Fork Farms

Learning to grow healthy food is an environmental/educational journey that fuels young minds and bodies. River Trail is honored to partner with Fork Farms on this important mission. Fork Farms’ educators provide gardening guidance and materials that keep our gardens green and growing.

4-H

This youth development organization reaches kids in every corner of America — from River Trail School to suburban schoolyards to rural farming communities. The 4-H network of 500,000 volunteers and 3,500 professionals provides caring and supportive mentoring to all 6 million 4 H’ers, helping these youth grow into true leaders today and in life. River Trail hosts a 4-H chapter, receiving guidance, mentorship, and more resources to support our school’s expanding agricultural program.

Fresh Thyme Market

A grocery chain specializing in fresh and healthy foods, Fresh Thyme donates produce and other products that student chefs in the Beehive Café use to create the soups, salsas, and pastries that have become a highlight of River Trail family events.

GRAEF

A full-service engineering, planning, and design firm, GRAEF designed River Trail’s new food forest, a two-acre, 110-specimen collection of chestnut, hazelnut, and pear trees and green infrastructure that captures up to 170,000 gallons of stormwater during extreme rain events. GRAEF engineers help maintain our food forest to make sure water drains properly, all trees are healthy, and the soil supports optimal growth.

Mequon Nature Preserve

Mequon Nature Preserve is 510 acres of prairies, wetlands, and hardwood mesic forests. The preserve’s horticulturists, arborists, and educators are converting agricultural fields back into prairies, wetlands, and forests. Every year, thousands of native trees and shrubs are planted across the property, and thousands of children — including River Trail students — hike the preserve, tap its trees for maple syrup, and seek out signs of animal life in ponds, trees, and along Mequon Nature Preserve trails.

Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

A regional government agency that provides water reclamation and flood management services for about 1.1 million people in 28 communities, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District provided technical expertise and financial support to help make our food forest an edible environmental reality in 2023.

Smart Smiles Dental Program

Ascension Smart Smiles is the largest provider of school-based oral health care in Wisconsin. The Smart Smiles program specializes in preventative oral health of children from birth through adolescence. Smart Smiles dental professionals make twice-yearly visits to River Trail, providing free oral health education and screenings, fluoride treatments, placement of sealants, and more.

Vincent High School of Agricultural Sciences

Partners in environmental education since 2022, River Trail School of Agricultural Science and Vincent High School of Agricultural Sciences are one of the nation’s only public, urban K-12 agriculture programs. River Trail graduates can continue their college- and career-preparatory education at Vincent. As the only high-school agriculture program in Milwaukee County, Vincent High School of Agricultural Sciences offers classes in animal husbandry, environmental sciences, and culinary arts. Vincent students and staff even maintain a small urban farm and animal barn on the school campus.