box rental and corporate filing fees, honoraria and travel costs for speakers, and a modest stipend for the executive director.

Except for the executive director who provides leadership and follow-through to board decisions, there are no paid workers. A volunteer board meets monthly to consider and act on selection of programs and speakers, fund raising, publications and mailing, and to make budgeting decisions. Board members work in committees, prepare publications, seek out and contact speakers, write grant applications, introduce speakers, stuff envelopes for mailing, and serve refreshments following the programs.

Total costs, including honoraria, travel and lodging for speakers was $13,000.00 in 2006.

ˆ  It is free.
ˆ  There is no tuition, no exams, no dress code.
ˆ  It is live and interactive (vs. TV)
ˆ  It is unique - not available in other communities.
ˆ  It promotes social and cultural integration.
ˆ  It offers a fellowship of learning.
ˆ  Outside the school structure, it offers curriculum enrichment at many
   levels.
ˆ  It offers a public forum to local and state-wide experts in many fields.
ˆ  It brings to the community expert sources usually available only in
   metropolitan areas or college towns.
ˆ  It supports and enhances Waupaca's image as a stimulating, rich,
   satisfying community in which to live and grow.

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WINCHESTER ACADEMY presents the

WINTER/SPRING SERIES 2008

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The Winchester Academy of Waupaca presents a series of nine Monday evening lectures, February-April, beginning at 7:15 P. In addition, there will one Community Outreach on Saturday, March 15 at Casey’s Restaurant. Five Monday programs will be held at the Waupaca Area Public Library, three at the Grand Seasons Hotel, and one at Trinity Church. The specific location of each program is noted in the resume. Each presentation lasts approximately one hour and is followed by discussion and refreshments. Admission to all is free. If cancellation is required the announcement will be made on WDUX, AM and FM.

February 4 --THE WILD ROSE FISH HATCHERY – Steven Fajfer, Natural Resources Operations Supervisor and Hatchery Director, will discuss construction and operations of the DNR’s largest (and newly renovated) trout and salmon hatchery.

Grand Seasons Hotel.

February 11 -- WIND AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE OF ENERGY – Wind, as a renewable source of energy, has been a hot topic of discussion in Wisconsin for the past decade. Clay Sterling of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) will review the potential role of wind in responding to the state’s and nation’s critical energy shortage. The pros and cons of wind farms will be discussed. Library.

　

February 18 -- THE COMPANY CAR: OBSERVATIONS FROM THE WAYBACK – Novelist C. J. Hribal, English Professor at Marquette University, and native of Hortonville, will provide reflections on rural life in Wisconsin in the 1950s. His writing focuses on family life and community in that era. Grand Seasons Hotel.

　

February 25 -- HOLOCAUST: VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED - SS ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis sailed out of Hamburg, Germany, in May, 1939, carrying one non-Jewish and 936 Jewish refugees seeking asylum from Nazi persecution. Philip S. Freund, a survivor, will discuss events leading up to the Holocaust, stories of other survivors, and his experiences as a military intelligence officer from 1951 to 1991. Library.

　

March 3 -- DIVERSITY – WHY DO WE HAVE TO CHANGE? – Karl S. Pnazek, President/CEO of CAP Services, Inc., will focus on Central Wisconsin diversity and the ramifications in social, educational, and economic issues. Mr. Pnazek has a national reputation for developing strategies to assist low income households attain economic and emotional self-sufficiency. Grand Seasons Hotel.

March 10 -- EQUESTRIAN THERAPY FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS – Free S.P.I.R.I.T. (Special People in Riding Therapy) Riders, Inc., is a Fond du Lac based non-profit organization committed to enriching lives of children and adults with disabilities. Mary Narges, Executive Director, will review the therapeutic benefits (physical, mental, and psychological) of horseback riding and animal care for persons usually forced to ‘sit on the sidelines.’ Library.

　

MARCH 15 (Saturday) – COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERIES – Robert Cloud, Editor of the Waupaca County Post, and Thomas A. Maroney, Attorney at Law, will review the controversial 1800 Presidential Election and the roles of the press and the First Amendment. Casey’s Restaurant, 9:00 A.M.

　

March 17 – INTAGLIO PRINT ART – Cathy Jean Clark, a Central Wisconsin artist, will demonstrate intaglio print making. This ancient art technique is used in engraving and etching. Ms. Clark is a nationwide exhibitor and teacher. Library.

　

April 7 – LITURGICAL DANCE – Expression of religion through dance is an old but growing art. Pastor Jennifer DeNetz and colleagues will discuss and provide examples in a program which will be held at the Trinity Lutheran Church on Badger Street. Pastor DeNetz is an Associate Pastor at Trinity.

　

April 14 – THE IMPORTANCE OF READING FICTION – Kris Peleg of Century College, White Bear Lake, Minnesota, will discuss the creative value of fiction in the education of college age students. She has considerable experience in the use of interdisciplinary workshops in the education of English students and aspiring writers. Library.

WINCHESTER ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Richard Bidwell – Georgia M. Calvo – Leslie Dent – Rose Marie Dorow (VP) – Marge Goerman (Sec.) – Gloria Gruer – David S. Hathaway (Ex. Dir.) – Bettie Hill – Pat Hollenbeck – Jerry Knoepfel (Pres.) – J. Ingrid Lesley – Teri Moe (Treas.) - Gerald F. Moede – Michelle Peterson – Ray Robinson – Bradley Sherman – Joan Wasserberg – Maurice Wozniak
Emeriti: Neil Eckstein – Carl Strassburg – Marwin Wrolstad


Winchester Academy offers its programs to the public free of charge. It depends on the community in the form of individual and corporate gifts. Contributions are tax deductible under section 501©(3) of the federal tax code. Donors of $300 or more earn ‘sponsorship’ status. The Academy makes every effort to select speakers or topics as requested by the sponsors. For more information please contact Ray Robinson, Program Committee Chairman (258-0973) or David Hathaway, MD (Executive Director – 256-1312). General information available at www.waupaca.com (Business Directory: by type – Education).

        Recipient of the 2003 Governor's Award for Excellence in Programming in
the Humanities

 

WINCHESTER ACADEMY SUPPORT, DONATIONS AND SPONSORSHIPS

Winchester Academy offers its programs to the public free of charge. The Academy depends on the community for support in the form of individual and corporate gifts. Contributions are tax deductible under section 501(C)(3) of the federal tax code.  Donors of $300 or more earn "sponsorship" status for individual programs scheduled by the programming committee,  when the topics and speakers are appropriate to the sponsors.   For more information please contact Ray Robinson, Program Committee Chairman (258-0973) or David Hathaway, MD, Executive Director (256-1312).  For direct donations, please mail to Winchester Academy, P.O. Box 124, Waupaca WI, 54981.

General information is available at www.visitwaupaca.com (Business Directory: by type - Education).

 

 

 

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