Schools

After completing grad school at UW Madison in 1991 while working as a teacher McFarlane George Mavroulis says there was only one job listing that he cared to apply to.

“One came across for Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, even then the reputation of this district was off the charts,” Mavroulis says. “I figured I’d just send a resume to that one and then three interviews later I ended up getting hired.”

Mavroulis was hired as the principal of Elm Lawn Elementary in the summer of 1992 and worked there for 10 years which he considers the highlight of his life and his career. 

“It was fabulous, it was from 1992 to 2002,” he says. “That’s where my relationships began with students and family and staff.”

NEW YORK, NY–The 7 O’clock Jazz Band was honored to be one of only 15 high school jazz bands in the country who earned a spot at this year’s Essentially Ellington competition in New York City. During their time there, the band performed for and learned from Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra members. 

Of this year’s competition, Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, said, “We’re fortunate to play Duke Ellington’s music, and we realize that the Duke Ellington legacy is about creativity–we heard and saw that in our young people. You lifted our spirits and it’s been our honor.”

BOULDER, CO–Clark Street Community School (CSCS) has hit the gold standard in receiving the national recognition as one of seven schools in the country to become a School of Opportunity (SOO) in 2019. The designation honors schools that foster learning environments for students and provide research-based learning opportunities for all students. The initiative, started by the University of Colorado Boulder’s National Education Policy Center, includes only 45 schools around the country, which receive either gold or silver recognition. CSCS achieved gold.

MADISON–A former Middleton High School employee alleged in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed against the Middleton Cross Plains Area School District that she was told she had “no chance” for a vacant position because “we need some big, black men working here.”

According to suit filed May 21 in federal court:

Ruth M. Herbin had worked as an assistant to a high school Dean for most of the 10 years she was employed by the school district. However, when the district was hiring to fill other similar positions, Herbin was told she wouldn’t be considered because the district needed more diversity. And, after filing a discrimination complaint Herbin, a Caucasian, was fired for alleged insubordination.

In August 2017, the district was restructuring Herbin’s and another assistant’s positions due to lack of clerical work for them at the high school. Instead, the student support positions were being enlarged to include three counselors and social worker.

The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District has released the following message regarding "Jesus Lunches," a controversial series of gathering that have sparked a debate about evangelism in public schools:

Dear families,

We wanted to share the following message that was sent to Middleton High School staff and families earlier today. We believe there is interest from our wider District community, plus we also wanted to provide information in case you see something in the media in the next few days.

We are writing to share with you some background on a topic your student may have come home and shared with you. There is a small group of parents who have been organizing free lunches at Middleton High School over the past year.

The world was a very different place in 2007.

George W. Bush was still president of the United States. Jim Doyle was the governor of Wisconsin. A little social networking service called “Twitter” had just been launched. Donald Trump was merely a reality TV star.

And here in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, a man named Don Johnson was starting his new job as superintendent.

Now, after a wild ride that included a litany of ups and downs, that soft spoken but unflappable man has announced that after nine years as the top administrator, he plans to retire this summer.

Colin Higgins, a University of Wisconsin-Madison student and Middleton native, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in November and will go on to Oxford University in the fall to continue his studies. 

Despite an outstanding collegiate career, triple majoring with comprehensive honors in environmental studies, geography and history and pursuing a Master of Public Affairs degree at the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, Higgins says he wasn’t the greatest student or even very interested in school until a few key teachers and courses at Middleton High School (MHS) changed his perspective.  

Higgins says it wasn’t until the end of his sophomore year at MHS that “things sort of flipped.”  He recalls his tenth grade English class with Ryan Haugen reading classics such as 1984, Brave New World, and Catcher in the Rye sparking an interest in literature. 

From his fourth generation family farm, American Provenance founder Kyle LaFond ambitiously formulates his unique line of all-natural men’s personal care products.

His inspiration is his grandfather, who was a hardworking traditional Wisconsin dairy farmer. His grandfather loved being on the farm and had a deep appreciation for nature. LaFond describes him as a person who always looked and smelled wonderful.

“He was one of those guys who I remember had a jar of pomade and I think it lasted his entire life,” LaFond, a Middleton High School graduate, said with a smile. “It was just always there.”