{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Thomas Starr King Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":12.5,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":583721,"projectId":9612057,"letterContent":"Thank you for funding this project. These materials reach every part of our music program: the doorway, the string section, the printer, and the daily cleanup that keeps instruments and students safe.\r\nThe extra-large door mats matter more than they look. Students arrive from outside with wet or dusty shoes, and the music room is full of instruments that should not sit in grit. Cleaner floors mean cleaner cases, cleaner bows, and a classroom that stays ready for rehearsal.\r\nThe student violin bows and Everest shoulder rests go straight into students' hands. A bow that will not hold hair, or a shoulder rest that slips, stops a beginner from making a good sound. With these, more students can hold the violin correctly, draw a straight bow, and practice without fighting the equipment. That is the difference between frustration and progress.\r\nCopy paper keeps music, worksheets, seating charts, and concert materials in students' folders. Rosin for violin, viola, cello, and double bass keeps bows gripping the string. Without rosin, even a good bow produces almost no sound. These small supplies are what let the orchestra actually play.\r\nThe disinfectant spray helps us wipe shared surfaces, stands, and high-touch areas after class. In a room where many students use the same space, that care protects both the instruments and the people who play them.\r\nBecause of you, beginners have working bows and comfortable shoulder rests, the orchestra has rosin and printed music, and the room itself is cleaner and safer. Thank you for investing in the details that make a music class work.","fullyFundedDate":1755749074873,"projectUrl":"project/necessary-supplies-needed-for-music-clas/9612057/","projectTitle":"Necessary Supplies Needed for Music Classes!","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Anton Boktor","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp583721_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1513787127094","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mr-boktor"},{"teacherId":583721,"projectId":6352733,"letterContent":"Thank you for funding the power, printing, and connection supplies our music classroom needed. These are not glamorous items, but they keep the class running every day.\r\nWe now have surge-protector power strips with USB ports at student stations. In piano lab, each keyboard, tablet, or charging device needs a safe outlet. Before this project, we were short on power and stretching cords in ways that were neither safe nor practical. With these strips, more students can plug in at once, charge what they need, and stay at their stations instead of waiting for an open outlet.\r\nThe toner cartridges keep our classroom printer working. Students need printed music, practice charts, theory worksheets, concert programs, and permission forms. When the printer is down, those materials stop. Because of you, I can print what the class needs without delay.\r\nThe heavy-duty outdoor extension cord and USB printer cables close the last gaps: reaching outlets that were too far away, and connecting printers so they actually work when we need them. Together, these materials mean more working stations, fewer interruptions, and more time spent making music instead of troubleshooting equipment.\r\nOn behalf of my students, thank you. You funded the quiet infrastructure that lets a music classroom function.","fullyFundedDate":1649343025330,"projectUrl":"project/necessary-supplies-for-piano-lab/6352733/","projectTitle":"Necessary Supplies for Piano Lab","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Anton Boktor","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp583721_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1513787127094","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mr-boktor"},{"teacherId":583721,"projectId":8601975,"letterContent":"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for funding our classroom headphones. Because of you, every student in piano class now has a pair of headphones to use with their own keyboard. That gift is not a small convenience. It is what makes this class work.\r\nIn our piano lab, each student sits at an individual keyboard. With headphones on, the room becomes quiet enough for real practice. One student can work on scales while another works on a song. I can listen in, give feedback, and move from station to station without twenty instruments sounding at once. Students hear themselves clearly. They stay focused. They take more risks because they are not performing for the whole room every time they press a key.\r\nHeadphones are indispensable in this setting. Without them, the class cannot function as independent practice. With them, beginners grow into confident players who compose, practice theory, and prepare pieces at their own pace. Your support turned that from a hope into a daily reality.\r\nI wish you could see the first day the new headphones arrived: students plugging in, putting them on, and immediately settling into their work. The room got quieter. The music got better. That is the gift you gave.\r\nOn behalf of every student who will put those headphones on this year, and in the years after, thank you. You invested in their concentration, their musicianship, and their chance to hear themselves grow.","fullyFundedDate":1723703878025,"projectUrl":"project/headphones-for-piano-lab/8601975/","projectTitle":"Headphones for Piano Lab","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Anton Boktor","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp583721_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1513787127094","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mr-boktor"},{"teacherId":583721,"projectId":7634948,"letterContent":"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for funding the printer, ink, cardstock, and classroom supplies for our music program. Your gift did not sit in a box. It went straight into the hands of students who now have the sheet music, parts, and classroom materials they need to learn, rehearse, and perform.\r\nI teach beginning band, beginning strings, advanced orchestra, and piano at Thomas Starr King Middle School. In a typical week I work with more than one hundred students who play flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone, tuba, violin, viola, cello, and piano. Music is a performing art, which means students cannot practice what they cannot see. Before this project was funded, I was constantly stretching limited school copies, reprinting damaged parts, and sending students home with incomplete or hard-to-read music. That problem is gone.