James Madison Memorial High School

Address:	201 South Gammon Road, Madison, WI 53717
Telephone:	(608) 663-5990
Fax:	(608) 442-2197
Principal:	Bruce Dahmen
James Madison Memorial High School Web Site
Handbook \| en español
Online Staff Directory
Attendance Area Map \| HS attendance area: Memorial
School Data Profile

Parent/Teacher Group President:

Susan Sunde, 273-7012

Parent Contact:

Sue Mowris, 848-1663; suem@chorus.net

Students — Click Here!

Memorial High School Neighborhoods: Working together to build a connection.

Memorial High School was the recipient of a United States Department of Education Smaller Learning Communities grant in the fall of 2000. The Neighborhoods program is an innovative restructuring of our school of 2000 to make it a smaller, more welcoming place for all our students. The school has been divided into four Neighborhoods and each has its own student government system.

The Neighborhood concept draws upon the real world experience of Madison's own neighborhoods. As successful self-government entities, Madison's city neighborhoods provide a model for the development of a social fabric, a governing structure, and a program of community and service activities. Each neighborhood has its own neighborhood center, which are used for study, after school meetings, and other activities.

The Neighborhoods are further broken down into smaller units called "Backyards." These are cross-age groups that meet with an advisor on a weekly basis to promote student and teacher interactions.

The purpose of the project is to promote relationships student to student and student to staff, to increase academic achievement by creating a sense of belonging for all students, and to build a stronger productivity ethic in study halls.

Site Characteristics

Location

Memorial High School is located at the corner of Mineral Point and Gammon Roads across from West Towne Mall.

Neighborhood Bus Service

Metro fixed Routes 6, 62 (to/from West Transfer Point) and 14 serve Memorial High School from stops along Mineral Point Road. Routes 60, 62 (to/from West Transfer Point) and 14 stop on Gammon Road at Mineral Point Road or Tree Lane. Supplemental Service Routes 118, 150, 152, 156, 157, 160 and 162 provide additional connections before and after school from Memorial High School attendance areas.

Enrollment

Memorial's 2000 students come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and approximately 100 countries around the globe. Memorial receives students from 18 public, private and parochial schools. Approximately 250 teachers and support staff serve the needs of our diverse population. Memorial has a 95.1% attendance rate.

Academic Programming

Achievement Scores

Recently, the average verbal SAT score was 622. The average writing sample SAT score was 618. The average math SAT score was 639. The average ACT score was 25.6.

In 2008-09 Memorial had 24 semifinalists, 24 finalists, and 20 commended finalists for the National Merit Scholarship competition. Five students also qualified for the US Department of Education Presidential Scholar Honors. Memorial also had students receive Nation Achievement and National Hispanic Recognition awards. Approximately 91% of each graduating class attends two- or four-year colleges.

Advanced Placement Program

There has been tremendous growth in our AP program with about 400 students now taking Advanced Placement courses each year. Most recently, 384 students took 717 AP exams with 89% scoring a 3 or above. (A score of 3 or above usually earns college credit.) AP courses cover English, chemistry, physics, biology, economics, psychology, history, computer science, math, and world languages.

Technology

Memorial computing facilities consist of approximately 300 Windows and Macintosh computers located in classrooms, labs and the Library Media Center. Nearly all are networked, permitting users access to their personal accounts, general applications and library resources throughout the building. Additionally, all faculty, staff and students have access to the Internet, including a free E-mail address. Memorial is currently exploring becoming a wireless facility.

Talented and Gifted (TAG) Program

The goal of Talented and Gifted (TAG) programming is to make certain K-12 students consistently have learning opportunities that are challenging, systematic and continuous based on learning profile, readiness and student interest.

Student learning experiences include a broad range of opportunities that pushes a student to their next level of challenge and allows them to develop their talents. TAG programming may occur in the classroom, or in other settings. TAG programming is determined by ongoing evaluation and assessment of individual student needs. Each school has TAG resource support for ongoing consultation.

Other Programs

Freshman Core: The ninth grade class is divided for three periods a day into Core groups consisting of approximately 80 students and a team of three English, science and social studies teachers. The purpose of Core is to make Memorial a smaller, more intimate, user-friendly place. At the 9th grade level there is an Iinterdisciplinary Honors Seminar option, and students participate in core support study halls staffed by freshman core teachers.

School Climate

Safety Is Always A Priority

Memorial is committed to:

providing a learning environment that promotes each student's intellectual, emotional and physical development with zero tolerance for harassment and/or discrimination,
protecting responsible use of student rights,
providing a supportive system and set of rules that ensure student safety during all school activities,
offering a multitude of school groups and clubs which help all students feel an integral part of Memorial and assist in conflict resolution,
enforcing the MMSD athletic code and Board of Education policies which establish zero tolerance for alcohol and drug use.

Extracurricular Program

We have a rich extracurricular program. Memorial has 25 interscholastic sports, 55 extramural activities and a wide range of performing arts productions which provide a variety of activities to enrich the Memorial High School experience. School clubs focus on academics, drama and public speaking, music and fine arts, school government, school publications, service and special interest clubs.

Since its inception, Memorial High School has had strong interscholastic athletic programs. Teams have earned 60 state titles and 53 runner-up championships.

Cultural activities have also been central to Memorial: musicals, dramatic plays, art gallery openings, talent shows, concerts, writing publications, etc. provide a means to exhibit student talent.

Partnerships

Parents are involved in the activities of Memorial High School through supportive groups such as the Parent Teacher Organization, Academic Booster Club, Athletic Booster Club, Parent Communication Network, Parents of Minority Students Advisory Committee, and the Music Booster Club. Memorial has also established a partnership with Herzing University

You Are Always Welcome At James Madison Memorial High School!

Every student has the opportunity to be successful. You have our guarantee that your child(ren) will be provided challenging and innovative educational experiences. We are not only interested in what students know, but also what they can do with what they know. We ask all parents and families to join us in a partnership of lifelong learning.

School Tours of the building are open to ALL. We encourage all interested families to meet with staff or take a guided tour of the school.

We encourage you to talk with parents of our students to learn more about our school. Please see the Principal/Parent Contact information on this web site for current names and phone numbers.

For answers to any question, or to request written material such as curriculum guides, handbooks, lunch menus, bus schedules, newsletters, etc., call the Memorial office 663-5990, Principal 663-5992, or fax your request to 442-2197.

Quotes

"Teachers value each student's unique abilities and interests. There is so much to choose from to make school interesting and fun."
--Memorial Parent

"I've been very happy with the program at Memorial. I know my daughter is getting a very solid education and growing personally in ways that can't be measured."
--Memorial Parent

"Memorial High School offers such a rich experience for our child. We really appreciate the emphasis on academic opportunities. The clubs and extra activities help round out our child's school experience and growth."
--Memorial Parent

"New friends, new courses, new activities and new opportunities - they're all available for your success at Memorial."
--Memorial Student

"There are so many great extracurricular activities - jump in and enjoy them!"
--Memorial Student