Shady Grove Elementary School in Advance, North Carolina on DonorsChoose

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Providing students the opportunity to work through struggles (ex trying to connect an egg carton and cardboard with a hot glue gun that melts egg carton), helps them develop problem solving skills, perseverance when faced with challenges, and a confidence that they can do hard things. \r\n In recent years I have recognized the need to extend these experiences beyond the goal of working through struggles. Working with cardboard allows students to learn engineering principals (triangle is the strongest shape, you need surface area to connect two pieces or utilize and \"L\" brace). In the previous two years I have created strong lessons aligned to both the content standards in math as well as the Science and Engineering Practices recently identified in North Carolina. Although these lessons are strong and hit many of the goals, until now I haven't been able to ensure that the students can complete these within a reasonable amount of time. The biggest delay comes from the cutting of the materials. We have several kid safe tools that aren't efficient and lead to frustration with the TOOL not the project. I have used true box cutters and other tools that aren't safe for students. These all result in a project that takes way too long and a really tired teacher. :) \r\n With your generous donation from The DonorsChoose Community we have been gratious gifted with a Chomp Saw. This product allows students to SAFELY and EFFICIENTLY cut cardboard so that their time and energy lives in the engineering world and not in prep. We have also partner with our Career and Technical Education program at the high school to make connections to equipment and practices that they use that are similar to the ChompSaw. Because of your donation, students have been able to learn and use a saw that is safe AND exists within the real world of construction. Although the saw only reached students in my classroom this year, we are using ChompSaws this summer at our AIG STEM Camp where 5th and 6th Grade students from all over the county will build a city out of cardboard! Your impact will continue to grow. Thank you so much!","fullyFundedDate":1769994414736,"projectUrl":"project/stem-student-engineers-need-safe-tools-t/9792336/","projectTitle":"STEM Student Engineers Need Safe Tools to Create Big Ideas","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Caldwell","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp2729233_orig.jpg?crop=1294,1294,x0,y0&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1759694343538","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/2729233"},{"teacherId":9624100,"projectId":9936802,"letterContent":"My students were thrilled when the materials for our Life Cycle unit arrived. Their excitement was immediate—they eagerly asked to begin reading the books right away. I explained that we would dive into them once our Science unit officially began, which only heightened their anticipation.\r\n\r\nWhen the unit started, I introduced the book on butterflies and shared the butterfly pavilion we will use once the weather warms and our caterpillars arrive. We then explored the life cycles of ants and frogs, and I showed the class the ant farm we will be setting up—an announcement met with delighted excitement. Finally, we read about plant life cycles. I displayed the pots and seeds and explained that we will be planting them and observing their growth this spring. When I shared that the plants would become Mother's Day gifts, the classroom filled with joy and enthusiasm.\r\n\r\nWe are currently awaiting the arrival of our caterpillars and ants. The kits I purchased include certificates to receive the live specimens; however, they cannot be shipped until temperatures are warm enough to ensure safe delivery to North Carolina.\r\n\r\nIt is truly rewarding to watch my students engage in hands-on learning experiences. These opportunities make learning more meaningful and memorable. Thank you for helping make this enriching experience possible for my students.","fullyFundedDate":1764693858249,"projectUrl":"project/watching-students-blossom-through-litera/9936802/","projectTitle":"Watching Students Blossom Through Literature and Hands-on Science","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Hoelle","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-1_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9624100"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_2635","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":462,"numTeachers":35,"percentFrplEligible":27,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":4,"percentWhite":86,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":7,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":2,"gradesServed":"K - 5","studentTeacherRatio":"13.2:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":false,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_FRINGE"},"inStateSupporters":83.1,"schoolId":2635,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Shady Grove Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Shady Grove Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/north-carolina/davie-county-school-district/shady-grove-elementary-school/2635"}

About this school

Shady Grove Elementary School is a rural public school in Advance, North Carolina that is part of Davie County School District. It serves 462 students in grades K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 13.2:1. Its teachers have had 12 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Public School

Grades K - 5

462 Students

35 Teachers

3179 Cornatzer Rd

Advance, NC 27006 View local requests

http://www.davie.k12.nc.us/schools/shady-grove/

Direct, proactive support

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

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Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

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

Shady Grove Elementary School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Mrs. Caldwell

Mrs. Hoelle

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Shady Grove Elementary School Demographics

27%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

11%

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.

Shady Grove Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated May 29, 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.