MPS Celebrates Earth Day on Sustainable Playground
Milwaukee school district has received nearly $40 million to support green initiatives.
Morse Middle School for the Gifted and Talented, 6700 N. 80th St. Corrinne Hess/WPR
At Morse Middle School for the Gifted and Talented on Milwaukee’s northwest side, looks can be deceiving.
Inside, the ceilings of the 59-year-old building are low. The hallways are dark. There are very few windows.
But outside is a reimagined creative space where students can run and play, collect storm water and create art projects.
About six years ago, the space was four city blocks of concrete. Staff at Morse Middle School applied to become one of the City of Milwaukee’s Green Schools, receiving federal funding to remove asphalt and replace it with trees and turf.
Morse also raised about $3 million.
Morse counselor Caleb Crossot helped lead the project. He said the students were surveyed to come up with a plan and the outdoor space has everything they asked for.
Those students are now sophomores in college.
“It’s kind of cool that this is the first generation of students that have never seen this as anything but a park,” Crossot said. “When we were planning it, I really wanted our students to wonder, ‘Do I go to a public school or do I go to a private school? Is this fancy?’”
Morse Middle School for the Gifted and Talented reimagined its asphalt parking lots to create greenspace. Corrinne Hess/WPR
On Wednesday, Earth Day, this new generation — who has always had the benefit of greenspace at Morse Middle School — grabbed tools and trash bags and headed outdoors to clean up their environment. The students also played bingo to celebrate the annual event.
Eric Hughes and his buddy Kartier Gordon, both 11, had bingo cards filled with butterflies and birds.
“I think I saw a flock there,” Gordon said, pointing to the sky and putting an X on the spot. “I like picking up trash. It’s very nice and it helps. Like, you can help the community.”
Morse Middle School student, Kartier Gordon, 11, searches for Earth Day related animals and items to win bingo. Corrinne Hess/WPR
Milwaukee Public Schools received nearly $40 million in grants to support its sustainability initiatives.
Those grants include:
- City Of Milwaukee – Growing Milwaukee Trees, $2.5 million;
- City of Milwaukee DPW and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)–GreenSolutions, $700,000;
- EPA – Clean-Heavy Duty Vehicles Program, $14.8 million;
- Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District-Green Infrastructure Partner Program, $15.1 million;
- MPS Foundation–Green Schoolyards, $1 million.
In January 2025, MPS partnered with Green Schools National Network to develop the district’s first sustainability action plan.
That plan focuses on four things: facilities and operations, curriculum and instruction, leadership, and culture and community.
On Wednesday at Morse Middle School, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said the plan is really about making sure every student, no matter their neighborhood or background, has access to healthy, safe and engaging spaces to learn and to thrive.
“Students are learning science in green school yards like this one right at Morse, they’re growing food and gardens, exploring environmental issues in their own neighborhoods and partnering with community organizations on real world projects,” Cassellius said. “These experiences make learning more relevant and more engaging and a little bit more fun, and they extend learning far, far, far beyond the classroom.”
Milwaukee Public Schools celebrates Earth Day on sustainable playground was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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