In the early morning of Monday, April 27 in Middleton High School’s (MHS) Black Box Theatre, a notable but relatively unknown event of commemoration for the school’s senior class was held. This occasion was the annual Department Awards ceremony. The administration-run event consists of each department at MHS recognizing two senior students for their outstanding work, kindness, ethic or any other accomplishments the department appreciates. The ceremony also hosts and awards students the state-wide Technical Excellence Scholarship and the Academic Excellence Scholarship. 

This event often goes unnoticed by most students. However, that is not because it is new. According to the main planner and coordinator behind the event, Administrative Assistant Lindsay Pangman, the Department Awards have been around for at least 20 years. Some may simply not recognize the awards ceremony due to its recent rebrand.

Originally, the Department Awards was a long-standing tradition called Academic Awards night, taking place in the Performing Arts Center on an early-spring evening rather than morning. It still commemorated the same achievements as it does now, but the ceremony also included the announcement and distribution of Honors and High Honors student’s cords and pins. The event also served as a way to distribute varsity letters for students’ letterman jackets, which were slowly phased out along with changing fashion trends. The Honors awards celebrated students of all grades, contrasting with the senior-only style of the modern Department Awards. The purpose of the multigrade style of celebration was to inspire the underclassmen to strive for that same high level of achievement.

“The Department Awards were also included for the seniors so the lower grades (if they attended) would have witnessed seniors receiving the awards from the teachers of each department […] preparing them for when they will be seniors and [showing them] what is imbued and embodied from each [department‘s] stand out [students],” Pangman explained. 

In 2016, the award ceremony started to shrink in order to fit into schedules and be less of an overall hassle. First, only upperclassmen were invited, and then later, the event was changed to senior-only in 2019.

Finally, during the 2023-2024 school year, former MHS Principal Peg Shoemaker decided to make the most recent changes, separating the Honors event from the Department Awards and pushing the awards to the morning instead. Pangman states that this change was made to allow the ceremony to fit into more people’s schedules when considering the busy spring semester schedule for upperclassmen. She also believes that the separation was the right call simply due to the content differences between the Department Awards and Honors awards. 

“It felt like a separate ceremony,” Pangman said. Around that same year, they also made a shift to selecting two seniors per department rather than one.

When it comes to choosing which seniors get the awards for each department, the heads of each department are the first to spark the conversation. Criteria for the award greatly depends on the values of the specific staff involved. Typically, these values can include consistency in work ethic, helpfulness to peers, a genuine desire to learn and grow in the field, working on notable things within the department and generally being a model student for the staff. 

“I don’t believe that there is any formal criteria. I think it’s a general […] embodiment of what the department notices in students. [Kind of] like their soft skills.” Pangman explained. “There’s no real formal rubric of ‘you had to have this grade’ or ‘you had to have done this.’” 

As such, every department is a little different. Chemistry teacher Tim Berto, for example, said that his department looked for seniors that consistently challenged themselves, took a broad range of classes and had the curiosity and skills to make a good scientist.

Business Education teacher Brian Zimdars said that his department mostly focused on involvement both in business classes at the school and in business-related extracurriculars like Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and DECA events. Leadership positions in these activities were greatly considered. The school’s official “Cardinal’s Journey” framework, an ideal set of values that MHS attempts to imbue in its students, is also of importance to the Business Education department.

“It was very difficult, because we have a lot of fantastic students.” Zimdars stated. “But we were very lucky that the two students [selected] were just above and beyond.”

Contrasting with the award selection choices, the two scholarships presented at the ceremony do have more rigid requirements. Both the Academic Excellence Scholarship and the Technical Excellence Scholarship are state-sponsored awards, each with a value of $2,250 a year. 

According to the Wisconsin Higher Education Aids Board’s website, the Academic Excellence Scholarship is renewable for four years and is applicable to many participating UW system schools, Wisconsin Technical College schools, and some private colleges. This scholarship is awarded to the students in the school with the highest grade-point averages.

Meanwhile, the Technical Excellence Scholarship is renewable for three years only at Wisconsin Technical Colleges. This scholarship awards students who excel specifically in technical education subjects, including engineering, manufacturing and construction.

A detailed list of the eligible schools for each scholarship can be found on the websites.

Despite all the moving parts required to hold the Department Awards, the event itself was a simple, small celebration of the students’ achievements. Families entered the Black Box Theatre by 7:40 a.m., and the ceremony began with a brief introduction and speech from Principal Robert Reinhart, after which the awards were passed out.

Each department gave awards one at a time, calling the chosen seniors to the front of the crowd as the respective department staff praised the winner and explained their choice. The student then collected a certificate and small trophy to commemorate the achievement and posed for a photo with the department’s teachers.

Finally, Principal Reinhart introduced the scholarships, praised the students that received them and posed for photos with the winners.

After the event, the principal shared some more of his thoughts on the awards: “Academic Awards are not just about achievement. They reflect the perseverance, growth, and individual journeys that shape who our students have become. And in recognizing these moments, we honor not just what students have accomplished, but the character, commitment, and potential that will carry them forward.” 

Once the ceremony concluded, students waved goodbye to their families and set off for class as normal.

A list of the winning students for the 2025-2026 school year, along with their respective departments, can be found below:

World Language: Austin Wildman & Ella Kuhn

Physical Education/Health: Reece Caudill & Taylor Southard

Mathematics: Hannah Lee & Iris Zhu

Business, Marketing and IT: Sarah Li & Berrin Reiter

Technical Education: Everett Kerkman & Hunter Hull

Family & Consumer Science: Kyleigh Fosdick & Gabe Staresinic

Fine Arts: Isla Holmstrom & Alexander Byrd

English: Madeline Westbrook & Brad Koeller

Science: Annabel Goldberger & Jackson Brereton

Social studies: Evan Natzke & Mallak Gadelhak

Technical Excellence Scholarship winners: Grant Parrell, Andrew Ranney, Tristiano Freyer, Elijah Knutowski and Clara Unbehaun.

Academic Excellence Scholarship winners: Shivani Haker, Sieun Lee, Lea Gancova, Sophie Shi, Shara Li.

MHS administration extends their congratulations to all who had won awards this year. These achievements represent each student’s commitment to their respective passions, and the school’s appreciation towards those that work so hard. 

“I feel an overwhelming sense of pride for our students and the admiration that our teachers have for them,” Pangman says. “It’s a very fun, nice way to start the spring and the kickoff to all of the senior events that are quickly approaching.”

The MHS Department Awards may continue to shift in execution over the years, but it remains a long-standing tradition to recognize the seniors who gave their all during their time at MHS.