{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Thurgood Marshall Secondary School","outOfStateSupporters":29.9,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":3990915,"projectId":10198186,"letterContent":"The classroom laptop has made a meaningful difference in my students' learning by providing reliable access to technology that supports our daily mathematics instruction. In today's classrooms, technology is more than a convenience; it is an essential learning tool that allows students to practice, explore, visualize, and strengthen their understanding of mathematical concepts. One of the most valuable ways students use the laptop is through ALEKS, an adaptive online math program that assesses each student's understanding and creates an individualized learning path. Students work on topics based on their individual needs, receive immediate feedback, and have opportunities to practice until they master challenging concepts. This allows students to work at their own pace while developing greater independence and responsibility for their learning. What excites students most is the opportunity to interact with mathematics in ways that go beyond traditional textbooks and worksheets. They enjoy using digital platforms to solve problems, track their progress, explore mathematical concepts, and see their improvement over time. The laptop also allows students to participate in interactive activities that make abstract concepts in algebra and geometry more accessible and engaging. I especially see the impact on students who do not always have consistent access to technology at home. Having a dedicated classroom laptop gives them an opportunity to complete assignments, access digital resources, and participate in learning activities without worrying about whether they have the necessary equipment. Students who initially hesitate when faced with challenging math topics become more confident as they receive immediate feedback and see their progress. What makes this project especially meaningful is the increased equity it brings to my classroom. Many of my students are multilingual learners and first-generation college-bound students. Providing access to technology helps remove barriers, encourages participation, and gives every student an opportunity to develop the digital literacy, problem-solving, and independent learning skills they need for college and future careers.\r\nThank you for helping make these opportunities possible. Your generosity provides more than a laptop; it gives students access, confidence, and the tools to take ownership of their learning.","fullyFundedDate":1777996586166,"projectUrl":"project/transforming-math-instruction-with-updat/10198186/","projectTitle":"Transforming Math Instruction with Updated Student Technology","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Agvanian","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3990915_orig.png?crop=360,360,x0,y162&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1634754696256","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/zagvanian"},{"teacherId":3990915,"projectId":10264806,"letterContent":"Our new classroom iPad provides meaningful opportunities for interactive, engaging, and personalized instruction. It allows my students to explore mathematical concepts through digital tools, visualize abstract ideas, and demonstrate their understanding in creative ways.\r\nMy students use their classroom iPad to create digital presentations, record explanations of their problem-solving strategies, explore graphing and geometry applications, and collaborate on group projects. These activities strengthen mathematical reasoning, communication, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.\r\nOur classroom iPad also supports differentiated instruction by providing access to interactive lessons, tutorials, and practice activities that address students' individual learning needs. It has also increased student engagement; my students actively participate in interactive lessons, collaborative activities, and technology-based projects. It has also improved students' mathematical understanding and readiness with technology. It has helped some of my students develop essential skills for using digital tools to communicate, collaborate, create, and solve problems, preparing them for success in college and future careers.\r\nBeyond mathematics, this resource helps my students develop essential digital literacy and technology skills that are increasingly important in college and the workplace. It creates opportunities for students to take ownership of their learning, build confidence, actively participate, and recognize the real-world applications of mathematics.","fullyFundedDate":1778010204553,"projectUrl":"project/empowering-student-learning/10264806/","projectTitle":"Empowering Student Learning","teacherDisplayName":"Dr. Agvanian","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3990915_orig.png?crop=360,360,x0,y162&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1634754696256","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/zagvanian"},{"teacherId":2047234,"projectId":10330538,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generosity. The books you have donated to my photography class have become part of our growing library. We have created a small little space in the corner of the classroom where students can comfortably sit in peace and enjoy these books. They are used for inspiration, and for class assignments.