Access Board Meetings Online: Community members can stay informed by watching every board meeting on our YouTube channel, MCPASD TV. In the recap below, we have provided timestamps for the various sections of the meeting. These will help you follow along and jump directly to the parts of the video that interest you the most.
8:37 – State Champion Student Recognitions
The Board began the meeting with celebrations of several students who earned top honors at recent statewide competitions.
Reed Falk, Middleton High School
The Board celebrated MHS junior Reed Falk for earning the championship title at the 2026 WIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison. He won the Division 1 190-pound state title and had an undefeated season. The Board also noted that Reed’s victory comes 10 years after Coach Kevin Meicher won the Cardinals’ last state wrestling championship title in 2016. Congratulations, Reed and Coach Meicher!
Arthur Wang, Kromrey Middle School
Next, the Board celebrated eighth grader Arthur Wang for his victory at the Wisconsin MathCOUNTS competition on March 14. He earned first place in the individual competition and earned third place overall with his Kromrey teammates. Arthur will compete in the RTX National MathCOUNTS competition in early May. Congratulations and good luck, Arthur!
Arnav Vempati, Kromrey Middle School
Finally, the Board celebrated eighth grader Arnav Vempati for advancing to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., at the end of May. Arnav earned second place at the Badger State Spelling Bee in Madison on March 21 to qualify for the national competition. He is also the first MCPASD student to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Congratulations and good luck, Arnav!
13:30 – A Cardinal’s Journey Award Recognitions
The Board meeting continued with A Cardinal’s Journey Award recognitions for students who exemplify the Cardinal Foundation of Collaboration.
Each month, the District celebrates students who demonstrate the four Cardinal Mindsets and the four Cardinal Foundations. Four other Collaboration honorees were recognized during the March 18 meeting. Students who are strong collaborators work respectfully with others to achieve a common goal. They make meaningful contributions to their groups, build relationships with others, make decisions with their team, and learn from team members while also enriching the learning environment of others.
Awardees:
Cate Cassata (Middleton High School)
Nominated by Laurie Wood
Wood nominated Cate as well as Tvisha Pundir for their roles as co-presidents of the Best Buddies Club. In the nomination, Wood shared:
“Cate and Tvisha are co-presidents for our Best Buddies Club at MHS. Best Buddies is a club that creates one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and development disabilities. Each month, Cate and Tvisha collaborate with one another, other club members and leaders, their club advisors, and our state representative for Best Buddies Club International to create inclusive programming for all. They begin each club meeting with a presentation highlighting our club mission and vision, educational topics regarding Intellectual and Developmental disabilities, and lead engaging activities for all to participate in. They epitomize the qualities of A Cardinal's Journey especially in the area of collaboration and I'm so proud of them! Thank you both for all that you do to support inclusivity and kindness at MHS and in our MCPASD community!”
Congratulations, Cate!
Mallak Gadelhak (Middleton High School)
Nominated by Melanie Moorehill
In nominating Mallak, Moorehill shared:
“Mallak is an active collaborator within many clubs including Black Student Union, Model United Nations and National Honor Society. Through these memberships she has demonstrated an ease at building authentic relationships with peers and adults while actively contributing to collective goals. Throughout her high school career, she has also been a student leader for the High Schools' Respect Roundtables. She helped develop and hone this collaborative process to gain insight by working with, listening to, and understanding peers' perspectives on areas of growth and opportunity. She then works as a liaison to summarize and communicate this information from students to the adult leadership team. She embodies shared decision-making and emphasizes the benefit of diverse thoughts to generate viable solutions.”
Congratulations, Mallak!
22:10 – Superintendent’s Report
In her Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Dana Monogue congratulated Middleton Meals Matter, the founding chapter of the Meals Matter organization, for winning the William R. Simms Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award. Meals Matter is a student-led nonprofit aimed at fighting food insecurity, and Middleton’s chapter has collected nearly 70,000 pounds of food so far for WayForward Resources. The organization’s co-presidents, Rohan Dileep and Beatrice Norman, will accept the award during a conference in San Diego, Calif., at the end of April.
Dr. Monogue also shared excitement for the upcoming Years of Service ceremony on April 22. It’s MCPASD’s annual celebration of staff members who are marking five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 30+ years of service. Additionally, she expressed appreciation for the leadership of Assistant Superintendent Jerrud Rossing on the District’s Sustainability Committee, as MCPASD was recently awarded the Stewardship and Sustainability Award from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for creating green, healthy learning environments for students and staff.
23:39 – Approval of Donation for Glacier Creek Middle School’s Playground Expansion
The Board approved an $81,039 donation from the Glacier Creek Middle School PTO in support of the school’s playground expansion project, which includes several upgrades and additions that make the playground more accessible for students with disabilities. Per policy, the Board must approve all donations over $10,000.
Board members expressed gratitude to the Glacier Creek Middle School PTO for their generosity and dedication to increasing the playground’s inclusivity for all students.
