Top row, left to right:
Kenosha High School (opened for the 1849 school year, razed in 1890);
The Annex (built in 1890, razed in 1980);
Bottom row, left to right:
Kenosha High School, later renamed in honor of Mary D. Bradford (completed in 1927); and
Mary D. Bradford High School (opened for the 1980-1981 school year).
Welcome to the OFFICIAL Kenosha Bradford High School Alumni Association, Inc. (KBHSAA) website! We encourate all alumni to join KBHSAA, an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) organization. You'll find the Membership & Donation Form here. This is the Alumni Association's only endorsed, official website.
KBHSAA is your source for authentic Spy yearbooks and Alumni T-shirts. Proceeds from the sale of these items, along with membership dues and donations, support KBHSAA programs, such as our Scholarship Fund, the Distinguished Alumni Award program, our biannual Newsletter (secure content available online for KBHSAA members) and Class Reunion Committee financial support. Each year, we support publication of Bradford High School's Spy yearbook with placement of a full-page ad. All the funds we raise stay in the Bradford High School community you recall from your high school days.
Don't be taken in by organizations claiming a connection with our alma mater, Bradford High School, and our local community in Kenosha, WI.
Did you know you can generate donations for KBHSAA as you shop online?
We have listed KBHSAA on the website www.iGive.com in the hopes of generating income for the Alumni Association. (Here's how it works: iGive is a free service to causes and members. There are no costs/obligations, no hidden fees. iGive members can generate donations by shopping at any of 2000+ Stores. As a member, when you shop via iGive special links, an "iGive Cookie" is assigned to your browser. This tells the store, "Here is an iGive Member," using a meaningless member ID number. The store reports back with this number and the amounts for the donation to your cause; you'll receive an email confirming the donation amount earned by your purchase once the order has shipped. iGive never has any access to any payment information.)
How can you help? Register at the iGive website and choose Kenosha Bradford High School Alumni Association, Inc. as the cause you wish to support. Visit the iGive store list and the stores you shop regularly, then click on the iGive "My Stores" link and bookmark it on your desktop. You don't need to enter any codes, notify the store or iGive... it is all automatic, as along as you start your online shopping excursion from the iGive Store list.
Please tell your fellow classmates about this program... it's a quick and easy process that can do much good for KBHSAA. Thanks in advance for your consideration and for supporting the Alumni Association.
Thank you,
KBHSAA Board of Directors
KBHSAA Home Page Archives
You may notice we have pared down the amount of information posted on our Home Page, which will now only contain posts from the current fiscal year (July-June). If you wish to look back over past year's posts to the KBHSAA Home Page, we have archived them for your use:
June 2022 - July 2021
June 2021 - July 2020
June 2020 - July 2019
03/27/2023: We received an email from Sarah Marbes, Impact Program Coordinator for Gateway Technical College, looking to connect with possible volunteers to help with an Earth Day service project being sponsored by Gateway's Horticulture Program. They will be planting native plants and removing invasive species from Pike Creek, specifically part of the creek between Gateway and Bradford High School, on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Please meet at the Horticulture Building at 3520 30th Avenue at 9:30AM. Registration is requested but not required: Earth Day Planting.
03/03/2023: The Alumni Update, published by UW-Parkside, arrived via email today. It is always an interesting read, and we were pleased to see Jennie Tunkieicz (Bradford Class of 1982) has been named one of UW Parkside's Distinguished Alumni Award recipients for 2022-2023. Jennie graduated from UWP in 1987 with a B.A. degree in Communication; click here to read more about her career in journalism and Kenosha County government. Congratulations, Jennie!
02/21/2023: KBHSAA has begun soliciting donations for its annual Scholarship Fund Silent Auction, to be held in conjunction with the DAA Banquet on Saturday, June 17, 2023. Hope you will save the date and plan to attend this fun event, where we will recognize the 2023 DAA Honorees and the Bradford Class of 2023 scholarship recipients.
With the generous support of 2022 Silent Auction Donors and the many DAA Banquet attendees who joined in the spirited bidding on a wonderful variety of items available at the event, a total of $3,223 was raised for the KBHSAA Scholarship Fund.
We look forward to launching our Sneak Peek: Silent Auction webpage next month!
01/25/2023: Quick reminder... if you've been thinking about nominating a fellow Bradford alumnus for the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award, time is running short. Nominations must be postmarked by January 31, 2023. Download the nomination form here, fill it out and drop it in the mail to KBHSAA in the next few days!
01/23/2023: As you landed on the KBHSAA Home Page today, did you notice we've added a photo of the first free high school in Kenosha at the top of the page? From our brief research, we know construction on Kenosha High School started in 1848 and, according to the Kenosha History Center's Facebook page, the school opened on July 31, 1849. We couldn't resist including this interesting photo of a classroom in that early building, which was razed to make room for construction of the building we fondly recall from our high school days as "The Annex".
01/21/2023: Earlier this week, AmazonSmile customers received word via email that the philanthropic giving program, which made it easy for millions of Amazon customers to support a non-profit organization near and dear to their hearts, will be coming to an end effective February 20, 2023. Click here if you would like the view the email notice (which we reformatted in order to fit it on a single page). KBHSAA sends its thanks to Amazon for the customer-driven program created in 2013, which has helped many small 501(c)(3) organizations such as ours in Kenosha, WI and across the world.
