Madison East 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.

Madison East High School
Location
2222 E Washington Ave Madison , Wisconsin 53704 United States
Coordinates	43.09745°N 89.35419°W / 43.09745; -89.35419
Information
Type	Public secondary
Motto	Diversity and Pride
Established	1922
Oversight	Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)
Principal	Mikki Smith
Teaching staff	108.80 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9–12
Number of students	1,644 (2023-2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	15.11[1]
Color(s)
Athletics conference	Big 8
Mascot	Purgolders
Rival	La Follette High School
Accreditation	AdvancED[2]
Newspaper	Tower Times
Website	East High School

Facility

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

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

Athletics

East's sports include softball, volleyball, football, baseball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, gymnastics, wrestling, cross country, cheerleading, basketball, ice hockey, swimming, and ultimate frisbee.

Conference affiliation history

• Big Six Conference (1925-1929)
• Big Seven Conference (1929-1930)
• Big Eight Conference (1930-present)

Theater

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.^[5]

Notable alumni

• Melissa Agard (Class of '87), Wisconsin State Legislator
• Andrea Arlington, model, television personality, life coach, and minister
• Connie Carpenter-Phinney (class of '75), professional cycle racer/speed skater and 1984 Summer Olympics Gold Medalist
• Michael Cole (actor), (class of '58), actor best known for his work on the television series The Mod Squad
• Dale Hackbart (class of '56), NFL linebacker/safety, Green Bay Packers (1960), Washington Redskins (1961-1963), Minnesota Vikings (1966-1970), St. Louis Cardinals (1971-1972), Denver Broncos (1973)
• Donald Hayes, (class of '94) NFL wide receiver, Carolina Panthers (1998-2001, 2004), New England Patriots (2002-2003)
• Gabe Jennings, (class of '97) middle-distance runner who competed in the 1,500 meters at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
• Jerry Kelly (class of '85), professional golfer, Nike Tour (1995), PGA Tour (1996-current)^[6]
• Konrad Bates Krauskopf (1910–2003), geologist
• Joe Kurth, NFL tackle, Green Bay Packers (1933-1934)
• Greg Mattison, NFL and NCAA football coach
• Jim Montgomery (class of '73), swimmer and gold medalist at the 1976 Summer Olympics
• Kathryn Morrison, legislator^[7]
• Pat Richter (class of '59), NFL tight end, Washington Redskins (1963-1970), University of Wisconsin–Madison Athletic Director (1989-2004)^[8]
• Kelda Roys, Wisconsin State Legislator^[9]
• Ken Starch, NFL running back, Green Bay Packers (1976)^[10]
• Bob Suter, (class of '75) 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Hockey Team Olympic Gold Medalist, professional hockey player^[11]
• Gary Suter, (class of '82) 2002 Hockey Team Olympic Silver Medalist, professional hockey player^[12]
• Louis Jolyon West, psychiatrist^[13]
• Bradley Whitford (class of '77), actor, most well known for his work on the television series The West Wing^[14]
• Eric Hovde (class of ‘82) Banking executive, American businessman, candidate for 2024 Senate (Republican)