{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Waipahu High School","outOfStateSupporters":47.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":7937530,"projectId":9779843,"letterContent":"Mahalo for your generous donation, which has increased attendance at our after school tutoring sessions! The snacks purchased with this grant have allowed students to focus on learning, not their empty stomachs. The snacks will also be shared during our student translator internship, fueling students as they worked on projects like multilingual campus tour videos and bilingual audio books. \r\n\r\nThe majority of my students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and these snacks supplement their nutritional needs during long school days.","fullyFundedDate":1759537752827,"projectUrl":"project/tutoring-and-internship-snacks/9779843/","projectTitle":"Tutoring and Internship Snacks","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Brown","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7937530_orig.jpg?crop=1499,1499,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1759254753119","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7937530"},{"teacherId":9375414,"projectId":9781422,"letterContent":"On behalf of my 9th-grade Welding Foundations and 10th-grade Welding 1 students, I want to extend my sincerest thanks for funding our project, \"Skills Protected.\" Your contribution provided 16 MANUSAGE Panoramic View Auto-Darkening Welding Helmets, and they have fundamentally changed how my newest students approach the trade.\r\n\r\nIn the early stages of welding education, visibility is the biggest barrier to success. My 9th graders are currently learning the basics of SMAW (Stick welding) and striking an arc for the first time. The panoramic view is a game-changer for them; unlike traditional \"sugar scoop\" helmets that can feel claustrophobic, these helmets allow them to see their entire workspace. This extra peripheral vision helps them stay oriented in the booth, maintain a steady hand, and—most importantly—feel safe and confident as they handle high-heat equipment for the first time.\r\n\r\nJust recently, a 10th-grade student was struggling with her GMAW \"T-joint\" welds. She couldn't quite see where the wire was meeting the metal, which led to inconsistent weld beads. I had her swap her traditional helmet for one of the new, donated welding hoods. The moment she flipped it down and started her weld, she let out a muffled \"Whoa!\" from under the mask. Because of the clear, wide-angle view, she was able to see the \"puddle\" perfectly. She finished the pass with a bead that was night-and-day better than her previous attempts. That instant boost in confidence is exactly what keeps students engaged in the trades.\r\n\r\nThe day the boxes arrived was like Christmas morning. My 9th graders were wide-eyed; many of them didn't realize that welding technology had come this far. They were fascinated by the \"auto-darkening\" feature—watching the lens tint instantly when they walked near a bright light. One student mentioned that they felt like they were in a sci-fi movie. This \"cool factor\" is incredibly important for recruitment and retention in our program; it shows the students that their education is valued and that they are using the same high-quality gear used by professionals in the field.\r\n\r\nNow that our 9th and 10th graders are properly protected, we are moving into the \"Flat and Horizontal Position\" phase of our curriculum. My 10th graders are beginning to prepare for their first internal shop certifications, which require them to produce clean, defect-free welds on structural plate. These helmets will allow them to diagnose their own mistakes in real-time because they can actually see what is happening in the arc. You haven't just provided safety equipment; you've provided the clarity these students need to master a lifelong craft.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in these young welders at the very beginning of their journey.","fullyFundedDate":1759598825580,"projectUrl":"project/skills-protected/9781422/","projectTitle":"Skills Protected","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Sabado","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9375414"},{"teacherId":7934799,"projectId":9777825,"letterContent":"With the support of your donation of providing snacks for our after school tutoring, we have been able to build a warm and nurturing community for our multilingual students to come in regularly to get help for their classes. This has also helped our new students that have come from different countries to use the extended time to help them to develop their English skills. It has also helped students that have been absent frequently to use the time to make up their work. \r\n\r\nThe students are always very excited when they see the snacks since they are hungry. They are staying later and some of them don't eat lunch, so the snacks help to motivate and fuel their brain. I hope to continue this program with the snacks to make after school not only a time to continue their learning, but food always helps to motivate them.","fullyFundedDate":1759457634480,"projectUrl":"project/fueling-success-snacks-for-students-in/9777825/","projectTitle":"Fueling Success: Snacks for Students in After School Tutoring","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Murakami","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7934799_orig.jpg?crop=737,737,x0,y137&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1708048660416","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7934799"},{"teacherId":10248661,"projectId":9781850,"letterContent":"My