Hands-on lessons about healthy eating and biodiversity, the natural sciences and the water cycle, and shared responsibility for maintaining the schoolyard support our school’s health and wellness and academic goals.

Students vote every year to select flowers, herbs, and vegetables to represent the home countries of Zablocki’s international families. Third graders help run the Green Team, volunteering one recess/lunch period weekly to learn about the environment and how to care for it. This includes weeding, watering, and monitoring our gardens. Staff, families, and students from all grades help keep our school gardens green and growing.

Green Schools Consortium of Milwaukee

A member of Green Schools Consortium of Milwaukee, we partnered with the environmental education nonprofit Reflo and other organizations to complete three years of research, planning, fundraising, and construction that led to our redeveloped schoolyard’s grand opening in 2023. Accomplishments and improvements at Zablocki School include:

• Replacing 12,200 square feet of asphalt with an outdoor classroom, performance area, and turf play field.
• Installing bike parking equipment, schoolyard benches, artistic and musical elements so students can find calm and creativity in nature.
• Conserving water through native plantings and green infrastructure, redirecting 59,000 gallons of stormwater from nearby lakes, rivers, and streams.

Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin

Working with the departments of Natural Resources and Public Instruction through Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin, Zablocki School is earning our Sapling Status credentials by demonstrating achievement in five focus areas: energy, environmental health, recycling and waste management, school site, and water.