{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Simeon Career Academy","outOfStateSupporters":31.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":618014,"projectId":9731561,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your support of my school project \"Create a Welcoming and Comfortable Therapy Space.\" \r\n\r\nOur new testing room has been transformed from an empty closet to a space where students can comfortably take assessments, receive various school based therapies, and have a space for a sensory break when things become overwhelming for them. We were able to provide basics like pens and pencils, along with some more soothing items, like some lovely plants to make the room more appealing.\r\n\r\nI deeply appreciate your support.","fullyFundedDate":1758803380040,"projectUrl":"project/create-a-welcoming-and-comfortable-thera/9731561/","projectTitle":"Create a Welcoming and Comfortable Therapy Space","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Taylor","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/618014"},{"teacherId":7116935,"projectId":9626900,"letterContent":"Thanks to your generosity, my students are experiencing a new level of excitement, engagement, and confidence in our Life Skills classroom. The TV you funded has already become one of our most powerful instructional tools. My students—many of whom are in our Cluster Significant Needs program and live with disabilities—thrive when they can see skills demonstrated visually. Now, when we work on daily living routines such as cooking, self-care, making safe choices, and problem-solving, the instructional videos bring these lessons to life in ways that printed materials alone never could.\r\n\r\nI wish you could have seen their faces the first time we turned the TV on and played a Life Skills video. My students sat up straighter, leaned in, and immediately began naming the items and steps they recognized from the book series. Several students who typically struggle with attention were pointing to the screen, asking questions, and following along with the modeled routines. It was one of those moments that reminded me how small supports can open big doors. The visual modeling helps them better understand abstract concepts, and many of them have already started applying the steps more independently during our hands-on practice.\r\n\r\nThis TV has also helped us create a classroom environment that feels warm, calm, and supportive. Many of my students do not have access to a TV or DVD player at home, which limits how much they can practice these skills outside of school. By bringing this resource into our classroom, you've created an equitable learning space where every student can see the lessons clearly, participate fully, and feel successful. We pair the TV with our new rug and lamp to make our room feel like a comfortable, welcoming place to learn—and my students notice the difference. They often comment on how \"cozy\" or \"homey\" the space feels, which makes a huge impact on their ability to stay focused and relaxed during instruction.\r\n\r\nYour support is helping us prepare students not just to learn life skills but to live them. The independence, pride, and joy I see in my classroom every day is a direct reflection of the opportunity you gave them. Thank you for believing in their potential and for making their learning environment a place where they can grow, feel confident, and build the skills they need for their futures.","fullyFundedDate":1755735729580,"projectUrl":"project/see-it-learn-it-a-tv-for-life-skills/9626900/","projectTitle":"See It, Learn It: A TV for Life Skills","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Murray","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7116935_orig.jpg?crop=633,633,x6,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1673371018765","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7116935"},{"teacherId":10171698,"projectId":9580624,"letterContent":"Thanks to your support, my students are absolutely loving these books! Before we even opened the novel, we jumped into a set of nine real-world articles that connect directly to the story's big themes. For example, students read a New York Times opinion piece about whether people should have to opt out of organ donation, an NPR article asking if teens should be allowed to refuse medical treatment, and a PBS piece on whether the death penalty can ever truly be fair. Each article sparked rich conversation about ethics, personal freedom, and society's role in decision-making.\r\n\r\nTo make it hands-on, students worked in groups to research their assigned article, answer guiding questions, and create posters to display around the room. Walking through the posters turned our classroom into a mini-gallery of debates and ideas. I loved hearing students compare notes and even push back against one another's arguments. It felt like a college seminar! The best part was watching students who don't always like reading get fully engaged, because the issues felt real and connected to their own lives.\r\n\r\nNow that we've started the novel, those conversations are paying off. Students are spotting connections between the fictional world and the real-world dilemmas they already explored. One student was so hooked that he finished the entire book in just one weekend. He expressed that he just couldn't put it down! Moments like that remind me how powerful reading can be when students have the right resources in front of them.\r\n\r\nThank you again for making this possible. Your generosity has given my students not just books, but also meaningful opportunities to think critically, debate respectfully, and see themselves as part of bigger conversations.","fullyFundedDate":1755712413329,"projectUrl":"project/high-interest-novels-to-inspire-lifelong/9580624/","projectTitle":"High-Interest Novels to Inspire Lifelong Readers","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Healy","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10171698_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755117868267","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10171698"},{"teacherId":7116935,"projectId":9097817,"letterContent":"Thank you so very much for supplying my classroom with much needed art and craft materials to help my students be creative. Students are using the materials that you donated to them express their creativity. We have completed several projects using these donated materials this spring. For example, students used the art supply kits that you donated to make a salute to the 2025 graduates to add positivity to our school building. Students used the construction paper and glitter to create stars and flesh tone silhouette of the graduates posed as though they are reaching for the stars. These materials that you donated will continue to bring light and happiness within the hallways of our school building. \r\nYou donation has given students the opportunity to be free and creative. One my students told me that they love art because they don't have to be labeled; they can just let go and bring their imagination to life. Many of my students are dealing with an overload of stress in their daily lives. The fact that they can come into a warm, inviting, and encouraging environment where