Middleton High unveils new north wing on first day of school

MIDDLETON, Wis. (WMTV) - The first day of school at Middleton High School was extra special this year, as students got their first look at a new expansion project.

The north addition to the high school was just completed. It includes a new robotics lab, a television studio, and an art gallery.

“We have a new state of the art culinary kitchen, beautiful tech ed spaces that really very much are like what you would find at a technical college. We have a hip-hop music studio, we have a recording studio, we have break-out spaces for students to learn and work in,” said Principal Peg Shoemaker.

The addition also includes a large skylight and multiple windows to provide natural light and an open-concept atmosphere. This is just phase one of a two-part project. The south end is under construction now and will be finished in September of 2022.

Junior Marissa Madaus said she’s ready start this new year on a fresh note. “I’m excited to see the people I didn’t get to see last year and to see new faces and the new freshmen and to be one year older,” said Madaus. About 125 students in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District are learning virtually out of 7,300 kids total.

After a partial year of virtual learning, Madaus knew she wanted to return in-person and isn’t too concerned about the COVID precautions she and her peers must follow. “I think being in school full-time with a mask might be a little difficult, but nothing I’m not used to,” explained Madaus.

Masks are required inside school buildings and students will be asked to socially distance as much as possible, especially during lunch time.

“It’s the one time when students will be removing their masks to eat and drink and so we’re distancing as much as we can. We’ve purchased portable HEPA filters in all of those spaces to add another layer of protection,” said Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Superintendent, Dana Monogue.

The district will have mobile COVID-19 testing sites for students and staff and has a partnership with Public Health Madison Dane County to help with contact tracing. Monogue said keeping everyone safe is a team effort and that starts at home.

“We also know this is a community effort and we really appreciate that our families are keeping sick children home, that when kids are symptomatic, they’re not coming to school, that’s really, really important. We are still quarantining kids who are positive and staff who are positive,” said Monogue.

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