26:38 – Approval of Incoming Northside Elementary School Principal
The Board approved the appointment of Kirsten Andreoni as incoming principal of Northside Elementary School. She will begin her new role on July 1, 2026, upon the retirement of Principal Sylla Zarov at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Andreoni brings extensive experience in multiple levels of the education system. She previously served as an elementary classroom teacher, an instructional coach, and most recently as associate principal at Patrick Marsh Middle School in the Sun Prairie Area School District. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and her master’s degree in Education from Walden University.
26:38 – Approval of Incoming Sauk Trail Elementary School Principal
The Board approved the appointment of Josh Forehand as incoming principal of Sauk Trail Elementary School. He will begin his new role on July 1, 2026, upon the retirement of Principal Chris Dahlk at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Forehand has extensive experience in bilingual education and leadership across national, international, and local settings. He joins MCPASD from his principal role at Nuestro Mundo Community School, a K–5 Spanish-English dual-language immersion charter school in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). Forehand is a fluent Spanish speaker and holds a bachelor’s degree in English and History from Tarleton State University as well as a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University.
26:38 – Approval of Spring Break 2027 Trips for Middleton High School Music Department
The Board approved two performance and cultural tours for the Middleton High School Music Department during Spring Break 2027: a trip to Costa Rica for the choir and orchestra, and a trip to Japan for the band.
The Costa Rica trip will include students’ performances in the capital, San José, as well as the La Fortuna/Arenal area. The Japan trip will include students’ performances in the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto. These tours provide valuable educational experiences and meaningful opportunities for musical performance.
28:05 – City of Middleton Youth Center Annual Update
Staff from the City of Middleton Youth Center shared their annual programming report, focusing on services from the calendar year 2025.
The Youth Center’s After School program ran in Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 after every school day until 6 p.m. at Kromrey Middle School. Students received a snack, daily homework support, sports activity opportunities, weekly mini-courses, monthly guest artist workshops sponsored by the Middleton Arts Committee, and a school day mentoring program that focused on social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. In addition, the Youth Center’s Summer 2025 program included mini courses as well as weekly field trips, volunteering opportunities, and an overnight camping trip at Devil’s Lake State Park.
In 2025, 67% of students who the Youth Center served were students of color. 42% of the total students qualified for free or reduced price lunch. Students completed 179 hours of community service during Youth Center programming. High school volunteers also completed 667 hours of community service. 96% of parents said they would be “very likely” to recommend the Youth Center to other families.
Youth Center staff includes permanent staff members from Middleton Parks and Recreation, seasonal head counselors, interns from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work The Youth Center receives funding from the City of Middleton, MCPASD, the Dane County Department of Human Services, and United Way of Dane County, as well as from donations.
41:40 – Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Mental Health Update
Director of Student Services Chris Mand, SEL and Mental Health Coordinator Melanie Moorehill, Lead Social Worker Sarah Estrella, Lead Psychologist Kathryn Jackson, and Lead Counselor Lindsey Hellenbrand shared an update on SEL and mental health services and data trends.
The Student Services department is supported by school psychologists, school social workers, school counselors, health services professionals, and more leaders. Within Student Services, the team of SEL Coaches is supported by school counselors, instructional coaches, classroom teachers, and special educators.
Leaders reviewed MCPASD’s SEL framework, which consists of the Wisconsin SEL competencies and CASEL Framework (Social Competence, Emotional Development, Self-Concept, Self-Management, Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision Making) as well as the Cardinal’s Journey Mindsets (Curious, Community-Oriented, Self-Aware, and Accountable) and Foundations (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, and Adaptability). They also shared how the District’s SEL practices (Responsive Classroom, Developmental Designs, Restorative Practices, Second, Step, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, and Trauma Sensitive Schools) build supportive learning environments and positive relationships, support academic growth, and improve students’ well-being.
SEL coaches also developed MCPASD’s SEL Fidelity tool, which combines strategies within SEL practices into one tool that is used across all District buildings. Schools began using the tool in the 2023-24 school year. Between Fall 2023 and Fall 2025, full implementation of the tool increased to 56%. Leaders also shared feedback and data from the student engagement survey and the SSIS SELb+MH screener (for students in grades 3, 7, and 9), as well as updates to the partnership with Children’s WI and layers of supports within our schools.
Department-wide, the Student Services team also continues to engage in meaningful professional development opportunities focused on topics including motivational interviewing, crisis response and reunification, restorative practices, mental health crisis response and more.
1:17:43 – Approval of Wisconsin School Nutrition Purchasing Cooperative Agreement
The Board approved the Wisconsin School Nutrition Purchasing Cooperative (WiSNP Co-op) Agreement, which will be in effect from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Dozens of school districts are member districts within the agreement, which allows districts to purchase food products at a lower price. MCPASD serves as the operator and fiscal agent among said member districts.
The WiSNP Co-op helps member districts reduce respective costs in purchasing food, beverages, and supplies as well as processing, storage, and transportation services in their respective child nutrition programs. Under this agreement, school boards of the member districts will share the cost for a procurement specialist.
As fiscal agent for this agreement, MCPASD will maintain records and establish and maintain financial accounts for WiSNP Co-op. MCPASD will also be responsible for filing all required financial reports with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and will be authorized to pay necessary bills and collect fees.
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