A strong support network lifts students and families at Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary School and prepares our scholars for successful middle and high school transitions.
Black Arts MKE
Increasing the availability and quality of African American arts and culture is the Black Arts MKE mission. Presenting culturally relevant programming to youth inspires their creativity. Providing MKE-based artists of color with employment, access, visibility, and development opportunities supports culturally relevant programming. Quality arts partnership and engagement strengthens the community. Students experience the performing arts as spectators and performers through our partnership with Black Arts MKE, including theatrical performances and theater workshops plus after-school chorus and African dance classes.
Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin
Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin advocates for families and actively works to create programs to build healthier communities. Their work is guided by national and statewide priorities defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Their work is carried out in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Alliance Advisory Board. Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin administers the Love My Air Wisconsin environmental health program. Hawthorne School is honored to participate in this program.
City of Light Church
City of Light Church is committed to building strong relationships with people across Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, and surrounding suburbs. Grocery giveaways, community discussions on race and unity, and outreach events allow them to make a positive impact in the lives of their neighbors. City of Light Church brings its Boxes of Love holiday food drive to Hawthorne.
Costco
Costco is a membership warehouse club, dedicated to bringing its members the best possible prices on quality brand-name merchandise. Costco donates backpacks and other school essentials to Hawthorne students. Their generosity also includes treats that make school celebrations and award events extra special.
Greater Milwaukee Urban League
For more than a century, the Greater Milwaukee Urban League has stood in the gap, working hard to empower communities and change lives for African Americans living in the greater Milwaukee area. Hawthorne parents and caregivers can access free driver-ed, employment, and fatherhood programs through our partnership with Greater Milwaukee Urban League. From attending school celebrations to donating winter gear and gift cards, the Greater Milwaukee Urban League lifts our families and students.
GreenTree-Teutonia Community Learning Center
Established in 1998, the center provides programs and resources to support families living in the nearby GreenTree-Teutonia housing community, from after-school enrichment and meal services to senior activities and cultural celebrations. Many Hawthorne families make their home in the GreenTree-Teutonia apartments, and GreenTree tutors provide academic support and resources to our students.
Howard University
Howard University, one of the nation’s leading research universities, is dedicated to educating students from diverse backgrounds. Guided by its extraordinary faculty, students are immersed in cutting-edge scholarship and innovation including nanotechnology, human genome research, atmospheric science, as well as the social sciences, arts and humanities. Since 2020, Hawthorne Elementary has welcomed the Howard University Alternative Spring Break program, a one-week service-learning residency that brings additional mentors and tutors to the school. Howard students present pre-college workshops, support our Read Across America celebration, and host other activities for Hawthorne scholars.
Nearby Nature Milwaukee
Nearby Nature Milwaukee is an environmental justice and equity initiative to build healthier and more resilient communities. They believe celebrating natural areas enhances a community’s value and improves health and wellness. Hawthorne students engage in field-research experiences through this partnership.
Reflo
Annually, Reflo works with partners including Milwaukee Public Schools, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the City of Milwaukee, the Fund for Lake Michigan, Community Design Solutions and others to support five Milwaukee-area schools in an intensive, collaborative process to design and then redevelop greener, healthier schoolyards. Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary School’s redeveloped schoolyard opened in 2022.
Each redevelopment project is tailored to the specific needs and enthusiasm of the school’s community but often involves replacing seas of asphalt with green infrastructure including bioswales, rain gardens, and trees as well as outdoor classrooms, improved recreational facilities and arts opportunities. Designs go beyond removing pavement to maximize benefits for communities, the environment, and local economy.
SHARP Literacy
SHARP Literacy connects students to the visual arts by bringing professional artists and authors into classrooms. The SHARP Literacy approach sparks curiosity and a love of learning. Students develop a deeper understanding of complex vocabulary and build the background knowledge that is so important for reading comprehension. Hawthorne students experience this nonprofit partner’s art-and-literacy approach to learning in classroom lessons and on field trips.
Urban Ecology Center
The vision of the Urban Ecology Center is to inspire generations to build environmental curiosity, understanding, and respect, restoring hope and healing our urban natural world, neighborhood by neighborhood. Hawthorne students engage in field-research experiences at the Urban Ecology Center.
Wisconsin Air National Guard
The Wisconsin Air National Guard is the aerial militia of Wisconsin. It is, along with the Wisconsin Army National Guard, an element of the Wisconsin National Guard. The Wisconsin Air National Guard sponsors STARBASE Wisconsin, an interactive academic program that helps youth from Hawthorne and other schools increase their STEM knowledge.
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music
The Wisconsin Conservatory is more than a community music school; it guides and inspires children and adults alike to find their voice, discover their desired instrument, and develop their music-making capabilities, whether you are just beginning or a seasoned professional. The conservatory’s performer-educators bring weekly curriculum-based music instruction to Hawthorne School.