they are encouraged makes life less hard. Thank you so much, every and every one of you, for stepping in to help students who need more opportunities to be happy, excited, safe, and most of all, creative. Thank you, thank you ,thank you!!","fullyFundedDate":1740060067481,"projectUrl":"project/classroom-supplies-for-diverse-learners/9097817/","projectTitle":"Classroom Supplies For Diverse Learners","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Murray","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7116935_orig.jpg?crop=633,633,x6,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1673371018765","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7116935"},{"teacherId":7116935,"projectId":8809691,"letterContent":"Thank you so very much for supplying my classroom with much needed financial literacy workbooks and manipulatives to help my students who have significant cognitive disabilities learn more about money. Students who are visual and hands on learners are using these tools to understand how to use money as they transition to independence. These resources are critical for them to learn on a daily basis. We are also using the financial literacy tools with parents so that students can get the additional help and support that they need at home. We are using these tools in our after school program for tutoring; students are retaining so much more information because of the visuals in the workbooks and the hand on experience with the manipulatives. Students are very happy because these tools make learning fun which helps them to continue to be invested in coming to school everyday to learn. \r\n\r\nYour donation is a resource that is helping many students learn. Many of my students are dealing with an overload of stress in their daily lives. The fact that they can come into a warm, inviting, and encouraging environment where they are encouraged to learn, grow, and work towards their goals make life less hard. Thank you so much, each and every one of you, for stepping in to help students get more resources to learn. Thank you, thank you ,thank you!!","fullyFundedDate":1736029564858,"projectUrl":"project/help-diverse-learners-become-responsible/8809691/","projectTitle":"Help Diverse Learners Become Responsible Earners!","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Murray","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7116935_orig.jpg?crop=633,633,x6,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1673371018765","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7116935"},{"teacherId":14291,"projectId":8653819,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generous support of materials to furnish our Sensory Space. I support students with educational and medical disabilities. This Sensory Space provides a calming environment for my students to build emotional regulation skills. My students really love spending time in the space and calming their big emotions. As an added bonus, the students have taken on the responsibility of keeping their space clean, and today; it has been providing life skill-building as well. Our space would not be a comfortable place for my students without your generous support. Thank you again for donating to our project!","fullyFundedDate":1726795057306,"projectUrl":"project/keeping-cool-calm-and-collected/8653819/","projectTitle":"Keeping Cool, Calm, and Collected","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. B.","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp14291_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1570119205295","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/14291"},{"teacherId":14291,"projectId":8584074,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous support of our program. Your thoughtful donation helps to restock the needed supplies for our Care Closet. I support students with educational and medical disabilities at our school The Care Closet is a place where they can have needed school supplies, hygiene and toiletry items, and healthy snacks. All of these tools help my vulnerable students take care of their basic needs so they are better able to focus on their learning. \r\n\r\nI am so grateful to have your support so that I can keep providing these essentials to my students. I know they are better able to focus on learning when they are not hungry or missing valuable learning tools. Thanks again for your support!","fullyFundedDate":1723636624409,"projectUrl":"project/equipped-for-access-and-excellence/8584074/","projectTitle":"Equipped for Access and Excellence","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. B.","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp14291_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1570119205295","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/14291"},{"teacherId":8718503,"projectId":8700925,"letterContent":"I want to take the opportunity again to thank you for your generous donation to my classroom! It truly means the world to my students and I. Your donation has helped enhance my students' learning experiences as we've covered everything from Greek mythology to investigative journalism to surrealism. \r\n\r\nMany of the materials I received from this project were geared towards helping students improve their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. The guided reading strips are our most used items, but other highlights from the project include the first aid kit, classroom décor that students helped put up, new speakers that adequately project sound throughout my classroom, and the menstrual kits that I am always refilling. While individually these items seem mundane, they have helped me foster a positive and welcoming learning environment for every student that walks through my door. \r\n\r\nAs I reflect on the school year thus far, I could not be more grateful to have such an exuberant and passionate group of students who truly make me excited to come to work. With your support, I'm able to give my students the education they deserve and continue to be the teacher they know me to be. \r\n\r\nI wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in my students and me.","fullyFundedDate":1726674201143,"projectUrl":"project/empowering-resilient-voices-resources-f/8700925/","projectTitle":"Empowering Resilient Voices: Resources for a Diverse and Inclusive Classroom","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Peters","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8718503_orig.jpg?crop=404,404,x68,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1675868984772","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8718503"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_5791","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":1067,"numTeachers":66,"percentFrplEligible":91,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":98,"percentWhite":0,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":1,"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":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":69.0,"schoolId":5791,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Simeon Career Academy on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Simeon Career Academy","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/simeon-career-academy/5791"}