Admin Corner: October 2026 Insights from the Office
Cover design by Elias Callen.
As students are settling back into the routine of the school year, our Hamilton administrators have been working to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Mrs. Goike has taken control of our SPARK programs, which are set to expand within the coming year, and is also overseeing the renovations in the IMC for next year's jobs/career program and is ready for the challenges and the joy that will come this year.
In the following interview, Mrs. Goike expands upon this:
How has the first month of school gone?
“It's been great! I feel like this year is starting pretty smoothly as far as the front office [is concerned]. It's been great to have Mr. Jensen to have another set of hands.” She emphasizes that Mr. Jensen has integrated well with the other administrators, that classes are “flowing well,” and that the admin has high hopes for great things this school year.
What has the construction SPARK program looked like?
“It's been really great. [In the construction SPARK class] students have built the exterior of the house. It's almost ready for the finishing touches.”
How many students do we have working there?
“Twelve. And they're doing everything from framing to plumbing to electrical, and now they're going to start the finishing and the exterior.”
Do they do interior decorating?
“No. But they are going to help with cabinets and flooring and drywall and things like that. They'll be doing all of that soon and it's been really great. Our two teachers [Winters and Mamerow] have also been amazing. The contractors have said some really good things. Two students have actually gotten jobs with the contractors they worked with, so it's kind of a nice little pathway for students who are interested in those paths.”
How have renovations been moving in the IMC pit?
“It's been great! It's all painted. We are actually getting new carpet down there, which is super fun. We're getting some signage put up as well as two TV screens that'll be put up in January–February. [We’ve been focused on] decorating it, frosting the windows, so we have a barrier between the IMC and that space to create some privacy.”
And this will be a hub for career-based programs?
“We want it to be collaborative, so a space where you can meet with your industry coach, and there’ll be wall hangings with all the different pathways or jobs. So if you're thinking, I need a part-time job, you can go check it out down there, and everything will be available. This will be a space open for anybody and will house more than the career programs, and the IMC pit will be open except for when SPARK is running.”
Is this a specifically next year thing; this probably isn't going to be open for the ‘26-’27 year?
“Correct, next year we're doing a ribbon cutting in June. And we're inviting the business alliance, our Waukesha County industry partners, and kinds of people coming in.”
What are plans for the business SPARK next year? Can you explain a bit more about what this class might look like?
“We're still building our global business strand which will start next year. It’ll be co-taught by Ms. Schneider from Com. Arts, and then a business teacher. We currently have three business teachers who are helping to write it, and one of them will possibly take it on, depending on their schedule. [It will be a] 3-credit, year-long course. You're going to get a business credit, which is transcripted. And then you're going to get your Com. Arts credit, and a mentorship credit. The class will have three projects, with each of them being between 6 and 8 weeks to complete. The projects will come from a coach out in the industry.
“For example, one of our partners is Generac. They're going to bring something for us like, ‘Hey, we need some marketing help,’ or ‘We need some fresh ideas for this or our website’ or whatever. And then the students are actually going to help work on it.”
Goike then reiterates that Hamilton has a multitude of business partners, including the Milwaukee Admirals.
How have students responded to SPARK programs?
“We’ve had a lot of great feedback from both the students and our contractors, which has been wonderful. We got some very high numbers at our construction classes this year, which I think is because it fits in well with the applied tech we have here at Hamilton. We're trying to embrace all those pathways. So this is really great for those kiddos who want more of the construction pathway.
“And next year, we're going to give students who are interested in business a pathway, along with the future teachers' SPARK program.”
What will the future teachers program look like?
“No matter what type of teacher you want to be, we're going to place you where you are wanting to be. You're going to get some coaching, a college transcripted credit for it, and your Comm arts credit.”
Is this going to run alongside the TA program, or is that going to be its own separate thing?
“It will be its own separate thing. The TA program is just kind of more to help the teachers. It's good for students who might want to be teachers to start engaging with that kind of work, and these are for students who know they want to be a teacher. Maybe they don't know their age range or if they want to do special ed or K-12, so the SPARK will actually get them in and doing hands-on learning in the classroom environment. You're going to be writing lessons, creating lessons, maybe doing some interventions, working with kids. You're going to get coached alongside teachers in the district and get a transcripted credit that will transfer with you.” Goike also noted that there's a potential that the future teachers program might replace the TA.
What are some shortcomings that administrators are working to address?
“We try to respond to what we're hearing from students, data, things like that. It's coming out soon in November, but we saw our state report card, and it's looking amazing because, again, our teachers are amazing.
“We do see there's some opportunity for improving literacy, so we're working on that. And, from an AP standpoint, we're always trying to listen to students and kind of see what's happening that we can support. So we're trying to be really proactive and ensure all students feel safe.
“We have zero tolerance towards bullying, zero tolerance towards anything along those lines that makes people feel unsafe. And so we're really working hard on that right now.
“If there’s anything else any students have, I'm super huge on open door policy. I have a lot of students who will email me and want to just come in and talk. Please, if there are any other questions, concerns, whatever, the door is always open. Send me an email. Let's meet and chat!”
Any other comments or interesting things that Hamilton should be aware of?
“We have Future Ready Day coming up November 12th, which is going to be super awesome. We've started doing career exploration events, so depending on what pathway you're thinking of doing in the future, we're bringing in people and professionals who can help you explore. We just had law enforcement, in fact, and we’re going to do legal, law, court, cosmetology, fire EMT, animal science, and criminal justice. We've got all those coming up. We also try to create field trips outside of school, but because we want access for everyone, we're trying to bring people in so that everyone can at least experience them.”
We at Charger Press hope that these first months of school have been going well for Hamilton students and administration, and that it continues throughout the year! Thank you, Mrs. Goike, for this interview and your time!
