2026–27 School Year Begins With New Playground

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Two young girls in school uniforms swing on a playground in front of a brick school building.
2026–27 School Year Begins With New Playground

University School of Milwaukee opened its doors for the 2026–27 school year with its annual Opening Ceremony on the first day of school, Monday, Aug. 31. This was preceded by an outdoor reception with refreshments hosted by the Parents’ Association.

USM seniors kicked off the event by walking into and through the front circle with kindergarten students before Board of Trustees President Leslie Tector ’87 and Head of School Steve Hancock addressed the ceremony attendees. 

Hancock spoke about this year’s featured Common Trust value, honesty. “Honesty matters,” he said. “It means telling the truth. Owning our mistakes. Keeping our word. Doing our own work. And, having the courage to say what needs to be said with kindness and respect.”

In his remarks, Hancock noted that the first day of school was also the official opening of FUNville, USM’s new playground for Preschool, Lower School, and Middle School students, which was made possible thanks to a transformational gift from the Stayer family. The playground supports USM’s philosophy of recess as an opportunity to improve social, emotional, cognitive, and physical outcomes.   

“Play matters at every age,” said Hancock. “When children play, they are learning. They learn how to solve problems. They learn when to lead and when to follow. They learn to take appropriate risks, use their imaginations, make friends, include others, and try something they couldn’t do yesterday. And sometimes they learn something very important: how to lose a game at recess and still be friends afterwards. Those are not small lessons.”

Following his remarks, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held with members of the Stayer family to officially open the new space. USM is incredibly grateful to the Stayers and others who supported the new playground. The school would especially like to thank the following lead donors: Shelly and Ralph Stayer, Wendy and Craig Kasten, Matilde U and Albert C Elser Foundation, and Paul and William Kung-Sternlieb. 

The ceremony concluded with this year’s senior class prefects—Chloe Chen, Grace Chen, Emmett Cox, Gabbi McKenzie, Simrin Patel, and Deven Sharma—sharing remarks about what honesty means to them. The ceremony concluded with the school’s longest-tenured full-time faculty member, Upper School Dean of Students and Health Teacher Sue Baker, ringing the ceremonial first bell of the school year. 

Later in the morning, prior to the start of lunch, another special ceremony was held at the foot of the 8th grade stairs as the “seniors” of the Middle School formally started their school year. As part of the event, Steve Farwig ’75 spoke with 8th grade students about the history of the 8th grade stairs, because the Class of 1975 was the first 8th grade class to use the stairs exclusively. 

Watch a full video of the Opening Ceremony here. Thank you to all of the USM community members who attended this year’s events.

Interested in seeing FUNville for yourself? Join us on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9 to 11 a.m. for Popsicles on the Playground! This free event is open to the public and guests will enjoy Pete’s Pops and a special visit from the Bubble Lady of Milwaukee!

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A young woman in a navy blazer and white skirt walks hand-in-hand with two young girls in dresses down a paved path, with a crowd of people and trees in the background.
Two young women in navy blazers and white skirts walk hand-in-hand with a young girl down a paved path, with a crowd of people and trees in the background.
Two young women in navy blazers and white skirts walk hand-in-hand with a young girl down a paved path, with a crowd of people and trees in the background.
A young woman in a navy blazer and white skirt walks hand-in-hand with a young girl in a dress down a paved path, with a crowd of people and trees in the background.
Young students in school uniforms walk down a path lined with cheering onlookers, with a brick building and trees in the background.
Two young women in navy blazers and white skirts walk hand-in-hand with a young girl down a paved path, with a crowd of people and trees in the background.
A group of four children walk down a path holding a banner that says %22Honesty%22
Children sit on the ground in the foreground, facing a stage with speakers and balloons.
A man stands outside at a podium speaking into a microphone.
A group of people in suits and ties are seated in the foreground, while a blurred crowd of students fills the background.
A woman and a young boy cut a blue ribbon in front of a banner with colorful graphics, while a cluster of gold and navy balloons floats in the background.
Two students in navy blazers and khaki pants fist bump on a stage, with other students and trees in the blurred background.
A group of smiling students in school uniforms stand together outdoors, with a blurred background of trees and more people.
A group of young students in purple t-shirts stand in the foreground, with a blurred crowd of people in the background.
A black fence with a sign that says %22FUNville%22 mounted on it with playground equipment in the background.
A large college of playground equipment surrounded by green grass.
A photo of unoccupied playground equipment.
Children with excited expressions run towards the camera while smiling adults stand behind them.
A woman in a green dress leads a group of children in uniform down a path lined with balloons.
A group of five girls stand on a rope swing with green grass in the background.
A girl slides down a slide.
A girl in a blue shirt plays on the monkey bars in a playground.
A young boy in a white t-shirt and blue shorts walks across a rope bridge in the foreground, while a brick building and trees are visible in the background.
Children play on a log balance beam in the foreground, with a school building and playground equipment visible in the background.
A boy dunks a basketball on a blue basketball court with a group of boys observing.
A group of boys play on a soccer field.
A group of four girls play on a rope swing.
Children use mounted ropes to climb up a green hill.
Children use mounted ropes and stationary objects for help climbing up a green hill.
Children play in a gaga ball pit.
Four boys climb on a rope bridge in a playground with trees in the background.
A group of three girls are seated on the ground in the shade eating popsicles.
A group of girls in dresses walk across a rope bridge.
A group of older children smile while seated on a large swing.
A girl smiles while playing on a teeter-totter.
Two girls slide on their stomachs down a large green hill.
Children in school uniforms enjoy popsicles on a grassy hill with a playground in the background under a bright sky.
A man talks to a group of children seated on a large swing.
Children navigate a wooden obstacle course in the foreground, while adults and other children observe in the background near a brick building.
Two young girls in school uniforms swing on a playground in front of a brick school building.