Lincoln Avenue School teachers on Tuesday were in their new classrooms at Pulaski High School, getting them ready to welcome students on September 1, when they were called to the school’s music room for a surprise: classroom supplies for each teacher, assembled by the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation with the help of donor partners. 

“The Foundation is well positioned to provide these 34 educators with what they need to put Lincoln Avenue students at ease, knowing there is an entire community that wants the best educational setting for each of them,” MPS Foundation Executive Director Myra Edwards said. 

The teachers had lost the entire contents of their classrooms when Lincoln Avenue School was destroyed by fire on June 30. The school community has moved to dedicated space within Pulaski High School for the 2026-27 school year with classrooms, a cafeteria and offices just for Lincoln Avenue. 

In addition to the classroom supplies, Ms. Edwards noted, the community’s outpouring of concern for Lincoln Avenue School’s teachers and students resulted in monetary donations topping $30,000. Shared decision making with the school will guide how the donations will be used, she said.

The storage bins contained items that some teachers requested through a wish list, in consultation with school leadership. Office Max/Office Depot contributed $5,000 for the items for the teachers’ use in their classrooms — everything from magnetic letters to paper towels, watercolor paints to disinfectant wipes. Lakeshore Learning in Brookfield contributed $1,000 toward supplies for assembling their bulletin boards. 

“I would be remiss if I didn’t thank this school’s incredible superwoman, Principal Damaris Ayala, for steadfast leadership on behalf of so many families, teachers, students, and school community partners,” Ms. Edwards said. “It is a testament to her fortitude that she never lost faith and kept a positive tone for every act and action… We greatly admire you and are extremely appreciative of your guiding light.” 

Superintendent Brenda Cassellius thanked the teachers and support staff gathered, and she noted that enrollment at the school is steady in spite of the fire. She attributed that to the district rallying to take care of the Lincoln Avenue community, meeting with staff and families, and working with the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association to determine what teachers needed for the school year. 

“This was a testament of the kind of power we have when we work together” — the city, the staff, and district and foundation partners, she said. 

“It’s just been incredibly remarkable and humbling for us to see and receive this incredible gift of love to our community, and what will be to our children,” the superintendent said.

“I’m very, very grateful for you persisting in this incredibly challenging time,” Dr. Cassellius told Lincoln Avenue teachers and support staff. 

Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who attended the foundation’s Wish List Drop, is a former student of Lincoln Avenue School. He noted that at his ceremonial swearing-in ceremony, one of the speakers was his fifth-grade teacher from Lincoln Avenue School. 

“This school, and the work you all do, touches kids in such a way that is so profound,” Mayor Johnson said. “We remember that. We remember the impact that you all, the teachers at Lincoln Avenue, have on our lives.”

Because of teachers’ strength, the MPS Foundation and its partnerships, and the superintendent’s administration, the mayor added, “this school will rise again.”

Others attending the foundation’s “Wish List Drop” to support the teachers included school board Director Mimi Reza, whose district includes Lincoln Avenue School. 

In his 5th-grade classroom, teacher Gustavo Yanez said he was grateful to receive the supplies. When the fire took everything, teachers were starting from the bottom, he said. “It was hard. Now people are helping, helping our community, keeping Lincoln safe, and bringing it back. It is a blessing to have.”

He was grateful, too, that Pulaski High School welcomed Lincoln Avenue School for this school year, in space large enough that the entire Lincoln Avenue community can spend the year together. 

“It had me so relieved my kids had somewhere to come,” Mr. Yanez said.