students really utilized the social emotional learning supplies. The supplies helped them to focus and stay concentrated during tests and long working days. Students also utilized the toys to interact with each other and create a sense of stress relief while using the toys. \r\n\r\nAt first glance, students were very excited and they even rushed over to come pick them out. They proceeded to use them for every class, especially during testing and work days. \r\n\r\nStudents will be able to continue utilizing the social emotional learning supplies in order to promote class community, academic function, and as emotional relief.","fullyFundedDate":1760556463412,"projectUrl":"project/encouraging-self-directed-student-discus/9781850/","projectTitle":"Encouraging Self-Directed Student Discussion","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bayani","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10248661"},{"teacherId":10248661,"projectId":9763395,"letterContent":"Thank you for supporting my first year teacher classroom ! \r\n\r\nMy students are currently using these new resources to help them visualize their writing processes and the elements of their essays. All of my students were very shocked when I provided the resources because I had so many for them to choose from, especially the stationary items. \r\n\r\nThe next step for my students in the classroom is to complete a grand research project where they are going to give back to their community by exploring different issues in Hawai'i. All of the issues are being either promoted or supported by these students and they have received lots of supplies to do so thanks to this funded project.","fullyFundedDate":1758978459739,"projectUrl":"project/first-year-teacher/9763395/","projectTitle":"First Year Teacher","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bayani","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10248661"},{"teacherId":4350176,"projectId":9775438,"letterContent":"Thank you for your contribution to my classroom. The students did an excellent job with the labs. They worked hard, were highly engaged and asked great questions. The lab experiences were valuable to their learning.\r\n\r\nThey enjoyed the lactose lab and I combined it with making alginate balls. The students learned about how enzyme functioning can be altered by temperature, pH and concentration. They were able to ask their own experimental questions, design the experiment with the supplies you provided and conduct their experiments. The students liked how the alginate formed a polymer ball in the calcium chloride and hypothesized new ways to use this such as medication administration or innovative food creations. \r\n\r\nThe p51 lab also worked with enzymes. These enzymes glow at different intensities depending on the environmental conditions. This helped students to understand how fluorescence can be used in laboratory settings to collect data and as an indicator for the presence of proteins or functioning of proteins. \r\n\r\nOverall, the materials provided led to great learning experiences and students benefitted from being able to conduct the labs.","fullyFundedDate":1759428202981,"projectUrl":"project/chemicals-to-inspire-diagnostics/9775438/","projectTitle":"Chemicals to Inspire Diagnostics","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Cobbin","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-9_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/4350176"},{"teacherId":9128292,"projectId":9772119,"letterContent":"We extend our deepest gratitude to the Hawaii State Department of Education for their generous donation of tie-dye materials, which have profoundly impacted our students' learning. This project has not only allowed them to creatively express themselves through the vibrant art of tie-dye, but it has also provided invaluable opportunities to develop essential life skills, such as following multi-step instructions, enhancing fine motor coordination, and fostering teamwork.\r\n\r\nBecause of your support, we were able to seamlessly integrate hands-on, vocational learning into our Choose Love curriculum, creating a dynamic and engaging educational experience. The materials enabled us to transform abstract concepts into tangible, practical skills, resulting in increased student participation and a deeper understanding of the curriculum. The success of this project reinforces the importance of community support in empowering our students and enriching their educational journey.","fullyFundedDate":1759201167936,"projectUrl":"project/choose-love-with-ohana-of-excellence/9772119/","projectTitle":"Choose Love With Ohana of Excellence","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Hannah","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9128292_orig.jpg?crop=606,607,x0,y95&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692908354124","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9128292"},{"teacherId":435591,"projectId":9509168,"letterContent":"When our new sifters arrived, my students were immediately curious and excited to put them to use! We've been studying the life cycle of mealworms to better understand metamorphosis, decomposition, and sustainable food systems. The sifters have made it much easier for students to separate mealworms from beetles and larvae, allowing them to observe each stage of the life cycle closely without disturbing the colony. What once took considerable time and patience can now be done efficiently, giving students more time to focus on collecting data, recording observations, and asking deeper questions about the organisms' development.