{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Alger Middle School","outOfStateSupporters":42.2,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":7104838,"projectId":9037823,"letterContent":"Having The Hate U Give in our classroom offers us opportunities that other books might not. We can explore issues that face our community and country today while also exploring the broader elements of literature. We can engage in collegial discussion, debating real-world issues while honing our skills in argument structure and evidentiary support. We can also focus on literary elements like theme, point of view, character development and foreshadowing.\r\nWhen we read in our classroom, our students are excited to have real novels in hand. Normally, we would read excerpts from textbooks or stapled copies of printouts. However, right now the students each have a copy of a new novel. I project the pages on the front board and read aloud. We stop occasionally to focus on an example of the author's craft or a convention we covered in a previous unit. Other times, we will stop and discuss big plot points or issues that might be concerning to our students.\r\nMany of our students are excited about the new books. Given the opportunity to choose any topic they want for their final persuasive argument, some students are exploring the topics breached in the novel. Some are writing about gun violence, racial disparity, and equal justice. At minimum, students are exploring the question the book begs, \"When is it right to take a stand?\" by using their voice to ask questions that matter to them.\r\nWhile we have a curriculum that asks these questions, having these novels in our classroom has engaged them in ways I haven't seen from the textbooks. They are reading about issues that are happening right here in their community, about heroes that look and talk like them, and by writers who haven't been exhaustively studied in the American classroom of the past. They are engaged in learning about things that matter to them today, and we thank you.","fullyFundedDate":1738787467926,"projectUrl":"project/texts-and-tools-for-teens/9037823/","projectTitle":"Texts and Tools for Teens","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Grinwis","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7104838"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_31359","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":314,"numTeachers":20,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":1,"percentBlack":66,"percentWhite":7,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":17,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"15.7:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_MIDSIZE"},"inStateSupporters":57.8,"schoolId":31359,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Alger Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Alger Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/michigan/grand-rapids-public-school-district/alger-middle-school/31359"}
Join the 109 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Alger Middle School is
an urban public school
in Grand Rapids, Michigan that is part of Grand Rapids Public School District.
It serves 314 students
in grades 6 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 15.7:1.
Its teachers have had 25 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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
84%
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.
Alger Middle School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Dec 5, 2025
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.
Alger Middle School
$12,974
raised using DonorsChoose
25
projects
funded
12
teachers
funded
109
donors
1
project
for
basic supplies
3
projects for
technology
8
projects for
books
Alger Middle School has received support from
63 individuals from Michigan and
46 individuals out-of-state.