Middleton High School teachers Andy Hartman and Megan Sipiorski were accepted as Summer Fellows for the 2026 Sphere Summit in Washington, D.C. They’ll attend the summit, which is a competitive, fully funded national professional development program, from July 19 to 23.
Hartman and Sipiorski will learn from top public intellectuals, legal scholars and researchers. They’ll bring their learnings back to share with students in their Legislative Semester and other courses.
“Given how tough it can be to navigate political polarization in schools right now, we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to attend this together,” Hartman said. “Our goal is to bring back some heavy-hitting leadership strategies and curriculum resources to share with the rest of the department and building this fall.”
They shared what they plan to bring back to their students.
“I am looking forward to getting a more detailed, up-close look at the inner-workings of the federal government and using that new knowledge to adjust our own MHS legislative simulation to be as comprehensive and accurate to the actual legislature as possible,” Sipiorski said.
Hartman said he’ll focus on research-backed strategies from leading public policy organizations, like the Cato Institute, the Brookings Institution and the ACLU, to help students navigate modern political polarization.
“My goal is to bring back a renewed sense of hope and a framework that shifts the classroom dynamic away from 'winning arguments' and toward building relationships through empathy, curiosity and kindness,” he said. “I want to show our students how to maintain rigorous, open-minded civil discourse in both their physical and digital communities.”
The summit underscores the importance for educators of prioritizing development opportunities.
“I always tell my students that I am learning right along with them and that none of us have the answers to everything, especially with the student-driven nature of the Legislative Semester course,” Sipiorski said. “Prioritizing professional development allows us to bring the most up-to-date government policy knowledge to our students, and also refine our curriculum to be as engaging and relevant to today's world as possible.”
She added that it’s helpful to collaborate with other teachers for fresh perspectives on curriculum as well as new content and activity ideas. Hartman agreed.
“While district-led training is essential for local goals, high-quality, discipline-specific professional development allows us to dive deeply into our academic fields so we don't become stagnant in our practices,” he said. “It ensures we continue to grow as lifelong learners who can meet the needs of an ever-changing society. These external opportunities are vital for keeping us inspired, validated, and energized.”
They shared what they’re most looking forward to at the summit.
“Having in-person access to so many different experts in specific sectors of government policy – immigration studies, tax policy, criminal justice reform, etc. – will help us sharpen our content knowledge in a variety of content areas,” Sipiorski said.
Hartman said he looks forward to collaborating with fellow educators and public policy professionals from across the country.
“Engaging with cutting-edge leaders who are actively shaping civic education gives me a firsthand look at innovative pedagogical and curriculum practices,” Hartman said. “It is incredibly rewarding to exchange ideas with a national network dedicated to revitalizing civil discourse in our public schools.”
Being accepted as Summer Fellows is the latest in a list of honors for both teachers. Sipiorski was honored as the 2025 Wisconsin High School Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies. Hartman was selected as a fellow in Goethe Institut’s Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) study tour and will travel to Germany this summer ahead of the summit.