{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"PS M079 Horan School","outOfStateSupporters":45.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8692574,"projectId":9716700,"letterContent":"I am writing with heartfelt gratitude to thank you for your kind support of our DonorsChoose project. Thanks to you, our classroom was able to purchase the betta fish, a complete aquarium setup, and all of the supplies needed to care for our fish for an entire year. Your donation has had a meaningful and lasting impact on my students, far beyond what we initially imagined.\r\n\r\nI teach a high school life skills classroom serving students with autism and intellectual disabilities. Many of my students are nonverbal and benefit most from hands-on, meaningful, real-life learning experiences. The introduction of our classroom betta fish captured their attention and curiosity. For many students, this was their first experience observing and caring for a living creature on a daily basis.\r\n\r\nThrough this project, students learned about the betta fish's habitat, including water temperature, cleanliness, space, and enrichment needs. They explored basic science concepts such as living versus non-living things, animal needs, and cause-and-effect relationships. Lessons about feeding schedules, tank cleaning, and water changes became powerful opportunities to embed science instruction into our life skills curriculum in an accessible and concrete way.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, this project supported the development of essential activities of daily living skills. Students practiced following multi-step routines, such as preparing food, measuring appropriate amounts, washing hands before and after care tasks, and using tools safely. These routines helped reinforce responsibility, independence, and consistency—skills that are critical for success beyond the classroom.\r\n\r\nThe presence of the betta fish also had a profound effect on students' emotional regulation and social-emotional learning. Caring for the fish became a calming daily ritual. Students showed increased patience, gentleness, and empathy as they learned that their actions directly affected the well-being of another living being.\r\n\r\nThis project also fostered communication and engagement. Students used gestures, picture symbols, assistive communication devices, and eye gaze to make choices, answer questions, and participate in discussions related to the fish. Vocabulary such as \"fish,\" \"water,\" \"food,\" \"clean,\" and \"care\" became meaningful because it was tied to a real and motivating experience.\r\n\r\nYour generosity helped transform our classroom environment. The fish tank is not just a science project—it is a living part of our daily routine and a source of pride for the students. They take ownership in caring for the fish and often want to share their knowledge with peers and staff who visit our room.\r\n\r\nThank you for believing in our students and for supporting learning experiences that are inclusive, engaging, and deeply impactful. Your donation made it possible for my students to connect academics to real life, build independence, and experience the joy and responsibility of caring for another living being. We are truly grateful for your support and generosity.","fullyFundedDate":1762265288005,"projectUrl":"project/class-fishtank/9716700/","projectTitle":"Class Fishtank","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bruncaj","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8692574_orig.jpg?crop=433,433,x44,y576&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1708519703907","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8692574"},{"teacherId":9753471,"projectId":9559878,"letterContent":"My class and I greatly appreciate the generous donation of the huge globe and electronic cash register. I was blown away with the given opportunity for the student to actually feel the raised mountainous areas on the different continents on the globe. Awesome! It is a wonderful feature for my 6:1:1 moderate/severe population of students that have a need for manipulatives and the use of tactiles. \r\n\r\nThe students are continuously learning about being a smart shopper via budgeting and consumerism via our class store. We also learn about financial literacy from around the world and other Project Based Learning lessons that make having these tools great. Our class had the opportunity to take part in a Makers Market in the community selling refrigerator magnets made by the students themself. These wonderful donated tools will continue to be used in many future lessons and Adult Daily Living tasks to come. Thank you so much!","fullyFundedDate":1755521990395,"projectUrl":"project/financial-literacy/9559878/","projectTitle":"Financial Literacy","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Clark","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9753471_orig.jpg?crop=501,501,x0,y13&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1755705405276","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9753471"},{"teacherId":9729458,"projectId":8738594,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generous donations in allowing me to create a sensory area inside my classroom to help foster inclusivity. When my students feel overwhelmed, anxious or frustrated, they use the sensory space to take a break and self-regulate. It has become calming tool for them to simply unwind in their comfy seatings along with playing with the sensory toys to help reduce anxiety or agitation and regain their focus. \r\n\r\nWhen my students first saw their new sensory space, their reactions were likely mix of excitement, curiosity. My students were excited with the newness of the space, because the area was inviting, the students were excited at how comfortable the seatings were along with the fun elements that were included like the fight toys, calming lights, noise cancellation headphones, and weight blanket. They eagerly explored the area, touching everything, trying out different sensory tools and sharing their excitement with each other. \r\n\r\nAs a class our next steps is to seek donations to purchase equipments, including microphones, headphones, recording devices, editing software, and possibly a soundproofing setup for a recording area for our podcasting project.","fullyFundedDate":1733264140710,"projectUrl":"project/creating-a-sensory-area-to-fosters-inclu/8738594/","projectTitle":"Creating a Sensory Area to fosters Inclusivity","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Bailey","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-10_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9729458"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_172","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":1,"numTeachers":41,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":39,"percentWhite":3,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":56,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Not specified","studentTeacherRatio":".0:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":55.0,"schoolId":172,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about PS M079 Horan School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"PS M079 Horan School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/new-york/new-york-city-dept-of-ed/ps-79m-dr-edmund-horan/172"}
Join the 260 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
PS M079 Horan School is
an urban public school
in New York, New York that is part of New York City Dept Of Ed.
It serves students
in grades Not specified with a student/teacher ratio of .0:1.
Its teachers have had 65 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.
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.
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
95%
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.
PS M079 Horan School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Jan 30, 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.
PS M079 Horan School
$37,715
raised using DonorsChoose
65
projects
funded
28
teachers
funded
260
donors
5
projects
for
basic supplies
9
projects for
technology
3
projects for
books
4
projects
for
art supplies
PS M079 Horan School has received support from
143 individuals from New York and
117 individuals out-of-state.
