MILTON 鈥 Milton High School is doubling down on its Healthcare Sciences department, now affectionately called a 鈥渂uilding鈥 by students and staff.
Finally.
The old space, in the school鈥檚 lower level, was less affectionately called 鈥渢he dungeon,鈥 for its more dim, secluded location in the building.
The new lab, finished in August just in time for the new school year, has a facade painted red with 鈥淗EALTHCARE SCIENCES鈥 in all caps. Windows that extend to the floor are strategically placed so passers-by can look in to see exactly what happens when the learning begins. There facade is adorned with images of healthcare workers.
鈥淭his is the best facility for this in the state,鈥 Superintendent Jeremy Bilhorn said. Bilhorn was the high school principal when the school board approved the project last winter and when the district launched the healthcare sciences program in 2020.
The wing was finished in August, just before the start of the school year.
The school offers introduction to healthcare, certified nursing assistant courses, and emergency medical technician classes. Students receive certifications and the classes serve as pathways to jobs in a field that鈥檚 hungry for workers.
The district has a contract with MercyHealth to run the classes, which are taught by EMT Rob Calhoun and CNA Karla Meyer.
Senior Allison Kojo took the CNA class over the summer in 鈥淭he Dungeon.鈥 She entered the lab Tuesday and was impressed by the new space, noticing items like a lift that she would have liked to see in the old space.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 extremely important because when you get to clinicals, you have to lift residents and you have to use a machine. Knowing how to do that before getting to clinicals would add so much relief, because I was so stressed out,鈥 Kojo said.
The space has a classroom with an adjacent bathroom equipped with an American Disabilities Act-compliant shower, all to simulate real-world CNA care for patients.
Another room has space dedicated for a future phlebotomy course.
The new lab has an open space with four hospital beds, up from two, with mannequins that students use as 鈥減atients.鈥 There is a simulated hospital room with a bed and a two-way mirror to allow the student to work alone while being observed by an instructor.
Despite a spike in healthcare industry demand, the number of high schools offering medical programs like Milton鈥檚 are scant.
You鈥檇 have to look to Sauk Prairie High School in Prairie du Sac, northwest of Madison, which launched a smaller-scale program with its local health system in 2025. Or the Kettle Moraine School District in the Milwaukee suburb of Wales, which has a charter school focused strictly on medicine.
Keith Nerby, the high school鈥檚 new principal, is in his first year. Prior to his arrival, he was principal at Sturgeon Bay and Sun Prairie high schools. Those schools dipped toes in the medical field 鈥 but only through partnerships with local technical colleges.
They never dove head first into a full-fledged healthsciences program like Milton鈥檚.
鈥淭his is one of the reasons why I was interested in Milton, just they are that forward thinking and they are putting something like this together,鈥 Nerby said.
The space was converted from old math classrooms from the 1999-2000 referendum that hadn鈥檛 been used for years.