Environmental Education

Environmental education is a lifelong learning process that nurtures citizens who care for, engage with, enjoy, and give back to the earth. 

Environmental Education in the School District of Waukesha strives to create opportunities for: 

• Building wonder

• Exploring and observing nature

• Developing gratitude 

• Having fun

The School District of Waukesha (SDW) Environmental Education Program has provided standards based environmental education field experiences since 1976. Each year over 8,000 SDW students and 500 volunteers learn about the environment by participating in sequential classroom and hands-on learning activities. This program has been viewed as a state “model” for infusing mandated environmental education standards into the school curriculum.

The site specific classes take place outside in the Fox River Sanctuary or inside at the E.B. Shurts Environmental Education Center. The E. B. Shurts Center has three indoor classrooms, a resource library, and a strong collection of outdoor learning tools and equipment. The programs, resources, and equipment are also used by other school districts in the area that choose to bring students to the facility. The Environmental Education Program has also formed partnerships with other community organizations to provide learning opportunities for the general public.

Environmental Education in the School District of Waukesha is a multi-facited program, it involves:

• K-12 environmental education curriculum that is connected to all curricular areas and that helps students meet the state performance standards in math, science, social studies and language arts.

• K-8 environmental education field experiences where classroom concepts, knowledge, and skills are applied and developed

The School District of Waukesha Environmental Education acknowledges and honors the inherent sovereignty of each of the American Indian Nations of Wisconsin. The land we are on is the ancestral homeland of the Potawatomi people and nation. The School District of Waukesha Environmental Education will continue to cultivate and maintain our ongoing respect and understanding of the Potawatomi and each of the American Indian nations, people, and communities of Wisconsin. 

For additional information, please contact Emma Koeppel at 262-970-4333, or via e-mail at ekoeppel@waukesha.k12.wi.us

E.B. Shurts Environmental Education Center
810 W College Ave.
Waukesha, WI 53186