Plaza Towers - Building Back A Classroom With LOVE!!!
My students lost everything in an EF-5 Tornado. We need math games, science activities, storage units, blocks and counters, a rocking chair, ipads, a printer, a laminator, a reading nook, a science center, and a space saver teaching station.
On May 20th our lives were changed forever as an EF-5 tornado bore down on Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, OK. The teachers and children were bravely taking cover in the halls of our school. As the tornado hit, our worst nightmares were realized as we braced ourselves to face "the monster".
My name is Mrs. Marinelli.
I am a first grade teacher who survived the storm, but I have had a difficult road to journey this summer due to injuries sustained during the tornado. As the walls and ceilings caved in, I used my body to shield three boys from my class. The impact of the debris and wall that came down broke my sacrum, which is in between my pelvic bones, and chipped my lower L-4 and L-5 discs. I also sprained both ankles, tore ligaments, and my body was bruised from the trauma sustained. My summer has consisted of 5 days in the hospital, 15 days in an inpatient rehabilitation center, 4 weeks of in-home health care, and I face another 5 weeks of out-patient therapy to prepare my body to stand and take my first steps towards walking. Despite these obstacles, and being confined to a wheelchair, I am determined to build my classroom back and return to teaching this August. Teaching is my life, the kids are my passion, and nothing is going to hold me back from what I love!
My Project
Since the school was destroyed I have lost everything I have acquired over the past 8 years of teaching, literally thousands of dollars out of my pocket and everything the district had provided. I need everything to rebuild my classroom. Normally, I would not ask for things for myself, but because my back is broken I need a comfortable rocking chair for whole group time and a decent chair for my teacher desk. Beyond that my students need to feel safe and comfortable, so I am asking for a cozy reading nook, writing center, science center, science and math manipulatives, and interactive software for our Smartboard. The document camera will bring my teaching to life for the kids, and the printer and laminator will allow me to prepare teaching resources from my own classroom, as it will be hard for me to navigate the halls every time I need something. All of these resources will begin to bring my classroom back to life.
It is out of my comfort zone to not be able to take care of my own needs or the needs of my students, but I am reaching out to you because the need right now is so overwhelming.
I want this year to be "normal" as we return to the safety of a classroom rebuilt with your love.
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 Mrs. Marinelli and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
