Kazoo School

🎨🌙✨ Leaving Their Mark on Kazoo School ✨🌙🎨

One of the most meaningful traditions at Kazoo School is the Eighth Grade Class Gift. Each year, our graduating students create something lasting that enriches the school community and serves as a reminder of their gratitude for the place they have called home.

Over the years, eighth-grade classes have planted rhododendrons, built the hammock park, constructed the main firepit, and created the beloved Cat Café and mural in the office. These gifts continue to benefit students long after their creators have moved on to high school.

This year's class is carrying on that tradition by creating a beautiful mural for Mel's room inspired by Maya Angelou's powerful words:

"Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise."

With brushes in hand, each student contributed their own unique mark to the mural, creating a lasting symbol of resilience, hope, and community. As they prepare for their next chapter, they leave behind a gift that will inspire future generations of Kazoo School students.

Thank you, Class of 2026, for helping keep this wonderful tradition alive. 💚

🌈📘 Whole Child Education at Kazoo School — Our Whole Lives (OWL) 📘🌈

At Kazoo School, we are committed to educating the whole child — academically, socially, emotionally, and ethically. One way we live out that commitment is through our use of the Our Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum.

Our Whole Lives is a comprehensive, values-based human development and sexuality education program that models and teaches caring, compassion, respect, and justice. It goes beyond basic facts to help students explore identity, relationships, decision-making, and personal responsibility in age-appropriate ways.

OWL is intentionally inclusive and respectful of human diversity, including differences in:
🤝 Gender identity and expression
🌈 Sexual orientation
♿ Disability status
👥 Family structure and background

This approach closely aligns with Kazoo School’s mission and progressive philosophy — honoring student voice, supporting social-emotional growth, and fostering a school culture grounded in equity, inclusion, and respect for every person.

By combining knowledge with empathy and values, OWL helps students develop self-understanding and respect for others — essential skills for becoming thoughtful, engaged citizens. 💙

🌿

🌱🥕🍓 Growing More Than Vegetables at Kazoo School 🍓🥕🌱

Gardening is one of the many ways Kazoo School brings learning to life. Whether students are propagating cacti, developing native pollinator gardens, or growing vegetables, they aren't afraid to get their hands dirty!

Our vegetable garden is thriving as the warmer weather settles in. Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, peas, strawberries, herbs, and corn are all growing beautifully, and our peas have already begun to bloom. Every day brings new discoveries and new opportunities to learn.

A special thank you goes to the Whole Foods Market Foundation for their generous grant, which allowed us to expand our garden and install deer-proof fencing to protect our growing crops.

Gardening perfectly aligns with the Kazoo School philosophy. It teaches patience, responsibility, environmental stewardship, scientific observation, and problem-solving while helping students develop a meaningful connection to the natural world. Students don't simply learn where food comes from—they experience it firsthand, from planting seeds to harvesting crops.

At Kazoo School, the garden is more than a garden—it's a classroom, a laboratory, and a place where curiosity grows right alongside the vegetables. 🌿💚

☀️🎲⚔️ Two Amazing Summer Adventures Are Filling Fast! ⚔️🎲☀️

Looking for an exciting summer experience? Kazoo School has two incredible workshops with very limited spaces remaining!

🏛️ Camp Half-Blood Adventures: Inspired by the Percy Jackson Series
📅 July 20–24

Calling all demigods! Step into a world of heroes, monsters, quests, and ancient legends. Inspired by the beloved Percy Jackson series, campers will explore Greek mythology through hands-on adventures, creative projects, storytelling, games, and team challenges. Whether you're claiming your Olympian parent or battling mythical beasts, this camp is sure to be an epic adventure!

🎲 Game Explorers
📅 June 22–26

Game ON! This interactive camp introduces students to the exciting world of games through creativity, teamwork, movement, problem-solving, and design. Campers will play classic board games, tackle strategy challenges, solve puzzles, and even invent games of their own. Every day offers new opportunities to build communication skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.

At Kazoo School, we believe that learning should be active, engaging, and fun. These workshops combine hands-on exploration with creativity and teamwork, creating memorable experiences that keep students learning all summer long.

⏳ Spaces are very limited! Register today at:
https://www.kazooschool.org/summer-session-1

💚📚 One More Goodbye Until August 📚💚

"It went by so fast."

That was perhaps the most common phrase heard in the hallways this week as the 2025–2026 school year came to a close.

Today, our students demonstrated one of the core values of a Kazoo School education: being part of a community means caring for that community. As part of our end-of-the-year traditions, students cleaned classrooms, gathered forgotten supplies and clothing, organized materials, and helped prepare the school for summer. In doing so, they showed respect and gratitude for the spaces that supported a year filled with learning, laughter, friendship, and discovery.

There were smiles, hugs, a few tears, and countless memories as students said one final farewell to their classrooms and favorite corners of the school. While they are excited for the adventures that summer will bring, they are already looking forward to returning in August.

Thank you to our students, families, faculty, and staff for making this such a wonderful year. Have a safe, joyful, and adventure-filled summer!

We'll see you soon. 🌞🌿

KZOO PRIDE 2026 | Rain or Shine!

Bring your umbrellas this weekend! Kalamazoo Pride is a GO no matter what kind of weather we see. These Michiganders aren't afraid of a little rain!

If there is an emergency weather situation, we do of course have protocols in place to get everyone to safety. When the emergency passes, the show will go on! 💃