\r\nThe Brother wireless color all-in-one printer and the 11-by-17 cardstock have changed daily life in this room. I now print full conductor scores and individual parts for Advanced Orchestra so every stand has a clean, readable copy. Beginning band students receive their own parts instead of sharing a smudged photocopy. Piano students leave with printed repertoire, theory worksheets, and their own compositions. When a student loses a part two days before a rehearsal, I print a replacement in minutes instead of asking them to wait. That sounds simple. In a music classroom it is the difference between a student who can practice at home and a student who cannot.\r\nThe quality of the print matters as much as the quantity. Music notation is small. Ledger lines, accidentals, dynamics, and bowings have to be clear or students guess. The new printer produces sharp black notation and, when we need it, color for cues, highlighted sections, and classroom posters. Heavier cardstock holds up in folders, on music stands, and in backpacks. Parts last through a unit instead of tearing after a week. Students treat the music more carefully because it looks like real professional parts rather than a last-minute copy.\r\nThe impact shows up in rehearsal. Students follow along more confidently. Sectionals run faster because everyone has the same page. Beginning players can mark fingerings and articulations on their own copies. Advanced orchestra students can take home extra parts to prepare for concerts. Piano students who are writing original songs can print drafts, revise, and print again—the same feedback loop composers use in the real world. I have watched students sit down with a freshly printed page and immediately start working instead of asking, \"Do you have another copy?\" That moment is the gift you gave them.\r\nThe printer also helps families stay connected. I print newsletters, concert information, practice reminders, and permission forms so parents who prefer paper can stay informed. Music is a partnership between school and home. When a family can put a concert date on the refrigerator and a practice chart on the piano, students show up more prepared. Your support made that communication easier and more reliable.\r\nThe other items in the project have supported the same goal. Disinfecting supplies help us keep shared instruments safer. Velcro lets us display posters, rehearsal reminders, and student work without damaging walls. Together, these materials make the room function like a working music studio instead of a space that is always short on the basics.\r\nWhat I want you to know most is this: your donation did not buy a machine. It bought access. It bought practice time. It bought the chance for a beginning flutist to take home a part she can actually read. It bought the chance for an orchestra student to mark bowings on a clean page. It bought the chance for a piano student to hold a printed copy of a song he wrote himself. Those are small, daily moments, and they add up to musicians who feel taken seriously.\r\nI have taught music for many years. I have learned that students rise to the quality of the materials we put in front of them. When the music looks professional, they sit taller. When they can take a part home, they practice. When they can print a revision of their own composition, they start to see themselves as creators, not only as students completing an assignment.\r\nThank you for believing that our students deserve that. Thank you for closing the gap between what this classroom needed and what we could provide on our own. Every concert, every rehearsal, and every printed page this year carries your generosity on it. Our students may never meet you, but they are playing better music because you chose to help.","fullyFundedDate":1692635541842,"projectUrl":"project/a-printer-for-the-classroom/7634948/","projectTitle":"A Printer for the Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Anton Boktor","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp583721_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1513787127094","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mr-boktor"},{"teacherId":107631,"projectId":10253030,"letterContent":"Last year after learning about heat transfer, I had my students design and build solar ovens, a popular science project that I had done in years past. First I had my students research solar oven designs and what is needed to capture the sun's energy. Following their research, students made a detailed drawing of their design that included the dimensions, materials, labeled components with an explanation of each component's purpose before they began building. I wanted them to be able to explain their design choices. The project went well, and they cooked s'mores using their ovens. The one issue was that the thermometers we used were not very accurate and were difficult to read so the data was not satisfactory. This is when I thought it would be a good idea to ask for more accurate and easy to use thermometers. \r\n\r\nWe have just started the new school year, so we are not at the point of doing the solar oven project. However, I am excited to do this project with my new students. This year I would like for them to design an oven that can pasteurize water. This will connect our science project to our study of water related issues in our English class. The thermometers are an integral part of this project and will allow students to gather accurate data, which they will use to determine the effectiveness of their design. Their reward will be using the ovens to make s'mores! Thank you again for your generous support of this project.","fullyFundedDate":1778604664175,"projectUrl":"project/solar-oven-design-challenge-revamp/10253030/","projectTitle":"Solar Oven Design Challenge Revamp","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mitsuse","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp107631_orig.jpg?crop=674,674,x1523,y565&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1565670853038","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/rmitsuse"},{"teacherId":466587,"projectId":10258377,"letterContent":"Thank you for funding our DJI Action Cameras. You've given my students real tools to make the films they've been imagining, and it's already changing how they think and work in class.