This article was written for the October 2026 edition of Community Compass.
Middleton High School’s Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program has entered an exciting new chapter forged by student voices – moving forward, the program will be known as SOAR.
SOAR is a profession-based learning program where juniors and seniors are immersed in a professional environment in one of five focus areas, or strands (Business Solutions, Medicine & Healthcare, Foundations of Teaching, Digital Media Marketing, and Science Research & Design), and get to study and work with community partners to prepare for life after high school.
SOAR Coordinator and Instructor Shane Leadholm explained that the program’s former name, MHS CAPS, would sometimes get confused with other high school programs. MHS offers several CAPP courses through the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and ECAP courses through Madison College. This rebrand helps to more clearly identify SOAR’s purpose within the high school and emphasize its strengths.
“While these are wonderful dual-credit offerings for our students, we wanted to clearly differentiate our program’s name from those existing dual-credit acronyms,” Leadholm said. “This was driven a little bit by clarity, but also trying to find a name that is evolving as our program continues to evolve.”
“I think the rebrand will really help with other students being able to figure out the differences between CAPP and SOAR,” added Ananya Cintham, a senior in the Digital Media Marketing strand.
Student ambassadors also play an important leadership role in the program. During the 2025-26 school year, they worked with instructors and other leaders to create this new identity that better reflects the program. After learning about the branding and marketing process during MCPASD’s District-wide logo rebrand, students put those lessons into practice when creating the new identity and logo for SOAR.
“Working on the CAPS to SOAR rebrand allowed me to build even further upon the amazing hands-on enrichment that CAPS had provided,” said A.J. Schleusner, a Class of 2026 graduate and former student ambassador. “It was really fulfilling to pay it forward and improve the longevity of a program that had already helped me grow in so many ways.”
“Hands-on projects and working face-to-face with clients through CAPS/SOAR have been among the most valuable experiences of my K–12 education,” added Rohan Dileep, a Class of 2026 graduate and former student ambassador. “These opportunities taught me how to communicate professionally, build relationships, and take ownership of my work.”
The name SOAR reflects student growth, career exploration, and launching off into life after high school. The new logo represents these ideas through a gold launchpad that uplifts students’ individual “North Stars,” connecting to MCPASD’s overall branding while maintaining SOAR’s unique identity.
“I remember Izzy [one of the student ambassadors who worked on the rebrand]…mentioned it’s kind of like a rocket ship soaring above,” said Lucas Gille, a senior in the Digital Media Marketing strand. “I thought it was really unique that they were able to build that.”
“The symbolism behind it and the meaning behind it is so rich and wonderful, and that just came from our students,” added SOAR Communications Instructor Elisabeth Shaw.
Even with this new identity, the program maintains its strong foundation and is still an affiliate program of the national CAPS network. Students said they’re grateful for opportunities to step outside of the traditional classroom and visit businesses and professional organizations for hands-on learning.
“It exposes you to a lot of different career paths or professional settings, so I think it’s really beneficial to be able to see different environments,” said Amalia Roldan, a senior in the Medicine & Healthcare strand.
“Being able to work with businesses and actually make an impact is really cool and interesting, and I don’t think that opportunity is given easily,” Ananya added.
SOAR also helps strengthen key communication skills that can be applied across any setting and support student growth and confidence, no matter which strand they choose.
“We start the year by giving handshakes when students walk in, and it’s…kind of a surprise,” Shaw said. “By the end when we’re doing our showcase, students are going up to our business partners themselves – shaking their hand, looking at them in the eyes, and having conversations with them.”
“It kind of got me out of my shell,” Lucas added. “Now I’m outgoing, and I’m more willing to communicate with people and talk to people.”
“Throughout the program, CAPS/SOAR also helped me discover the kind of leader I am and develop the confidence to lead wherever I go,” Dileep added.
As the program begins its first full school year under its refreshed identity, Leadholm shared excitement about SOAR’s continuation of promoting student growth and career readiness.
“A lot of what we try to do here is give students an opportunity to make an impact, and that’s exactly what this rebrand was,” Leadholm said. “We’re really excited to see the future of CAPS, now with SOAR.”
To learn more about SOAR, explore the program strands, and see student work, visit the SOAR web page.
