Bridges Magazine

Programming, designing, collaborating, prototyping, and redesigning – that’s what happens in labs and design studios in the tech industry. It’s also happening in South Milwaukee’s STEM labs.

An acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math, STEM is a hands-on way to look at the world that combines all those disciplines.

The students have explored what the soil is made of, what’s living in the ground, what kind of plants should go there, and asked if those plants would be safe for local wildlife. It’s not uncommon to hear big words like “decomposition” and “ecosystem” used by these seven- and eight-year-olds. 

Every 10 years the school celebrates its birthday with messages from students and trinkets to remember the “old” days. Included in this decade box was a photo of the student body from 2015. A plush minion – still a big hit with kids – arose from the box. A plush Luther Leopard joined him, as well as a program from the 40th anniversary celebration. Also reborn from the capsule was a Luther shirt, hoisted by Mrs. Eiting, that was a respectable 40 years old. 

When Kyle Olson started kindergarten at E. W. Luther Elementary School, he showed up with a camera in his hand. You wouldn’t fault a teacher for asking little Kyle to put his camera away in his cubby or backpack. But that’s not what happened. 

Like every other school in Wisconsin, Rawson Elementary has implemented the literacy standards required under Act 20. In South Milwaukee, a team of teachers spent the spring and summer of 2024 reviewing various resources that fit the needs of students and Act 20, and decided on Wit and Wisdom – a resource developed by Great Minds, a roughly 20-year-old public benefit company founded by educators. 

Grounds team sprucing up South Milwaukee schools. 

This summer, on a quiet airport outside of Page, Arizona, a weather balloon carrying a device built by students from South Milwaukee lifted off into the clear desert sky. ​​​​​​​

Twenty years ago, when the school was built, there were plans for a bank branch in the halls of the school. Those plans were finally fulfilled when, last spring, the School Board signed a memorandum of understanding with the credit union to locate a branch in the building and to locate two Youth Apprentices at the location to learn about working at a financial institution.

Middle School Health Teacher Kimberly Jaeger is piloting a way to get the most learning out of the Brain Health curriculum and will share it as an option for teachers statewide.