North Elementary School in Des Plaines, Illinois on DonorsChoose

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You have made a difference!","fullyFundedDate":1770534174557,"projectUrl":"project/take-a-seat/9900129/","projectTitle":"Take a Seat!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Paraskevopoulos","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/northwinterfun"},{"teacherId":9398125,"projectId":9888387,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your donation to our students. Students will often come to school with no gloves or those small dollar store gloves that get wet very easily and don't provide much warmth. All winter long we sent students outside for recess and for many of our students, this is their only time to play in the snow. With this glove donation, we've been able to hand out gloves so students can be warm and PLAY just like their should. You have given a gift to these students to not only be warm throughout the winter, but to also have fun and play. Thank you for choosing our project.","fullyFundedDate":1767018977090,"projectUrl":"project/warm-our-fingers/9888387/","projectTitle":"Warm Our Fingers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Paraskevopoulos","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/northwinterfun"},{"teacherId":9398125,"projectId":9912782,"letterContent":"This is a perfect moment to be writing this message as we are in the middle of celebrating Ramadan. We have 50 students in our Ramadan club this year - and we have 500 students in our school, think of the impact of just a few of these books in a muslim population this large. When I brought out your books to show my 5th graders, I had multiple hands go up to borrow the books. I even had a parent write in to praise the school for providing these types of books for their daughter. You made this happen for these students and that means the world to both our students and families. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1766431485608,"projectUrl":"project/reading-about-ramadan-diversity-books/9912782/","projectTitle":"Reading about Ramadan Diversity books","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Paraskevopoulos","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/northwinterfun"},{"teacherId":9398125,"projectId":9621505,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping us organize! \r\n\r\nWe have finally been able to move our books onto our shelves and we have seen the difference. Books are more accessible, students are browsing the books for less time, and they are reading for more minutes as a result. Thank you for your donation.\r\n\r\nIt is donors like you that choose to donate to our schools that help us with the small things that make a big difference. Other teachers on the hallways always remark on the effect these things have on my students.","fullyFundedDate":1756752944386,"projectUrl":"project/shelves-not-boxes/9621505/","projectTitle":"Shelves, Not Boxes","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Paraskevopoulos","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-3_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/northwinterfun"},{"teacherId":9398125,"projectId":9303041,"letterContent":"It has been six months since you generously donated to our book request and let me tell you - all the other teachers on my hallways walk into my room and say \"wow, Mrs. Paraskevopoulos, every student has more than one book on their desk, I can barely get my students to choose a book\". And guess what I tell them - I tell them about you and your generous donation. Students have flocked to my bookshelves and I actually just lent my other 5th grade teacher some of the books - and some of my students that have never shown interest in a book at school before - literally gasped and rushed over to ask for one of the books. You've made a difference, you chose to donate, and you've changed a student's experience with reading. Thank you for doing that. \r\n\r\nI also have to include - our librarians have seen the interest amongst our students for MANGA books, and now they are starting to stock them. 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Students have flocked to my bookshelves and I actually just lent my other 5th grade teacher some of the books - and some of my students that have never shown interest in a book at school before - literally gasped and rushed over to ask for one of the books. You've made a difference, you chose to donate, and you've changed a student's experience with reading. Thank you for doing that.","fullyFundedDate":1745510070121,"projectUrl":"project/give-them-what-they-want-its-the-book/9179819/","projectTitle":"Give Them What They Want! 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About this school

North Elementary School is an urban public school in Des Plaines, Illinois that is part of Des Plaines Community Consolidated School District 62. It serves 502 students in grades K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 12.0:1. Its teachers have had 25 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades K - 5

502 Students

42 Teachers

1789 Rand Rd

Des Plaines, IL 60016 View local requests

Direct, proactive support

Empower teachers at North Elementary School to request what their students need.

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

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

North Elementary School Teachers on DonorsChoose

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for public school teachers.

Every donation funds real needs — pencils, books, lab equipment, art supplies, and more — helping students learn and thrive. We ship supplies directly to the school, and you'll see exactly where each dollar goes.

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North Elementary School Demographics

95%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

61%

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.

North Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Apr 30, 2026

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.