{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Owen Scholastic Academy","outOfStateSupporters":30.1,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9571542,"projectId":9282430,"letterContent":"The introduction of the mini photo booth has been a resounding success, acting as a \"kindness magnet\" that has completely transformed our Social-Emotional Learning curriculum. By giving students a dedicated, playful space to document their positive actions, we have moved from simply discussing abstract virtues to celebrating them in real-time. Students no longer just \"hear\" about empathy; they are actively seeking out opportunities to perform acts of kindness so they can capture that moment of connection. This has empowered even my most reserved students to step into the spotlight, building their self-esteem and social confidence through a lens of positivity.\r\n\r\nThe impact of the Wall of Kindness on our school culture has been profound and visible. It has turned our hallway into a living gallery of our community's heart, where students, staff, and parents stop daily to reflect on the \"visual evidence\" of our shared values. This wall serves as a constant, vibrant reminder that every small act of support matters, creating a \"ripple effect\" of compassion throughout the building. By making kindness the most celebrated achievement in our school, we have seen a significant decrease in playground conflicts and a beautiful increase in peer-to-peer encouragement, proving that when you visualize goodness, you inspire more of it.","fullyFundedDate":1746653051276,"projectUrl":"project/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall-whose-the-kin/9282430/","projectTitle":"Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Whose the Kindness of All","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mixon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9571542_orig.jpg?crop=1284,1284,x0,y342&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755700220611","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-smixon"},{"teacherId":9571542,"projectId":9622077,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for providing our classroom with a wonderful variety of healthy snacks! In a 1st-grade classroom, energy levels are the engine that drives our learning, and your gift ensures that every student has the \"fuel\" they need to stay focused and happy. But these aren't just snacks to us—they have become some of our favorite reading tools! Because of your generosity, we have turned snack time into a daily literacy adventure.\r\n\r\nWe have been able to accomplish so much more than just filling tummies. My students are currently using these snack packages to practice their \"detective reading.\" We look at the labels together to identify sight words and practice our phonics. It is incredibly heartening to hear a student proudly sound out the \"ch\" in \"chips\" or the \"gr\" in \"granola.\" By connecting the sounds they learn in our reading lessons to the real-world items they hold in their hands, the \"science of reading\" becomes a delicious reality.","fullyFundedDate":1758202740124,"projectUrl":"project/motivation-in-every-bite/9622077/","projectTitle":"Motivation in Every Bite","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mixon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9571542_orig.jpg?crop=1284,1284,x0,y342&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755700220611","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-smixon"},{"teacherId":9571542,"projectId":9521194,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredibly generous gift of a Teachers Pay Teachers gift card! This resource has provided an immediate boost to our classroom by allowing me to access high-quality, educator-designed materials that target the specific needs of my students. The positive impact has been felt across every core subject: in Reading, I was able to download interactive \"Close Reading\" passages that turned boring texts into engaging mysteries; in Math, the \"Guided Math Stations\" provided hands-on practice that helped my struggling learners finally master complex fractions; and in Science, the digital mini \"Escape Rooms\" turned abstract concepts like the water cycle into an immersive, collaborative adventure. Your support has essentially given me a customized curriculum that keeps my students excited to learn every single day!","fullyFundedDate":1758202574227,"projectUrl":"project/teaching-treasures-unlocking-learning/9521194/","projectTitle":"Teaching Treasures: Unlocking Learning with TPT","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mixon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9571542_orig.jpg?crop=1284,1284,x0,y342&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755700220611","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-smixon"},{"teacherId":9571542,"projectId":9899370,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your delicious and generous donation of pretzels and snacks for our Geometry unit! My students were absolutely thrilled to \"play with their food\" in the name of math. By using pretzels as line segments and marshmallows and small snacks as vertices, we turned our classroom into a hands-on construction site. Your gift allowed students to physically build and manipulate 2D shapes and 3D solids, making the transition from a flat drawing on a page to a three-dimensional reality much more intuitive and fun.","fullyFundedDate":1764598859104,"projectUrl":"project/plane-ole-geometry/9899370/","projectTitle":"Plane \"OLE\" Geometry!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mixon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9571542_orig.jpg?crop=1284,1284,x0,y342&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755700220611","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-smixon"},{"teacherId":9571542,"projectId":8926412,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the wonderful kite materials! Watching my 1st graders' faces light up as they realized they were going to build their very own flying machines was a highlight of our school year. For many of these young learners, this was their first real introduction to the world of aviation and aerodynamics. Your gift turned our classroom into a mini-hangar where students weren't just playing—they were becoming \"Junior Engineers.