Alston Middle School in Summerville, South Carolina on DonorsChoose

{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Alston Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":46.7,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":3145915,"projectId":9977524,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generosity, our students now have access to jump drives and an external hard drive that have already made a meaningful difference in our classroom. Many of our students complete assignments digitally, and having their own storage devices allows them to save projects, presentations, research, and creative work safely and easily. Instead of worrying about losing files or not being able to access their work at home and at school, students can now transport and organize their learning independently. The external hard drive has also helped us securely store larger class projects, instructional materials, and student portfolios.\r\n\r\nThe students were especially excited to receive technology that they could use personally and responsibly. For many of them, this is the first time they have had their own digital storage device, and it has given them a sense of ownership and pride in their work. Students who sometimes struggled to stay organized or keep track of assignments have shown increased confidence and responsibility because they now have a reliable way to manage their files and continue learning across different devices.\r\n\r\nYour support has helped create a more organized, technology-rich learning environment where students can build important digital skills that they will continue to use in high school, college, and future careers. Thank you for investing in our students and helping them succeed both inside and outside the classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1771007115987,"projectUrl":"project/ham-it-up-back-it-up/9977524/","projectTitle":"HAM It Up, Back It Up","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Turoski","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3145915_orig.png?crop=512,512,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1599084315926","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3145915"},{"teacherId":1588080,"projectId":9912271,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting my DD2 Classroom. My students have loved having the flexible seating wobble stools. We were unable to purchase the original items but we found great substitutes. We were even able to purchase some Clorox wipes to help keep the stools and desks clean and germ free! My Students were so excited when they saw the boxes that they came in and 3 students helped assemble them. They were so proud. \r\n My students love having the ability to move while learning and to be able to sit where they feel comfortable. Several of my students have anxiety an these stools have helped them self sooth and maintain focus on their tasks or direct instruction. We use them in small groups or during whole group instruction. They have taken ownership and work hard to take care of the stools and make sure that all students have the opportunity to use them. They are taking turns without being asked. We are so happy to be supported in our community. Thank you for supporting our schools.","fullyFundedDate":1764690339649,"projectUrl":"project/moving-and-grooving-while-working/9912271/","projectTitle":"Moving and Grooving While Working!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Ritter","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1588080"},{"teacherId":3145915,"projectId":9934654,"letterContent":"Thanks to your support, our students are already putting the new storage resources to work in meaningful ways. We were able to back up our radio programming files — which proved invaluable when we recently added a new handheld radio. Instead of recreating every frequency, offset, and tone from scratch, students simply installed a proven working program and were on the air quickly. It was a real moment of understanding for them: good organization and backups save time and frustration in technical work.\r\n\r\nWhen the materials arrived, students were excited — and a bit surprised that something so small could be so useful. They had no idea that such a compact package could make such a big difference in how we manage our station and projects. That realization helped them see that effective tools aren't always large or flashy, but they can still have a major impact.\r\n\r\nOur next step is a full \"shack cleanup\" project. Students are gathering all the stray files from the club laptop — currently scattered in randomly named folders — and organizing them into a clear structure. We're creating folders for radio programs, operating procedures, notes, contact logs, study resources, and even build recipes. As we tell them, we're \"picking files up off the floor\" so everything can be found quickly and used confidently without having to sweep through clutter.\r\n\r\nYour generosity is helping students build real-world technical habits: backing up work, organizing information, and collaborating on shared resources. Thank you for helping them \"ham it up and back it up.\"","fullyFundedDate":1764690340107,"projectUrl":"project/ham-it-up/9934654/","projectTitle":"Ham It Up!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Turoski","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3145915_orig.png?crop=512,512,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1599084315926","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3145915"},{"teacherId":9894223,"projectId":9059344,"letterContent":"I can not thank you enough for your generous support of our Savvy & Smart: Middle School Money Moves project. Your kindness is making a major difference in the lives of our students when it comes to executive functioning and financial literacy. \r\n\r\nBecause of you we are now able to utilize the strategies throughout the books to assist student with organization, time management, self-reflection, etc. Hosting small groups and lunch buddies has been over the moon excitement. These tools help create a safe and supportive space where my students can thrive socially and emotionally. Your donation shows our students that their executive functioning and financial literacy skills matter - and that the community and beyond believe in their potential.\r\n\r\nOn behalf of every student that will benefit, thank you for being part of our support system at Alston Middle School.","fullyFundedDate":1746661620131,"projectUrl":"project/savvy-smart-middle-school-money-moves/9059344/","projectTitle":"Savvy & Smart: Middle School Money Moves","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Willis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9894223"},{"teacherId":3518640,"projectId":9427600,"letterContent":"Thank you for supporting our class project, Clean Body, Clean Mind. You gave my students basic hygiene products to improve their physical and mental well-being. Middle school is a period of significant physical and social development, and poor hygiene can impact children's self-esteem, social interactions, mood, and overall mental well-being. \r\nThe most exciting thing for my students was organizing them into bins. One student stated that they wanted to become a packager at Amazon one day. Another student stated that they want to drive the truck to deliver the packages. A third student said that they wanted to be the one receiving the packages!\r\nThe most exciting thing for me was observing their interactions during the unpacking and organization process. They interacted much differently than they usually do, working on daily classwork. I think it is because they had to work together with actual hands-on products they valued. \r\nThe students who did not participate in the unpacking and organization process expressed gratitude for being able to access these products. 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About this school

Alston Middle School is a suburban public school in Summerville, South Carolina that is part of Dorchester School District Two. It serves 737 students in grades 6 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 13.9:1. Its teachers have had 304 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Supporting this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades 6 - 8

737 Students

53 Teachers

500 Bryan St

Summerville, SC 29483 View local requests

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Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Alston Middle School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Ms. Natalie Schwieger

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Alston Middle School Demographics

87%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

52%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Alston Middle School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Aug 31, 2026

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