{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Chester Area School","outOfStateSupporters":36.9,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":2170007,"projectId":10186972,"letterContent":"In our classroom, having a wide variety of texts available is an important part of helping every student grow as a reader. Our classroom library should include different genres, topics, authors, cultures, perspectives, and formats so that every child has the opportunity to find something that interests them. Reading a variety of texts helps students build vocabulary, background knowledge, comprehension, fluency, and critical-thinking skills while also encouraging them to explore new ideas and experiences.\r\n\r\nIt is equally important that students have access to books that are at their reading ability. When children can read a book successfully and understand what they are reading, they experience a sense of accomplishment. These positive experiences build confidence and help students see themselves as capable readers. Books should provide opportunities for students to practice their skills and grow, without making reading feel overwhelming or frustrating.\r\n\r\nStudent choice is also a key part of developing a love for reading. Children should be encouraged to choose books based on their interests, whether they want to read about animals, sports, friendships, adventures, real people, or something completely new. Sometimes a student may choose a book that is easier or more challenging than their usual reading level, and that is okay. The goal is to help students discover books that make them curious, excited, and eager to keep reading.\r\n\r\nWhen our classroom is filled with accessible, engaging, and varied texts, students have more opportunities to find books that feel meaningful to them. We are not only teaching children how to read—we are helping them develop confidence, independence, curiosity, and a genuine enjoyment of reading. Creating a classroom where students can find books they can read, books they want to read, and books that inspire them to try something new can help spark a lifelong love of reading.","fullyFundedDate":1778162906302,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-library-refresh/10186972/","projectTitle":"Classroom Library Refresh","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Baumberger","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2170007_orig.jpg?crop=2400,2400,x0,y120&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1752290055919","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-baumberger"},{"teacherId":1423376,"projectId":9809634,"letterContent":"I just want to let you know that my students have really enjoyed using our new digital microscope in our classroom. This new piece of technology has given my students a better understanding of science. We can all look at specimens and share comments. This wasn't possible with a regular microscope, from the past.\r\nEveryday my students want to explore something with this microscope now. Before they never seemed to care about using a microscope in my classes. Now that we have a digital microscope, they can plug it into my big screen television, and the whole class can witness. \r\nWe will continue to implement microscopes and technology into curriculum. Keeping kids excited about science and engaged, is something that I strive on. We will keep finding ways to utilize microscope activities. Students will enjoy this experience.","fullyFundedDate":1766949945749,"projectUrl":"project/using-a-digital-microscope-to-enhance-le/9809634/","projectTitle":"Using A Digital Microscope to Enhance Learning for 2026","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. O'Connell","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1423376_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1599171512015","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1423376"},{"teacherId":2170007,"projectId":9430525,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donations of classroom materials. The students were absolutely thrilled to explore the new games and toys—seeing their excitement as they opened brand-new items was truly priceless. Your support brought a fresh sense of joy and curiosity into our room, and it has already made a meaningful impact on their daily experience at school.\r\n\r\nThese materials have quickly become an important part of our classroom routine. They help students ease into their day with a soft start, encouraging calm, connection, and readiness to learn. I've loved watching how the new activities foster community among classmates, spark problem-solving, strengthen fine motor skills, and promote self-regulation. The students are more engaged and collaborative, and the tone of our mornings has become even more positive and productive.\r\n\r\nWe are incredibly fortunate to have such a caring and supportive community behind us. Your belief in the value of education and in creating a nurturing learning environment means more than words can express. Thank you for investing in our classroom and in the success and happiness of our students.","fullyFundedDate":1760907583195,"projectUrl":"project/building-community-with-a-soft-start/9430525/","projectTitle":"Building Community with a Soft Start","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Baumberger","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2170007_orig.jpg?crop=2400,2400,x0,y120&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1752290055919","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-baumberger"},{"teacherId":1423376,"projectId":9651927,"letterContent":"Electricity and magnetism are always a fascinating topic when it comes to middle school sciences. This year was our first attempt to build paper speakers. We feel we were very fortunate and successful on what we accomplished.\r\nOur students learned about the basics of both electricity and magnetism beforehand. This meant that we spent a couple class periods learning about electrons and how they flowed through wire and how wire coil acts as an electromagnet: when electrical current travels through it, it generates a magnetic field. This magnetic field, in this paper speaker, interacts with the magnetic field of the permanent magnet inside the coil. The resulting magnetic forces push and pull the cone of the speaker up and down, causing a vibration. This vibration is what causes molecules to move and generate a sound wave. \r\nOur students were totally amazed by how this speaker was able to perform and it was so awesome to see the different ways and styles that were engineered. We had many different sizes, which produced different decibels levels of sound.","fullyFundedDate":1757555082821,"projectUrl":"project/rocking-into-wiring/9651927/","projectTitle":"Rocking Into Wiring","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. O'Connell","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp1423376_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1599171512015","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1423376"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_91941","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":412,"numTeachers":9,"percentFrplEligible":14,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":95,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":0,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":4,"gradesServed":"K - 12","studentTeacherRatio":"45.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_DISTANT"},"inStateSupporters":63.1,"schoolId":91941,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Chester Area School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Chester Area School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/south-dakota/chester-area-school-district-39-1/chester-area-school/91941"}