Students at five MPS schools now have access to outdoor classrooms, new activities, and natural areas to relax and learn. In October, new school yards were unveiled and celebrated at Academy of Accelerated Learning, Allen-Field Elementary, Bay View Montessori, La Escuela Fratney, and North Division High School.
Beginning in 2018, MPS and partners embarked on an ambitious plan to develop many school yards across the city through the Greener Healthier Schools Program. So far, 11 other projects have been finished, for a total of 16 renovations. Under the five-year plan, five more schoolyards will be developed and completed in 2022.
Completion of these projects brings multiple benefits to students, schools, and the community.
Green spaces for children to play and relax, along with outdoor classrooms for learning, are priorities of the work.
Trees, native plantings, and shrubs help improve air quality and moderate temperatures around schools.
Fencing, benches, murals, decking, and recreation spaces such as four-square, tennis courts, and tracks, make the areas safe and appealing for students.
Surfaces and equipment that have been deteriorating have been removed.
Projects are designed to control rainwater runoff that overwhelms the city sewer system and contributes to pollution in rivers and Lake Michigan.
The five-year renovation plan was designed with student success and well-being in mind. Children who learn and play in green spaces, especially children living in cities where environments are primarily asphalt and concrete, are shown to exhibit many benefits to academics and well-being.
Spending time in nature advances children’s academic performance, focus, behavior, and love of learning.
Green schoolyards enhance mental health and well-being and promote social and emotional development.
Green schoolyards offer a variety of active play options that engage children of varying fitness levels, ages, and genders.
Major project partners and donors currently include Milwaukee Public Schools, the MPS Foundation, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the City of Milwaukee, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation— Sustain Our Great Lakes Program, Fund for Lake Michigan, Reflo, Funders’ Network—Partners for Places Grant, the Burke Foundation, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, private donations, in-kind contributions, and school fundraising.
Students at five MPS schools now have access to outdoor classrooms, new activities, and natural areas to relax and learn. In October, new school yards were unveiled and celebrated at Academy of Accelerated Learning, Allen-Field Elementary, Bay View Montessori, La Escuela Fratney, and North Division High School.
