West High alumnus Robert Listou is finally ready, at the age of 97, to retire from a long and successful career that has resulted in seven software patents and a projector patent. His story starts with graduation from Madison West High School in 1941. He then attended the UW-Madison until World War II, when he enlisted in the Army Air Corp and served as a pilot for 21 different aircrafts and an instructor for the C-47. When his outfit was shipped to Europe for the invasion, Robert was instead sent elsewhere in the US to continue his instructing.

Memorial High class of 1974 alum Jeffrey Sprecher has gone on to have a tremendously successful career in the highest echelons of global trading and investing. After making a mark in energy, commodities, equities and data, the newest frontier for his company, Intercontinental Exchange, is digitizing the mortgage industry. His work remains an example for young Madison students who have big dreams and goals of their own.

Now a well-known name on Wall Street and in finance capitals around the world, Sprecher used to deliver the Wisconsin State Journal on his bicycle. Football legend Elroy Hirsch was on his route. He attended Glenn Stephens Elementary, Orchard Ridge Middle, and Memorial High, and cites his Madison public school education as a key to his subsequent success.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to make it next to impossible to gather in large groups. This, unfortunately, has had a devastating effect on plans for class reunions all over the nation.

One of the most popular times of year for class reunions is Thanksgiving weekend, when people are already likely to be spending time back in their hometowns with family and friends. But this year, any class reunions you may wish to plan will not be able to happen in-person, especially as Wisconsin continues to see surging infection rates and hospitalizations with the virus.

But never fear! There are still options for you to host these reunions virtually, giving you time to catch up with friends from your alma mater in an informal environment. 

Here are five tips for you to still find success with planning your class reunion in a virtual format.

1. Connect with the school and your alumni association: Both your alma mater and your alumni network will still be able to provide you with valuable resources, including contact information for people in your class and other information to help you in your planning. Connecting with these sources should always be your first step when planning a reunion, even a virtual one!
   
   
2. Reconsider reunion chair positions: Without an in-person component to your event, you don’t need to have someone tasked with arranging a venue or catering or anything like that. Instead, you should find someone with technological prowess who can ensure the event runs smoothly. You can still benefit from having someone tasked with marketing responsibilities, someone organizing invitations and someone managing finances, but even these roles might look different due to the online nature of the event.
   
   
3. Use a platform people already know: People have become intimately familiar with platforms like Zoom and Google Meet since the pandemic began. These tools are even being used for virtual schooling now. You may as well stick with these platforms, since people already know them and are familiar with them. Plus, with Zoom, you can use advanced features to allow for breakout groups.
   
   
4. Have plans: Just because it’s a virtual reunion doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have an agenda. You should still have a person moderating or emceeing to guide you through the event, and have an agenda for the activities and talks. Do some research into virtual activities as well, including online games, group discussions, icebreakers, sharing talents or other types of activities that easily translate to an online setting.
   
   
5. Do your research: We’re seven months and counting into the pandemic, which means there are already plenty of other alumni associations that have held online reunions, fundraisers and events. See what other groups have done, and get some inspiration for what you think could make for a successful event of your own.

While a virtual reunion isn’t the same as being able to gather in person, it can still be a big success. Contact us if you need further tips to get you started with your planning!

When Capital High class of 2020 alumnus Cheviest “Chevy” Branch reflects on his most unusual Senior year in Madison, he thinks about opportunities -- some were lost, chances to close out 4 years of High School with staff and peers at Monona Terrace where Capital High holds their graduation ceremony and some were gained, flexibility to work and do school more seamlessly at the same time.

East High class of 1995 alumna Elizabeth O’Callaghan, PhD has over 20 years of experience in higher education administration, academic research, and graduate-level teaching. She has published books and research articles in peer-reviewed journals on topics including the glass ceiling in higher education for women and people of color. 

Shabazz City High School class of 2004 alumna Alexis Johnson is the executive assistant/office manager at HealthX Ventures, a digital healthcare-focused venture capital firm in Madison, WI. Before that, she spent six years at Noric Consulting, helping the company to grow from less than 30 employees to over 800 by the time she left. But had it not been for her experience at Shabazz City High School, she's not sure she would have even graduated high school. Here is her story...

