Born to Make History: A Special MMSD Graduation Edition

WE ARE UNITED: A message from Madison Metropolitan School District’s principals:

Within the pages of this Madison Magazine Special Edition (link above), we invite you to celebrate the Madison Metropolitan School District’s (MMSD) Class of 2020 Graduates. Our graduates represent a diverse community of learners, all of whom have met the requirements for high school graduation. They have done so amidst the disruptions of a global coronavirus pandemic and a national reckoning about the violent practices of racism in America. To come before you as graduates during this time in history, they have shown extraordinary resilience and dedication to achieving their goals and finishing strong. They are born to make history.

As the principals of MMSD’s six high schools, we are uniquely privileged to know the setbacks and triumphs of our graduates. We are committed to using that privilege to ensure high-quality teaching and learning for all students by reimagining schools. We are committed to disrupting systems of oppression in our schools, which requires us to be truthful and fearless in the interrogation of practices that continue to do harm to our students of color. We are committed to knowing better and doing better through partnerships with our communities of color. We believe that the voices of our students and their families must be honored and amplified in order to be successful.

While high school graduation is the culmination of K12 education, we invite you once again to look upon these pages and see the future. These young adults, most of whom will want to call Madison their home, will serve as our fearless, visionary leaders. They need and deserve the greater Madison community to work in partnership with our schools and to support our graduates along their pathways to higher education and career exploration. Thank you for heeding the call.

Click here to read “Madison school district honors historic class of 2020”

Click here to read “MMSD creates network to celebrate and connect alumni”

Click here to read “Heinen: A message to Madison’s 2020 graduates”

Illustration of Neil Heinen by Joel Kimmel

Click here to watch MMSD’s virtual graduation ceremonies that aired on News 3 Now and channel3000.com

News 3 Now anchors began each virtual graduation broadcasted on News 3 Now and streamed online on Channel3000.com.
Eric Franke and Charlotte Deleste kicked off Madison West High School’s program with words of wisdom (above).