Past projects 20
Secure Communication
Funded Mar 25, 2025Thank you again and many times over for your contribution. Communication is key to maintaining a safe environment for our children and all community members. To promote that community enrichment through the use of parent volunteers and after-school activities, we need to have a means of communication between those parents and staff while they're out in the yard, etc. These radios provided exactly that.
Parents and staff are easily able to communicate concerns and questions and check-ins over the radios or walkie-talkies, saving everyone time and maintaining an anxiety-free experience for our parents! That's all possible because of your generosity and help.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and one other donor.Proud Portfolios!
Funded Mar 15, 2024Sometimes it's the little things that make a difference. For instance, these students might have an idea of how much they're progressing through the year. But, when they really go back and look at their writing in Aug. and compare it to their writing in May, they'll really see how much they've progressed.
It's the little things that make so much of a difference, just like the small donations you and others were able to provide for this project. It seems like such a small thing, but it made such a large difference! Without your donation, none of this would have been possible.
Thank you so much for your "little thing." It made all the difference.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
This classroom project was brought to life by A Northern California Family and one other donor.Headphones/Translator for English Language Development
Funded Nov 27, 2023I cannot thank you enough for your help. Headphones are so helpful during class and for assignments given. We're using them almost daily, for ELD students to listen to letter sound lessons, to record their own speaking, etc. 8th grade ELA students are recording videos using the headphones w/mic and students use them to review their peers' videos and make comments.
With so many media options for students to complete their work (we've moved far beyond just using documents!) students have so many options when the right tools are given to them. And with your help, I was able to do that for my students.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
eSports and Gaming Done Right
Funded Nov 30, 2021Students who joined the eSports team were overjoyed to receive your generous donations. While many students feel a connection through sports, some students wanted to make a contribution to the school community but weren't as experienced or confident in traditional sports. With the materials provided through your donations, these students are able to practice and compete in the arena they're most confident in using, video games.
Thank you for your consideration and for your help. While keyboard controls are commonly used, many players have become more accustomed to using the handheld controllers. When the noise is deafening from excited students, students can still clearly hear their teammates with the headphones provided. With your help, Hercules Middle School was able to provide the materials needed for our eSports team to be competetive agains other schools and truly provide a thorough and enriching program for our eSports athletes.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 2 other donors.Titan Tickets and Positive Behavior Rewards
Funded Nov 30, 2022Your kind donation has help rejuvenate an important program here at Hercules Middle School. While students were receiving Titan Tickets for positive reinforcement, the Titan Store was looking a little lackluster with 'boring' old items like penciles and pens and notepads. But, now the store is packed full of items that kids are excited to get like the different choices for candy and the charms.
There are so many things kids experience each day, and finding even small ways to brighten their day is so important to their educational experience. Thank you so much for your help and for your participation in our community.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 10 other donors.Leadership Colors
Funded Jan 16, 2022Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference. Leadership is a tough class, it's hard to get students interested in activities sometimes. While students design flyers to get student interest, black and white just seems a little lackluster.
That's why your contribution was so important. A color printer seems like just one thing, how could it make a difference really? But, color flyers and pages grab student attention far better than plain old black and white. A color flyer demands your attention.
So, thank you for your help. Thank you for your contribution and thank you for seeing how something like this could be so helpful.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
This classroom project was brought to life by A Northern California family and one other donor.Career Prep Needs Some Little Things
Funded Aug 10, 2022College and Career Readiness Labs are finally being pushed in California schools and they're opening up throughout the state. Though they've been available for some time, the cost of these was too high for many school districts. Thankfully, Hercules Middle School has one now for our school and community.
There are so many materials to organize in a way that makes them accessible to students for their career modules which last about four weeks. Students will have a chance to experience seven or eight different careers by participating in reading and activities for each one over a four week period. These materials that you've help purchase through your kind donation have helped tremendously with making this all possible for students.
We're already in the lab and students are working on an assortment of activities including game development, structural engineering, health science careers, criminalistics, and more. The label maker and laminator made organizing so much easier, each bin and drawer and cupboard are labeled for students to easily find their materials , and each document they might need at their stations is laminated and ready to handle greasy and dirty hands busy with their career's activities. Thank you so much for you help.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and one other donor.A Little Protection
Funded Sep 3, 2021The littlest things will sometimes have the most impact. Though Digital Media has some amazing materials for students to use and learn from, those items weren't being protected so that students in the years to come would have the chance to enjoy similar activities. Thanks to your donation, that's changed.
Something so simple, like a small plastic box and some padding, was all it took to make cozy carrying cases for the camcorders. Now, when students check out the camcorder they're given the protective case (which costs about 1/25 the price) which will keep that camcorder safe through all the backpack drops, tosses, falls, and kicks.
Something so small, a little elbow grease, and your help made this all happen. And your help was the most important part.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
Add a Little Color to Our Lives!
Funded Mar 7, 2021It's the little things that make every day life so much easier and more enjoyable. Something as simple as adding a little color to handouts and forms makes them not only more aesthetically appealing (Right? Who doesn't like a little color?) but it's also making forms and documents more accessible to a wider population.
Color coordination with forms and announcements helps parents and students that are second language learners. They can see that depending on the color, some forms are specifically for them. Helps out the underserved populations, the special needs populations, and so much more. It's not about using different color paper, but just being able to highlight specific parts of the page, or bringing attention to a part of the announcement that's most important for parents/students to take away with.
Whatever the reason or use, having a color printer is a small change that makes a big difference. And you were instrumental in making that happen. Thank you for doing that. Thank you for taking the time, and for donating to help make this change. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
This classroom project was brought to life by Edpuzzle and 4 other donors.Just a Few Things to Help
Funded Dec 1, 2020It really is the little things in our lives. With your help, a few little things have helped tremendously with online classes. A web cam to split my view up and see all my students doesn't seem like it's that important. But, even this simple took helps me see a student that may be raising a hand, and it keeps them from feeling ignored.
These are tough times for all of us, and it's really hard for many students. Every little thing can help. Thank you so much for your contribution. Thank you for taking the time to help.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Owens
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 2 other donors.