James Madison Memorial High School
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| James Madison Memorial High School | |
|---|---|
| File:124.jpg | |
| Motto | Succeed or try. |
| Established | 1966 |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Principal | Bruce Dahmen |
| Students | 1,700- 2,100 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Madison, Wisconsin, USA |
| Oversight | Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) |
| Colors | Green and White |
| Mascot | Bruce the Spartan |
| Yearbook | The Olympian |
| Newspaper | The Sword and Shield (official), The Independent. |
| Website | http://memorialweb.madison.k12.wi.us |
James Madison Memorial High School is a public school located at 201 South Gammon Road, Madison, Wisconsin, 53717, serving students in grades 9 through 12. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan School District. One of four Madison public high schools, it is commonly referred to as "Memorial" or "JMM".
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[edit] Academics
Memorial offers Chinese, German, French and Spanish language classes.[1]
The Memorial Art Department offers a wide variety of courses engaging a comprehensive array of media. The department also offers opportunities for portfolio development, artistic skill development and membership in art-based clubs (The Art Klub, Animation Club). Memorial student-artists compete in many visual competitions. The Art Department has supported the installation of art throughout the school including: ceramic murals, artwork profesional artists, and student-created artwork found in the Memorial Art Garden.[citation needed]
The Memorial Science Department offers a wide variety of science courses. Integrated Science is the introductory ninth grade course. The Science Department offers 4 AP courses: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Environmental Science. Courses in the Biological Sciences include Biology, AP Biology, Fundamentals of Biology, Conservation Biology, Anatomy and Physiology,Forensics Science, and Molecular Biology. Chemistry Courses include AP Chemistry, Math Chemistry, and Chemistry in the Community. Physics courses include AP Physics, Math Physics, and General Physics. The school offers courses in Earth Science including Earth Science 1, Earth Science 2, Astronomy, and AP Environmental Science. Other courses include Aerospace and Mechanical World.[citation needed]
The school also hosts a planetarium and holds an Astronomy class.
[edit] Administration
The school principal is Bruce Dahmen. Memorial's athletic director is Tim Ritchie.[2]
[edit] Small Learning Communities grant
In 2001, Memorial received a U.S. Department of Education Small Learning Communities federal grant to support a "neighborhood" reorganization.[3] Students would be assigned to "backyards" consisting of approximately twenty students and a staff member, Backyards are grouped together to form "blocks" which are grouped to form "neighborhoods".[3] In total there would be 100 backyards which combine to form 5 blocks which combine to form 4 neighborhoods.[3] Started during the 2002-03 school year, the goal was to create a smaller environment where students would feel connected to each other and staff members. Different from a traditional homeroom concept, students are assigned to "backyards" consisting of approximately 20 students and 2 staff members (teachers, nurses, librarians, counselors, etc.) Students remain in the same backyard with the same students and teachers for their entire high school career. Backyard is currently receiving mostly negative views from students, and is under debate for improvement. Each neighborhood is assigned a vice principal to help ensure consistency in administration as students matriculate. In total there are 100 backyards which combine to form 20 blocks which combine to form 4 neighborhoods (Rock, Wolf, Fox, and Wisconsin).
[edit] School newspapers
The official school newspaper is The Sword and Shield. Independent newspapers, The Spartacus and the Aficionado existed at one time, but have both discontinued distribution.
The Independent was created after the 1990-91 school year by The Sword and Shield staff in response to censorship of the school's paper by then Principal Carolyn Taylor. The Independent had a tradition of printing annual April Fool's editions, which were published under names such as The Inebriated, The Insolent, and The Indyan. Past controversy over the April Fool's editions led to The Independent being temporarily banned, sparking the creation of The Spartacus in 2003.
[edit] Extracurricular activities
Memorial offers 25 interscholastic sports and 55 extramural activities that cover a broad array of interests.[citation needed]
[edit] Forensics Team
The James Madison Memorial Forensics Team is one of Wisconsin's most successful speech programs, participating in the competitive Wisconsin Forensics Coaches Association (WFCA) league. At the end of the 2011 season, JMM had won eight state championships in the previous eleven years. Memorial emerged victorious in 2002,[4] 2003,[5] 2004,[6] shared the title with Appleton East in 2006,[7] and won additional championships in 2008,[8] 2009,[9] 2010[10] and 2011. In the three seasons Memorial did not win the WFCA state tournament, the team placed second twice (2001 and 2007) and third once (2005) - all seasons in which the teams from Appleton East or Brookfield East prevailed. Memorial maintains rivalries with both schools, along with neighboring Sun Prairie High School.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Tyrone Braxton, American football player with the Denver Broncos 1987-1999, with one year in Miami
- Rick Graf, class 1982, NFL football player eight years
- Tamara Grigsby, class of 1993, Wisconsin State Assembly
- Ari Herstand, class of 2003; singer and songwriter
- Jack Ikegwuonu, class of 2004; cornerback in the National Football League, drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 annual draft by the Philadelphia Eagles
- Mark Johnson, American ice hockey gold medal winner at 1980 Winter Olympics; coach of U.S. Women's Olympic hockey team[11] and current head coach of the University of Wisconsin women's hockey team
- Jennifer Korbee, class of 1998; singer and actress, best known from the band and children's show Hi-5.
- Wesley Matthews, class of 2005; basketball guard for the Portland Trail Blazers; starting guard–forward for the Marquette Golden Eagles for four years
[edit] References
- ^ "School profile". Archived from the original on February 01, 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20050201070333/http%3A//www.madison.k12.wi.us/jmm/guidance/Records/school%2520profile.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ "Administration Contact". Archived from the original on 2007-03-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20070323154852/http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/jmm/contact.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ a b c Lackney, Jeffrey (2001-07-06). "Forming Small Learning Communities: Implementing Neighborhoods in Existing High Schools". http://schoolstudio.engr.wisc.edu/smalllearningcom.html. Retrieved 2009-11-01..
- ^ "2002 State Tournament". Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association. 2005-07-13. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20071031041335/http://www.wfcaforensics.org/content/view/43/104/. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ "2003 State Tournament". Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association. 2005-07-13. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20071008074650/http://www.wfcaforensics.org/content/view/42/104/. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ "2004 State Tournament". Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association. 2005-07-13. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20071031041304/http://www.wfcaforensics.org/content/view/53/104/. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ "2006 State Tournament". Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association. 2006-09-01. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20071031041424/http://www.wfcaforensics.org/content/view/86/104/. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association - 2008 State Tournament Results
- ^ Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association - 2009 State Tournament Results
- ^ Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association - 2010 State Tournament Results
- ^ Borzi, Pat (2010-01-25). "The U.S. Women's Hockey Team Is Not as Battle-Tested as It Intended". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/sports/olympics/25whockey.html?scp=3&sq=mark%20johnson&st=cse. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
[edit] External links
- James Madison Memorial High School - Official website.
- Madison Memorial Boy's Basketball
- Madison Memorial Swimming & Diving
- The Independent Student Newspaper
