Madison West High School
Encyclopedia
Madison West High School is one of four comprehensive four-year high schools in Madison
, Wisconsin
. It was established in 1930. Its mascot is the "Reggie the Regent," a lion, and its school colors are maize and blue. Athletics compete in the WIAA Big Eight Conference
.
West is unique among Madison schools as it serves students from 4 different municipalities, being Madison, the town of Madison, Shorewood Hills and Fitchburg.
(TARC). In 2009, team 7141 of the Madison West Rocket Club placed first in the TARC national finals with a score of 20.54. TARC 2009 had over 650 teams competing for the national prize. The top 20 finalists in the TARC finals are all offered an invitation to participate in a NASA
sponsored program called Student Launch Initiative (SLI). SLI involves launching an experimental payload in a rocket to an altitude of one mile.
Club has been a popular lunchtime attraction for many students at West. Largely populated by a consistent and devoted member base, Sheepshead Club's meetings are frequently punctuated by the arrival of a new member. The club meets every day, while many of the members have developed patterns of attendance based around other academic clubs at West. Each day, a detailed score sheet is kept with the tally of the day's games, leading to fierce competition. Leadership of the club is managed by the students, with co-presidents elected based on proficiency at Sheepshead among other factors. The founding official co-presidents of the club were George Degan, John Raihala, Hongkai Pan. Although West Sheepshead Club has thus far declined to enter any large inter-school or inter-state competitions, plans have been drawn up to form similar clubs at other local schools and compete in a city-wide sheepshead event.
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. It was established in 1930. Its mascot is the "Reggie the Regent," a lion, and its school colors are maize and blue. Athletics compete in the WIAA Big Eight Conference
WIAA Big Eight Conference
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association's Big Eight Conference, is a high school athletic conference in south-central Wisconsin. Its ten member schools are:* Beloit Memorial High School* Janesville Craig High School* Janesville Parker High School...
.
West is unique among Madison schools as it serves students from 4 different municipalities, being Madison, the town of Madison, Shorewood Hills and Fitchburg.
Administration
- Principal: Ed Holmes
- Assistant Principals: Melanie Thiel, Theresa Calderon, Beth Tompson, Mitch McGrath.
Advanced Placement
Madison West features Advanced Placement classes such as:- World Languages: French Language, Spanish Language, Latin Language, Japanese Language, German Language
- History: American Government & Politics
- Mathematics: Statistics, AB Calculus, BC Calculus, Computer Science A, (Computer Science AB until removed from CollegeBoard in 2009)
- Music: Music Theory
- English: While not technically an AP course, substantial information is taught in the English Literature and European Literature courses to prepare the students for the AP tests in those subjects.
Rocket Club
Since its inception in 2003, Madison West Rocket Club has consistently been one of the top 20 finalists in the Team America Rocketry ChallengeTeam America Rocketry Challenge
The Team America Rocketry Challenge is an annual American model rocketry competition for students in grades 7 to 12 sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry. The competition began in 2003 as a way to mark the 100th anniversary of flight, but due...
(TARC). In 2009, team 7141 of the Madison West Rocket Club placed first in the TARC national finals with a score of 20.54. TARC 2009 had over 650 teams competing for the national prize. The top 20 finalists in the TARC finals are all offered an invitation to participate in a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
sponsored program called Student Launch Initiative (SLI). SLI involves launching an experimental payload in a rocket to an altitude of one mile.
Science Olympiad
Since its inception in 1985, the Madison West Science Olympiad team has placed no worse than second in the Wisconsin State Science Olympiad Tournament (Division C). The West team has also had success at the national tournament by placing in the top 10 in 3 consecutive years from 1989 to 1991 including 2nd in 1989.Sheepshead Club
Since its inception in 2009, SheepsheadSheepshead
Sheepshead or Sheephead is a trick-taking card game related to the Skat family of games. It is the Americanized version of a card game that originated in Central Europe in the late 18th century under the German name Schafkopf. Although Schafkopf literally means "sheepshead", it has nothing to do...
Club has been a popular lunchtime attraction for many students at West. Largely populated by a consistent and devoted member base, Sheepshead Club's meetings are frequently punctuated by the arrival of a new member. The club meets every day, while many of the members have developed patterns of attendance based around other academic clubs at West. Each day, a detailed score sheet is kept with the tally of the day's games, leading to fierce competition. Leadership of the club is managed by the students, with co-presidents elected based on proficiency at Sheepshead among other factors. The founding official co-presidents of the club were George Degan, John Raihala, Hongkai Pan. Although West Sheepshead Club has thus far declined to enter any large inter-school or inter-state competitions, plans have been drawn up to form similar clubs at other local schools and compete in a city-wide sheepshead event.
Students
Madison West High School's students come from various social, economic, and cultural backgrounds; however, the majority are from business and professional families. West's student population is 39% non-white, compared to 10% for Madison as a whole. Students at West come from Cherokee, Hamilton, and Wright Middle Schools, in addition to various other schools across the district.Notable alumni
- Jim BakkenJim BakkenJames LeRoy Bakken is a former American football punter and placekicker for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, and was named by the voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to the Professional Football 1960s All Decade Team, which included both NFL and American...
- Former NFL place kicker (St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
); 4 time Pro Bowler and Professional Football Hall of Famer - Tammy BaldwinTammy BaldwinTammy Suzanne Green Baldwin is the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, serving since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In September 2011, Baldwin announced she would be a candidate in the 2012 U.S...
- U.S. Representative (D-WI) - Carol A. BuettnerCarol A. BuettnerCarol A. Buettner was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and Wisconsin State Senate.-Biography:Buettner was born on January 16, 1948 in Madison, Wisconsin. She graduated from Madison West High School before attending the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the University of Michigan...
