821 Maple Terrace
Madison, WI 53705

I am a mother of three school-aged children. We came from another country because my husband is pursuing his PhD studies here. When we arrived, my children didn’t speak English, and I was very worried about how they would adapt to a new culture, language, and school environment.From the very first day, we felt truly welcomed and cared for by everyone at the school. We experienced genuine kindness and support from every person we met. Last year, my eldest son faced some challenges, and the school staff responded with incredible understanding and professionalism.I want to sincerely thank Principal Gillespie and all the wonderful teachers who supported us and helped create such a warm, inclusive, and encouraging atmosphere.

Hamilton is a good school. There are a lot of disrespectful kids there though. They swear on the bus everyday and the buses are very crowded. Most of the teachers are good, but some obviously don't want to and shouldn't be teaching. One of the special ed teachers named Ms. Barrientos needs to know that she isn't the teacher and that she doesn't have to teach us things excruciatingly slow and ten times. It can also get caught and squashed in the crowds after school, before school, and on the bus (the morning bus is much less crowded). Although I like this school, they need to increase the math standards and revise their teaching technics. I have had a lot of great teachers like Ms. Kalscheur, Mr. Glanville, Ms. Klaas. The libraries and librarians are great too. I love the school they just need to work on a few things.

My sister goes to West, and she tells me how much she loves it there. They have hour-long lunches (unlike Cherokee Heights MIddle School), and she tells me about how kind and likable all of the teachers are. Even the gym teacher is incredibly thoughtful and observes the students to see what activities they enjoy the most. She also had a recent project where she'd get to choose what she wanted to do as like a fun menu styled thing. At West, they actually value kids enjoying and participating in their education (unlike Cherokee Heights Middle School). Overall, this school has been an incredible experience for my sister and I'm VERY excited to leave Cherokee and go there.