Manistee Elementary School in Manistee, Michigan on DonorsChoose

{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Manistee Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":25.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":3606378,"projectId":9464620,"letterContent":"We cannot thank you enough for donating to our Book Vending Machine project. We received the vending machine just before the start of reading month. We began implementing our plan that allowed students to earn points toward getting a gold coin to spend in the book vending machine. They had to earn 100 points and could do so by participating and completing a variety of reading activities. \r\n\r\nThe excitement for reading that this generated was remarkable. One activity was to complete a reading log at home that documented 120 minutes of reading. We had been sending reading logs home all year, but once we implemented the program for the vending machine the number of students who were completing a reading log doubled. The third grade read a total of 20,000 minutes in the month of March and came in second place in the school, just behind the fifth graders. One of the third grade classrooms read the most minutes in the whole school for reading month. We had students reading and completing activities on a daily basis and they were more motivated to do their independent reading lessons. \r\n\r\nFinally, we gave students points for participating in reading lessons. This included listening, participating in discussions and working with small groups and partners. The engagement and focus during reading definitely improved because students knew they would earn a point for participation each day. \r\n\r\nBecause our goal is to have students be able to earn 2 or 3 books a year we wanted students to really have to work for the reward. They have stuck with it and this week we had our first 23 students earn books. We hope by the end of the year each student will get to choose a book from the book vending machine. Thank you again for your generous donation and support of our project.","fullyFundedDate":1765820946297,"projectUrl":"project/choose-your-own-adventure-book-vending-m/9464620/","projectTitle":"Choose Your Own Adventure Book Vending Machine","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Antal","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp3606378_orig.jpg?crop=883,883,x722,y12&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1753113305412","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/3606378"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_71115","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":270,"numTeachers":19,"percentFrplEligible":76,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":86,"percentIndigenous":1,"percentLatinx":4,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":6,"gradesServed":"3 - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"14.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"TOWN","ncesMetroType":"TOWN_REMOTE"},"inStateSupporters":75.0,"schoolId":71115,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Manistee Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Manistee Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/michigan/manistee-area-public-school-district/john-f-kennedy-school/71115"}

About this school

Manistee Elementary School is a town public school in Manistee, Michigan that is part of Manistee Area Public School District. It serves 270 students in grades 3 - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 14.2:1. Its teachers have had 3 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Supporting this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades 3 - 5

270 Students

19 Teachers

550 Maple Street

Manistee, MI 49660 View local requests

https://www.manisteemariners.org/kennedy/

Direct, proactive support

Empower teachers at Manistee Elementary School to request what their students need.

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

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

Manistee Elementary School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Mrs. Antal

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for public school teachers.

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.

See how DonorsChoose works

Manistee Elementary School Demographics

76%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

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.

Manistee Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Jun 2, 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.