{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Hazleton Area Academy of Science","outOfStateSupporters":50.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":7243009,"projectId":10220515,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation of virtual reality headsets to our high school autistic support classroom. Your gift has opened a whole new world of learning and possibilities for our students.\r\nOur classroom is made up entirely of nonverbal students, and traditional methods of teaching life skills do not always provide the hands-on experiences our students need. Your donation has allowed us to bring those experiences directly into our classroom in a safe, engaging, and accessible way.\r\nThe virtual reality headsets have given our students opportunities to practice and explore important life skills that can otherwise be difficult to recreate at school. Through virtual experiences, our students can explore community settings, practice navigating everyday situations, experience different environments, and build familiarity with activities that support greater independence.\r\nOne of the most meaningful benefits has been the engagement we see from our students. The immersive nature of virtual reality captures their attention and encourages them to participate in learning in a way that traditional instruction sometimes cannot. Students who may have difficulty demonstrating their understanding through speech can communicate through their actions, choices, facial expressions, gestures, and other forms of communication.\r\nThe headsets have also helped us work on important skills such as making choices, following directions, tolerating new environments, waiting, problem-solving, and increasing independence. We can introduce students to experiences gradually and repeatedly, allowing them to become more comfortable with situations before encountering them in the real world.\r\nFor our students, learning isn't just about academics. It is about preparing for life beyond high school—learning how to navigate the community, make choices, communicate their needs, and participate as independently as possible. Your donation has given us another powerful tool to help make those goals more achievable.\r\nPerhaps most importantly, the virtual reality headsets have helped us create experiences where our students can explore a world that isn't always easy for them to access. They can try new things, experience unfamiliar places, and practice skills without the pressure or unpredictability of a real-world setting.\r\nYour generosity has made learning more engaging, more meaningful, and more accessible for our students. You didn't simply donate technology—you provided opportunities for our students to experience, explore, practice, and grow.\r\nThank you for believing in our students and investing in their futures. Your kindness is helping us prepare them not only for life after high school, but for a life filled with greater independence, confidence, and opportunity.","fullyFundedDate":1777562677633,"projectUrl":"project/from-practice-to-independence-virtual/10220515/","projectTitle":"“From Practice to Independence: Virtual Reality for Autism Support Students”","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Kane","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7243009"},{"teacherId":7243009,"projectId":10221138,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for your generous donation of the hydroponic fish tank to our high school autistic support classroom. Your gift has given our students an opportunity to experience something new, hands-on, and meaningful in our classroom.\r\nOur students are all nonverbal, so traditional classroom experiences do not always provide opportunities for them to easily communicate their interests, make choices, or demonstrate what they know. The hydroponic fish tank has created a unique way for our students to engage with their environment through observation, sensory experiences, routines, and hands-on learning.\r\nWhile we have not successfully grown anything YET, the tank has already had an impact far beyond what we initially expected. Our students have been able to participate in caring for the system, observe the tank, practice following routines, and experience the cause-and-effect relationship between their actions and the environment around them. For some students, simply observing changes in the water or checking on the tank has become a meaningful part of their day.\r\nThe tank has also provided opportunities for communication. Students can indicate preferences, make choices, and show interest through their individual forms of communication. We have seen curiosity, attention, anticipation, and engagement develop around the tank—all important skills for our students.\r\nMost importantly, your donation has given us a living classroom experience that we can continue building upon. We are learning right alongside our students about what plants need to grow, how the system works, and what it takes to maintain a healthy environment. The fact that we haven't grown anything successfully yet has actually made the experience more valuable: our students are learning that growth takes time, that things don't always work on the first try, and that we can keep trying.\r\nWe are excited to continue experimenting, learning, and hopefully celebrating our first successful harvest together!\r\nThank you for investing in our students and for giving them an experience that goes beyond a traditional classroom lesson. Your generosity has helped create opportunities for communication, independence, responsibility, sensory exploration, and discovery.\r\nWe may not have a harvest to show you just yet, but we are already seeing growth—in our students.","fullyFundedDate":1777499100664,"projectUrl":"project/here-fishy-fishy/10221138/","projectTitle":"Here Fishy, Fishy!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Kane","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7243009"},{"teacherId":7243009,"projectId":9895179,"letterContent":"The addition of our student run coffee cart has been a powerful one to both my individual classroom, and the school building as a whole, giving my students meaningful, real-world learning opportunities. Through operating the coffee cart, my students have been practicing functional academics like counting money, following schedules, and completing task sequences, while also building essential vocational and life skills. \r\nSpecifically, the donated cash register was a huge hit, as it is identical to something that my students may use in a real world setting. My students were thrilled to open all of the other donated supplies and to help decide their uses and where they would go with regard to the coffee cart. \r\nThe coffee cart also encourages communication and social interaction as students take orders, greet staff, and problem-solve in authentic situations. It has also promoted independence, responsibility, and confidence by allowing students to take pride in a job that contributes to the school community. Overall, the coffee cart has created an engaging, inclusive way for students to generalize skills beyond the classroom and prepare for future employment and adult life. This has also been a fantastic resource for bringing everyone in our building together!","fullyFundedDate":1763416617011,"projectUrl":"project/brewing-futures-a-skills-building-coff/9895179/","projectTitle":"“Brewing Futures: A Skills-Building Coffee Cart for Exceptional Learners”","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Kane","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/7243009"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_105269","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":469,"numTeachers":null,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":26,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":69,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":1,"gradesServed":"9 - 12","studentTeacherRatio":null,"demographicsDataSource":"MDR District Weighted Average","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":null},"inStateSupporters":50.0,"schoolId":105269,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Hazleton Area Academy of Science on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Hazleton Area Academy of Science","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/pennsylvania/hazleton-area-school-district/hazleton-area-academy-of-sciences/105269"}