MADISON — Judd Schemmel, the president of Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart (EHS), recently informed the school of his decision to complete his tenure as president at the end of the 2012-13 school year. Schemmel began as president of the Catholic high school in May of 2005.
“Judd is an outstanding leader,” said EHS board of trustees president Londa Dewey. “He ensures that our mission to provide a motivating education in a caring community is delivered jointly with strong financial management and strategic planning. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with him over the next year as we search for a new leader.”
Successes over the years
Several markers point to Schemmel’s success over the last seven years: the school’s enrollment has averaged 653 compared to 606 over the previous seven years; grant aid to students with financial need has increased 30 percent, from $500,000 to $650,000 annually; enrolled students of minority heritage increased by 20 percent; and gifts to the EHS endowment have increased its balance by more than half, from $3.5 to $5.5 million.
Over $1.8 million in improvements to technology safety, security, and facilities — including Breitenbach Stadium shared with Middleton High School — have been completed.
EHS has been additionally accredited since 2009 by ISACS, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States. In 2007, Madison Magazine rated Edgewood first among 21 Madison-area high schools, based on data comparing academic outcomes, academic environment, and cultural environment.
“In the next five to seven years,” Schemmel commented, “Edgewood will move in new and exciting directions relative to curriculum, technology for learning, and the prospect of new construction. I believe Edgewood will benefit from a fresh perspective to oversee the full implementation of these and other upcoming initiatives.”
Time of promise
“The years 2005-2013 will go down in Edgewood history,” said Sr. Maggie Hopkins, corporate liaison for the Sinsinawa Dominicans, “as a time of promise — even in the face of the largest economic downturn in 80 years — and a time of fulfillment of the Edgewood mission and the Edgewood difference for our students.”
“I look forward to a successful final year working with the dedicated faculty and staff and the vibrant and faithful students of Edgewood in 2012-13,” concluded Schemmel. “I am deeply indebted to the Sinsinawa Congregation of Sisters and the entire Edgewood community for their partnership during my tenure.”
The EHS board of trustees anticipates naming a new president by the spring of 2013.