{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Vel Phillips Memorial High School","outOfStateSupporters":32.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9062542,"projectId":9586809,"letterContent":"What a wonderful start to the 2025-26 school year! My students have felt so supported by your donations to my classroom!\r\n\r\nSnacks, fidgets and art supplies have been the major hits with my 9th-12th graders. Every day, I have students who politely ask for snacks to keep them going; many students head straight for the fidget bin before taking their seats, and I've been able to provide more project-based learning opportunities with markers and highlighters.\r\n\r\nSeveral students find the wobble board to get their stretches and gross motor movement out during class as well. It's been a fun game to see who can do one leg squats while balancing on the board!\r\n\r\nSnacks have been particularly helpful these last few weeks with the unease that the government shutdown and pause on SNAP benefits have brought to many students and their famililes. While a granola bar or pack of fruit snacks doesn't seem like much, it's that type of quiet support that many students need in order to feel safe and secure at school. Knowing that they can come to my classroom for something to eat when they're hungry is just a small way that school can be a place that fosters them holistically.\r\n\r\nThank you so much again for your support of my students!","fullyFundedDate":1755709658928,"projectUrl":"project/ready-for-growth/9586809/","projectTitle":"Ready for Growth!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Rongstad","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9062542_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1685410990932","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9062542"},{"teacherId":9062542,"projectId":9292092,"letterContent":"As I approach the beginning of another school year (my 14th!), I'm reflecting on my gratitude for the consistent support I receive from family, friends and strangers each time I post a Donor's Choose project. Last year was the hardest year I've had as a teacher--even little things like plant stands, new planters, snacks and charging cords honestly make for small, smooth moments in my day as a teacher because they impact my students so positively! Days at school are often a rollercoaster, moving from class to class; seeing roughly 150 students with individual needs each day sometimes feels impossible. But, being able to hand a student a snack, chat about a new leaf unfurling on a plant, or point them to lotion for their dry hands allows us time to slow down and breathe in what often feels like chaos of pressure and constant expectations for the young people I care so deeply about. Again, thank you so much for your donations to my project that helped my students (and myself!) finish the year on a solid note.","fullyFundedDate":1745980892847,"projectUrl":"project/almost-to-the-finish-line/9292092/","projectTitle":"Almost to the Finish Line!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Rongstad","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9062542_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1685410990932","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9062542"},{"teacherId":9062542,"projectId":9103597,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your help with funding my \"Snacks and Self-Control\" project. This semester has been filled with a lot of learning around implementing a cell phone locker in my classroom, as well as fielding hourly requests for snacks to keep students going.\r\n\r\nOur cell phone locker has been met with the obvious challenges but many triumphs as well! We've built routines around students housing their phones in the locker at the start of the hour, and I've had to scaffold that expectation with lots of communication home (which has allowed for some helpful conversations with families!). I'm so excited to begin our next school year with the same expectations and really solidfy our classroom space as a phone-free zone to increase engagement and learning.\r\n\r\nSnacks are always welcome, and we're down to our last few boxes of crackers and granola bars. Students are always grateful to have a snack to give them a boost during the day.\r\n\r\nThank you so much again for your contribution to my classroom! Creating a space for students to feel welcome, supported and affirmed is my biggest joy as a high school classroom teacher.","fullyFundedDate":1739290889613,"projectUrl":"project/snacks-and-self-control/9103597/","projectTitle":"Snacks and Self-Control","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Rongstad","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9062542_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1685410990932","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9062542"},{"teacherId":1580181,"projectId":9008160,"letterContent":"The Scrabble games you donated have brought real joy to my 11th-grade classroom. Students have enjoyed learning how to play Scrabble, which has not only been fun but has also helped them develop their vocabulary skills.\r\n\r\nMy AP English Language & Composition class recently had a Scrabble day where students learned new words and honed their language abilities in a relaxed (although at times quite competitive!) environment. It provided a refreshing break from our usual writing assignments, and some students in my classes are already looking forward to another game of Scrabble. \r\n\r\nYour support has made a significant impact, and we are incredibly grateful!","fullyFundedDate":1735518737915,"projectUrl":"project/word-games-for-english-class/9008160/","projectTitle":"Word Games for English Class","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Fessenbecker","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1580181_orig.jpg?crop=240,240,x0,y32&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1734367595081","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mclafferty"},{"teacherId":9810747,"projectId":8893234,"letterContent":"All of your donations were an absolute hit! Students were so geeked to open the boxes with me as they came in, and kiddos know who to come to when they need just about ANYTHING. \r\n\r\nThe snacks, of course, may have been the biggest win in the kids' books. They may not have lasted long, but they were immensely enjoyed while they were here. The kiddos enjoyed the change from the usual Ritz Crackers and Granola Bars. \r\n\r\nThe art supplies are used daily, and travel around the school with us, whether we're heading to the theater to perform Romeo and Juliet or to the library's art space to play with legos and do coloring pages while we have our lessons on theme development and character. The markers may have been the biggest hit in that realm of things!\r\n\r\nThe hair supplies and other bathroom goods are making a monumental difference and I often have kiddos from other classes stop by to grab things in the mornings or after school before practice. Kids are so, so grateful for the things you guys have supplied us with. \r\n\r\nWe are so unendingly grateful for all of the supplies you all gifted us with. You can't even imagine how helpful they've been. On behalf of all the kiddos who call 1202 a safe space, thank you so very, very much!","fullyFundedDate":1732292914912,"projectUrl":"project/teacher-with-crazy-sweaters-looking-to-k/8893234/","projectTitle":"Teacher With Crazy Sweaters Looking to Keep Classroom Crazy Cool","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Meg","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9810747_orig.jpg?crop=1008,1008,x0,y77&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1729609386137","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9810747"},{"teacherId":9062542,"projectId":8910649,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donations to my project! Students have been devouring snacks left and right. They come to me for snacks at all times of the day, even when I don't have them in the current class I'm teaching. I go through so many snacks a day that I'm nearly out from this project!\r\n\r\nI've noticed that students seem to feel safer and more cared for when they know they can come to me for a small snack. I know that when they're not preoccupied with hunger, they're more available for learning.\r\n\r\nI am planning to try to find a more sustainable stream of funds for keeping up with my students' snack needs. It feels like now more than ever, schools are feeling the weight of a lot of social responsibility for caring for all areas of student health and well-being, and while this is a great privilege, it's also very difficult to do in many ways. I am so grateful that I was able to fund even a few months of snacks for my 9th graders (and some of my past 9th graders too! Turns out, 10th, 11th and 12th graders like snacks too, even if I'm not their teacher anymore!)","fullyFundedDate":1730390078797,"projectUrl":"project/healthy-snacks-for-healthy-minds/8910649/","projectTitle":"Healthy Snacks for Healthy Minds","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Rongstad","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9062542_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1685410990932","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9062542"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_37136","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":2005,"numTeachers":122,"percentFrplEligible":44,"percentAsian":9,"percentBlack":15,"percentWhite":41,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":23,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"9 - 12","studentTeacherRatio":"16.4:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":68.0,"schoolId":37136,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Vel Phillips Memorial High School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Vel Phillips Memorial High School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/wisconsin/madison-metropolitan-school-district/memorial-high-school/37136"}