Ways the Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network can support your class reunion planning:

We were introduced by mutual friends who were colleagues of Jake's. Our journey began on February 2nd, 1997, just in time for us to attend Twerp together. Five years later, on November 2nd, 2002, we exchanged vows and embarked on building our first and only home the following year. With three boys, our life is rich and fulfilling.

Friendship has been the cornerstone of our relationship, providing the stability and support we needed through various challenges. From financial struggles to navigating pandemic-induced remote learning for our children, we've faced it all together. Balancing opposite work shifts to prioritize our family hasn't been easy, but it's strengthened our bond.

Now, after 27 years together and celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary in November, we remain deeply committed to each other and our children, making them our utmost priority.

Melissa Hughes (Stainbrook) and Jake Hughes (La Follette '99)
Posted by Kari Mueller · February 08, 2024 2:20 PM · 1 reaction

Beth Johnson Verdin and Al Verdin (Memorial)
Posted by Kari Mueller · February 08, 2024 2:16 PM · 2 reactions

Harriett Ann McDonough & Raymond F Gesteland (West '56)
Posted by Kari Mueller · February 01, 2024 2:00 PM · 2 reactions

Ray moved into our neighborhood from the Nakoma School area. In 9th Grade (1952), we had our first date with his brother Ed chaperoning to a Stan Kenton concert at the U of Wisconsin Field House. We dated through high school and college at U of WI and married in April of 1960 in Madison WI. We have lived in Cambridge, Geneva Switzerland, Cold Spring Harbor NY, and finally in Salt Lake City. We had several friends who met in High School, married, and managed to stay married as of now. Ray and I have been married 64 years in April, have 4 wonderful children and 9 super grandchildren. Ray has been a successful scientist, college administrator, and mentor to numerous students. I worked as a Nurse Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and taught young children as well as Graduate students at U of Utah College of Nursing. Our time at West High provided numerous opportunities to participate in activities to encourage our academic futures. It was a great preparatory education for college. We both participated in extracurricular activities which enriched our experience enormously.

Meet Marty Richard Meek (center), Carol Richard (left), and Laura Richard Thomson (right), three sisters who share not only a bond of sisterhood but also a deep connection to Madison public schools. All three began their educational journey at Glendale Elementary (renamed Dr. Virginia Henderson Elementary in 2020), eventually graduating from La Follette High School in 1970, 1972, and 1977, respectively. They are three of six siblings in their tightly-knit family.

Madison West High class of 2016 alum Alonso Del Rio is a software developer on the MyChart team at Epic, a career that allows him to embrace his passion for technology. His venture into the world of computer science (CS) took root during fifth grade as a participant in the inaugural Scratch Club at Shorewood Elementary School. Scratch, a free programming language designed to make coding enjoyable and accessible for children, captivated Alonso. Reflecting on those early days, he fondly recalls “I just had so much fun with Scratch—I loved having the ability to make my own games and goofy animations and learning about cool tricks to use in my projects. I didn’t fully realize that these tricks were tied to the foundations of programming until years later!” 

In mid-October of 2023, MMSD announced that Jay Affeldt, former district administrator and high school principal, has been named Associate Superintendent of High Schools. In this role, he will provide instructional leadership and coaching to the district’s six high school principals to ensure strong school cultures as well as provide oversight to the district’s secondary athletics programs.

On November 3, 2020, Madison voters approved a historic investment in MMSD with a pair of referenda that totaled $350 million. Voters approved both questions on the ballot: $317 million in bonds for capital projects and $33 million in operating funds that will phase in over four years. The "Vote Yes 2 Invest Campaign," was led by Schools Make Madison Advocates, Inc., an affiliate of the Madison Public Schools Foundation.

Three years later, students were welcomed into two new MMSD school buildings at the start of the 2023-24 school year, and construction continues at the four main high schools with full occupancy planned for the start of the next school year. 

The MMSD Board of Education appointed former MMSD administrator, Lisa Kvistad, to serve as interim superintendent during the 2023-2024 school year while a search is underway for the district's next permanent leader. 

NBA Star/Memorial Alum teams with MPSF to help students get active.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Milwaukee Bucks star Wesley Matthews has come back to Madison to help give back.

He has teamed up with the Madison Public Schools Foundation to help launch a new initiative aimed at making it easier for students to get active. Called ‘Play Every Day,’ this initiative will help provide funds to support the Madison Metropolitan School District, allowing faculty to replace old physical education and recess equipment, as well as help students cover participation fees.

Take action. Get involved. 

The students at your alma mater need your support! And the Madison Public Schools Foundation (MPSF) makes it easy to get involved. From volunteering your time to our popular Adopt-a-School program, our goal is to help you find new ways to support Madison’s public schools and students. Here are eight opportunities to take advantage of right away:

Written by Lisa Gaumnitz

Ten-year-old Donnel Thompson raced to get ready early for school so he could play touch football at the Randall Elementary playground before the bell rang. Teacher Fred Tiemann– Mr. T to the kids – quarterbacked for both teams and the diverse group of kids competed hard, had fun, and were back at it again every recess.   

