10/12/2026
Last Thursday, we gathered at Cass Street Schoolyard/Park to celebrate the completion of the 8th Cohort of Green & Healthy Schoolyard Redevelopment Projects at five MPS schools!
The schoolyards at Cass Street School, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, Emerson School, Milwaukee French Immersion School, and Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies have been transformed into greener, healthier spaces that provide greater access to nature, hands-on learning opportunities, active play, and stormwater management features that benefit the surrounding communities.
Together, the five school projects:
• Removed 140,000 square feet of asphalt, replacing it with greenspaces, outdoor classrooms, recreational areas, and stormwater management features
• Planted 300 stormwater trees to provide shade and support urban biodiversity
• Added green infrastructure, including porous pavement, native bioswales, and underground cisterns, capable of managing more than 840,000 gallons of stormwater during a rain event
• Created new educational and recreational spaces featuring basketball courts, soccer fields, Gaga Ball pits, musical instruments, traffic gardens, and nature play areas
This year’s cohort represents an $8.3 million investment by project partners, schools, and communities, bringing the Green & Healthy Schools initiative to 42 transformed MPS schoolyards across Milwaukee.
The Cohort 8 celebration featured schoolyard tours, hands-on environmental education activities, community art, historic photos, and a time capsule activity looking ahead to the year 2098. Students and special guests also joined school, district, city, and community leaders for a green ribbon cutting to officially celebrate the new space.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this milestone, and a special thank you to our project partners, school leaders, engineers, contractors, and community members who continue to make greener, healthier schoolyards possible for Milwaukee.
Project Partners include: Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation, Inc., Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District - MMSD, DPW Milwaukee, Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office - ECO, Milwaukee Recreation, Green Schools Consortium of Milwaukee - GSCM, Fund for Lake Michigan, Burke Foundation, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Herb Kohl Philanthropies & Herb Kohl Educational Foundation, Aurora Health Care, WI DNR Forestry, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation - Five Star & Urban Waters Restoration Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Individual School Green Teams & Community Partners
Engineering, Design Consultants and Contractors include: SmithGroup, Landco2, BEAR Construction Company, Eddy's Landscaping Services, Property Solutions Contracting, GRG Playscapes
