We need a set of basic camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and a stove) to make outdoor education more accessible.
$1,475 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My students come from all backgrounds and ways of life. My school is about 50% Hispanic or Latino, 25% White, 15% Black or African American, 8% Asian American, with the remaining a mix between Filipino, Native American, and Pacific Islander. My school is a large urban school with an extremely diverse population of students. I've had several cases where a student who is homeless sits next to, and is earning the same grade as, a student who just received a new car for their birthday. The diversity of my school is one of its strengths - we have consistently ranked as a top urban school in the nation, achieved the highest AP pass rate in the district in recent years, and have a proud tradition of academic excellence since 1926.
As an environmental science teacher, I am always encouraging students to think beyond the classroom, beyond their neighborhood, and beyond our nation's borders. Environmental science requires students to look at the big picture and see a larger perspective.
To help students gain this perspective, I created Adventure Club to literally flip the classroom and bring students outdoors. As an outdoor enthusiast, I encourage students to get out, explore, and discover. Outdoor education challenges students to adapt, to grow, and to learn about themselves in ways that a classroom never can. The learning is ubiquitous: watching two students learn how to communicate effectively to erect a tent in the dark; seeing students who were strangers before become the closest of friends; and witnessing memories being formed that will last a lifetime. The tents, sleeping bags, pads, and stove requested will help erase barriers for students to experience their natural environment in a way previously inaccessible.
In Their Own Words
Adventure Club has been such a great experience for me the last two years. Having little experience with camping, I was weary of joining a club which did so, but the club welcomed me completely and I was so comfortable travelling with them. It's introduced me to some amazing people and places, and I want other students to have this opportunity because of all it taught me about myself--my ability to make friends and my love of the outdoors, which I may not have had the chance to find in high school any other way.
Being the president of Adventure Club, I've spoken in front of my peers, introducing new ideas for the club and encouraging them to join us on our various adventures. I've learned so much about leadership from the amount of planning and communication that is needed in school trips and other events. Also, on our trips, I have become more confident leading our members on hikes and helping them with their gear. From these newly developed skills, I am much more comfortable speaking in front of people and feel I am better equipped at expressing my ideas and feelings with others.
With funding, this club and the camping trips we embark on will become even more accessible to students. Because so many of our members have never been camping before, they do not have access to the gear needed. If the club was able to offer students the supplies they need, anyone could come on trips with us and be able to experience the beauty that nature has to offer and make good friends along the way.
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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 Mr. Jones and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
