Beginnings: 1997-1999 A Madison Dream Realized

Named for longtime South Madison resident and leader, Madison's newest middle school---James Colemon Wright Middle School---broke ground October 2, 1996 with a price tag of $5.2 million dollars. For information on the school's namesake, click here.

In August of 1997 it was ready to welcome the 240 students it was designed to hold. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks before the school was slated to open, it had no administrator (Madison Middle School 2000 Principal Offie Hobbs had resigned in August, 1997) and it only had 125 students enrolled. Local print media reported several theories why enrollment was over 115 students short of capacity:

1. Friendship. Some believed students simply wanted to go to their neighborhood school to be with friends.
   
   
2. Growing Pains. Some believed that all schools had problems it was simply because Wright was new that it was getting the negative attention.
   
   
3. Race. Some believed white parents weren't sending their children to a school with such a high African-American population.
   
   
4. Building Level Administration. Some believed the principal had difficulties with discipline and hiring at Middle School 2000 and simply didn't understand how to resolve them.
   
   
5. District Level Administration. Some believed the district hadn't managed the struggling school early enough, and let the "promise of Wright" degenerate on Hobbs's watch.
   
   
6. Community Organizations. Some believed the community organizations who had fought so hard to get the school located in South Madison "walked off the playing field" once the new building was under construction.
   
   
7. All Levels of the Organization. The Madison superintendent at the time, Cheryl Wilhoyte, cited "There's responsibility of leadership, responsibility for marketing and there's responsibility for delivery" as reasons for the lack of enrollment at Wright.

Fingers were pointed in every direction.

The school had to open though. Cheryl Wilhoyte appointed Carolyn Stanford Taylor (full time principal at Lincoln Elementary) as the Interim Principal, and Rollie Willan (retired Kennedy Elementary School principal) as the Site Principal. By the end of the 1997-98 school year, permanent full time principal Ed Holmes was hired to lead James C. Wright Middle School. Holmes, known for his community activism and dedication to South Madison, had previously been an assistant principal at West High School in Madison.

Reporter Gwen Carleton of the Madison Capital Times, interviewed Ed Holmes as he began his tenure at Wright March 2, 1998.

Q: What will your first priority be at Wright?

A: My plans are to come in and do some assessment. Then I will try to build some bridges, to establish some trust -- new linkages between students, staff, the community, parents, even downtown administrators, and get everybody running in the same direction.

Q: Has trust broken down at the school?

A: Trust did break down, but I don't know what the problems are yet because I'm still an outsider. I think everybody has the same goals, it's just a question of how to get there.

I think the media projects some images about Wright to the community that may not be all true. We need the media to help Wright School . . . I think there will be a number of positive things going on.

Q: Anything you would like to mention now?

A: I get a real positive sense of the spirit in the school. I think there's a lot of potential, but we're not there yet. I will be able to tell you specifics once I get there.

Q: A number of students and staff members have complained about noise, rowdiness and disrespectful behavior in Wright's classrooms and hallways. Do you have any plans for addressing this?

A: That will be resolved right away. When students understand what is expected of them, I think the lack of discipline (will disappear) . . . and respect for the school and staff working together to build the environment will come.

I think ground rules need to be laid, and then staff and students will respond.

Q: How will your background -- your master's degree in social work and experience as a school administrator and as a youth volunteer, for example -- affect your work at Wright?

A: I'm going in with a pretty laid-back but direct style. I'm going to tell you what I need to do in order for this to work.

I will be the hardest-working person at Wright Middle School, and I think people will follow that lead. I think we don't want to lose sight that (success) means academic achievement and pride in the school, but it also means having fun.

It's exciting. I think there will be a lot of challenges, but I'm looking forward to great things at Wright.

Holmes hasn't disappointed. In the Fall of 2001, the school was not only at full capacity, but also had a waiting list. Today, the school enjoys the efforts of committed parents, dedicated teachers, a supportive community, and enthusiastic students. For more information on the current status of Wright, explore:

Curriculum | Principal | Improvement | Support | Governance | Partners