\r\n\r\nActually, one of the assignments in our photography class is to look through the books and find inspiration. I believe that students who are studying an art form like photography will get better at their craft if they regularly look for inspiration from good photographers. Most photography students find is through online resources, wether that is through a google image search, or through social media posts on Instagram. I've told my students that there are a lot of great photographs that are not online, but can be found in books. So the students will have great resources to find good inspiration in these books.\r\n\r\nOne the students find a photograph they find inspiring in these books, they can take a photo of it with their phone and upload it to the webpage they are creating for this class. They are required to credit the photographer and also must write a few paragraphs about the photo, telling me why they are inspired by it, and then also describing how they think the photographer was thinking about lighting and composition when taking the photograph. Lighting and composition are two things we've studied so far this year, so they are applying that knowledge to this Inspiration assignment.\r\n\r\nThe students love the books and I found them looking through them without my direction. The covers and titles are very interesting to them. \r\n\r\nI'm so grateful to you, because this is a gift that will stay relevant to my classes for years to come.","fullyFundedDate":1784298655192,"projectUrl":"project/see-and-read-a-photography-library-for/10330538/","projectTitle":"See and Read: a Photography Library for Our Students","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Fletcher","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2047234"},{"teacherId":10213641,"projectId":10518824,"letterContent":"On behalf of the music students at Thurgood Marshall Secondary School in Pasadena, thank you so much for your generous support through DonorsChoose! Your donation has helped provide essential supplies for our music students, including those in Intermediate Band, Advanced Band, Jazz Band, Marching Band, and Color Guard. From instrument reeds and brass lubricants to pencils, pens, and everyday classroom materials, these resources help ensure our students have what they need to participate, learn, and succeed.\r\n\r\nSometimes people think of music education as simply playing instruments, but a successful music program requires many of the same basic supplies as any other classroom. Students need pencils to mark their music, reeds and instrument care products to keep their instruments in playing condition, and everyday school supplies to stay organized and engaged. These materials also support our marching band and color guard students as they prepare for performances, rehearsals, and school events. By providing this mix of essential supplies, you are helping remove barriers to learning and allowing students to focus on developing their skills, building confidence, and working together as a team.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our students and recognizing that music education deserves the same support and resources as every other subject. Your generosity makes a real difference across our music program, helping create an environment where students can learn, perform, and experience the joy of making music together. We are truly grateful for your support!","fullyFundedDate":1787320589851,"projectUrl":"project/mighty-marshall-music-supplies/10518824/","projectTitle":"Mighty Marshall Music Supplies","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Dye","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10213641_orig.jpg?crop=2400,2400,x0,y248&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755800429156","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10213641"},{"teacherId":10213641,"projectId":10532853,"letterContent":"On behalf of the music students at Thurgood Marshall Secondary School in Pasadena, thank you so much for your generous support through DonorsChoose! Your donation has made it possible for us to purchase new sheet music for our Intermediate Band, Advanced Band, and Jazz Band. We are truly grateful for your investment in our students and their musical growth.\r\n\r\nThroughout the year, our students will bring this music to life in concerts for our school and community. Having new music to learn and perform gives our students exciting opportunities to grow as musicians, work together as an ensemble, and share their hard work with others. Thank you for helping make these experiences possible and for supporting music education at Thurgood Marshall Secondary School!","fullyFundedDate":1789016096722,"projectUrl":"project/let-those-kids-play-new-tunes/10532853/","projectTitle":"Let Those Kids Play! (New Tunes...)","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Dye","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10213641_orig.jpg?crop=2400,2400,x0,y248&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755800429156","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10213641"},{"teacherId":5313686,"projectId":10412497,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for funding our \"Back to School Basics\" project! Your generosity provided our classroom with essential organizing bins, notebooks, colored pencils, and vital supplies for our class fish tank.