The Vander Meulen Family’s story starts with August (“Augie”) Vander Meulen. Following his time as a professional basketball player in the pre-NBA days - playing for the Oshkosh All-Stars – Augie became an assistant principal at Madison East High School. When Madison La Follette High School was founded in the fall of 1963, he became the school’s first principal (the school’s auditorium is named for him). Augie was also a member of the Madison school board in the late 70’s.

Malcolm Shabazz City High School class of 1990 alumna Lara Kain is a self-employed national education consultant specializing in trauma-informed schools, school community partnerships, and holistic school reform models. She designed a resilient schools pilot for Kaiser Permanente which has been implemented in 20 schools across the country. As she reflects on why the principles and practices of creating trauma-informed/trauma-responsive environments in school settings has always connected with her deep down in her bones, she recognizes that it’s tied directly to her own roots in the progressive education movement – both as a student at Shabazz and then as a teacher.

Those who have attended Madison's public schools know that our school community is a special place. It means something to have graduated from East, West, Memorial, La Follette, Shabazz, Capital High or Central.

As an alum, you can make a big impact on the lives of current Madison public schools students by giving your time, talents or treasure. We need your help to ensure a bright future for the next generation of learners.

That is why the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools is so excited to launch the Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network in mid-2020. This network is a new community that will allow our alumni to stay up-to-date with exciting news and find meaningful ways to engage and support students. Those that join the network will have regular access to news, volunteer opportunities, special events and an alumni directory of active users.

Madison public schools alumni, MMSD employees, supporters and friends of the District are encouraged to join the Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network to receive monthly emails with the latest news on District and Foundation initiatives and events, student success stories, and alumni profiles. There is also the ability for those that join to add their names to the online directory, created to enable our alumni community to more easily connect with one another.

This community will empower you to stay in touch with old friends, classmates or colleagues, learn about how you can help students in those halls to today and get regular updates on all the exciting things happening in Madison's public schools. We ask that you engage in this network and help ensure a lasting legacy for Madison's public schools and the students it serves—both now and in the future. We'll share more about how you can do just that in the weeks and months to come!

We also invite you to take an interest survey to provide feedback on the types of information that is valued within the Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network. We are excited to get started and look forward to growing our relationship with all who are invested in the continued success of our schools, students and community.

The Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network is being launched by the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools, the go-to partner to the Madison Metropolitan School District, connecting the community in support of our public schools. Since its founding in 2001, the Foundation has given over $20 million back to Madison's public schools through endowments, programs, and funding of novel school-based initiatives.

Meet the Madison Public Schools Foundation

27,000 Scholars. 52 Schools. ONE Foundation.

We are the Madison Public Schools Foundation, and we believe that every child deserves a high-quality, equitable education. We know that Schools Make Madison, and we are here as the go-to partner connecting the community in support of our public schools. Since our founding in 2001, the Foundation has given over $27 million back to our public schools through endowments, programs and funding of novel school-based initiatives. Our capacity to give relies on strong community support for our managed funds (over 170 total), our support services and our community partnership programs.

We have launched the Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network in an effort to connect a portion of our estimated 80,000 plus living alumni with fellow alumni, faculty, students and staff, facilitating the delivery of a wide array of resources: intellectual, academic, career, collegiate, networking, and philanthropic. This effort was made possible with generous support from the Madison Community Foundation and the Nimick Forbesway Foundation. The alumni network will play an important role in building a thriving community for all residents, bringing together people from around Madison, the state, and the country with opportunities to invest in one of our community's most important assets: the future potential of our school children. See how the Foundation is working in partnership with MMSD and high school alumni groups to build the network.

To learn more about the Foundation, we invite you to visit us online at SchoolsMakeMadison.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter - @Schoolsmakemsn.

Connect with the Foundation Today!

• Get involved with the Madison Public Schools Friends & Alumni Network;

• Explore our Adopt-a-School program to see if your business or faith community may be a good fit;

• Learn about the Teacher Support Network, dedicated to providing school supplies and learning materials to classrooms, reducing teacher out-of-pocket spending

• Give a gift to the Foundation or one of our dedicated funds. 

We know that Madison’s future depends upon today’s investment in the education of tomorrow’s leaders. Get to know us in our mission to help ensure that every MMSD public school is a place where every scholar can thrive.

We invite all alumni and friends of Madison’s Public Schools to join the network, with no membership contribution required. Enter your information below to start receiving information about alumni network events, news, volunteer opportunities and more.