\" They practiced following multi-step instructions, worked on their fine motor skills while handling the struts and sails, and learned the fundamental vocabulary of flight, such as lift, drag, and wind direction.","fullyFundedDate":1731110348668,"projectUrl":"project/operation-aviation-kites-for-kiddos/8926412/","projectTitle":"Operation Aviation: Kites for Kiddos","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Mixon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9571542_orig.jpg?crop=1284,1284,x0,y342&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755700220611","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-smixon"},{"teacherId":8321408,"projectId":9366104,"letterContent":"The Environmental Balloon project was a spectacular display of collaborative engineering and environmental advocacy. Using the specialized materials provided, students worked in small \"design firms\" to construct large-scale balloons that served as floating infographics. They had to negotiate space, delegate tasks—such as prep-work, assembly, and fact-checking—and physically stabilize the materials while others inscribed critical Earth Day facts across the surface. This project turned a lesson on atmospheric science and environmental statistics into a high-energy, hands-on team building event where every student's voice was literally written onto the project.","fullyFundedDate":1758202731568,"projectUrl":"project/climate-change-calloons/9366104/","projectTitle":"Climate Change Calloons","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Blackmon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8321408"},{"teacherId":8321408,"projectId":9618836,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for the Teachers Pay Teachers gift card! This resource has been an absolute game-changer for our STEM curriculum. In a field that evolves as fast as science and technology, having the ability to access high-quality, up-to-date materials created by fellow educators is invaluable. Your gift allowed me to move beyond standard textbooks and bring interactive, cutting-edge lessons directly into the hands of my students. Whether it was a digital \"Escape Room\" to master chemical equations or a complex engineering design challenge with guided student reflections, these resources provided the perfect balance of rigor and excitement.","fullyFundedDate":1758202575355,"projectUrl":"project/fueling-creativity-with-teachers-pay-tea/9618836/","projectTitle":"Fueling Creativity with Teachers Pay Teachers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Blackmon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8321408"},{"teacherId":8321408,"projectId":9626357,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation of healthy snacks for our middle school science lab! In the fast-paced environment of a STEM classroom, energy levels can fluctuate quickly, and your gift has provided the literal \"fuel\" my students need to keep their brains engaged. When the granola bars, crackers, and fruit snacks arrived, there was a collective sigh of relief from my students—many of whom come to class straight from a long bus ride or a high-energy gym period and simply need a nutritional \"reboot\" to stay on task.\r\n\r\nBecause of these resources, I have been able to accomplish a much more consistent and productive learning environment. Middle schoolers are in a stage of rapid physical growth, and hunger is often a major, yet silent, barrier to their concentration. By having these healthy options readily available, I was able to:\r\n\r\nInstead of students checking out during the last twenty minutes of a complex engineering build, they were able to grab a quick, nutrient-dense snack and power through their problem-solving.\r\n\r\nImprove Emotional Regulation: We know that \"hungry\" often leads to \"cranky.\" Having these snacks allowed us to maintain a much more positive and collaborative classroom culture, as students remained physically regulated and better equipped to work in teams.","fullyFundedDate":1757493098466,"projectUrl":"project/snack-attack-fighting-hunger-boosting/9626357/","projectTitle":"SNACK ATTACK: Fighting Hunger, Boosting Learning”","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Blackmon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8321408"},{"teacherId":8321408,"projectId":9316170,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity in providing our classroom with the photo booth tent and photography materials! This project has become the perfect bridge between STEM, SEL, and physical wellness, allowing our students to document their journey toward becoming balanced, empathetic innovators. By integrating the technical skills of photography with the emotional depth of Social-Emotional Learning, you have given my students a way to \"see\" the best versions of themselves and their community.\r\nThe photo booth tent has added a brilliant, engaging element to our curriculum by turning abstract values into real, memorable moments. We have been overwhelmed by the excitement as students step into the booth to capture \"Kindness in Action.\" These printed photos are now proudly displayed on our school's Wall of Kindness, serving as a vibrant, visual reminder of the good happening around us. This project has expanded beyond the classroom to include staff and even our parent community, creating a shared experience that reinforces our school's core values.","fullyFundedDate":1746706894059,"projectUrl":"project/a-booth-full-of-kindness-picture-the-ch/9316170/","projectTitle":"A Booth Full of Kindness, Picture the Change!