Gator Lounge--Room of Inspiration, Collaboration, and Innovation
Help me give my students a room filled with modern furniture that will help motivate and inspire them to communicate, innovate, and collaborate in order to grow academically and socially.
$34,816 goal
This project expired on February 28, 2022.
This project expired on February 28, 2022.
My Students
The students at GES are amazing students with unique personalities. GES is a Title I School. 90% of our students receive free and reduced lunch; 70% African American; 20% Hispanic; and 10% White; and more than 50% of our students are below grade level in ELA and Math.
Many of our students struggle academically, and we spend a lot of time trying to catch our students up.
We put a lot of effort and energy in encouraging, motivating, inspiring, reinforcing, and enriching our students. Many of them come to us with deficits and a lack of prior knowledge that makes learning a little more difficult. Our teachers work hard teaching content-related vocabulary and providing experiences that are necessary for learning to occur.
My Project
We have a room at GES that we would like to use to spark innovation, collaboration, and communication. The Covid-19 Pandemic has led to instructional and learning loss. Our vision is to spark excitement and motivation when students come into the doors of our school. Often, computer labs and school libraries have an antiquated feel that makes school feel boring and mundane. We want to create a space for students that is bright, enticing, and inviting. This is a space that when students enter, they will want to work in, making them feel important, smart, and creative. Teachers can bring students into this space, that we would call the Gator Lounge, for writing stories, creating projects, doing research, and lots of other ideas that can produce innovation within our school. Being in an environment with modernized furniture can help our students see beyond what they would typically believe is possible. This is why this project is so important to our faculty, staff, and students. According to Dr. Sheryl Reinisch, former Dean of College of Education at Concordia University-Portland studies indicate that high-quality classroom environments “help children feel safe, secure, and valued. As a result, self-esteem increases, and students are motivated to engage in the learning process. This is our ultimate goal—our students becoming more engaged and increasing academic achievement.
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
Never Before Funded465 students impacted
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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 Ms. Nikki Hunter and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
