Naming Madison’s taxpayer funded K-12 schools

Karen Rivedal:

OK, so some of these were easy. Who is John F. Kennedy Elementary School named for? Why is it called West High? Which watery vista does Lake View Elementary, located maybe a mile off Lake Mendota, refer to?

Trick question. Could be Lake Mendota, or the lake or lagoon in Warner Park.

And it gets trickier than that. Wright Middle School, for example, is not named for the Wright family you might first think of, and for those not dual-language immersed, what does “nuestro mundo” mean? Plus, who in the world was Increase Allen Lapham, anyway?

Scroll on for answers to those questions and many more regarding the origin of the names for each of the 32 elementary schools, 12 middle schools and 4 main high schools in the Madison School District.