This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
The facts are in: if we provide the books; the students will read. Participation in Virginia Reader's Choice literacy initiative tripled in our school, due to the availability of multiple copies of the books this school year. This would not have been possible without DonorsChoose.
Our students are from a culturally diverse, low-income neighborhood comprised of a majority of transient, single-parent households.
There is a strong military presence which adds to the school's diversity. We have more than 84% of our students who receive free and reduced lunch. A similar number of students also receive breakfast in school each day. Literacy is a huge component of our school mission and we have multiple programs in place to improve student reading, from those at a basic phonics level all the way to those reading at high school levels and above.
My Project
Our students come from homes that have little to no reading material. Many do not even have a dictionary. Programs, such as Virginia Reader's Choice, allow the students to experience things through books they may never experience in their own lives. Many of our students have never seen the ocean, even though they live less than 12 miles from the oceanfront. It is only through quality books that they are able to broaden their experiences. The books selected for the Virgina Reader's Choice initiative are chosen to encourage a lifelong love of reading for pleasure among students and to honor favorite books and authors. Students who read at least four of the books during the school year may vote on their favorite and are eligible to win prizes at the school level. This past year more than a third of our student body and staff participated in the program.
We are blessed with a technologically advanced school building but the budget has hit our library hard in the past several years and funds for multiple copies of books are nonexistent.
In previous years, we were even unable to purchase copies of all 10 of the books thereby limiting student choice and increasing the time spent waiting for a book to be available. Multiple copies of all 10 books really makes a difference in student participation.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Mayfield and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.