“It was what we wanted to do,” recalls the West High alum, a walk-on for the University of Wisconsin football team who grew into a leading tackler, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now leads as vice president of national accounts for Direct Supply, Inc. in Milwaukee.   

It’s been the subject of countless TV sitcoms: an upcoming class reunion and all of the negatives that come with it. Characters are either scrambling to embarrass an old rival, doing their best to woo an old crush or looking for reasons to skip the reunion entirely. 

We laugh at the episode’s antics and situations—and scoff at the ending when it all turns out okay. But are class reunions really so bad? 

In reality, reunions are great opportunities to reconnect with people from your past. You’ll get to see old friends and catch up on what everyone has been doing over the past few years. All told, there are far more reasons to attend your class reunion than there are to skip it, and with the summer reunion season just about to begin, we thought we’d focus on why you should make it out to yours if you’re able!

West High class of 1996 alumna Sara Camacho is a health care professional who has been working to help make Dane County healthier for the past 20 years. She is a UW graduate who moved to Oaxaca, Mexico after college graduation to perfect her Spanish language skills. Her love for the Spanish language and Latin American culture was reinforced by Sra. Llera and Sr. Zintel during her time at West High.

La Follette High School class of 1985 alumna Kim Sponem is CEO/President of one of Wisconsin’s largest credit unions, Summit Credit Union. Under her leadership since 2002 (then named CUNA Credit Union) it has grown from $200 million to $4.5 billion in assets; its branch network has expanded from four locations to 46 across South Central and South Eastern Wisconsin, including four in Madison high schools. Summit has become a leader in financial education, the number one mortgage lender in southern Wisconsin and the number one Small Business Administration loan provider by number of loans amongst credit unions in Wisconsin. At the time of becoming CEO nineteen years ago, Kim was named one of the youngest in the country to run a large credit union.

What would you do if you had 1 year and $9.5 million to change the game for MMSD?

That is the question that MMSD is posing to the community. 

The district has been given the opportunity of a lifetime to unite, redefine and rebuild our Madison public schools as we navigate through multiple pandemics. An $18.9 million Esser II Grant has been awarded to MMSD, $9.5 million of the grant has been earmarked for what MMSD is calling the BIG IDEA Campaign.

As such, the district is seeking input from staff, students, families, alumni and the Madison community on BIG IDEAS that will enable MMSD to come back better and thriving as a united community.

What ideas do you have that...

• leverage student leadership
• support collaboration with and between students, families and different community organizations
• provide for experiences that bring students outside of the traditional 4 classroom walls
• create experiences that bring our community into our schools and classrooms

This is your opportunity to have your BIG, bold, fresh IDEA heard! Submissions are due April 24th!

Learn more about the timeline and submission requirements at madison.k12.wi.us/big-idea.

As alumni, the farther removed we get from our high school days the more we can look back and fully realize the kind of impact our teachers had on us. We’re really grateful to have some fantastic, caring teachers at Madison's Public Schools.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year has been unusually challenging for everyone: kids, parents, school staff and teachers alike. With Teacher Appreciation Week coming up the week of May 3-7, we thought it would be a good idea to share some ways you might show your gratitude during that week. This is a great chance for you to reconnect with some of your favorite teachers from your high school days and show them how much their work is appreciated, especially during such a difficult and emotionally draining school year.

Here are a few ideas for you to consider:

• Send an email: This is probably the easiest, fastest way for you to show your appreciation. Teacher emails are listed publicly on the district’s website, so it’s easy for you to find the teacher you want to connect with and send them a quick email sharing your gratitude.

• Write a thank-you note: You can thank a teacher either for the impact they had on your life, or for the work they’re doing with your children or with the current generation of students in general. You can mail the note to the school; this is a great, personal way to show your appreciation and is certain to make their day.

• Find ways to give back: Beyond just sharing your gratitude in words, you can find ways to show your appreciation for teachers and your district in your actions. Find ways to give back, whether it’s donating to educational initiatives or teacher fundraisers, volunteering at school events (when they’re being held in person again) or advocating for teachers in your everyday life.

• Organize a class gift: If you’d like to show your appreciation on a larger scale, perhaps you can work with other members of your graduating class to organize a class gift either for a particular teacher or to all the teachers at your alma mater in general to show your appreciation. Have other alumni contribute to a fund you can then use to purchase trinkets of your appreciation for teachers at school.

We hope you find some small way to show the appreciation for the teachers in your life all year round, but especially in a few weeks during Teacher Appreciation Week!

Memorial High class of 2015 alumnus Alex Peterson-Weber is actively participating in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. A current student at the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy, Alex and his colleagues have been enlisted by the Wisconsin COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force to help provide immunizations in the surrounding community at pharmacies requesting assistance.