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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Mouat-Rich from Spanaway, WA is requesting other through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Fully Funded

Mrs. Mouat-Rich's classroom raised $929

Fish Need a New Condo!

My students need an aquarium kit.

Classroom photo
Mrs. Mouat-Rich Bethel High School
Spanaway, WA Grades 9-12

My Students

Remember the stress and drama of your high school years? Know the calming effect of watching fish swim in a nice aquarium? My aquarium has bit the dust and my students need that calming influence to help them overcome their anxieties around high school and learning science!

I see over 170 high school students every day in my classroom.

They come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, etc, but all of them have one thing they share - the fear and stress of poverty. Many of my students come from single parent homes, are living with a grandparent or in homes where one parent is deployed in a military conflict. My students are working towards graduating from high school and launching themselves into a very unstable world. Very few will go straight to higher education. Over 95% will be trying to enter the work force and make a living on their own. They know, even as sophomores, that their future is not looking bright. In spite of this, the one other thing that all of my students have in common is hope. They hope that the economy will get better and firmly believe that there is a place for them out there. They are poor, but strive to be happy and are not afraid to reach out to help others who have even less than they do. They are inspired and inspiring.

My Project

Students need to have something to invest in to make a learning space "theirs"-to create a sense of belonging. Caring for classroom pets provides that opportunity. Having a nice looking tank, equipment that fits together and works, and happy, healthy animals is a lot easier to care about than something that is piece mealed together and hardly functional. In addition, fish are calming to watch. Having the calming influence also allows kids to down shift their brains into a calm, more relaxed learning mode. In addition to building a good learning environment, having fish in the classroom provides many different types of "teachable moments". Many fish are very social, with their group behaviors being very similar to that of teenagers, so I use examples of fish behaviors and compare that to kids. I use the tank as an example of an ecosystem and we talk about what factors are at play to keep that ecosystem balanced. I also talk about the different careers that involve fish in general.

In 20 years of teaching, I have always had a tank.

That tank has allowed me to build many relationships with kids that I could not have built otherwise. The fish gave me that one little "in" to talk to a kid that really needed that connection. This new system will last many years, allowing me to have many more quiet conversations with hard to reach kids. Additionally, I can and do take in fish for kids who are moving, losing their home, allowing for a little peace of mind in a tough situation.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Half of students from low‑income households

170 students impacted 8 donors
Mrs. Mouat-Rich Bethel High School Grades 9-12

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Spanaway, WA View local requests

Half of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

170 students impacted 8donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Aquarium Kit, Premier Freshwater, without Combination • Carolina Biological Supply Company $627.00 1 $627.00

Materials cost

$627.00

Vendor shipping charges

 $62.70

Sales tax

 $54.86

3rd party payment processing fee

$9.40

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$788.96

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$139.23

Total project goal

$928.19

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $928.19

5 Donors

-$158.00

Donations toward project cost

-$134.30

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$23.70

match offer

-$770.19

Match offer toward project cost

-$654.66

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$115.53

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

Project Activity
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Mouat-Rich and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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