- Wisconsin State Senator - Jeff Conrad - drummer for the band Phantom Planet
- Jim DoyleJim DoyleJames Edward "Jim" Doyle is a Wisconsin politician and member of the Democratic Party. He was the 44th Governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. He defeated incumbent Governor Scott McCallum by a margin of 45 percent to 41 percent; the Libertarian Party candidate Ed...
, 1963 - 44th Governor of Wisconsin (2003-2011) - Reece GainesReece GainesClifton Reece Gaines is an American professional basketball guard.Gaines, a 6'6", 205 lb shooting guard played high school basketball at Madison West in his hometown...
- Orlando MagicOrlando MagicThe Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
(2003-2004), Houston RocketsHouston RocketsThe Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
(2004-2005), Milwaukee BucksMilwaukee BucksThe Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
(2004-2006) - Beth HeidenBeth HeidenElizabeth Lee "Beth" Heiden Reid is an American athlete who excelled in speed skating, cross-country skiing and bicycle racing. She was born in Madison, Wisconsin. Her brother Eric was a five-time gold-medalist speedskater at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics...
- Olympian, Winter Olympic GamesWinter Olympic GamesThe Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
, and professional cyclist - Eric HeidenEric HeidenEric Arthur Heiden, M.D. is an American former long track speed skater and road cyclist who won all the men's speed skating races, and thus an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York,...
- Olympic Five-Time Gold MedalGold MedalGold Medal is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2004 on Atlantic Records. It was one of the first albums released in the DualDisc format, but was recalled due to a mastering error which resulted in the final track being partially omitted from the CD...
Speed Skater at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, and professional cyclist, 1986 Tour de France1986 Tour de FranceThe 1986 Tour de France was the 73rd Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 27, 1986. The total race distance was 4094 km, distributed over 23 stages and a prologue. It was won by Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour... - Phil HellmuthPhil HellmuthPhil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...
- professional poker player - Dan ImmerfallDan ImmerfallDaniel James Immerfall is a former speed skater from the United States who specialised in the 500 m....
- Olympic Speed Skater 1976, 1980 - LocksleyLocksley (band)Locksley is an indie four-piece pop rock/power pop band from Madison, Wisconsin. They are self-released on their own Feature Records label. Their songwriting is heavily influenced by early British Invasion bands with an instrumental style based more on early American punk bands and modern garage...
- David MaranissDavid MaranissDavid Maraniss is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. As a reporter for The Washington Post he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his stories about the life and career of candidate Bill Clinton in the 1992 campaign for the U.S...
- Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author - Cyrus NowrastehCyrus NowrastehCyrus Nowrasteh , born September 19, 1956, is an American screenwriter and director of theatrical films, television shows, and made-for-TV movies. He is best known for his involvement in the controversial docudrama The Path to 9/11.- Biography :...
- filmmaker - Sarayu RaoSarayu RaoSarayu Rao is an American actress whose face became familiar to the audience with a polaroid commercial. Her recent notable role is as Angela in 20th Century Fox Television series Sons of Tucson-Acting career:...
- actress - Britton RiceBritton RiceBritton Rice is an award-winning American musician and record producer, most notably known for his work with Polydream, among many others.-Reviews:******-Interviews:****...
- musician, record producer - Leo SidranLeo SidranLeo Sidran is a musician, composer, performer, and producer whose credits include producing the Oscar-winning soundtrack for the movie The Motorcycle Diaries.Sidran began his career in music early...
- musician - Charles P. SmithCharles P. SmithCharles P. Smith is an American Democratic politician.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Smith graduated from Madison West High School, in Madison, Wisconsin. He served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. In 1950, he graduated from Milton College and was a company production supervisor...
- Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Insttruction - John StamstadJohn StamstadJohn Stamstad is a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. He was famous for his domination of long distance mountain bike races. He entered his first long distance road bike race in 1985. The non-stop race was across Missouri from St. Louis to Kansas City and back...
- ultra-endurance mountain bike racer and trail runner, member of the Mountain Bike Hall of FameMountain Bike Hall of FameThe Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Crested Butte Colorado. The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1988 to chronicle the history of mountain biking.... - Scott StantisScott StantisScott Brian Stantis is an American editorial cartoonist.-Career:Scott is currently the Editorial Cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune and USA Today. He began his career with The Chicago Tribune on September 1, 2009 following the paper's nine-year search to replace Jeff MacNelly, who died in June 2000...
-editorial cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune and creator of the comic strips The Buckets and Prickly City - Tim StrackaTim StrackaTimothy Terrill Stracka is a former American football tight end in the National Football League. He played for the Cleveland Browns . He played at the collegiate level at the University of Wisconsin–Madison; before that, Stracka was the star of Madison West High School's 1977 Division 1 Wisconsin...
--former NFL tight end, Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1983-1984) - Chris TallmanChris TallmanChris Tallman is an American actor and comedian best known for his regular appearances on the Comedy Central programs Crossballs and Reno 911!. Tallman was also the creator of the popular Channel 101 series Time Belt which he wrote, directed, co-produced and starred in...
- actor - Donnel ThompsonDonnel ThompsonDonnel A. Thompson is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts . He played collegiate level at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-References:...
- Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
(2000), Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
(2002) - Stu VoigtStu VoigtStu Voigt is a former NFL tight end.Voigt was born in 1948 in the rough and tumble Westmorland district of Madison, Wisconsin. He graduated from Madison West High School in 1966, where he was an all-state running back and track and field standout. His state record in shot put of 66 feet...
- former NFL tight end, Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
(1970-1980) - Ben WadeBen WadeBenjamin Styron Wade was an American pitcher and scout in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago Cubs , Brooklyn Dodgers , St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates . Wade batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Morehead City, North Carolina...
- collegiate football player, University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...