{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Samuel Powel Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":41.8,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":197630,"projectId":9050203,"letterContent":"Over the past month, each and every time a class walks into the STEAM room their eyes immediately go to the back corner. They want to know what new additions were made to the fish tank this week! Our new aquaponics system has stirred quite a bit of excitement - children and adults alike. For those of you that don't know, aquaponics is a system of aquaculture in which the waste produced by fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the water. In elementary school terms - the fish poop feeds the plants and the plants clean the water. \r\nThis process has been a learning experience for all of us. The aquarium and its plants will be fairly self sufficient once we get everything running properly, but we are not there yet. The plants are small and there are no fish yet because we are currently cycling the tank in order to create our biofilter (a colony of beneficial microbes which break down waste and transform them into safe and useful compounds that will be taken in by the plants). Students love testing pH and ammonia levels by matching the test water color to our color charts. We even learned about how a single piece of driftwood added to the tank can change the color of the water significantly - dark brown was quite a surprise! Now students are getting excited by the plants that are sprouting. Chives, basil, marigolds and lamb's ear are on their way and were chosen because of their unique smell, taste or feel. But, the biggest questions on every student's mind - when will we get the fish and what will we name them? Coming soon! Take a look at the attached photos to see what the students hope our system (and fish names) will look like in the future. \r\nThank you again for this wonderful experience!","fullyFundedDate":1737127142917,"projectUrl":"project/new-steam-classroom-aquaponics-system/9050203/","projectTitle":"New STEAM Classroom - Aquaponics System","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Chris","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp197630_orig.jpg?crop=916,916,x0,y82&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1736645564218","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/197630"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_90719","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":324,"numTeachers":18,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":4,"percentBlack":60,"percentWhite":25,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":4,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"K - 4","studentTeacherRatio":"18.0:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":58.2,"schoolId":90719,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Samuel Powel Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Samuel Powel Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/pennsylvania/philadelphia-city-school-district/samuel-powel-elementary-school/90719"}
Join the 337 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Samuel Powel Elementary School is
an urban public school
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that is part of Philadelphia City School District.
It serves 324 students
in grades K - 4 with a student/teacher ratio of 18.0:1.
Its teachers have had 133 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
68%
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.
Samuel Powel Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Dec 4, 2025
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Samuel Powel Elementary School
$51,571
raised using DonorsChoose
133
projects
funded
13
teachers
funded
337
donors
28
projects
for
basic supplies
21
projects for
technology
16
projects for
books
2
projects
for
art supplies
Samuel Powel Elementary School has received support from
196 individuals from Pennsylvania and
141 individuals out-of-state.