Water, Transportation, and Working Lives
Sociology, history, technical education, and science students from Slinger High School in Slinger, WI worked with members of local organizations and Educational Television Productions/NEW during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 school years to conduct interviews and document working lives in the Slinger area. The focus was on people who worked in water and transportation fields, as well as local community members’ experience with railroads, roads, lakes and water in 2016-2017. The focus was on people who working in construction and trades fields in 2017-2018. The project was funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with funds from the National Endowment of the Humanities.
In addition, special thanks to Slinger School District, Slinger High School Student Council (US Cellular Pear Up program 2016-2017) for helping fund additional parts of this project. Additional thanks to CESA7, UW-Oshkosh Sociology Department, History Center of Washington County, Hartford History Room, Slinger Advancement Association, Slinger Fire Department, the Village of Slinger, Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture, WI DNR, Big Cedar Lake and Little Cedar Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Districts, Washington County Land and Water Use Conservation Department, Cedar Lake Yacht Club, Wisconsin Conservation Congress, River edge Nature Center, Pike Lake State Park, E.H. Wolf and Sons, Hanke Trucking, Freedom RV, Scenic Traveler RV, Cedar Lake Sales, Aqua Therapups, the Water Council and the Global Water Center, Wisconsin Pharmacal (Potable Aqua), Wisconsin Historical Society, Graef USA, Cedar Lake Conservation Foundation, Wellntel, the West Bend Daily News, Heartland Construction, J.H. Hassinger, Inc, Miron Construction Co, Inc, Catalyst Construction, the Slinger Super Speedway, Memorial Go-Kart, Inc, Bray Architecture, Schweitzer Electric, Dale Anderson Masonry, Germantown Iron and Steel, Quest Engineering, the Cemeterians, Keller Construction, Inc. and the many other local residents, teachers, workers, water experts, transportation experts, construction and trades experts, and humanities experts who contributed in some way to this project.
We hope the website helps continue conversation for students and the community about water, transportation, construction, trades, history, culture, and more. If you'd like to see how this topic fits in with Slinger Area History/Culture topics prior to 2016, please click here . If you'd like to see the 150 years of Slinger web page created in 2019, click here. If you'd like to directly go to water, transportation, construction, or trades, click on the appropriate tab at the top of this web page. Special thanks to Dean Leisgang of CESA7 for help with video creation.
Please click here to visit the Wisconsin Humanities Council homepage. The Wisconsin Humanities Council supports and creates programs that use history, culture, and discussion to strengthen community life for everyone in Wisconsin.
Sociology students talk to Big Cedar Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District Operations Manager, Dan Carroll, about his job. He is seen here explaining weed harvesting operations and what they do when putting the harvesters in off-season storage. Students learned about many behind-the-scenes actions that are done to sustain a lake. (Photo by Nate Grimm)
Students learn about year-round water patrol duties on Big Cedar Lake Photo by Emily Rothenhoefer (October 5, 2016)
Marian Singer, co-founder of Wellntel, discusses the business model and mission with students. (Photo by Victoria Volkmann).
Sociology students talk to Big Cedar Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District Operations Manager, Dan Carroll, about his job. He is seen here explaining weed harvesting operations and what they do when putting the harvesters in off-season storage. Students learned about many behind-the-scenes actions that are done to sustain a lake. (Photo by Nate Grimm)
Student Data from Projects
Water
Slinger High School students researched local people and places within the water field. Click on the picture above to find a link to a page with some of the data.
Transportation
Slinger High School students researched local people and places within the transportation field. Click on the picture above to find a link to a page with some of the data.
Working Lives
Students researched local people within the water and transportation fields.
Click on the picture above to find a link to a page with some of the data on Working Lives.
Videos
Videos below were created with the help of Dean Leisgang of CESA 7. For more information on Dean's work, contact Dean at dleisgang@cesa7.org or call him at (920) 617-5633. Dean works well with students, teachers, and community partners to build a plan that fits project goals. He makes those on camera feel comfortable on the day of the video shoot, explains his production technique, helps students with interview skills, and delivers a professional product that is very much grounded in the humanities.
Water and Working Lives
This 2017 video short shows several workers involved in various aspects of water protection within the geographic area of the Slinger School District. A Slinger biology student shares part of what she's learned: individual local actions can have broader regional and systematic implications.
Cedar Lake Sailing Program: A Multi-Generational Experience
This 2017 video short looks at aspects of sailing culture at the Cedar Lake Yacht Club on Big Cedar Lake from the eyes of Slinger School District student sailors, a parent of a first-year Junior Sailing Program participant, and a sailing instructor/board member.
