Vol 10. June 2025 Versión en español

Dear West Scholars and Families,

We’re closing out another incredible school year—the 2024-25 journey has been quite the ride! As we head into the final stretch, I want to share a few important updates and reminders.

Demonstration of Learning (DOL) Week (Mon-Wed):

Next week, scholars will engage in their end-of-year assessments. After finishing their scheduled assessments, scholars will need to exit the building promptly. The only exceptions will be those with a pass for make-ups. Scholars who rely on Fitchburg transportation may remain at the school until their bus arrives, but all others should plan to leave campus after testing.

Graduation Practice:

Seniors, graduation practice will be held @ NOON on Wednesday, June 11th. Make sure you have picked up your cap and gown from your SLC office. Don’t be late! 

Looking Ahead to Summer & Fall:

We’re excited for summer, but we’re also preparing for a strong return in the fall. Over the break, staff will have some summer work, and when we come back, we’ll be diving into a few key focus areas:

• Habits of a Learner – These are the skills that help scholars get the most out of their education.
• Attendance – Being present matters, and we’ll be reinforcing its importance.
• How to Ask for Support – Learning to advocate for yourself is a game-changer.
• Cell Phone Policy – We’ll continue working on when and how to use (or not use) phones to support a strong learning environment.

All in all, it’s been another amazing year at Madison West, and we couldn’t be prouder of our scholars. Wishing our entire West community a safe and joyful summer. See you in the fall!

With Regent Pride,

Principal Kigeya

The Madison West High School

• Graduation Cap/Gown pick-up: in Highland/Ash SLC #2211
• Seniors graduating with honors - if you did not attend Honors Convocation, remember that you can pick up your honors cords from the Student Services office, room 1106.
• Graduation Practice and class photo: June 11th at noon in the Stevens Gym (bring your cap/gown). You will receive your yellow Regent stole at this practice.
• Field trip to your elementary school after graduation practice on June 11th. You can find the link to the sign-up form, which is also your permission slip, on the Class of 2025 Google Classroom under the ACP topic.
• 2025 Graduation: June 14th, Kohl Center at 1:00 PM

Updates and Graduation 2025 information will be posted to the

Madison West Graduation webpage.

Seniors make sure to pick up your free Class of 2025 sign in your SLC or Counseling office and the Welcome Center!

This is a reminder that Monday June 9 -Wednesday June 11th will be our end of semester Demonstration of Learning. Friday June 6th will be our last day of regular classes. All academic courses  (excluding Resource/Study Hall) should have a plan for their meeting time.  Students, please check with your teacher if you have questions.

Regular lunch will be available on Monday with grab and go bag lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Transportation (Metro buses and Yellow buses) will follow normal schedules. Students who have to stay the entire day due to transportation needs, will be required to be in the Cafeteria. 

Final Demonstration of Learning (DoL) Schedule

Monday June 9, 2025  

8:30 – 10:00              Period 1

10:15 – 11:45            Period 2

12:30 –   2:00            Period 7

Tuesday June 10, 2025

8:30 – 10:00              Period 3

10:15 – 11:45            Period 4

12:30 –   2:00           Makeup

Wednesday June 11, 2025

8:30 – 10:00              Period 5

10:15 – 11:45            Period 6

12:30 –   2:00            Makeup

Thursday June 12, 2025

No School – Staff Only for Grade Reporting

Semester Grades Due at Noon

West NHS students will be hosting a blood drive at Midvale Community Lutheran Church on Thursday June 19th from 12:00 to 5:00 pm. This drive is open to everyone (students, parents, staff, and West friends & neighbors)!

Donors are needed in June to ensure there’s enough blood available throughout the busy summer months. June 19 is also World Sickle Cell Day. Blood donors who are Black are almost three times more likely to be a match for the blood most commonly needed by people living with sickle cell disease.

Donors who come to give June 1-30, 2025 will receive a $15 Amazon.com Gift Card by email.

Donors who are age 18+ and come to give June 1-30, 2025 will automatically be entered for a chance to win one of two $7,000 gift cards

Sign up to donate using this link: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=WestHighSchoolWI

You can also sign up using the blood donor app and sponsor code: Westhighschoolwi

Empire Photography will be photographing every graduate as they receive their diploma at the commencement ceremony. To ensure you can easily access and order your graduate's photos after the ceremony, please take a moment to pre-register using the QR code below or visit www.empirephotos.com/MadisonWHS43

Pre-registering helps properly identify each graduate and deliver proofs to families as quickly as possible after the ceremony.

