Ruby Cir
Hartland, WI 53029

I am a gradudated senoir from this school. While this school was farely decent, they have failed on many, many, fronts. Arrowhead for one has a diversity problem, Arrowhead is 88% white, while it says Arrowhead has 12% "mixed" it's not factual. While yes it can not be possible to force diversity on race - its not all about race. You could just dress slightly differently and no one will talk to you, and people will make fun of you. Even if you have just DIFFERENT HAIR; I had a middle part for my freshman year, got consistanly made fun of (people refusing to talk to me, calling me emo ((had nothing else different)) ) and it made me feel so bad that I changed my hair. Then senior year it became "normal" so now no one cares. The "different dressing kids" where always bullied and harrassed. But I cannot speak for their experinces.The treatment of the Special Ed kids are beyond baffeling. They have been screamed at, dragged out of rooms, and physically hit. While they want them to "experince" normal classes, it isn't normal. It inhibits the learning of the kids in the class, and they don't usaully do any work. When they do have to do work they obv get help but they don't follow what we did in class. Teachers are always hit or miss. They are either intolorable or complete pushovers. You can get the occasonal good teacher that likes to teach and actually does teach. There are teachers that people try to actively avoid, who I did have, and that teacher is nearly impossible. Making things way harder then it has to be.I could go on and on but the point is that this school is horrible. It doesn't have many offering features. It's sports are great but thats about it.Go to a different school.

I attended Merton for many years. This school may seem appealing based on the academic numbers, but that often coincides with an environment that values power, status, and appearances. When you value fairness, trust, and empathy, you get punished for being "different." At Merton, I learned that sensitivity and honesty made you a problem, while cruelty went unchecked and even admired. I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Over the years, multiple parents pulled their children out for similar reasons. I even recently reconnected with a former classmate who shared the same experiences of isolation and mistreatment. Administrators and teachers frequently did not practice what they preached when bullying was happening right in front of them.Through therapy, I learned I was never the problem. In fact, I would have been a model child and friend in a healthy environment. All the kids and even teachers who bullied me were part of a larger broken ecosystem that rewarded power and image over integrity and kindness. Today, I have a good life that I made for myself. I'm an advocate for many causes and a voice for the voiceless. I turned my trauma into action.I’m sharing this in hopes that Merton will look deeper than test scores and PR campaigns. True excellence is measured in compassion, not status. I hope one day, students like I was will finally be seen, believed, and cared for like children are supposed to be.

I went here many years ago, and I suppose it was pretty good. There were some issues with certain teachers, and it seemed as though said teachers could do no wrong. Fast forward to present day, and a family member's two kids went through Merton. The one seemed to do just fine, but the other had special emotional/learning needs. My family member fought tooth and nail for help for her, and was given the run around. I fear she suffered greatly academically and socially due to the lack of early educational intervention. Her parents jumped through every hoop required and then some, just to be put on the back burner time and time again. My husband also went to Merton years ago, and he had plenty of issues stemming from trauma at that time. They had no idea what to do, and pushed back on his parents, refusing to do much at all. The basic CMC came into play, but he was greatly ignored and antagonized by certain school personnel. I hope for a better and more inclusive experience all around. Our children cannot succeed and carry society to and through greatness if we ignore them in their greatest time of need. Our school board is one place to start. Put people who care and have experience with these issues in places of power; not just another pretty face.