Golden West High School in Visalia, California on DonorsChoose

{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Golden West High School","outOfStateSupporters":21.2,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9026462,"projectId":8990966,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support in my classroom. I am incredibly grateful for your kindness, your donation has truly made a meaningful difference for both my students and me. Having a printer in the classroom has been a game changer. It allows me to quickly print out materials in the moment, whether it's a last-minute worksheet, updated grades, or visuals to support a lesson. My students especially enjoy when I print out in-class photos for their projects or vibrant images of tourist attractions from around the world, sparking curiosity and excitement about places they've never seen.\r\n\r\nOne of the most exciting additions to our classroom, is with a large printed map (the map is bought) complete with strings connecting to photos of landmarks around the globe. Students can walk up to it anytime, explore the world by reading key facts, or scan QR codes to dive deeper into each location. It's become an interactive learning tool that we use during lessons and learning stations, and it never fails to capture their interest.\r\n\r\nThe printer has also made a huge difference in terms of inclusion and accessibility. I can now quickly provide materials in multiple languages for new students, create board walls, and print differentiated resources, like answers and guided notes for students with learning differences or last minute injuries that prevent them from writing. The small changes have had a big impact.\r\n\r\nThis is just the beginning. Your generosity has opened up so many doors for creativity, engagement and personalized learning in my classroom. I can't thank you enough for making this possible.\r\n\r\nWith heartfelt appreciation,\r\nMrs. Vela","fullyFundedDate":1743050952655,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-printer-for-differentiation/8990966/","projectTitle":"Classroom Printer for Differentiation","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Vela","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9026462_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y177&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1690616263385","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9026462"},{"teacherId":9026462,"projectId":8920560,"letterContent":"In our classroom, everyone has a voice. Sometimes this doesn't have to be out loud though. For those students that are too shy to talk, or those that are too sad to talk, or those that just don't have the words but want to be heard, we have whiteboards that we use for daily check-ins as well as self reflecting (and sometimes silly-fun) questions. This is also helpful for those that are pretty loud and active, because it gives them a chance to express themselves too with their peers, while I review other students' answers. This also helps me to go around and see what everyone says and to intentionally respond to some of them each day. Some of their responses make me want to cry, but I am glad I am able to offer them an opportunity to say something to someone. For at least one student, this helped me direct them to an immediate need for a counselor intervention. For some others, they have made comments about how they just want to tell someone, but not have a conversation. This gives them sort of a quick outlet momentarily. \r\n\r\nIn addition to check-ins every day, we also use whiteboards for responses in class as well as review games. For example, yesterday the internet went out for the entire day, so in their table groups, students had to collaborate and answer questions as a group, and the team with the most correct answers won a choice of something from the treasure chest. It was sort of like a form of jeopardy. They got really into it and surprisingly, one of my very quiet classes got quite loud, due to being so into the activity. The whiteboards helped make this activity possible. I am very excited to continue to use this idea in the future. \r\n\r\nAt first the students were hesitant when I started using them. However, they have started getting more creative with their whiteboards, and answering with explanations and adding their own drawings/pictures. For example, in the images, it was cold that day, so students expressed that they are happy, but super cold. Another image shows them saying \"yippee\" on their whiteboard with a picture of them splashing in a water puddle. Others may sometimes have a mad look, and this helps me to ask them what happened, and it could be something along the lines of they got a bad grade on a test, or their dog died last night. There are also times that students say things on their whiteboard that they don't want others to hear, so when I walk around the class, I see this and can communicate discreetly with them. So, these whiteboards and markers really open up dialogue between my students and I, for academic purposes as well as social emotional. \r\n\r\nThank you again for being a part of helping me to continue using these whiteboards. I am finding new things consistently and how I can embed them into my classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1731940380126,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-engagement-with-whiteboards/8920560/","projectTitle":"Classroom Engagement with Whiteboards","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Vela","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9026462_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y177&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1690616263385","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9026462"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_46031","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":2009,"numTeachers":75,"percentFrplEligible":89,"percentAsian":4,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":13,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":76,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"9 - 12","studentTeacherRatio":"26.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":78.8,"schoolId":46031,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Golden West High School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Golden West High School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/visalia-unified-school-district/golden-west-high-school/46031"}

About this school

Golden West High School is an urban public school in Visalia, California that is part of Visalia Unified School District. It serves 2,009 students in grades 9 - 12 with a student/teacher ratio of 26.8:1. Its teachers have had 16 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades 9 - 12

2,009 Students

75 Teachers

1717 N McAuliff St

Visalia, CA 93292 View local requests

http://www.vusd.org

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

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

Golden West High School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Ms. Ruiz

Mrs. Vela

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. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

See how DonorsChoose works

Golden West High School Demographics

89%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

80%

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.

Golden West High School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 2025

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.