\r\n\r\nOne of my favorite classroom moments was watching students crowd around the containers, noticing how the beetles laid eggs and how new larvae began to emerge within days. Many were surprised by how quickly the cycle continued and began discussing how mealworms could be used in composting or even as an alternative protein source. The hands-on nature of this project truly brought science to life, students weren't just learning about metamorphosis, they were witnessing it happen right before their eyes.\r\n\r\nNext, my students will be designing mini experiments to test how different environmental factors (like temperature, light, or moisture) affect the growth and development of mealworms. These sifters will continue to be a vital part of our work, helping us maintain healthy colonies and gather accurate data. This project has sparked so much curiosity and appreciation for the interconnectedness of living systems, and it wouldn't have been possible without the generosity of our donors.","fullyFundedDate":1753859773468,"projectUrl":"project/life-cycle-of-a-meal-worm/9509168/","projectTitle":"Life Cycle of a Meal Worm","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Sherry Tenn","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp435591_orig.jpg?crop=716,716,x24,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753746266873","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/435591"},{"teacherId":8483522,"projectId":9166298,"letterContent":"We are absolutely thrilled to share the incredible impact of your generosity on our students through \"Igniting a Passion for Spanish Through Music & Culture.\" Thanks to your contributions, our classroom has been transformed into a vibrant and interactive space where students are truly immersing themselves in the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures.\r\n\r\nOur new resources, especially the diverse musical instruments and authentic cultural artifacts, have become central to our daily lessons. For instance, we recently completed a project where students researched different Latin American countries and then presented their findings through a combination of traditional dances, folk songs using our new instruments, and even a \"taste-testing\" of typical dishes. The highlight was definitely when students, initially shy, broke out their maracas and güiros and confidently performed a merengue rhythm they'd learned. Their faces lit up when they first saw the materials—there was an audible gasp of excitement! They immediately started exploring the instruments and asking questions about the origins of the different textiles and artwork. It's been incredibly rewarding to see their curiosity ignited and their understanding deepen beyond just grammar and vocabulary.\r\n\r\nYour support has given our students a truly authentic and engaging learning experience. Our next steps involve diving deeper into the rich history of Spanish-speaking countries through a collaborative storytelling project. Students will be creating their own short stories inspired by traditional folktales, incorporating the vocabulary and cultural nuances they've learned. We also plan to host a \"cultural fair\" at the end of the semester, inviting other classes to experience the music, art, and traditions we've explored. Thank you again for helping us ignite a passion for Spanish that will undoubtedly stay with our students for years to come!","fullyFundedDate":1742102699028,"projectUrl":"project/igniting-a-passion-for-spanish-through-m/9166298/","projectTitle":"Igniting a Passion for Spanish Through Music & Culture","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. (Profe) Garcia","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8483522_orig.jpg?crop=514,514,x741,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1692053082667","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8483522"},{"teacherId":8822510,"projectId":9158892,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support in funding our classroom project! The games, math manipulatives, and bookshelf you helped provide have made a difference for my English Learners.\r\n\r\nThese resources have transformed the classroom into a more engaging, supportive, and welcoming space. The students use the games not only to strengthen their math and language development but also as a way to relax and build confidence with peers who are also learning English as a second language. The bookshelf has been a perfect home for all these materials, helping us stay organized and ready to learn.\r\n\r\nOne resource that has been especially impactful is the phonics games. These have been incredibly helpful for students who are just beginning in their English language journey. In particular, one student who is learning to read in English has made wonderful progress using the phonics games as part of her daily routine.