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
Our middle school serves almost 300 students, primarily from East Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is proudly Latinx, Tongan, and Black. It is where four hundred students call their safe space away from their homes. It is where 8 out of 10 students primarily receive their meals for the day.
My students' communities are flanked by the top universities and companies in the world; however, their spaces have been historically furthest from those opportunities.
Our students' parents work multiple jobs under the most affluent people in the country, but are still excluded from the wealth the Silicon Valley brings. Our students are so physically and tantalizingly close to these opportunities, but the hindrances of systemic oppression lingers. Yet, the job of schools and teachers is to bring students closer to opportunities in learning experiences and skill development.
My Project
We envision starting a makerspace/STEAM (science, tinkering, engineering, art, and math) lab at the school, named Innovation Lab, or iLab. The lab will bring our students closer to opportunities in STEAM fields by exposing them to the learning experiences needed for the 21st century.
iLab is a place for exploration and discovery.
It will be where students realize they can express themselves through textiles, but also stand in wide-eyed wonder of plastic extruding from their once-abstract creations. Students will not only learn to independently acquire new skills, such as 3D printing and sewing, but to use design thinking to solve problems collaboratively. Students will not be relegated to achieve for the sake of college, but build an emotional intelligence quotient (i.e. “soft skills”) necessary to prepare them for the ever-changing workforce.
Practically, the space is envisioned to serve every student in the middle school and the community itself. Student will rotate their enrichment period to our STEAM lab in the course of the year. Our projects will include building prototypes of sustainable housing, cardboard automata, button making, LED cards, and other exciting endeavors. Ultimately, the projects will be founded on design thinking to create human-centered solutions to community problems.
The STEAM lab will be more than a classroom, but an extension of the Maker Movement to the greater school community. The opportunity for their endeavors needs to be created. Our students are tenacious and hungry for hands-on experiences. The makerspace would provide that small, but mighty bridge toward the opportunities students deserve.
More than three‑quarters 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
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3M Picture Hanging Strips Medium/Large 8 Med Strips, 16 Lg Strips per Pack (17209-ES)
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5
$39.40
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1
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2
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Neiko 01407A Electronic Digital Caliper Stainless Steel Body with Large LCD Screen | 0 - 6 Inches | Inch/Fractions/Millimeter Conversion,Silver/Black
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1
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Chanzon 100pcs (10 colors x 10pcs) 5mm LED Diode Lights Assortment (Clear Transparent Lens) H&PC-59042 Emitting Lighting Bulb Lamp Assorted Kit Variety Color White Red Yellow Green Blue Orange UV Pink
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1
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3
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Command Large Utility Hooks, 7-Hooks, 12-Strips, Organize Damage-Free
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120 To 3000 Assorted Grit Sandpaper for Wood Furniture Finishing, Metal Sanding and Automotive Polishing, Dry or Wet Sanding, 9 x 3.6 Inch, 36-Sheet
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1
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1
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Materials cost
$2,154.92
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$197.18
3rd party payment processing fee
$32.32
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$2,414.42
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$426.07
Total project goal
$2,840.49
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$2,840.49
13 Donors
-$2,698.32
Donations toward project cost
-$2,329.42
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$368.90
match offer
-$100.00
Match offer toward project cost
-$85.00
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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. Tandriarto and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