Building Social Capital in the Community: E.H. Wolf and Sons
This 2017 video short explores the past, present, and future of a local company with strong historical and cultural and ties in railroad and transportation. Slinger social studies students interview E.H. Wolf and Sons workers to document business values, transportation trends, fuel industry norms, and how employees build social capital in the Slinger community.
Fuel Delivery Changes from the 1940s to 2017
E.H. Wolf and Sons Co-President, Craig Wolf, helps history students understand shipping and delivery changes from the time his grandfather ran the company to today.
First Responder Collaboration on Slinger Area Roads
This 2017 Working Lives video short helps students and the community understand the value of training and collaboration between the fire department, EMS/EMT, and law enforcement when an accident occurs on local roads.
Testing the Waters
This 2017 video short explores the Testing The Water training program from the perspective of a Testing the Waters Program trainer from Riveredge Nature Center, Slinger High School AP Biology students, and their Biology teacher.
Slinger Area Roads and Rails: A Snapshot
This 2017 video short gives a snapshot of the value roads and rails have played in the development of the Slinger area through the eyes of a village public works engineer, a village police chief, a district school superintendent, a district social studies teacher, a local lake author, and a local former railroad employee.
Behind the Scenes: How Fuel gets to the Gas Stations
Slinger Working Lives: Public Works Department and Water
This 2017 video short helps explain some of responsibilities of the Public Works Department in maintaining the storm water drainage system (ditches, curb and gutter, storm water catch basins, street sweeping), and drinking water systems (including municipal wells).
Working Lives: Slinger Fire Fighters Training with Water
This 2017 Working lives video short helps students and the community understand how fire fighters learn how to manage water and run equipment as a team prior to fighting a fire. Select shots were gathered by sociology students at a Tuesday Night training session in October 2016 simulating training for fighting a rural fire. Audio and video production by Slinger HS senior, Victoria Volkmann, with video shooting help from Abigail Pozorski. Read Producer reflection here.
Senior Sociology Student, Julia Gueller, illustrated the web of connections within local water and transportation themes given the information from Dr. Van Auken's Extended Interactional Theory of Community.
Illustration by Julia Gueller, Sociology student
Artist Statement
Related Links
Below are some related links to the water and transportation themes that may help add to the discussion for adults and students in the Slinger area and beyond.
- link to Wisconsin Humanities Council
-link to Wisconsin Humanities Council Working Lives Project
-link to Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture
-link to Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway's "Hmong Voices Project: Fox River Perspectives and Voices" as researched by UW-Oshkosh sociology professor, Paul Van Auken and others
-link to Educational Television Productions/NEW video for US Wildlife and Fisheries (overview clip on Fox River/ Green Bay NRDA), link to related cultural involvement clip
-link to Educational Television Productions/NEW video for Green Bay NEW water "Utility of the Future"
-link to Wisconsin Academy 's Waters of Wisconsin website
-link to Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District
-link to Global Water Center and The Water Council
-link to Wisconsin DNR
-link to Wisconsin Conservation Congress
-link to UW-Oshkosh Sociology Department
-link to History Center of Washington County
-link to Hartford History Room
-link to Fox Valley Writing Project's "Humans by the River" (Slinger Future Author's Camp)
-link to Village of Slinger Department of Public Works
-link to Addison Sanitation District
-link to Washington County Land and Water Use Conservation Department
-link to Washington County Aquatic Invasive Species and Terrestrial Invasive Species site
-link to River Edge Nature Center
-link to Pike Lake State Park
-link to Cedar Lake Yacht Club
-link to Wellntel
-link to Potable Aqua
-link to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Feature on Great Lakes of Wisconsin
-link to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Feature on Milwaukee River revival
-link to Cedar Lake Conservation Foundation
-link to find out about key line water retention swales at Sauve-Terre Farm
-link to Ozaukee/Washington County Land Trust
-link to Wisconsin Department of Public Transportation
-link to Wisconsin DOT Railroads and Harbors Map
-link to Wisconsin Amtrak Passenger Train routes
-link to Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030
-link to Wisconsin Railroad Passengers Association
-link to website about Wisconsin Railroads (American-Rails.com)
-link to Wisconsin 2030 (Long Range Multi-modal transportation plan)
-link to Washington County Highway Department
-link to Manominn: Food that Grows on the Water (WI Media Lab)
-link to Spearfishing: A Living History (WI Media Lab)
-link to Riverwest Neighborhood (Radio 88.9 and John Gurda)
-link to Radio 88.9 Urban Spelunking story about Milwaukee pump house
Click on the symbol below for more info about WHC
