John F Kennedy Middle School in Plainfield, Illinois on DonorsChoose

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Most recently, students were excited to vote on Who Will Win the Super Bowl and challenge each other to Rock, Paper, Scissors. What started as a quick activity often turned into extended peer interaction.\r\n\r\nWhen students first saw the cart, their reactions were immediate and enthusiastic. They were curious, excited, and eager to participate. Many students who are usually hesitant to initiate conversation felt more comfortable engaging when the prompt was right in front of them. The cart gave them confidence and a clear purpose for interacting with others.\r\n\r\nThanks to this project, our hallways are no longer just a place to pass through—they've become a place where students feel seen, heard, and connected.","fullyFundedDate":1767983966808,"projectUrl":"project/hallway-huddles-building-bonds-between/9972669/","projectTitle":"Hallway Huddles: Building Bonds Between Bells","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Lang","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10048386_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1751069521909","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/mrs-lang42518"},{"teacherId":485047,"projectId":9806450,"letterContent":"There are not enough words to describe the impact this conversation cart has had on the entire school! I teach 7th and 8th grade Language Arts but my hallway sees all grade levels - there are some teachers in my hallway who teach 6th grade and 8th grade math. So I originally said this project will impact about 140 students but in reality, around 300 students have benefited! \r\n\r\nOn the first day of the conversation cart, I plopped myself right smack in the middle of the hallway. So students couldn't help but stop and look at what I was doing. At first, some just looked at me in confusion. But as others stopped to talk and read the board, others would stop too. Positive peer pressure, right?! My first topic was \"Would you rather have coffee or hot chocolate?\" As you can probably guess, most middle schoolers chose hot chocolate. But then some would choose coffee and the respectful chatting would take off! JACKPOT! They were chatting with their friends and even with other students they didn't know! Teachers joined in! They loved taking one of the puff balls to drop their vote into the labeled jar. So simple but they loved it! The next day, I was sure to record our results on a dry erase board in the hallway. \r\n\r\nSince this first day, I've been often asked \"When is our next conversation cart?\". I've also been able to interact with students who I don't personally know. I've just made connections with them through the conversation cart. And how awesome is this?! Middle schoolers struggle with these connections and they are so important!\r\n\r\nGuess what? Now more teachers want to make a conversation cart! My classroom is downstairs. This week, an upstairs teacher talked to me about making an upstairs cart! AMAZING! I love it! Let's keep these students chatting, debating, and just making positive interactions with each other as much as possible. \r\n\r\nWhere am I going with the conversation cart from here? Oh I've got big plans! I currently have a \"Part 2\" project posted with more materials for the cart. I follow a fellow teacher on Tiktok who has just flooded me with inspiration. I want to have a dry erase board standing in the hallway where students can write ideas and answers to the questions. We've only just begun!","fullyFundedDate":1762267724990,"projectUrl":"project/lets-get-chatty-practicing-social-skil/9806450/","projectTitle":"Let's Get Chatty! Practicing Social Skills During Passing Periods","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Carlisle","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp485047_orig.jpg?crop=1713,1713,x534,y1421&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1649183450654","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jcarlisle"},{"teacherId":485047,"projectId":9359782,"letterContent":"We are having the most fun watching our featherly friends! It's been so amazing to see the different kinds of birds come to our feeder! \r\n\r\nOur school has a large field behind it. We have the feeder set up on the back corner of the building, right next to a tree. Our thought was that the birds would come from the tree to our feeder. Well, we've been waiting a long time! I read online that it could take months for birds to find a new feeder. I talked to some local bird experts, and they suggested I buy some bird seed that is specifically made for birds in the Midwest region. Well, imagine my excitement later that day when I sat at my desk and heard chirping! Sure enough, I checked my camera and they were they were! The very next morning, I was just giddy to show the students! Now they ask me each day to show them our \"moments\" from the camera. \r\n\r\nI cannot thank you enough for giving our students this unique opportunity. It's experiences like this that help motivate young learners and encourage them each and every day.","fullyFundedDate":1747610208747,"projectUrl":"project/for-the-birds-and-readers/9359782/","projectTitle":"For the Birds (and Readers)","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Carlisle","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp485047_orig.jpg?crop=1713,1713,x534,y1421&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1649183450654","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jcarlisle"},{"teacherId":485047,"projectId":9124366,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. Last year, I brought in a few decks of cards to share with students. Well, at the beginning of this year, I have some of those same students in my class. And guess what? They remembered those couple of fun Fridays we had! Imagine the excitement when I told them that I have more card games to share with them this year! All thanks to you!\r\n\r\nSince then, they've been asking me every few days to schedule our first game Friday. Well, today was the day and the excitement was off the charts! Laptops are tossed aside (carefully of course!) and students are laughing and having fun together! They are taking turns, teaching each other, and just having fun! Success!\r\n\r\nThank you for bringing the good ol' fun back! We're loving every minute of it!","fullyFundedDate":1746832835988,"projectUrl":"project/bringing-the-good-ol-games-to-a-new-gen/9124366/","projectTitle":"Bringing The Good Ol' Games To A New Generation","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Carlisle","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp485047_orig.jpg?crop=1713,1713,x534,y1421&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1649183450654","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/jcarlisle"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_94492","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":927,"numTeachers":64,"percentFrplEligible":35,"percentAsian":15,"percentBlack":17,"percentWhite":36,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":22,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"14.5:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":78.9,"schoolId":94492,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about John F Kennedy Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"John F Kennedy Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/plainfield-consolidated-school-district-202/john-f-kennedy-middle-school/94492"}

About this school

John F Kennedy Middle School is a suburban public school in Plainfield, Illinois that is part of Plainfield Consolidated School District 202. It serves 927 students in grades 6 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 14.5:1. Its teachers have had 10 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Public School

Grades 6 - 8

927 Students

64 Teachers

12350 Essington Rd

Plainfield, IL 60585 View local requests

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Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

John F Kennedy Middle School Teachers on DonorsChoose

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John F Kennedy Middle School Demographics

35%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

54%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

John F Kennedy Middle School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Feb 19, 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.