OUR MISSION
Winchester Academy’s mission is to enrich the community by providing free, intellectually stimulating, informative, and engaging programs.
The name "Winchester Academy" implies a building and physical structure, but there is none. The Academy is a voluntary organization with a Board of Trustees comprised of area citizens that fosters lifelong learning based on ideas originating in Scandinavian folk academies. The Academy offers, on average, twenty-five programs annually. There is no membership required for attendance at programs. All are FREE of charge and open to the general public. Programs are usually held at the Waupaca Area Public Library on Monday evenings at 6:30. Other venues and days of the week are occasionally used for special seminars and musical programs (e.g., churches, or other sites that can accommodate larger crowds). Some programs might include controversial subject matter, but the Academy takes no position and seeks to provide balanced and reliable information.
Fall 2024 Series Information
September 9, 2024
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
![Petty](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b55f98_fd530532d9ee43fe81f7feff29bac6e0~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_50,w_578,h_575/fill/w_150,h_149,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Petty.png)
German Community Life and Traditions in Wisconsin
Speaker: Antje Petty, Associate Director & Outreach
Manager of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies
at UW-Madison
German immigrants kept many of their traditions while also being part of the state’s multi-lingual and multi-ethnic society. This presentation will look at their organizations and clubs; music, theater, and tavern culture; newspapers and magazines; as well as events today that have a German angle, such as Christmas markets and Oktoberfests, and represent a unique Wisconsin regional culture.
Program Sponsor is Pat Pfeifer
September 16, 2024
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
![Folse RDP08833-square-500x500.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b55f98_cf2b17e698604067883ac1979cbc4ac8~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_2,w_500,h_497/fill/w_150,h_149,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Folse%20RDP08833-square-500x500.jpg)
The Changing Landscape of Higher Education:
A Liberal Arts College Perspective
Speaker: Dr. Victoria N. Folse, President of Ripon College
Colleges and universities around the country are grappling with the impact of frequent leadership changes, institutional stagnation, lack of vision and alignment, and loss of community and donor relationships. The challenges of higher education will not be solved by its strong leadership. Ripon College remains focused on the framework for thriving with continued emphasis on enrollment, financial stability, and metrics that are also accreditation expectations.
This program is sponsored anonymously in memory of Jack and Glenda Rhodes.
September 23, 2024
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
![KonzitskeFall24.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b55f98_980fc7581bf8490bbad48b43b5eba2c2~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_5,w_1440,h_1430/fill/w_150,h_149,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/KonzitskeFall24.png)
University of Wisconsin
MIA Recovery and Identification Project
Speaker: Charles Konsitzke, Associate Director of the UW-Madison Biotechnology Center & the Team Lead for the UW-MIA Project
Konsitzke founded the UW MIA Project in 2015 after assisting with the identification efforts of Private First-Class Lawrence S. Gordon in 2014. He led the team in the successful recovery efforts in the summers of 2016 - 2023. He and his team are currently investigating several dozen Wisconsin & non-Wisconsin cases. While investigating cases, the team is developing new techniques and technologies to enhance the recovery mission process. This presentation will enlighten us about the MIA Recovery Project, how it started, and how it is evolving nationally and internationally.
Program sponsors are Linda Kassera and Jeanne Bootz
October 7, 2024
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
![Sharon West.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b55f98_99d045c5b51348739a9c54d8b4f06d5f~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_75,w_930,h_926/fill/w_150,h_149,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Sharon%20West.jpg)
Learning from Bach
in a Digital World
Speaker: Sharon West, Composer & student with an MS in Engineering who worked nearly 25 years in process management
West has a lifelong passion and interest in composing. J.S.Bach is probably the greatest music composer who has ever lived and he composed by writing everything by hand. Today composers use a host of computer tools to make music. West will examine how computers make composing faster by examining some of Bach’s compositions within a modern Digital Audio Workstation, from simple piano canons to full sonatas and orchestral suites. Once you see how amazing his works are, even from a modern standpoint, you’ll be even more impressed with his spectacular compositions!
This presentation is in conjunction with the 2024 Bach Festival.