Empire will capture multiple angles of each graduate, including the diploma presentation and special moments throughout the ceremony.

West's own Kieran Collins has been named to the 25-26 Men's Speedskating Long Track National Development Team. Congratulations Kieran, we look forward to cheering you on! Go Regents!

This year, Madison West Rocket Club sent two teams to the Rockets for Schools competition in Sheboygan, sweeping first place in both the classes they competed in!

The class-1 team, T.H.E.R.M.A.L., measured how hot the nose cone got during flight due to aerothermal heating. After presenting to a panel of judges and an inspection of the build quality, they won first place in the Class-1 Senior (high school) division. They also won the best fit and finish of a Class-1 rocket, getting them a $300 gift certificate to buy rocket parts.

The class-2 team, team Moo-ons, equipped their cow-themed rocket with a muon detector, measuring the rate of these subatomic particles at different altitudes. After going through the same judging process and wowing the judges with their dairy-themed attire, team Moo-ons won first place in the higher-power division, securing Madison West a bid to next year’s NASA student launch program.

On behalf of our admin team and teachers, we want to thank those who donated gift cards for our teacher appreciation week. We received over 170 gift cards, and distributed them randomly to staff in the Van Hise office today. The positive energy in the office was amazing! Our teachers were thrilled to be recognized with such generosity, and asked me to thank you personally for the kind gesture. It was an incredibly emotional day, because your thoughtfulness means a lot!

If you have thoughts about how to recognize teachers and all staff next year, we welcome your feedback. This is always one of the best weeks of the year, and I'm happy you are included.

Thank you!

Sean Storch Assistant Principal

Mark you Calendar! Lifetouch will be at West for 25-26 school pictures and Student ID printing on August 12th and August 14th.

MMSD and Metro are partnering again to help students in grades 6 through 12, including recent high school graduates, access the Metro Bus for free during the summer.

This year, students who already have a metro bus pass, will be able to continue to use this same pass during the summer, with no extra steps needed.  

New for 2025, if a student doesn't already have an existing pass, the Summer Youth Pass will be available virtually through the Metro Transit Fast Fare mobile app, making it easier than ever for students to ride with just a scan from their phone.

To get started, students can email mymetrobus@cityofmadison.com from their school email address (ending in @madison.k12.wi.us) with the subject line: Summer Youth Pass. 

Physical bus passes will still be available as needed. For all schools, if you need a physical pass sent to you, please request them before June 4 from Jason Northouse at janorthouse@madison.k12.wi.us

After that, physical passes will be available at their Feeder HS during summer school.

You can access the official Metro Press Release here:

• Metro Summer Youth Pass Press Release

While the published deadline for commitment forms has passed, we will still be accepting commitment forms from students interested in traveling with us to El Salvador in June, 2026. If your student might be interested in learning about international solidarity, community organizing, local life in rural El Salvador, and practicing their Spanish, please have your student join the Google Classroom (student code: oaswxdf) to check out details. You can also contact Profe Tyser (latyser@mmsd.org) and Profe Faith Hoenecke (faith.hoenecke@gmail.com) with questions. We have a handful of students already committed to visiting our sister city of Arcatao, El Salvador in June 2026, but we will still accept students through the end of September. 

Please fill out the commitment form linked in the announcement flier and give it to a West Spanish teacher, Profe Tyser, or Profe Hoenecke. 

There will be a Celebration of Life for Camille Dreyfuss (West High School class of 2025) on Saturday, June 7th. Everyone in the West community, including staff, students, and families is invited to join.

CIEE Global Navigators

Madison West High School is proud to announce that 32 of its students will become Global Navigators through CIEE this summer. These exceptional students have collectively earned $50,428 in scholarships.

This year, 53% of the West participants will immerse themselves in language and culture programs, 16% will explore arts and culture, 3% will dive into business, 9% will pursue STEM experiences, and 19% will participate in social change initiatives. 

Thanks to West's commitment to global education, these students will return with open minds, broader perspectives, and ready to make a positive impact both locally and globally.