\r\n\r\nThank you again for believing in my students and supporting their growth in both math and language. Your generosity has truly made a lasting impact.","fullyFundedDate":1742171545297,"projectUrl":"project/shelf-full-of-knowledge-resources-for-m/9158892/","projectTitle":"Shelf Full of Knowledge: Resources for Multilingual Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Calvan","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-6_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8822510"},{"teacherId":9818126,"projectId":9161151,"letterContent":"Thank you so very much for investing in my students through this project. It has enhanced engagement even more than I initially envisioned! These supplies have elevated notetaking, conceptual understanding, and participation!\r\n\r\nNotetaking involved color-coding with highlighters to help with academic vocabulary and procedural acquisition. Students loved them! They were not willing to interact using colored pencils, but highlighters were a hit! Additionally, glue sticks, tape, and/or staplers were utilized to organize and reference our interactive math notebooks. \r\n\r\nCollaboration and practice involved small groups of 2-3 with various roles and tasks. The portable whiteboards, expos, magnetic erasers, and magnetic clips increased workstations in the classroom. Many students are afraid to make mistakes and it prevents them from getting started on problems. Working on whiteboards and using their favorite bullet point expos allow them to be open to mistakes with a quick swipe to erase and quickly get feedback. Students were much more likely to participate, willingly make and find errors, and communicate with peers. I was also able to reward students with fruit snacks for their growth! \r\n\r\nNext steps include exploring more real-world connections and cross-curricular integration in the classroom. I can't thank you enough!","fullyFundedDate":1741997779765,"projectUrl":"project/help-kickstart-a-new-math-classroom/9161151/","projectTitle":"Help Kickstart a \"New\" Math Classroom!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Takamori","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-4_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9818126"},{"teacherId":9656082,"projectId":9162715,"letterContent":"First off, I'd like to give a big mahalo to my donors again for helping me bring music into our classroom. My hope was to use music as a way to support language acquisition, help students feel more comfortable expressing their talents and skills, and ultimately build a stronger sense of classroom community.\r\n\r\nThe instruments arrived while I was out and a substitute was covering my class. I happened to be on campus and stopped by to grab something. When I walked in and saw the boxes, I decided to do a spontaneous unboxing in front of the students, who hadn't realized what had just been delivered. As I opened each box, the students started gathering around, moving their chairs closer to me. With each ʻukulele I pulled out, I handed it to a student, and right away they began tuning them and talking story about how the sound would settle in after a little playing. It was a great moment to remember.\r\n\r\nThe first project we used the ʻukulele for was learning a song that would be sung by all of my Hawaiian language classes at our End of Course Exam Lūʻau. During this event, students spend the entire day speaking and celebrating the Hawaiian language. In the middle of the day, we all gathered to sing \"ʻŌiwi Ē\" together. Students from different classes, voices joined by the music they helped bring to life.\r\n\r\nAnother incredible opportunity we had this year was partnering with Waipahū Elementary School for their May Day celebration. Eight of my students were excused from campus to attend the event during school hours. Three of them performed a song written years ago for our Hawaiian language classes and Hawaiian club. It is a song that honors Waipahū, our school, and our community. It was a full-circle moment.\r\n\r\nLooking ahead to next year, I plan to use these instruments from the very beginning. We'll introduce singing early on to help students feel comfortable and confident. When we cover the sounds of the Hawaiian alphabet, colors, numbers, and more. Music will be one of our key tools for learning and emotional growth. We requested three ʻukulele, and they've become something students naturally gravitate toward. I have students who come in during recess, lunch, or before class starts just to play. It brings them joy, and honestly, I love seeing it. Some even finish their work early just so they can play music and sing their favorite local and Hawaiian songs in the background.\r\n\r\nI'm so excited to welcome next year's students and see what new experiences these ʻukulele will continue to help create.","fullyFundedDate":1742015569385,"projectUrl":"project/keeping-hawaiian-language-aliveone-chor/9162715/","projectTitle":"Keeping Hawaiian Language Alive—One Chord at a Time","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Waiolama","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9656082"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_50819","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":2538,"numTeachers":157,"percentFrplEligible":51,"percentAsian":62,"percentBlack":0,"percentWhite":1,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":8,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"9 - 12","studentTeacherRatio":"16.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":52.2,"schoolId":50819,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Waipahu High School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Waipahu High School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/hawaii/leeward-oahu-school-district/waipahu-high-school/50819"}