Madison East High School

Coordinates: 43°05′51″N 89°21′15″W / 43.09745°N 89.35419°W / 43.09745; -89.35419
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Madison East High School
Address
Map
2222 E Washington Ave

,
Wisconsin 53704

United States
Coordinates43°05′51″N 89°21′15″W / 43.09745°N 89.35419°W / 43.09745; -89.35419
Information
TypePublic secondary
MottoDiversity and Pride
Established1922
OversightMadison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)
PrincipalMikki Smith
Faculty111.90 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Number of students1,649 (2022-23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio14.74[1]
Color(s)   
Athletics conferenceBig 8
MascotPurgolders
RivalLa Follette High School
AccreditationAdvancED[2]
NewspaperTower Times
WebsiteEast High School

Madison East High School is one of four comprehensive four-year high schools in Madison, Wisconsin. It was established in 1922, making it the oldest public high school still operating in Madison. The school mascot is "Peppy Purgolder", an animal resembling a feline. Madison East athletes compete in the WIAA Big Eight Conference. Its girls' swim team won the WIAA Division 1 state championship in 2007.

Facility[edit]

Madison East was built by architect Frank Riley in 1922, in the Collegiate Gothic style. Since it was first built, four additions to the school have been constructed, in 1925, 1932, 1938-1939 and 1962–1963.[3] Madison East has an inside mall, which was built from bricks from the older building before the school was expanded. This area houses most of the lockers in the school and serves as a place for students to congregate. The forum is normally reserved for freshman, but upperclassmen are also allowed to use it. Above the freshman forum is the "Sophomore Wall"; closer to the cafeteria are the "Junior" and "Senior" walls. In 2017, the Madison East theater underwent a major renovation, costing $4.7 million and radically changing the school's main performing arts space.[4] Beginning in 2022, East underwent major renovations as part of a 2020 referendum.

Academics[edit]

Honors and advanced classes are part of the curriculum. Advanced Placement (AP) courses include Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Environmental Science, Statistics, French Language and Culture, Spanish Language and Culture, Music Theory, Psychology, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Modern European History, Computer Science Principles, and Computer Science A. Courses are available in advanced physics, advanced chemistry, anatomy, literature, composition, creative writing, and computer programming.

The school also has a music program. The band program includes Freshman Band, Concert Band, Pep Band, Jazz Band, Jazz Orchestra and the highest level, Sinfonietta. The orchestra program includes the Concert Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestra. The choir program has both concert choirs and show choirs. The concert choirs include Chorale, Treble Choir and Concert Choir. There is no show choir anymore, but there is the Cypher which is an arts group that performs in local spaces.

Extracurricular activities[edit]

Athletics[edit]

East's sports include softball, volleyball, football, baseball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, gymnastics, wrestling, cross country, cheerleading, basketball, ice hockey and swimming. The hockey team won several state championships,[citation needed] however, because of a lack of funding and participation the hockey team has been combined with the team from La Follette.

The girls' swim team won the WIAA Division 1 state title in 2007, and was runner-up in 2008.

The boys' tennis team competed in the state tournament in the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 seasons.

The girls' tennis team competed in the state tournament in the 1995, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011 seasons.

The boys' basketball team won three consecutive regional titles (2009, 2010, 2011) and were ranked 10th in the Midwest by USA Today in 2010.[citation needed] The team reached the state tournament in the 2014–15 season, falling to three-time defending champion Germantown in the semifinals. The Purgolders won their only state title in 1958.

The East Debate team has qualified to State many times.

The ultimate frisbee team took third place at the state meet in 2016 and second in 2017 season.[5][6]

Theater[edit]

The Margaret Williams Theater in East High School once had enormous chandelier. However, in the 1970s, the theater was renovated and the back was walled up to allow for the creation of the Barrett and Randall rooms as study halls. The chandelier was removed and the theater's seats were replaced with desks for more study halls. The theater was renovated in 2017. This renovation included the construction of a new balcony, and made the theater fully handicap-accessible.[4]

Madison East High has a student theater program called the Eastside Players.[7]

Notable alumni[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "East High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Institution Summary, AdvancED, Retrieved 2012-07-08
  3. ^ Wisconsin State Journal, December 8, 2014. https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/ask/just-ask-us/just-ask-us-madison-east-high-school-crest/article_75659ecd-5919-5a7e-8cce-e509aa1f8005.html
  4. ^ a b Karen Rivedal, Wisconsin State Journal, July 30, 2017. https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/local_schools/curtain-rising-soon-on-long-awaited-east-high-theater-renovation/article_c9a2e79f-6018-5ae8-bddd-1161c4162ef7.html
  5. ^ "Event Details | Play USA Ultimate".
  6. ^ "Event Details | Play USA Ultimate".
  7. ^ "Eastside Players - Madison, WI".
  8. ^ "Jerry's bio on PGA.com". Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
  9. ^ Glaze, Jeff (3 July 2013). "Kathryn Morrison, state's first woman senator, left historic mark". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 20 February 2023. A Madison native, Morrison graduated from East High School
  10. ^ "Pat Richter - Madison East / Wisconsin". Wisconsin Football Coaches Association. 1 March 1995. Retrieved 20 February 2023. After graduating from Madison East High School
  11. ^ "Kelda Roys is Madison's best choice for open state Senate seat". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 20 February 2023. An East High and UW Law School grad, Roys
  12. ^ Oates, Tom (12 December 2010). "No. 38: Ken Starch". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 20 February 2023. School: Madison East, Class of 1972
  13. ^ Lucas, Mike (26 August 1980). "Suter: 'Glitter is gone'". The Cap Times. Retrieved 20 February 2023. The proprietor, of course, is Bobby Suter, formerly of Madison East High School, the University of Wisconsin and the Olympic team.
  14. ^ Baggot, Andy (9 August 2022). "UW Athletic Hall of Fame: Gary Suter". Wisconsin Badgers. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved 20 February 2023. Three Suter brothers — John, Bob and Gary — grew up in Madison, played at East High School
  15. ^ "Bradley Whitford biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.

External links[edit]