Student voices fill every nook and cranny of our unique open-concept school, bringing excitement and new perspectives each time they enter the classroom.
These 1,500 students, speaking over 50 languages and coming from over 30 countries, bring our learning community to life each day.
80% of our students are "high need" students, meaning they've experienced poverty, interrupted schooling, are English Language Learners, or otherwise have special needs.
Our students are incredibly dynamic, often balancing school and jobs with familial and cultural responsibilities. There is a strong sense of resilience as students use their experiences and identities to propel themselves forward.
My Project
When I imagined my first classroom, I saw floor to ceiling books, art supplies for creative English projects, and limitless supplies of pencils. The reality of teaching 125 students every day is that there are never enough basic supplies. I can only request 500 sheets of paper and a box of 12 pencils per month, which quite frankly we go through weekly. My students had adequate resources in my classroom in 2019 because of donations from friends, family, and myself. As the new year begins, we are running low on supplies.
At our school, supplies may be limited but student creativity and potential shouldn't be.
I want my classroom to be able to support and challenge my students to be their best selves. Students deserve access to basic school supplies like pencils, a pencil sharpener, paper, markers, highlighters, tape, markers, and paper clips. Students also deserve access to fun supplies, like candy for a job well done or buzzers for a class competition game. I also want to be able to continue offering items like tissues, hand sanitizer, snacks, water, band-aids, cough drops, pens, and folders for students who need them.
The donation of these supplies would support hundreds of students throughout the year. As you can see, the cost of offsetting these needs is not cheap. But the value of creating an environment where students can really flourish is priceless.
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. Tornquist and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.