{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"East Central Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":57.6,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10593022,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping make Keeping the Ball Rolling possible for our soccer boys. They were excited from the moment they learned I had created a new project specifically for them, and they celebrated when I told them it had been fully funded. When the equipment finally arrived, there was no waiting around. We immediately used the new electric pump to air up the new soccer balls, and the boys were out playing a friendly match with them that same day.\r\n\r\nThe new balls, goals, shin guards, goalkeeper gloves, and training equipment are giving the boys more resources to practice, develop their skills, and challenge one another. More importantly, these projects have shown them that people see what they are doing and recognize the effort they are putting into their team. Knowing that people they have never met chose to support them and provide new equipment has meant a great deal to the boys.\r\n\r\nThat support has also given them even more motivation to train with vigor and dedication. They know that others believe their hard work is worth investing in, and they want to live up to that support. We will continue putting this equipment to use as the boys practice, play, and grow together as a team. Thank you for giving them new equipment, but even more, thank you for showing these young athletes that their hard work is seen and appreciated.","fullyFundedDate":1789393387563,"projectUrl":"project/keeping-the-ball-rolling/10593022/","projectTitle":"Keeping the Ball Rolling","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10594131,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping make Set Up for Success possible for our girls volleyball team. The new volleyballs, knee pads, training equipment, pinnies, and other gear have given our athletes new resources they can use during practices to work on their serving, passing, setting, hitting, and teamwork. Having more equipment available means more opportunities for the girls to practice their skills and continue developing together as a team.\r\n\r\nWhat meant the most, though, was seeing how excited the girls were when they received their new gear. They work hard and put a great deal of effort into their team, and receiving new equipment made them feel seen and appreciated for that hard work. It was more than simply getting new volleyball equipment. The girls could see that people outside of their team believed what they were doing was worth supporting, and that truly meant a lot to them.\r\n\r\nThese resources will continue to support the team throughout practices as the girls build their skills, challenge themselves, and work together. Thank you for investing in our athletes and for giving them something that showed them their hard work matters. Your generosity made a real difference for our girls.","fullyFundedDate":1789093663047,"projectUrl":"project/set-up-for-success/10594131/","projectTitle":"Set Up for Success","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10271159,"letterContent":"Having a classroom set of Punching the Air gives my students another opportunity to experience how powerful a story can be when it is told in a different way. Because the novel is written in verse, students are able to explore how an author can use poetry, imagery, voice, and structure to tell a complete story. As we read, we can discuss perspective, justice, identity, choices, and how the way a story is told can shape the way we understand the people within it.\r\n\r\nReading in my classroom is meant to be active and accessible. We read together, discuss what we are seeing in the text, ask questions, and make connections between the story and the larger world. I want students to experience many different kinds of books, including traditional novels, graphic novels, memoirs, and novels in verse. Punching the Air helps me show students that there is not just one way to be a reader or one way for an author to tell an important story.\r\n\r\nThese books also give my students something especially valuable: another shared reading experience. Every student can have the same book in their hands, follow along, return to passages that stand out to them, and participate in our conversations. Thank you for giving my students the opportunity to add Punching the Air to our classroom library and for helping me continue building a classroom where reading is something we experience together.","fullyFundedDate":1786367501906,"projectUrl":"project/a-story-that-connects-punching-the-air/10271159/","projectTitle":"A Story That Connects: Punching the Air","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10546264,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping provide my students with the everyday tools they need to write and stay organized! The composition notebooks have become our journals, where students complete their daily Do Now assignments by responding to questions, reflecting on what we are learning, and practicing putting their thoughts into words. The folders give them a dedicated place to keep their notes and graded assignments instead of allowing that work to disappear into the bottom of a backpack.\r\n\r\nThese materials are also helping me teach skills that go beyond geography. Students are learning that their work is worth keeping and that organization is something they can practice. As the semester continues, their journals will become a record of their writing and thinking, while their folders will show the work they have completed and the progress they have made. When parent-teacher conferences arrive, students and their families will be able to look through that work together rather than relying only on a grade displayed on a screen.\r\n\r\nMy goal is for students to finish the semester with more than a collection of completed assignments. I want them to be able to look back through their journals and folders and actually see their growth. Thank you for giving my students a place to write down their thoughts, keep track of their hard work, and take greater ownership of their learning.","fullyFundedDate":1787971506814,"projectUrl":"project/write-it-down-keep-it-together/10546264/","projectTitle":"Write It Down, Keep It Together","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10502383,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping me bring geography to life in my classroom! The maps and cultural resources have turned our classroom walls into learning tools that students can use throughout the school day. Instead of a map appearing on the Smart Board for a few minutes and disappearing when the lesson changes, students now have permanent visual references they can look at, point to, and use to make connections as we study the Western Hemisphere.