{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Leesville Road Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":24.2,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":4600754,"projectId":9240452,"letterContent":"Access to new, high-quality books is transforming our students, introducing a wealth of essential skills that go far beyond basic literacy. Our students are diving into diverse texts—especially those recognized as Junior Library Guild selections—which are intentionally chosen for their literary merit and educational value. These new texts are helping us explicitly teach skills like deepened comprehension through complex plot analysis, vocabulary acquisition by encountering rich language in context, and critical analysis as students engage with varied perspectives. Crucially, the books are powerful tools for building social-emotional intelligence. For instance, students are learning about empathy by connecting with characters whose experiences differ from their own, and they're internalizing lessons on managing emotions and responsible decision-making by observing characters navigate similar challenges. This reading experience is not just about decoding words; it's about using literature as a lens to understand the world and develop the skills necessary for academic achievement and life beyond school.\r\n\r\nIn our library and school, reading is a dynamic and integrated activity, not a silent, solitary chore. It looks like students engaged in lively book clubs discussing character motivations, or quiet moments of sustained independent reading where they apply comprehension strategies learned earlier. We are using the new books to foster a culture of reading engagement; since the books are highly desirable, students are naturally more motivated, which in turn boosts their overall performance in all curricular areas. We're observing that particular students who may have previously struggled with engagement or felt unrepresented in literature are especially enjoying these new titles. Students who see characters like themselves—or who are fascinated by the distinct perspectives of characters from different backgrounds—are showing a noticeable increase in reading stamina and deeper reflection. Their enthusiasm manifests as improved writing skills—they're incorporating new vocabulary and complex sentence structures from their reading—and a greater willingness to participate in whole-class discussions, demonstrating that their access to these engaging texts is truly unlocking their academic and social potential.","fullyFundedDate":1744227436652,"projectUrl":"project/leading-lions-to-love-literature/9240452/","projectTitle":"Leading Lions to Love Literature","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bussell","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4600754_orig.jpg?crop=960,960,x0,y48&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1679683059707","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4600754"},{"teacherId":4600754,"projectId":9257564,"letterContent":"The students of the Environmental Club put the new resources to use by using the oyas to plant in three of our pollinator gardens: two located out front of the school and one in the back. This hands-on project has been a fantastic way for them to apply their learning in a tangible way that benefits the school environment. When the students first saw the materials, they had many questions—primarily about what the oyas were and exactly how they worked. Their initial reaction, however, was excitement; they thought the oyas were \"pretty cool.\" This initial curiosity and positive response is exactly what we hoped for! Seeing a practical, innovative tool for water conservation has sparked a lot of great discussion among the club members about sustainable gardening practices.\r\n\r\nSince the initial planting is complete, the students will continue to maintain the pollinator gardens throughout the semester. This involves regular watering, weeding, and observing the health of the plants, with the oyas helping to regulate the water supply. The immediate next step for the Environmental Club on this project will be to set up a regular monitoring schedule to document the effectiveness of the oyas compared to traditional watering methods. For their next lesson, we will transition into documenting the different types of pollinators that visit the new gardens and researching how the specific native plants chosen support their lifecycle. This will build on their initial work and tie directly into their learning goals about local ecosystems.","fullyFundedDate":1745264064293,"projectUrl":"project/watering-as-we-grow/9257564/","projectTitle":"Watering as We Grow","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bussell","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4600754_orig.jpg?crop=960,960,x0,y48&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1679683059707","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4600754"},{"teacherId":4600754,"projectId":9047462,"letterContent":"Our middle school Environmental Club students were excited to use the gardening tools to create pollinator-friendly gardens on our school campus. These resources have transformed previously unused and/or overgrown areas of our school campus into beautiful learning spaces. Students worked in teams to prepare the soil, plant native flowering species, and install pollinator watering stations. Watching students take ownership of their gardens, collaborate on plant choices, and excitedly spot their first pollinator visitors was an inspiring reminder of the power of hands-on learning.\r\n\r\nWe will be revealing our pollinator gardens to the community this week at our school's Spring Showcase. And, once our signs are installed, visitors will submit their observation data via QR code to a form that we'll use to share with The Great Sunflower Project. As well, our nextdoor elementary school 2nd grade classes will be visiting our pollinator gardens during their plants and pollination unit. We look forward to maintining our pollinator gardens, watching the plants bloom and seeing pollinators in action!","fullyFundedDate":1739928311171,"projectUrl":"project/equipped-for-wings-tools-for-students-t/9047462/","projectTitle":"Equipped for Wings: Tools for Students to Build Pollinator Gardens","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bussell","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4600754_orig.jpg?crop=960,960,x0,y48&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1679683059707","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4600754"},{"teacherId":4600754,"projectId":9086892,"letterContent":"Our middle school Environmental Club students were excited to build the raised garden beds and use the gardening tools to create pollinator-friendly gardens on our school campus. These resources have transformed previously unused and/or overgrown areas of our school campus into a thriving learning space. One memorable moment occurred during our first planting day—students worked in teams to prepare the soil, plant native flowering species, and install pollinator watering stations. Watching students take ownership of their gardens, collaborate on plant choices, and excitedly spot their first pollinator visitors was an inspiring reminder of the power of hands-on learning.\r\n\r\nWe will be revealing our pollinator gardens to the community this week at our school's Spring Showcase. And, once our signs are installed, visitors will submit their observation data via QR code to a form that we'll use to share with The Great Sunflower Project. As well, our nextdoor elementary school 2nd grade classes will be visiting our pollinator gardens during their plants and pollination unit. We look forward to maintining our pollinator gardens, watching the plants bloom and seeing pollinators in action!","fullyFundedDate":1739543537682,"projectUrl":"project/pollinator-power-growing-gardens-growi/9086892/","projectTitle":"Pollinator Power: Growing Gardens, Growing Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bussell","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp4600754_orig.jpg?crop=960,960,x0,y48&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1679683059707","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4600754"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_1857","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":792,"numTeachers":54,"percentFrplEligible":33,"percentAsian":4,"percentBlack":25,"percentWhite":51,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":13,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"14.7:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":75.8,"schoolId":1857,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Leesville Road Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Leesville Road Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/north-carolina/wake-county-public-school-system/leesville-road-middle-school/1857"}