\r\n\r\nWhen the boxes arrived, the students were incredibly excited to unpack everything. They loved seeing the bright new notebooks and art supplies, but the absolute highlight was seeing the new items for our aquarium. They felt so special knowing that donors wanted our classroom to be a beautiful, well-equipped place to learn.\r\n\r\nWe are using these resources every day to keep our classroom running smoothly and creatively.\r\n\r\n• A Special Moment: This week, a group of students took charge of using the new supplies to clean and refresh our aquarium. The entire class gathered around to watch our fish explore their updated home, sparking a great spontaneous conversation about biology and animal care.\r\n\r\nOur next steps are to use our organized setup for our upcoming science and writing units. Students will use their notebooks and colored pencils to log observations of our aquatic habitat, tracking changes over time. Thanks to your support, our classroom is perfectly organized for a successful school year!\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our daily learning and our classroom community!","fullyFundedDate":1789402068800,"projectUrl":"project/back-to-school-basics/10412497/","projectTitle":"Back-to-School Basics","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Caruso","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5313686_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1523552254465","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-caruso-pasadena"},{"teacherId":5313686,"projectId":10387899,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for funding our project! Thanks to your generosity, every student now has their own copy of Red Scarf Girl, along with the notebooks, whiteboards, and markers we need for deep, focused learning.\r\n\r\nWhen the packages arrived, the students were incredibly excited to open their brand-new books. In a world dominated by screens, they were genuinely thrilled to hold a physical copy of a novel that belongs completely to our class. \r\n\r\nWe are using these materials daily to dive deep into the historical context and themes of the book.\r\n• The Project: We are using an \"unplugged\" approach to reading. Students use their new notebooks for personal reflections and vocabulary building.\r\n• A Special Moment: During our last chapter discussion, students used their new individual whiteboards and markers to quickly map out character motivations. The room was completely silent and engaged as they held up their boards to share insights with the class.\r\n\r\n\r\nOur next steps are to move into the historical analysis phase of the novel. Students will use their notebooks to track the protagonist's difficult choices throughout the Cultural Revolution. We will wrap up the unit with a collaborative fishbowl debate, using our whiteboards to track arguments in real-time.\r\nThank you for giving my students the tools to disconnect from technology and connect deeply with literature!","fullyFundedDate":1784902052833,"projectUrl":"project/screen-free-writers-workshop-tactile-t/10387899/","projectTitle":"Screen-free Writer's Workshop: Tactile Tools for 6th Grade Writers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Caruso","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5313686_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1523552254465","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-caruso-pasadena"},{"teacherId":5313686,"projectId":10383830,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our stop-motion animation project! Your generosity has brought incredible energy and hands-on learning into our classroom.\r\n\r\n\r\nWhen the boxes arrived, the students were absolutely thrilled. They were amazed and incredibly grateful that people they didn't even know would send them such cool resources. Seeing their excitement was so much fun.\r\n\r\nWe are currently using the materials to turn our lessons into visual stories.\r\n• The Project: Students are working in small teams to build scenes, write scripts, and animate short films.\r\n• A Special Moment: This week, I watched a group work together to animate a character moving across their backdrop. The teamwork, problem-solving, and pure joy in the room were amazing to see.\r\n\r\nOur next step is to finish the filming and editing phase of our projects. Once the videos are complete, we are going to host a \"Classroom Film Festival\" to watch everyone's animations and celebrate their hard work.\r\nThank you for investing in our students and making this creative project possible!\r\nWith gratitude,","fullyFundedDate":1784563075356,"projectUrl":"project/stop-motion-science-studio/10383830/","projectTitle":"Stop Motion Science Studio","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Caruso","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5313686_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1523552254465","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/ms-caruso-pasadena"},{"teacherId":10233684,"projectId":10353884,"letterContent":"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to start my school year with a bang! My students have been provided with all the necessary tools that will help them succeed from the start and so far it has been a success. Students felt welcomed in my classroom, because of your kindness students have the materials they need to complete assignments, participate in activities, and be creative in the classroom. We truly appreciate your support and generosity in helping us start the school year prepared and ready to learn.","fullyFundedDate":1784298705102,"projectUrl":"project/enhancing-creativity-and-critical-thinki/10353884/","projectTitle":"Enhancing Creativity and Critical Thinking Through Art in Science","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Cuellar","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10233684_orig.png?