\r\n\r\nThese resources have been especially useful as students begin building their understanding of how geography, history, and culture connect. We can locate a country on a map and then move beyond simply knowing where it is. Students can examine neighboring countries, physical features, languages, cultures, and the people whose histories have shaped the region. The Hispanic heritage and Black history materials also help reinforce that the places on our maps are not just borders and names. They are home to real people, cultures, traditions, and stories.\r\n\r\nAs we continue through the school year, these materials will grow more useful because students will repeatedly return to them as we move from one region to another. My goal is for students to become comfortable using maps independently and to begin making geographic connections without always needing me to point them in the right direction. Thank you for helping create a classroom where the world we are studying is always within sight.","fullyFundedDate":1787798046113,"projectUrl":"project/bringing-geography-to-life/10502383/","projectTitle":"Bringing Geography to Life","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10455876,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping bring Goosebumps into my classroom! These books have given my students another way to discover that reading can simply be fun. The suspense, humor, strange situations, and just enough creepiness make these stories approachable for students who may not normally be excited about picking up a book. They are especially useful for helping reluctant readers build confidence and reading stamina because students are choosing to keep reading because they genuinely want to know what happens next.\r\n\r\nWhile students are enjoying the scares, we can also use these books to strengthen important reading skills. Students can practice making predictions, identifying foreshadowing, analyzing characters, examining how an author creates suspense, determining cause and effect, and using evidence from the story to explain their thinking. Horror and suspense are particularly good for teaching prediction because students are constantly looking for clues and trying to figure out what is coming next.\r\n\r\nReading is an important part of our classroom, and I want my students to experience books as more than assignments they have to complete. Sometimes a book should make you think, sometimes it should introduce you to someone else's experiences, and sometimes it should just give you goosebumps and make you want to turn the page. Thank you for helping me build a classroom library where my students have the opportunity to experience all of those kinds of reading.","fullyFundedDate":1786716911617,"projectUrl":"project/reading-that-gives-us-goosebumps/10455876/","projectTitle":"Reading That Gives Us Goosebumps!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10455854,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping provide 20 new stools for my classroom! These stools immediately became part of our everyday learning environment, replacing seating that my students had used so much that it was simply worn out. My students were excited to see the new seating arrive, and I was excited to once again have safe, sturdy seating available for them to use throughout the school day.\r\n\r\nThe stools give my students another seating option and allow us to use our classroom space more flexibly. Students can use them during regular lessons, independent work, small-group activities, and classroom discussions. Having different places and ways to sit may seem like a small thing, but giving students some choice in where they work can help them find a spot where they are comfortable and ready to learn.\r\n\r\nThese stools will continue to be used by students every day and, because they are sturdy and easy to move, they can adapt along with whatever we are doing in class. Thank you for replacing something my students had quite literally loved until they wore it out and giving another group of students a fresh seat to learn from.","fullyFundedDate":1787797243690,"projectUrl":"project/a-fresh-seat-for-every-learner/10455854/","projectTitle":"A Fresh Seat for Every Learner","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10455974,"letterContent":"Thanks to your support, my students have been able to experience The Crossover together as a class. The graphic novel format combines visual storytelling with Kwame Alexander's verse, giving students an opportunity to explore how words and images can work together to tell a powerful story. As we read, students can practice skills such as analyzing character development, identifying themes, making inferences, examining figurative language, and using evidence from both the words and illustrations to support their thinking.\r\n\r\nOne of the things I value about having graphic novels in our classroom reading program is that they help broaden what reading can look like. Some students who are hesitant to pick up a traditional novel are much more willing to engage with a graphic novel. The Crossover gives those students an accessible way into the story without sacrificing meaningful ideas to discuss. Through Josh and his family, students can explore relationships between siblings, competition, growing up, family expectations, and dealing with change and loss.\r\n\r\nHaving a classroom set allows all of my students to share the experience together. We can read, discuss, write about what we have read, and compare the different ways the story communicates meaning through poetry, dialogue, artwork, and visual design. Thank you for helping me provide another kind of reading experience and showing my students that there is more than one way to be a reader.","fullyFundedDate":1786814752725,"projectUrl":"project/crossing-into-great-reading/10455974/","projectTitle":"Crossing Into Great Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10270388,"letterContent":"Thanks to your support, my students have been able to experience Inside Out & Back Again together as a class. The novel gives us the opportunity to explore history and geography through the experiences of a young person, while also strengthening important reading skills. Students can examine character development, theme, perspective, figurative language, and how an author can communicate a powerful story through verse rather than traditional prose.\r\n\r\nReading together allows us to stop, discuss, ask questions, and make connections between Hà's experiences and the larger world around her. The story opens conversations about leaving home, adapting to an unfamiliar place, family, belonging, and what it can feel like to be an outsider. Its verse format also gives students who may be intimidated by a traditional novel another way to experience a complete story and see that books can take many different forms.