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Blackmon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8321408"},{"teacherId":8321408,"projectId":9377294,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your incredible generosity in providing our classroom with high-quality yoga mats! These aren't just pieces of gym equipment; they are the physical foundation for our STEM+SEL fusion sessions. When the students first saw the mats being unboxed, there was a visible sense of relief and excitement. For many of our students, having a dedicated, comfortable space that belongs specifically to them during our \"calm-down\" time is a luxury they don't often experience. Your gift has officially transformed our classroom floor into a launchpad for both mindfulness and scientific discovery.\r\n\r\nThe impact of these mats on our daily routine has been profound. By providing a defined \"safe zone\" for each student, we have been able to deepen our integration of social-emotional learning into the rigors of STEM. During our silent headphone affirmation sessions and calming exercises, the mats provide the necessary physical boundary that helps middle schoolers feel secure and focused. We've noticed that after just ten minutes of yoga-inspired movement on these mats, students return to their complex engineering and math tasks with significantly higher levels of concentration and lower levels of frustration. You have helped us create a classroom culture where \"taking a beat\" is valued just as much as \"solving for X.\"","fullyFundedDate":1760705521235,"projectUrl":"project/zen-zone-stem-stretch/9377294/","projectTitle":"Zen Zone: STEM & Stretch","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Blackmon","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8321408"},{"teacherId":1034681,"projectId":9813193,"letterContent":"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your incredible generosity in helping us launch the Compassion Café. What began as an ambitious dream to teach my students about service has become a reality because of your support. The students were absolutely ecstatic when the materials arrived; seeing the professional equipment made them realize that their work in this café is \"the real deal.\" We were so overwhelmed by the enthusiasm that we actually had to implement a formal application process—every single student wanted to be a part of this mission!\r\n\r\nThe true heart of this project lies in the Compassion Notes that accompany every drink. Each beverage is served with a unique, handwritten message of encouragement from a student to the recipient. These notes have turned a simple caffeine fix into a powerful moment of human connection. I have watched students spend careful time crafting the perfect message, ensuring that whoever receives their drink feels genuinely valued and appreciated. This practice is teaching my students that while they may be serving a drink, their real product is empathy. It is a beautiful thing to see a middle schooler realize they have the power to change the trajectory of someone's entire day with just a few kind words.\r\n\r\nThe impact of these notes is already rippling far beyond the walls of our classroom, helping us build a stronger, more connected school community. In a world where students can often feel invisible, the Compassion Café ensures that everyone—from the hardworking janitorial staff to the stressed-out student—feels seen and supported. By taking on the roles of managers, baristas, and greeters, my students are not only developing vital leadership and collaboration skills, but they are also becoming the architects of a kinder school culture. Your contribution didn't just buy supplies; it provided the spark for a movement of kindness that our students will carry with them long after they leave my classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1761539599709,"projectUrl":"project/spreading-love-at-the-compassion-cafe/9813193/","projectTitle":"Spreading Love at the Compassion Cafe","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sims","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1034681_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1638159101896","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/science-sims"},{"teacherId":1034681,"projectId":9206094,"letterContent":"The Wall of Compassion has quickly become the heart of our school, serving as a vibrant, daily reminder that kindness is a choice we make together. It has been truly inspiring to watch students stop in the hallways, not just to admire the display, but to internalize the messages of empathy and support that your donation made possible. This project has succeeded primarily because it provides a visible, permanent anchor for social-emotional learning. Instead of kindness being an abstract concept discussed once a week, it is now a physical landmark in our building. Students see their own contributions and the affirmations of their peers highlighted in a way that validates their character, transforming a plain hallway into a sanctuary of positive reinforcement and school pride.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWith heartfelt thanks,","fullyFundedDate":1747335901346,"projectUrl":"project/sprinkling-magic-on-our-wall-of-kindnes/9206094/","projectTitle":"Sprinkling Magic on our \"WALL OF KINDNESS\"","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Sims","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp1034681_orig.jpg?crop=2316,2316,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1638159101896","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/science-sims"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_5299","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":272,"numTeachers":14,"percentFrplEligible":57,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":95,"percentWhite":0,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":4,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"19.4:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":69.9,"schoolId":5299,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Owen Scholastic Academy on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Owen Scholastic Academy","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/owen-schoololastic-academy/5299"}