11/07/2022: Last week, we received an email from Amy Skrypchak, asking if we would accept a donation of three Spy yearbooks owned by her late mother, Alma Lazza Lindl ’44. Alma, who passed away in late September, was the first female member of Bradford’s Swing Band (click here to read her obituary). Over the weekend, Joe Lindl (Alma’s son) hand delivered the Spys to us. We greatly appreciate the Lindl family’s generous support of KBHSAA.
Not sure what to do with a Spy yearbook when a loved one passes? Or are you, perhaps, downsizing your household? We’d hate to see a Spy end up in a landfill. Please consider donating it to KBHSAA.
09/30/2022: KBHSAA is pleased to announce (12) Scholarships will be offered for 2023 Bradford Seniors. You'll find the list and the Scholarship Application here. If your child or grandchild is a senior this year, we hope you'll urge them to apply!
KBHSAA sends its sincere thanks to our members for their generous support of the KBHSAA Scholarship Fund. If you would like to make a contribution before year end, please download and print the Membership & Donation Form, then send it along with your check to the address on the form.
09/21/2022: Have you been thinking about nominating a friend or fellow classmate for a 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award? The form is now available here on our website. The deadline for submission of your nomination is January 31, 2023... there is plenty of time, but as my parents always said, "the older we get, the faster time flies by." Don’t let this opportunity slip away!
While we have your attention, we'd like to ask that you Save the Date for the annual DAA Banquet & Silent Auction, which has been set for Saturday, June 17, 2023 at the Kenosha Country Club.
09/03/2022: We were privileged to be in attendance last week when the family of the late John Cibrario ’58 gathered at Bradford’s Wavro Field to celebrate the planting of a tree in his memory. Rosemary Zarletti Cibrario ’60 spoke on behalf of the family:
“The family and friends of John Cibrario dedicate this beautiful maple tree to Bradford High School’s baseball field. May it grow strong and tall, as did John for all his 33 years of coaching and leading his teams to countless championships. May it represent his passion and his dedication for his students and ballplayers and his alma mater, Bradford High School. And may it flourish and withstand the elements, each and every year bringing shade and beauty to its surroundings. All of us who’ve gathered here are proud to dedicate this maple tree on this 27th day of August 2022 in memory of Coach John Cibrario.”
Rosemary offered special thanks to Mr. Geiger, Bradford Principal, who was “on board from day one when we came out look at where we might plant this tree” and supported this undertaking through many phone calls. She also thanked KBHSAA Pres. Randy Vaccaro for his assistance and Swartz Nursery for their expert assistance with selecting the tree and the great care taken in planting it on site.
08/08/2022: Today we received an email from Kelli Griffin, Dance Program Director/Dance Team Coach at Bradford High School, with word the Dance Team is holding a fund raiser. They've set a goal of raising $5,800; as of this writing, they have raised $1,690, with just 17 days left to reach their goal. Please use this link if you'd like to make a donation: Bradford Dance Team Fund Raiser. We're looking forward to seeing the Dance Team perform at upcoming sporting events.
We're helping spread the word about their fund raiser and hope you might do so, too, by sharing it with your friends via Email, Facebook and Twitter, using the link above.
Thanks in advance for supporting the Bradford Dance Team!
July 25, 2022:
We're sending our best wishes to Marie Goff '40 on the occasion of her 100th Birthday. The Kenosha News article about Marie in this morning's edition made for fascinating reading. Over the last 12 years or so that we've been invited guests at the 1940 Class Reunions, we had never before learned Marie served in the US Coast Guard Reserve starting at age 22. We applaud her gumption and her service to our country!
July 11, 2022: Have you been thinking about participating in the Bradford High School 2022 Golf Outing, scheduled for Monday, August 1? We noticed an update on the Bradford website this morning that indicates spaces remaining for this event are limited, so don't wait... if you haven't already signed up, please contact Sue Wade at Bradford (262-359-6003) ASAP.
The golf outing is featured on our BHS and Community Events web page. We're waiting until a bit closer to the start of the school year to add the many Band, Orchestra and Choir events to the list. We will also post community events and other events which involve KBHSAA member(s). If you have an event you'd like to post, please reach out via the Contact Us web page.
July 7, 2022: Earlier this year, we worked with three interested parties who wished to purchase benches to be installed at Mary D. Bradford Stadium. Those benches are due to be delivered in September. The benches line the walkway on the west side of the stadium and are the perfect place to meet members of your group or to have something to eat before a sporting event at the stadium. There is still plenty of space if you would like to order a bench in memory of a loved one or if your Class would like to be represented. The benches are available in black (pictured below) or red. If interested, please email Bradford Principal Brian Geiger (bgeiger@kusd.edu), for more information.
July 6, 2022: In early May, KBHSAA delivered its camera-ready ad for the 2022 edition of the Spy yearbook to the publisher. If you are interested, you may view it here. We recently talked to Yearbook Advisor Kelli Griffin (who also serves as Bradford's Dance Instructor) and learned there will be a new Yearbook Advisor at the helm again next year. We look forward to welcoming the new staff member in the fall. We couldn't help but think about how much things have changed at Bradford since our generation was in high school (as we've jokingly said to our kids, "back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth").
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