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Mr. Fogel from Bronx NY is requesting technology through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

Laptops For Debate Team III

My students need two laptops to compete on the debate team and learn typing skills, research skills, library skills, and reading skills.

  • $963 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate 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.

Our school is located next to a jail where there is a daily line of inmates coming in and out. On the other side of the street is the criminal courts where there is a daily line of criminal cases. Our neighborhood is known more for poverty, crime, drugs, gangs, and failing schools than academic opportunities. However, our school three years ago started a debate team – the only school in the area with a debate team. It has grown to nearly 100 students from grades 7th-12th, and has become the largest urban debate team in the country. Our students’ academic abilities range from special education to valedictorian. Their backgrounds range from abuse, mental institutionalization to perfect attendance. Their behaviors ranges from regularly suspended to model student. But they are all united by their passion and love for debating. They spend their days learning about debate, evenings in debate practice, weekends at debate tournaments and summers at debate camps. We have become one of the most successful debate teams. Since our first tournament on October 3rd we have been ranked at least 1st or 2nd every weekend and 1st place at urban debate league tournaments. We have state champions, city champions, nationally ranked middle school debaters, undefeated debaters, middle school debaters defeating private high school debaters. You name an accomplishment and chances are our debate team has one under its belt. For 100 years debate has been dominated by private schools or wealthy, elite public schools. The Urban Debate League was created to provide the opportunity for public school students to compete. While it has created infinite opportunities, the resource inequalities still exist. Our competitors use laptops. We use scratch paper. Our competitors wear fancy suits. Our students wear school uniforms or casual clothes. Our competitors travel in chartered buses. We travel on public transportation and discounted bus lines. Our competitors travel around the country. We can only afford city, local and occasional regional tournaments. We do what we can to raise funds, but the bulk of the money to the support the debate team comes from my own pocket and whatever students can contribute. But as our team grows larger and stronger, the need for more technology, supplies, tournaments, travel, and coaching grow. I’ve been told that we should limit the number of students on the debate team but for me that is out of the question. Every student who is interested and excited about learning should never be denied that opportunity. Also, I firmly believe that a civics education grounded in debate, public speaking, oratory, politics, current events, law, government, and discussion is desperately needed in today’s schools. And so that is why we turn to Donors Choose to support our Debate Team. It has been our dream to have laptops for our students. Our school does not have a computer lab. Our school had a laptop cart years ago but no longer. There are no computer skills classes, no typing classes, and no programming classes. Few students have computer and Internet access at home and the school lacks such resources as well. That leaves most of the research up to me. At first while we were building a debate team that was reasonable. It was hard enough trying to recruit students, train students, encourage them to attend tournaments, and of course trying to win tournaments, while all my students were at the novice high school or middle school level last year. In the South Bronx we have an incredible program that is teaching nearly 100 students a year incredible skills in advocacy, public speaking, current events, political science, philosophy, logic, law, government, civics and so many other subjects that are now ignored in our standardized testing world. Yet our students are learning these skills and subjects that are normally reserved for college. Our students are traveling across the East coast and even sometimes the entire nation competing in debate tournaments when the majority of their fellow students are stuck on their blocks in the Bronx. And so I want to make sure if they give me their all, that I give them my all and always guarantee them the best educational resources available. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter and thanks for supporting Donors Choose.

Mr. Fogel
Grades 9-12

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Where Your Donation Goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total
COMPUTERS MOBILE COMPUTING NETBOOKS 9213497 • Best Buy $349.99 2 $699.98

Materials cost

$699.98

Vendor shipping charges

$70.00

Sales tax

$0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$10.50

Fulfillment labor & materials

$9.00

Total project cost

$789.48

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$173.30

Total project goal

$962.78

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

$962.78

2 Donors

-$962.78

Donations toward project cost

-$789.48

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$173.30

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

$0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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