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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Flores Schustack from Oakland, CA is requesting art supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Flores Schustack is requesting

Making a Mars Colony: The Best Project of the Year!

Help me give my students all the materials they need to create some amazing models of a colony on Mars for an interdisciplinary STEAM project!

FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Flores Schustack's classroom raised $444

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.

My Project

Every year we use the last 3 weeks of school to work on a cross-curricular project called the Mars project. Teachers (dressed in mechanic coveralls labeled NASA) begin the project by escorting students to the auditorium to watch a short (edited) clip of the movie "The Martian" and talk about the possibility of life on Mars. That same day they are sorted into groups and given their task: create a company that is going to design a prototype of a self-sustaining colony on Mars. We spend time in each core subject designing their logo, assigning jobs within their company, learning about the effects of colonization in History, learning how to create power, water, food, and energy on Mars in Science, learning how to calculate the amount of calories of food energy needed to sustain their colony and footage of the colony layout in math, and create a company website and an investor pitch in English. This is project based learning at its best!

Students who have been disengaged all year will suddenly take on the mantle of being the CEO and making sure everyone does their job well, students whose creativity has been unleashed will create a jaw-dropping display for their colony, and students who are normally shy will blossom because they are showing their learning in so many different ways!

This project marries all the best parts of each content learning area (History, Science, Math AND English) to create a project that is fully anchored in the real world while also harnessing students' creative genius.

We need all these glue guns, glitter, paint, spray paint, brushes, and poster board to create a base for students to create on, and your contribution has made this very memorable project possible! Thank you so much!

Ms. Flores Schustack Elmhurst United Middle School Grades 6-8

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Oakland, CA View local requests

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

120 students impacted 3donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Ms. Flores Schustack is requesting.

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

You can start a project with the same resources being requested here!

Where Your Donation Goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total
Sax Heavy Body Acrylic Paint, Half Gallons, Assorted Colors, Set of 6 - Durable • School Specialty $113.99 1 $113.99
Tooling Aluminum Foil - 10-ft. Roll • Nasco $10.40 5 $52.00
Surebonder© 10-Watt High-Temp Mini Glue Gun • Nasco $4.32 12 $51.84
Dixon Flat Stubby Handle Paint Brushes - Set of 30 • Kaplan Early Learning Company $26.96 1 $26.96
Uncoated Paper Plates - 9" Dia, Pkg of 250 • Blick Art Materials $18.99 1 $18.99
Krylon Brilliant Metallic Spray Paint - Silver, 11 oz • Blick Art Materials $11.53 1 $11.53
Montana Black Spray Paint - Royal Blue, 400 ml can • Blick Art Materials $8.57 1 $8.57
Plastic 10-Well Paint Tray - 6 3/4" Diameter, White • Blick Art Materials $0.86 1 $0.86

Materials cost

$284.74

Vendor shipping charges

$31.73

Sales tax

$26.05

3rd party payment processing fee

$4.27

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$376.79

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$66.49

Total project goal

$443.28

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

$443.28

2 Donors

-$221.63

Donations toward project cost

-$188.39

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$33.24

match offer

-$221.65

Match offer toward project cost

-$188.40

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$33.25

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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