Maliha Nu’Man

Arabic Language & Moroccan Culture in Rabat, Morocco

Lucia Reina De Jesus

Korean Language & Culture in Seoul, South Korea

Hamza Nu’Man

Spanish Language & Culture in Madrid, Spain

Lindsay Pozos

Spanish Language & Culture in Barcelona, Spain

Joe Beal

Global Entrepreneurship in Singapore, Singapore

Scarlett Brown

Spanish Language & Culture in Barcelona, Spain

Izzy Jordan

Connecting Italian Art, History & Culture in Rome, Italy

Ella Monson

Connecting Italian Art, History & Culture in Rome, Italy

Mollie Bryan

Theatre Arts on London’s Stage in London, UK

Ethan Lee

Aerospace Engineering in Toulouse, France

Gwendolyn Geiger

Leadership & Service in Youth Development in Mohammedia, Morocco

Scarlet Dunning

Aquatic Ecosystems & Sustainability in Lisbon, Portugal

Noah Kinsley

Honors Spanish Language & Culture in Madrid, Spain

Katherine Matthews

Leadership & Service in Children's Education in Legon, Ghana

Chase Fritz

Theatre Arts on London’s Stage in London, UK

Lucy Kelly

Spanish Language & Culture in Alicante, Spain

Graham Murray

Taking Climate Action in Copenhagen, Denmark

Jasper Darley

Taking Climate Action in Copenhagen, Denmark

Macy Carlson

Leadership & Service in Youth Development in Mérida, Mexico

Truman Parker

Aquatic Ecosystems & Sustainability in Lisbon, Portugal

Rosemary Walsh

Spanish Language & Mexican Culture in Mérida, Mexico

Skye Rautiainen

Spanish Language & Culture in Alicante, Spain

Marat Kaun

Spanish Language & Culture in Barcelona, Spain

Jasmin Garcia Morales

Korean Language & Culture in Seoul, South Korea

Simone Weinhold

Spanish Language & Culture in Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Connor Healy

Art-Making in Prague's Creative Studios in Prague, Czech Republic

Imogene Austin

Spanish Language & Mexican Culture in Mérida, Mexico

Braden Hamilton

Spanish Language & Culture in Alicante, Spain

Noah Boryc Smock

Spanish Language & Culture in Alicante, Spain

Keira McGuinnis

Spanish Language & Culture in Alicante, Spain

Zachary Richmond

Honors Spanish Language & Culture in Seville, Spain

Theodore Singer

Leadership & Service in Youth Development in Mérida, Mexico

-Jennifer Muchka

CIEE Global Navigator Program Coordinator

jmuchka@madison.k12.wi.us

https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/high-school-study-abroad/summer

Mr. Mike's Basketball Clinic & Runs is a basketball program presented by West Engagement designed for young athletes aged 12 to 18. It is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 16th, and will run Monday through Friday, from 12pm - 5pm. (Except Holidays)

The program offers a comprehensive approach to basketball development, including:

Group Workouts: For team dynamics and general skill improvement.

Individual Workouts: Providing personalized attention and tailored skill development.

Full Games: Allowing participants to apply their learned skills in a competitive game setting.

The clinic is free to attend and operates on a drop-in basis, offering flexibility for participants.

The program will take place at Hamilton Middle School, located at 4801 Waukesha St, Madison, WI 53705. Participants are instructed to enter through the back of the school.

Sign Up Link: https://forms.gle/wYVxHBxPwKfMnS2s5

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

Michael D. Alston

Madison Metropolitan School District

EDEI - Student Engagement Specialist 

West & Capital High School

mdalston@Madison.k12.wi.us

Looking for fun, enriching , and flexible summer experiences for your child? Our Spanish Immersion Program is the perfect way to combine learning with play, culture and unforgettable memories. learn naturally while having fun

Why Parents Love our Program!

• Full Spanish immersion Kids learn naturally while having fun.
• Flexible schedule to fit your summer plans.
• Hands on activities, outdoor fun, and creativity.
• Safe, supportive , and nurturing environment.
• Opportunity to volunteer 50 hours in a month.

Ages: 15-17

Location: Tilaran, Guanacaste , Costa Rica.

Dates: flexible options available all summer long!

Spots are limited - register today!

We know sending your child abroad is a big decision, that's why we are here to answer all your questions. Contact Ilba Prego Director ilba@youthcr.org to learn more and feel confident about this incredible opportunity.

Link to a program video:  

www.youtube.com/@crexchange