\r\n\r\nFilmmaking ties directly into the reading and writing skills I teach every day. When students plan a short film, they're making the same choices as any writer — building character, pacing a story, deciding what to reveal and when. The camera just makes those choices visible. A student who has trouble explaining \"show, don't tell\" on paper often gets it right away once they're behind a camera and realize there's no narrator to explain things for them. Students are excited just to have equipment that's actually built for what they're doing — durable, easy to carry around campus, simple enough that they can focus on the story instead of fighting with the gear.\r\n\r\nOne student in particular stands out. Earlier in the year, he was pretty checked out in class — not disruptive, just not engaged, rarely turning in written work. But once we started the filmmaking unit, that changed. Handed a camera and a real creative problem to solve, he came alive. He started making thoughtful choices — why a shot should be close instead of wide, how to order footage so the story made sense, what to leave out. It was the same kind of analytical thinking I'd been trying to get out of him all year on paper, except now it clicked. Watching a quiet, disengaged student suddenly have strong opinions about a project was a good reminder of why hands-on creative work reaches kids that traditional assignments sometimes don't.\r\n\r\nBecause of your generosity, filmmaking went from something we talked about to something my students actually do, start to finish. Thank you for making that possible.","fullyFundedDate":1778593024427,"projectUrl":"project/capture-the-moment-bringing-ideas-to-li/10258377/","projectTitle":"Capture the Moment: Bringing Ideas to Life","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Gloyd","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp466587_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1696092515873","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/gloydning"},{"teacherId":1907829,"projectId":10270508,"letterContent":"I am incredibly grateful to the donors who helped fund these supplies for my classroom. The portable chargers, classroom decorations, and graphing paper may seem like simple things, but they make a meaningful difference in creating a classroom that feels welcoming, organized, and inviting for my students.\r\n\r\nThe new decor helps make our classroom a space where students feel comfortable and excited to learn. The portable chargers ensure they can stay connected and ready to use technology when needed, while the graphing paper gives them the tools to organize their math notes and show their mathematical thinking clearly.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in our classroom and helping create an environment where my students feel supported, prepared, and excited to learn. Your generosity has helped make our classroom a more inviting place for every student who walks through the door.","fullyFundedDate":1779913309899,"projectUrl":"project/inviting-classroom-environment/10270508/","projectTitle":"Inviting Classroom Environment","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Chen","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1907829_orig.jpg?crop=413,413,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1758469858673","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/1907829"},{"teacherId":8402538,"projectId":10302611,"letterContent":"Thank you for giving my students the dictionaries that are transforming how they tackle challenging texts! From the moment the dictionaries arrived, students were flipping through them, testing out how quickly they could find tricky vocabulary words, and comparing definitions with each other. The Visual Dictionaries in particular have been a hit — students who sometimes struggle to connect an unfamiliar word to its meaning can now see it illustrated right there on the page, which has made a real difference for my English Learners and students who benefit from extra visual support.\r\n\r\nHaving physical dictionaries at every student's fingertips means no one has to wait for a shared classroom set or feel singled out for needing extra help — they can look up a word independently, right in the moment, without breaking their reading flow. We're heading into a unit on complex historical texts next, and I already know these dictionaries will be essential as students work through unfamiliar vocabulary and build the confidence to tackle grade-level material on their own. It's exactly the kind of scaffolding that helps my students stop seeing a hard word as a roadblock and start seeing it as something they can figure out.\r\n\r\nThank you again for making sure language is never a barrier to my students' learning. You've given them a tool they'll reach for all year long, and the independence that comes with it.","fullyFundedDate":1779897915785,"projectUrl":"project/dictionaries-for-diverse-learners/10302611/","projectTitle":"Dictionaries for Diverse Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Soffer","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8402538_orig.jpg?crop=1417,1417,x27,y227&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1649108380101","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/annasoffer"},{"teacherId":8402538,"projectId":10232086,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for restocking our classroom with the supplies that keep our workshop running! The toner and paper have already made a huge difference — my students are able to get printed readings in their hands and publish polished, finished versions of their writing instead of just seeing their work on a screen. We recently used the colored paper and watercolor supplies for a project bringing a scene from history to life visually, and it was wonderful to watch students who don't always feel confident as writers shine through their artwork instead. The organizational tools have also helped keep our classroom running smoothly, so less time gets lost hunting for materials and more time goes toward actual learning.\r\n\r\nSixth grade is a big transition for my students, and having a well-stocked, organized classroom helps them feel steady and supported through it. My students light up when they get to use fresh paper and real art supplies for a project — it's a small thing, but it tells them their work matters enough to be done well. Looking ahead, we're gearing up for a unit where students will illustrate and publish their own historical fiction narratives, and thanks to your donation, I know we'll have everything we need to see it through from first draft to final, printed copy.