{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Chute Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":23.7,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":5328294,"projectId":9851437,"letterContent":"This project has transformed the way students engage with learning, both during class and beyond the traditional school day. With the healthy snacks you funded and the improved visuals and media used in our lessons, students are more focused, more reflective, and more willing to lean into challenging ideas.\r\n\r\nYour support has made it possible to bring more visually rich and engaging content into our classroom, even without students directly using the iMac themselves. During lessons, students now interact with images, film clips, infographics, and modeled examples that help them see complex concepts instead of only hearing or reading about them, which is especially powerful for visual and multilingual learners. In our civics and social studies work, that means students can better analyze maps, political cartoons, media clips, and primary sources in ways that deepen their understanding and spark thoughtful discussion.\r\n\r\nThis project has also strengthened our movie club, where students watch and then break down scenes from films to explore how writers and directors use devices like symbolism, pacing, dialogue, and point of view. Rather than simply \"watching a movie,\" students are guided to pause, notice patterns, talk through what they see, and connect those moves to the same techniques they are expected to use in their own writing. This careful, discussion-based analysis is helping them transfer skills from the screen to the page, improving their narrative and argumentative work.\r\n\r\nWhat excites students most is that our classroom experiences feel more like a space for serious, creative analysis than just a place to take notes. They love having structured time to talk about the media they recognize from their own lives and then connect those stories to themes of power, identity, and community that we study in class. Students who were once hesitant to share are now more eager to contribute because they can respond to concrete images and scenes, which makes academic discussion feel more accessible and relevant.\r\n\r\nThe snacks you provided also play a crucial motivational role. Many students come to school hungry or tired, and knowing there will be something to eat helps them stay after school for movie club and fully participate in extended conversations. The snacks send a clear message that their time and thinking matter, and that our classroom is a welcoming, cared-for space where they can focus on learning without worrying quite as much about basic needs.\r\n\r\nSeveral students who previously struggled to stay engaged during traditional, text-heavy lessons have especially warmed to this new way of learning. One student who rarely participated in class discussions now consistently raises his hand during our movie-club conversations, offering observations about how a director's choices influence the audience's emotions and then connecting those ideas to our writing tasks. This shift has helped him see himself as insightful and capable, and his confidence carries over into other parts of the school day.\r\n\r\nAnother student who often felt overwhelmed by long readings has started to thrive when ideas are introduced through short media clips and visuals before returning to the text. She now helps classmates by explaining how a scene or image illustrates themes we are studying, and her written work has become more organized and detailed as she borrows the storytelling and structural techniques we discuss. Moments like these—students finding their voices, building confidence, and seeing themselves as thinkers—are a direct result of your generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1764696419476,"projectUrl":"project/fueling-learning-with-snacks-and-technol/9851437/","projectTitle":"Fueling Learning with Snacks and Technology","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Walk-Faust","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp5328294_orig.jpg?crop=719,719,x101,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1595742661493","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/5328294"},{"teacherId":2511341,"projectId":9293759,"letterContent":"Students love sitting in flexible seats with their friends and working on their iPad in class. Having flexible seats allows students a chance to move their legs, sit comfortably, and sit in different groupings around the room as they work on different types of projects with classmates or independently. When the new chairs arrived, students were so excited to see that they were brand new and easy to move to the desired height for comfort. Now students can sit on the floor with their iPads when we do a demo in the front of the class and it is easier for them to see and be engaged when they have a front row to the action. Flexible seating has helped build community as students are able to sit next to other classmates that do not regularly sit by them in class, and it allows for more flexibilty in groupwork and allowing students choice whether they like to sit in a regular chair or flexible seat.\r\nWe are grateful for the donations that made our new flexible seats possible!","fullyFundedDate":1746747221758,"projectUrl":"project/creating-in-comfort-flexible-seating-fo/9293759/","projectTitle":"Creating in Comfort: Flexible Seating for Media Arts","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Kushner","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2511341_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1578035422415","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/chutemediaarts"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_25781","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":564,"numTeachers":56,"percentFrplEligible":51,"percentAsian":5,"percentBlack":28,"percentWhite":27,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":31,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"10.1:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_SMALL"},"inStateSupporters":76.3,"schoolId":25781,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Chute Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Chute Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/evanston-skokie-cmty-csd-65/chute-middle-school/25781"}
Join the 198 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Chute Middle School is
an urban public school
in Evanston, Illinois that is part of Evanston-skokie Cmty Csd 65.
It serves 564 students
in grades 6 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 10.1:1.
Its teachers have had 55 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
Boost support for this school! Share this page with friends, family, alumni, and fellow supporters. Every connection helps teachers get the supplies they need and shows how much your community cares about its students.
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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.
of students receive free or reduced price lunch
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Source: the National Center for Education Statistics
64%
of students are Black, Latino, Native
American, or Asian
Data about school demographics comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. The numbers in this chart may not add up to 100% because of limitations in the available data.
Chute Middle School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Jan 15, 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.
Chute Middle School
$30,986
raised using DonorsChoose
55
projects
funded
21
teachers
funded
198
donors
4
projects
for
basic supplies
18
projects for
technology
5
projects for
books
1
project
for
art supplies
Chute Middle School has received support from
151 individuals from Illinois and
47 individuals out-of-state.
