SEMIS Coalition

The creativity in the presentation rooms was clear, and the students were brave! Look through to see some of this courage in action during our 2026 Community Forum, a celebration of students’ place-based learning efforts and community-engaged action.

The students pictured here are presenting their classes' journey to build a rain garden at their Detroit High School. Student presenters discussed how the power of choice was given to them around a project fighting against the effects of climate change. The session gave the audience a step-by-step guide on how to build one on your own campus 🌦 ♻🌳 Shout to Ms. Anderson for being an awesome teacher!

Over this week and next week, please check back to see more highlights! Leave a comment or question for the presenters! 👇🏿

Wow. What a day! Here is a look back at the 2026 Community Forum! Drop a ❤️ if you were there!

Thank you to Early College Alliance, Ford STEAM Early Learning Center, Henry Ford Elementary School, James and Grace Lee Boggs School, John R. King Academic & Performing Arts Academy, Mumford High School, Renaissance High School, Salina Intermediate School, The School at Marygrove, Wylie Elementary, Ypsilanti Community High School and Ypsilanti Community Middle School!

Lake sturgeon are the stars of this week's Field Story Friday! On June 6, Mr. Jim Barnes and his 3rd grade students from Wylie Elementary School released Snoopy, the sturgeon they raised during the 2025-26 academic year. Their classroom participated in "Sturgeon in the Classroom" with St. Clair-Detroit River Sturgeon for Tomorrow Incorporated and they learned how to care for their sturgeon, about the sturgeon life cycle, its historical and cultural importance, and what role each of us play in collective lake sturgeon recovery.

Each year, the Friends of the St. Clair River organizes "Sturgeon Fest" (www.SturgeonFestival.com) at Fort Gratiot Lighthouse in Port Huron and invites all classroom sturgeons to be released where the St. Clair River meets Lake Huron.

Snoopy and Mr. Barnes' classroom built a strong bond and students learned about the gentle giant of the Great Lakes this year. Cheers to Mr. Barnes and his class for contributing to the sturgeon recovery program as well as deepening their understanding of environmental issues. Safe travels Snoopy!

On Monday, we gathered on the campuses of Salina Elementary School and Salina Intermediate School in Dearborn. The Salina schools have had a strong focus on outdoor learning/nature-based play and environmental remediation for the past few years. Several SEMIS Coalition teachers and administrators in our Outdoor Learning cohort requested an opportunity to visit the campus and hear from the school and district leadership about the design and implementation of their outdoor learning spaces. With several natural play areas, a prairie, three rain gardens, and two vegetable gardens, Salina is truly an outdoor learning paradise. We also had the fun opportunity to witness students engaged in outdoor learning, from kindergarteners watering plants in the garden to students creating art on the walking track with chalk.

Friday Field Story: A Legacy of Care

Being a Biology student at Ypsilanti Community High School means science comes alive in practical, real life ways. This week, Ms. Delaney Garcia’s scholars continue a tradition of sustainability and community stewardship that began in 2018 with the first rain garden installed by Geometry students. The original rain garden was joined over the years by a second rain garden, a prairie, and an orchard. The new rain gardens worked each year to control stormwater, slow erosion, and prevent flooding on school athletic fields. These green infrastructure projects help build community resilience to environmental changes, but a rain garden needs specific care to continue its important job.

After a long winter, May planting days finally came and SEMIS delivered over 400 plants to revitalize the rain gardens. Teams of students worked hard during each class period to get plants in the ground. Some students prepared holes; others removed new plants and loosened their bound roots, while others planted them. Their teamwork resulted in nearly all 400 plants finding new homes and ready to start their resilient work again. Ms. Garcia's and her students' work is supported with funding from NOAA's Office of Education. NOAA Education

Yesterday we welcomed almost 200 youth presenters to our annual Community Forum, an event where students and educators have the opportunity to share their projects in a conference setting, with students in the position of educators!

Presenters joined us from 12 schools including Early College Alliance, Ford STEAM Early Learning Center, Henry Ford Elementary School, James and Grace Lee Boggs School, John R. King Academic & Performing Arts Academy, Mumford High School, Renaissance High School, Salina Intermediate School, The School at Marygrove, Wylie Elementary, Ypsilanti Community High School and Ypsilanti Community Middle School! They did an amazing job!

Special to the Zero Waste Early College Alliance at EMU High School Team! They were incredible, and inspired everyone at the event to pitch in, and learn more about food waste! Check back for more photos and the story on that! 🍓

Our Annual Community Forum each May is one of our favorite days of the year! This youth-led event consists of students from schools across southeast Michigan coming together to share the stories of place-based learning with the broader community. 🌎

Friday Field Story on Saturday! We were thrilled this week to celebrate alongside the Environmental Science students at Renaissance High School as they unveiled their new rain garden. Students have spent the semester learning about stormwater issues and solutions from community partners at the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center, Friends of Rouge Park, and more! They researched, designed, dug out, and installed this rain garden to help with flooding issues along the sidewalk near the football field, alongside their vegetable gardens and greenhouse. Great job!

Today and tomorrow only! Plant sale Ypsilanti Community Schools High School on Packard. They close at 1ish today, but will back around Friday. You will see them out front. 🪴

Seedlings and house plants are available! They look healthy and happy, so stop by and grab your garden goods from your local high school CTE Botany program!

This Field Story Friday, we're celebrating alongside the scholars, educators, and leaders of the 11 Ypsilanti Community Schools schools that received Emerald or Evergreen recognition (the two highest levels of recognition!) by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy! This community, across all levels, has done so much to make sustainability and community stewardship a priority, not only through projects on their school buildings and grounds, but also through innovative courses, place-based curriculum, and student-driven learning and civic action. From Grizzly Woods, to the Holmes prairie, the rain gardens at Estabrook, the greenhouses at the middle and high school and so much more, you've made it clear that young people have the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to lead meaningful and sustainable change in our community. Congratulations!

YCS Ford Early Learning Center Holmes Elementary School