\r\n\r\nHaving a classroom set means every student can participate in the same reading experience. We can refer directly to the text during discussions, return to important passages, and use the novel as a foundation for both writing and conversation. Thank you for giving my students access to a book that helps them grow as readers while encouraging them to understand history, culture, and experiences different from their own.","fullyFundedDate":1785707597612,"projectUrl":"project/reading-for-understanding-inside-out-/10270388/","projectTitle":"Reading for Understanding: Inside Out & Back Again","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10175258,"letterContent":"Thanks to your support, my students now have flexible seating options that allow them to move while still remaining part of the lesson. The inflatable ball seats have been especially helpful for students who naturally need to wiggle, shift, or move throughout class. Instead of that movement becoming a distraction for them or the students around them, they have a place where they can move in a way that still allows them to listen, read, write, and participate.\r\n\r\nThe students were excited to see the new seats and quickly became interested in using them. What I have appreciated most is seeing students recognize for themselves when a different seating option might help them. Flexible seating gives them some ownership over their learning environment while also teaching them that different people may need different things in order to focus and be successful.\r\n\r\nThese seats have become another tool I can use to create a classroom that works for a wider range of students. As we continue through the school year, students will use them during independent reading, writing, class discussions, and everyday lessons. Thank you for helping me provide a productive outlet for movement and giving more of my students a seating option that helps them stay focused and engaged in their learning.","fullyFundedDate":1777990805288,"projectUrl":"project/flexible-seating-for-focused-learners/10175258/","projectTitle":"Flexible Seating for Focused Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10264516,"letterContent":"Thanks to your support, my students were able to read Something Like Home as part of our summer school book club, and the story was very well received. Reading the same book together gave students a shared experience and created opportunities for conversations about belonging, family, change, and finding a sense of home. Along the way, students practiced important reading skills such as identifying themes, analyzing characters, making connections, and using evidence from the text to explain their thinking.\r\n\r\nOur book club gave students a chance to experience reading as something social rather than simply another assignment. We could read, discuss what was happening, share reactions, and hear how other students interpreted the same characters and events. Something Like Home worked especially well in this setting because its story gave students plenty to talk about while remaining approachable and engaging for different kinds of readers.\r\n\r\nHaving enough copies for students to read the novel together made the book club possible and helped create a positive reading experience during summer school. Seeing students respond so well to the story reinforced why I want to continue giving them access to books that are both meaningful and enjoyable to read. Thank you for providing my students with a story they could experience together and for helping me continue building a community of readers.","fullyFundedDate":1778078704162,"projectUrl":"project/a-shared-novel-experience-something-lik/10264516/","projectTitle":"A Shared Novel Experience: Something Like Home","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"},{"teacherId":9198054,"projectId":10271307,"letterContent":"Thanks to your support, my students were able to experience Restart together as a class and use the story to explore ideas about choices, consequences, accountability, and second chances. As we read, students practiced important literacy skills including analyzing character development, identifying themes, making inferences, and supporting their ideas with evidence from the text. The novel gave us a story that was engaging to read while also providing plenty of opportunities for students to think about how a person's choices affect both themselves and the people around them.\r\n\r\nReading in my classroom is about more than simply finishing a book. We read, discuss, write, question characters' decisions, and talk about what we can learn from their experiences. Restart worked especially well for this because students could watch Chase learn about the person he had been and decide what kind of person he wanted to become. That opened the door for conversations about whether people can change, what it means to take responsibility for past actions, and how we decide who we want to be.\r\n\r\nHaving a full class set allowed every student to participate in that shared experience, including students who may struggle with reading or who do not normally see themselves as readers. Restart gave us a way to combine literacy with the social-emotional learning that is an important part of my classroom. Thank you for giving my students the opportunity to strengthen their reading skills while also thinking about growth, empathy, responsibility, and the choices they make in their own lives.","fullyFundedDate":1778511177444,"projectUrl":"project/learning-about-choices-and-change-with-r/10271307/","projectTitle":"Learning About Choices and Change with Restart","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Ward","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9198054_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y247&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1757262220028","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9198054"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_87433","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":720,"numTeachers":34,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":5,"percentBlack":13,"percentWhite":8,"percentIndigenous":2,"percentLatinx":62,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":1,"percentMultiracialImputed":5,"gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"21.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":42.4,"schoolId":87433,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about East Central Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"East Central Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/oklahoma/tulsa-public-schools/foster-middle-school/87433"}