The Windmill Weekly

🚨 BIG NEWS FROM THE WINDMILL WEEKLY! 🚨

What started as a mission to reconnect seniors with their local community is growing beyond Batavia! We are thrilled to announce that The Windmill Weekly will now be expanding into Geneva, Aurora, and St. Charles retirement communities.

As we continue bringing local news, community stories, and meaningful connections directly to seniors, we are incredibly grateful to our sponsors, partners, and supporters who helped make this growth possible. This marks an exciting new chapter for The Windmill Weekly, and we can’t wait to make an even greater impact across the Fox Valley. Thank you for being part of our journey—we’re just getting started! 🌟📰

On June 18, The Windmill Weekly had the pleasure of attending the Sip Across Senior Living event, bringing together communities from Timber Creek, Ignite, River Glen, Arden Courts, and The Landings.

We are grateful to all of the senior living communities and organizers who made this event possible. Thank you for the warm welcomes and meaningful connections—we enjoyed meeting everyone and look forward to future opportunities to engage with the senior living community.

Over the past week, The Windmill Weekly has had the opportunity to attend several community events and connect with many incredible individuals. We are extremely grateful to be part of such a welcoming and supportive Chamber community.

These events have allowed us to build valuable relationships, learn from local leaders, and continue growing our mission. We are thankful for the support and encouragement we have received along the way.

The Windmill Weekly is excited to continue serving our community and connecting seniors with local news, events, and opportunities. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this growth possible!

We are proud to announce that The Windmill Weekly has officially joined the Batavia Chamber of Commerce! This is an exciting milestone for our team, and we are incredibly grateful for the continued support from our sponsors, community members, and everyone who has supported us throughout this journey.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to Shirley Mott for her guidance and encouragement in helping us become a part of the Chamber. We are excited for the opportunities ahead and look forward to continuing to grow our connections within the Batavia community.

The Windmill Weekly is proud to announce our success at the Incubator Edu Final Pitch Night! We are incredibly honored to have been awarded $3,400 for our business pitch, along with an additional $250 for winning Best Trade Show Group.

We are excited to invest this funding back into our business as we continue to grow and better serve our community. We are extremely grateful for this opportunity and would like to sincerely thank all of our sponsors, mentors, supporters, and everyone who has believed in our mission along the way.

Thank you for supporting The Windmill Weekly — we are excited for what’s ahead!

The team at The Windmill Weekly would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Mayor Jeffrey Schielke for taking the time to meet with us and discuss our mission, our newspaper, and the Batavia community we are proud to serve. As student entrepreneurs from the Batavia High School Incubator program, it was truly an honor to have the opportunity to speak with such a respected and dedicated leader within our city.

We are incredibly appreciative of the encouragement, thoughtful feedback, and support Mayor Schielke shared with our team. Hearing his perspective on community connection and local engagement further motivated us as we continue working toward our goal of reconnecting seniors in retirement homes with the Batavia community through meaningful and accessible local news. His passion for Batavia and commitment to its residents is something that deeply inspires each of us.

Mayor Schielke’s leadership and lifelong dedication to the City of Batavia continue to positively impact not only the community as a whole, but also young entrepreneurs like ourselves. We are extremely thankful for his time, guidance, and all that he has done for Batavia over the years. Thank you again, Mayor Schielke, for your support and for serving as such an inspiration to our team and community.

Meet the team behind The Windmill Weekly

Founded through the Batavia High School Incubator program, The Windmill Weekly is led by three student entrepreneurs passionate about reconnecting local seniors with their community through meaningful and accessible local news.

From left to right:

Bryan Wnek — Junior at Batavia High School and captain of the Boys JV Baseball Team. Bryan oversees website promotion, sales initiatives, and the financial operations of the business.

Ben Manikas — Junior at Batavia High School and captain of the Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team. Ben plays a key role in newspaper design, marketing strategy, and the day-to-day operations of The Windmill Weekly.

Lexi Kammes — Sophomore at Batavia High School and captain of the Girls JV Soccer Team. Lexi manages social media, marketing, and company outreach while helping expand community partnerships and grow the Windmill Weekly brand throughout Batavia.

Together, we are committed to creating a publication that keeps our community informed, connected, and engaged — one story at a time.