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
Our school is a free, independent, public charter school that specializes in education for urban youth, designated most at-risk for dropping out of school. A Title I school, over 90% of our families live near or below the poverty level. Most students come from female-headed households where the caregiver has not completed high school or attended college. Nearly 75% of students who enroll are 2-4 years below grade level in reading. When children start off disadvantaged, they are more likely to drop out of school because they fall so far behind.
Our school motto is "Accepting failure is NOT an option!" We are the best performing charter middle/high school in the city.
For 2016, our high school received an excellent score of 86.8% from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Not only do we want our students to achieve academically, we also provide them with wrap-around services that include social services, health and wellness and training for our staff in trauma-informed classrooms. We are preparing some of the city’s most disadvantaged children to have what every child deserves–a chance to achieve and successfully contribute to the community.
My Project
Reading a book is an incredible way to build empathy as one steps into the shoes of the characters. In this project, middle and high school students will participate in Makerspace activities in the library tied to state-award nominated books with characters who are struggling with mental health issues and trauma. After reading a short excerpt of a book, students will work in groups to complete a "Maker Care" challenge connected to the excerpt. Service projects include making positive affirmation sticky notes, pillowcase bags for kids in foster care, dogs toys for shelter animals, and sock puppets for dementia patients.
This will be a great way to entice students to read the books, raise awareness for mental health issues and to incorporate community service projects into literacy activities in the library.
Many studies have found positive relationships between activities like community service and positive physical, emotional/mental, and social well-being outcomes (https://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/07_0506_hbr.pdf). Through this program, students will use their creativity while engaging in hands-on community service projects. We will also utilize the terrific resources from walkinourshoes.org, a California-based program for mental health awareness in schools.
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. Steimel and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
