Schools

“Different by design” are words that are heard often when talk turns to Clark Street Community School, an innovative unit of the Middleton Cross Plains Area School District. Principal Jill Gurtner recalls that educators brainstorming for a new approach to high school education  realized that they always saw students doing their best work when they were out in the community “working on things that mattered to them or their families or their community.”

Thirteen-year-old Middleton resident Aiden Wijeyakulasuriya has notched yet another victory in his incredible reign as a spelling bee champion.  

Middleton High School Theatre is delighted to announce the continuation of the 2023-24 season with the whimsical adventure, “The Little Prince.” This family-friendly play features cast members from MHS as well as local middle and elementary schools. “The Little Prince” will open on February 1 at 7:00 PM in Middleton High School’s Black Box Theatre, with performances on February 2 at 7:00 PM, and February 3 at 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM. The play runs for one hour with no intermission. Directed by Katrina Brunner and written by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar, with set designs by Jonathan Hagberg, “The Little Prince” is based on the classic book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

MIDDLETON–Middleton High School (MHS) Theatre is thrilled to announce “Urinetown The Musical,” the biggest production of its 2023-24 season. Performances are Nov. 9-11 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Middleton High School.

MIDDLETON–The school board for the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) Monday adopted a tax levy for the 2023-24 that increases property taxes by $52 on a $429,000 residence, according to district calculations.

Increasing property values, although lagging behind the statewide average, boosts a house assessed at $400,000 last year to $429,000 next year. A home assessed at $500,000 last year, is valued at $536,250 next year.

School taxes on a $536,000 home would increase by $65, to $4,510, according to the district. A $429,000 house would have a $52 tax increase to $3,608 and school taxes on a $321,750 house would increase by $39 to $2,706.

There are eight municipalities in the district and an individual property owner’s school tax bill could vary depending on in which municipality they reside, said Erin Wheeler, the district’s director of finance and operations.

MOUNT HOREB–Madison Magazine awarded the Town of Perry’s Hauge Historic District Park “Best Place to Watch a Sunset in Dane County.”

But Mary Lorenz, a teacher at the Clark Street Community School in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASDD), had another idea.

The park closes after sunset. But Mary asked the Town of Perry Supervisors if she could bring her class to the park after dark for an astronomy field trip to watch the stars, not the sun.

The Clark Street Community School teaches interdisciplinary seminars. The students were in a Space Math class where they were learning algebra and precalculus concepts in the context of studying astronomy.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) celebrated the official opening of its new stadium and sports complex, the Borden Athletic Complex. 

Superintendent Dana Monogue thanked the donors, board members, and staff that helped make the project possible. Mike Borden spoke about the legacy of his father for whom the stadium is dedicated.

The total cost for the entire project is $13 million. The Borden family donated $6.7 million, and the district allocated $2 million to cover the cost of improvements to the bathroom facilities including making them ADA compliant. Private fundraising continues to cover the remaining costs. The MCPASD Education Foundation is handling all fundraising.

MIDDLETON–Despite increases in state aid and proceeds from last year’s successful referendum, revenue for the 2023-24 Middleton Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) is expected to rise by just $66,915, according to preliminary numbers released Monday.

Property taxes, including the addition of funds from the fall 2022 referendum, are expected to increase by $5.9 million, plus $3 million more in state aid. However, those increases are offset by corresponding decreases in federal aid, donations to the Otto Breitenbach Stadium project and proceeds from sale of lots near Pope Farm Elementary School.

MIDDLETON–First term school board member Todd Berry was on the short end of a vote Monday, which sought proposals for upgrades to outdoor athletic facilities at Middleton High School (MHS).

Renovating the tennis courts, constructing a softball field and converting the existing baseball field to artificial turf, previously recommended by an independent consultant that have drawn interest from board members of the Middleton Cross Plains Area School District.

The three projects have an estimated cost ranging from $4.58 million to $5.32 million, according to a consultant from the Rettler Corporation, who addressed the school board in June.

The money could come from the $6 million in available interest earned from the 2018 referendum proceeds. 

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) has had a robust program that protects students from harmful internet content and monitors student Internet activity on district-supplied devices, according to Brian Miles, Director of Technology Services.

Qustodio software provides parents or guardians with daily or weekly reports that show the websites their child has visited, movies they’ve watched, searches made and the amount of screen time they’ve accumulated, Miles told the MCPASD Board of Education Monday night.

“Parents have been asking me about this since last spring,” when Miles was appointed MCPASD’s IT director. “It’s important because it creates a connection between the district and families.”