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Mr. Kovach from Chicago, IL is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Mr. Kovach's classroom raised $565

What the Heck are We Doing to Our Water?

My students need 1 Water Quality Backpack, 1 World Environmental Map, and 1 Acid Rain Survey Test Kit.

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Mr. Kovach Ruben Salazar Bilingual Center
Chicago, IL Grades 6-8

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.

"Water is the best of all things." PINDAR (C. 522-C. 438 B.C.), Olympian Odes. "When the well is dry, we know the worth of water." BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, (1706-1790), Poor Richard's Almanac, 1746. "The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river." ~Ross Perot, not too long ago! Yes it's true, water is what makes our home, EARTH, unique by providing the beautiful collage of life that we call nature. Even Pindar knew it before the time of Jesus. Franklin foresaw the problems with our water of today over 250 years ago. And more recently, Perot reminds us that WE can do something about preserving the essence of life, WATER! I teach over 100 enthusiastic and curious inner city middle school students Science at a lower income bilingual elementary school in the heart of Chicago. My students are aware that Chicago sits on the shores of Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes Watershed, which contains 20% of all the entire world's fresh water available to sustain an ever-increasing global population. Whether through our morning Environmental Club, or in Environmental Science Class, my students have grown to become real activists through the study of water quality issues and the implementation of action/research projects. Unfortunately, our school's Science Budget has experienced financial cuts as of late, and we would like to expand our ability to learn more about what we can do to raise awareness of water quality issues and conservation here at our school and the surrounding community. Each year I lead students and family members of our school on field trips with thousands of other volunteers across the Great Lakes Region to clean up the land and beaches surrounding Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. I want to continue this level of activism and also continue to provide relevant Science experiences to prepare my students for those trips. This proposal seeks a "Water Pollution Backpack Kit" full of water quality equipment that will allow my students and me to conduct numerous experiments to rate the quality of our local water sources, such as testing for pH levels, nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, e.coli, etc, that we can take on our annual field trip to a nearby forest preserve to tests the quality of a stream that feeds into the Chicago River. This trip is done in conjunction with a non-profit organization called Friends of Chicago River and it is the most anticipated field trip of the year. Last year's 8th grade class was able to make a documentary film highlighting the need to preserve/conserve the Chicago River Watershed under the direction of another non-profit organization called Split-Pillow. This proposal will allow my students to be able to learn necessary Scientific Method inquiry skills that they will carry with them onto High School, College, and LIFE in a meaningful, cooperative, challenging, and most importantly FUN way. They will do so by conducting numerous water quality tests, as well as through directly simulating the effects of acid rain on the soil, plants, and fresh water sources such as the Chicago River and The Great Lakes with the use of the acid rain kit. The World Environmental Map will all for a more visual representation of the major ecological problems on a global scale. Not only will all of the mentioned materials supplement our Environmental Science field trips, but many of my students will also use them for their individual Science Fair projects and the kits will be used over again in the years ahead. Your help in funding this proposal will help ensure that my students continue to be leaders in the field of this increasingly vital global issue of water conservation, as well as provide learning experiences that will put them on an even playing field with students from more affluent suburban school districts with more resources.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Nearly all students from low‑income households

100 students impacted 9 donors
Mr. Kovach Ruben Salazar Bilingual Center Grades 6-8

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Chicago, IL 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

100 students impacted 9donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
World Environmental Map, Laminated • Frey Scientific, Inc. $39.95 1 $39.95
Water Quality Backpack • Frey Scientific, Inc. $311.00 1 $311.00
Acid Rain Survey Test Kit • Frey Scientific, Inc. $45.30 1 $45.30

Materials cost

$396.25

Vendor shipping charges

 $39.63

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$9.91

Fulfillment labor & materials

$17.00

Total project cost

$463.00

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$101.63

Total project goal

$564.63

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $564.63

9 Donors

-$544.70

Donations toward project cost

-$463.00

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$81.70

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$19.93

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

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