Help me give my students the ability to create art and express themselves with technology!
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Hollis's classroom raised $727
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 Project
My school serves girls who come from backgrounds that include intense trauma, serious poverty, and disenfranchisement from "traditional" schools. In most cases, when they come to us, they don't even know what tech is and sadly would never have the chance to touch it even if they did--let alone create and dream.
For some of my kids, the only reason they come to school is the opportunity to use our makers' space to express themselves creatively.
Sometimes, it's the only way they can express themselves at all.
The laser engraver was a particularly popular tool. Every piece the girls created was not only an exercise in making for making's sake--they were also an expression of love. Their first thoughts were universally asking if they could make something special for a loved one. For many of our students, laser engraved gifts they made as part of our STEAM programming are the first gifts they've ever been able to give--I'm sure you see why the holiday season saw particularly heavy use of the equipment!
They learned graphic design, odd quirks of file types, and even how to troubleshoot their files and the machine. This gave them invaluable skills and abilities they can transfer to other tech applications--all while engaging in the soul-deep work of creation and creativity.
Kids pop into my room daily to ask if they can work on a project or if the engraver is fixed yet, and I've been trying to find the resources to do it. I haven't yet had the heart to tell them that we may not be able to fix it.
Our machine was older and worked poorly with new software. I realized a new machine will give them SO MUCH MORE opportunity to create! Please help us keep this beautiful work alive!
Nearly all 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
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 Ms. Hollis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