\r\n\r\nThank you again for making sure my students have what they need to create, write, and grow all year long. Your generosity keeps our classroom running as the thriving, creative space it's meant to be.","fullyFundedDate":1778042032420,"projectUrl":"project/supply-restock/10232086/","projectTitle":"Supply Restock","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Soffer","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8402538_orig.jpg?crop=1417,1417,x27,y227&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1649108380101","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/annasoffer"},{"teacherId":8402538,"projectId":10231053,"letterContent":"Thank you for helping build our classroom library with books that truly reflect who my students are! When the boxes of books arrived, the reaction was immediate — students crowded around, flipping through covers and calling out titles they recognized or wanted to grab first. A few of my Bengali students lit up when they saw Tales of India, and it sparked a great conversation about the folktales their own families tell at home. Meanwhile, the Adrian Mole collection and Treasure Hunters books have become the go-to choice for several of my boys who normally tell me they \"don't like reading\" — they're now asking when we have independent reading time so they can get back to their book.\r\n\r\nHaving books that act as both windows and mirrors has changed the energy in our classroom library. Students are more willing to try a book when they see themselves in it, and just as excited to explore a story from a culture different from their own. Our next step is starting book clubs, where small groups will read and discuss a title together and present their favorite parts to the class — I already have students asking to be grouped with friends so they can read Mexican WhiteBoy or the Adrian Mole series together. It's exactly the kind of peer-driven excitement about reading I was hoping this project would spark.\r\n\r\nThank you again for trusting me to build a library where every one of my students can find a story that feels like theirs. You've given them more than books — you've given them permission to see themselves as readers.","fullyFundedDate":1777940047899,"projectUrl":"project/books-for-our-classroom-library/10231053/","projectTitle":"Books for Our Classroom Library","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Soffer","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8402538_orig.jpg?crop=1417,1417,x27,y227&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1649108380101","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/annasoffer"},{"teacherId":8402538,"projectId":10206632,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for helping fund the deodorant, granola and protein bars, sunscreen, and hygiene wipes for my sixth-grade classroom! When the boxes arrived, my students were genuinely excited — several of them immediately noticed the deodorant and hygiene items and quietly thanked me, which told me just how much they'd been feeling that need. We've been keeping the granola and protein bars stocked in a basket at the back of the room, and it's become a normal part of our routine for students to grab one before a test or during a long stretch of independent work. I've noticed fewer students asking to \"just put my head down\" in the afternoons, which makes a real difference when we're working through challenging material.\r\n\r\nThese supplies have let me focus on what actually matters in my classroom: teaching. Instead of students being distracted by hunger or worrying about hygiene during a big growth stage in their lives, they're able to stay present and engaged. Our next step is diving into a persuasive writing unit where students will research and argue for a cause they care about — and honestly, several of them have already said they want to write about food insecurity or access to basic supplies, inspired by this very experience. It's a powerful full-circle moment to watch them turn something they received into something they want to advocate for.\r\n\r\nThank you again for seeing my students and trusting me to meet their needs. Your generosity gave them dignity, comfort, and one less thing to worry about — and that makes all the difference in a classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1779185209926,"projectUrl":"project/resources-for-hunger-personal-care/10206632/","projectTitle":"Resources for Hunger & Personal Care","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Soffer","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8402538_orig.jpg?crop=1417,1417,x27,y227&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1649108380101","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/annasoffer"},{"teacherId":103337,"projectId":10248284,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting this cross-program initiative. \r\nThe students will be building garden sculptures this year with the materials, and we are actively sifting our home-made compost into soil, and then will be planting veggies and flowers in our community garden.\r\n After the seeds are sown, the students will invent a Garden Gnome creature from their imaginations and from literature they are reading, and start the process of designing their gnomes, and then will begin collecting found objects to and non-recylable trash to make into sculptures that will oversee our plants as they grow. The students are very excited about this. \r\nThank you so much, \r\nMs. Williams and Ms. Aniko","fullyFundedDate":1777843370477,"projectUrl":"project/native-sculpture-garden/10248284/","projectTitle":"Native Sculpture Garden","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Williams","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp103337_272x272.png?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1471220894572","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/sonja-williams"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_7350","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":1464,"numTeachers":80,"percentFrplEligible":75,"percentAsian":14,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":17,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":60,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":4,"gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"18.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":87.5,"schoolId":7350,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Thomas Starr King Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Thomas Starr King Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/california/los-angeles-unified-school-district/thomas-starr-king-middle-school/7350"}