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1784653277000","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10233684"},{"teacherId":7246589,"projectId":10330409,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for providing our students with these wonderful new resources! When the materials first arrived, my students were genuinely excited to see the resistance bands, cones, yoga blocks, and agility ladders and couldn't wait to put them to use. We now use them regularly in both dance and PE for circuit training, strength and conditioning, stretching, balance, and mindfulness activities. One of our favorite projects has been creating movement circuits where students rotate through stations that challenge their agility, strength, coordination, and flexibility while encouraging one another along the way.\r\n\r\nThese resources have made our classes more engaging and have given students new ways to challenge themselves, build confidence, and experience the joy of movement. The yoga blocks have been especially helpful during stretching and mindfulness activities, providing students with tools to safely explore movement and relaxation. It has been incredibly rewarding to watch students cheer each other on, celebrate their progress, and enthusiastically embrace new challenges. Your generosity has made a real difference in our classroom, helping our students grow stronger, more confident, and more resilient. Thank you for investing in their well-being and helping them thrive!","fullyFundedDate":1781174467050,"projectUrl":"project/from-recovery-to-resilience-wellness-fo/10330409/","projectTitle":"From Recovery to Resilience: Wellness for Marshall Students","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Naganuma","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7246589_orig.jpg?crop=1353,1353,x0,y130&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1781136780156","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7246589"},{"teacherId":771803,"projectId":10212560,"letterContent":"My students are using the butcher paper and paint pens to create colorful, eye-catching posters to promote Drama Club and our program as a whole. They were so excited to have their own supplies and the creative freedom to decide how they wanted to promote the club for Club Rush this year. It was wonderful to see them take ownership of the project and bring their ideas to life.\r\n\r\nAs the year progresses, I know students will continue using these materials to explore graphic design as they plan sets for productions, create large promotional posters, and find creative ways to share their vision with the school community.\r\n\r\nThese resources are helping my students practice collaboration, communication, creativity, and confidence while giving them meaningful opportunities to make decisions and express themselves. Thank you so much for helping make these creative and engaging learning experiences possible!","fullyFundedDate":1781722038860,"projectUrl":"project/broadway-bound-posters-that-steal-the-s/10212560/","projectTitle":"Broadway Bound: Posters That Steal The Show!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Garfinkel","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp771803_orig.jpg?crop=396,396,x563,y41&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692042010111","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/marshallfundrama"},{"teacherId":643110,"projectId":10445562,"letterContent":"Thank you for supporting our classroom so we could get the start of year materials we needed. \r\n\r\nWhen students come into the classroom and can see that their basic needs are already met - a clean space, a good smelling room, pencils available, tissue to blow their noses - they quickly relax knowing that this is going to be a supportive place where they can worry about learning.\r\n\r\nYou helped make the start of our year go off without a hitch. So we're already fully focused on learning music, on sight reading, on music theory, and on getting to know each other instead of just trying to get the essentials together.\r\n\r\nAgain, thank you for that support.","fullyFundedDate":1786541667716,"projectUrl":"project/beginning-of-year-necessities/10445562/","projectTitle":"Beginning of Year Necessities","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Espinosa","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp643110_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755401704942","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/michelle-espinosa"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_28212","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":1689,"numTeachers":71,"percentFrplEligible":77,"percentAsian":7,"percentBlack":5,"percentWhite":20,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":61,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":4,"gradesServed":"6 - 12","studentTeacherRatio":"23.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":70.1,"schoolId":28212,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Thurgood Marshall Secondary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Thurgood Marshall Secondary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/pasadena-unified-school-district/marshall-fundamental-high-school/28212"}