Program sponsors are Mark Flora & Sally Stevens
October 14, 2024
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
![Zach Wood-Doughty.jpeg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b55f98_e8eba666fa654b399efa7addd2a73c90~mv2.jpeg/v1/crop/x_0,y_0,w_616,h_611/fill/w_150,h_149,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Zach%20Wood-Doughty.jpeg)
Uses and Misuses of Generative Artificial Intelligence
Speaker: Zach Wood-Doughty, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Computer Science department at Northwestern University
Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) models have revolutionized the field of artificial intelligence since the release of ChatGPT two years ago. In that time, these models have found widespread use by both businesses and consumers. This program will briefly recap the history of these models and provide a high-level overview of their technical details. Then, Wood-Doughty will discuss the opportunities for and risks of using these models in applications from customer service to healthcare.
Program sponsors are Rex and Linda Pope
October 21, 2024
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
![Bridget Brown headshot.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b55f98_d1ed2271ff8c4eb2b686a6b032fa6449~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_3,w_800,h_795/fill/w_150,h_149,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Bridget%20Brown%20headshot.jpg)
Transformation of the Great Lakes and
St. Lawrence Region
Speaker: Bridget Brown, Chief Operations & Programs Officer for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence (GLSL) Cities Initiative
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region spans eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, and is home to more than 45 million people and 3,500 species of plants and animals. Its rivers and lakes hold a fifth of the world's freshwater. Our region is an economic powerhouse. Though we face challenges, opportunities for a healthy future abound. Brown will highlight key times in history that have shaped this region and show how this Initiative is working to protect, improve, and leverage our lakes and rivers for a thriving environment and economy.
Program sponsors are Donavan and Mary Beth Lane
November 4, 2024
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
![HoelzelNaylorCombo_skinny.jpeg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b55f98_56e1f917061d474babb9eef8b13757a6~mv2.jpeg/v1/crop/x_0,y_0,w_432,h_429/fill/w_150,h_149,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/HoelzelNaylorCombo_skinny.jpeg)
Law Enforcement:
Roles & Responsibilities
Speakers: Brian Hoelzel, Waupaca Chief of Police &
Andy Naylor, Madison Police Department Detective
Hoelzel and Naylor will inform us about law enforcement by analyzing past and current trends, & by examining the public perception of what police do, all while offering unique perspectives from smaller/rural and larger/urban departments. Hoelzel has prior experience as detective sergeant as a member of the Central WI Drug Task Force, and a patrol officer where he was a field training officer & evidence technician. Naylor’s career in law enforcement began in 2012 with the Madison PD. He has been a mental health officer, a detective in the General Assignment Unit, the Special Victims Unit, and is currently assigned to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and MPD’s Threat Assessment Team.
Program sponsors are Dan and Mary Naylor
November 11, 2024
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
![PsychoSpeaker.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b55f98_8ccef09f876849bda478b58c2c3f9ed6~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_390,y_0,w_1267,h_1259/fill/w_150,h_149,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/PsychoSpeaker.jpg)
How Psycho Became Psycho
Speaker: Bill Gillard, PhD, MFA, Professor of English at UW-Oshkosh
Gillard is the author of Robert Bloch’s Psycho Century: American Horror from Lovecraft to King (forthcoming) and other books. Wisconsin author Robert Bloch was a prolific writer during his seven-decade career. His best ideas frequently took several iterations to find their finished form, and his novel Psycho was no different. Gillard will look at the long arc of Bloch’s career and make connections to changes in the American horror landscape while also paying close attention to how Bloch evolved from a writer of supernatural horror in the 1930s to a leader in mid-century psychological horror.
Program sponsors are Ann and Vance Linden
November 18, 2024
6:30 pm
Waupaca Area Public Library Meeting Rooms
![20140331TimCrain.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b55f98_efba0a85c0994299a8d1db2a2f641af7~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_2,w_720,h_715/fill/w_150,h_149,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/20140331TimCrain.jpg)
America and the Holocaust:
Myth versus Reality
Speaker: Tim Crain, PhD, Former director of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill University
The Holocaust took the lives of nearly six million Jews between 1941 and 1945. The US government knew that the mass murder of the Jews was taking place in 1942, but did little to stop the genocide. This presentation will explore the American response to the Holocaust, as well as review what could have been done to end the mass murder. The US believed that the best way to rescue Jews was to win World War II as rapidly as possible. The decision remains controversial.
This program is a collaboration with the Waupaca Area Public Library which is hosting the traveling exhibit "Americans and the Holocaust" - Nov 9 - Dec 19.
This program is sponsored by all of us in memory of Glenda Rhodes.