Upper Dauphin Middle School in Lykens, Pennsylvania on DonorsChoose

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Again, new titles with current and relevant topics can help catch a student's attention and make them enjoy reading!","fullyFundedDate":1742915011063,"projectUrl":"project/updated-class-library/9124669/","projectTitle":"Updated Class Library","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Wallisch","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9777043"},{"teacherId":9778267,"projectId":8876678,"letterContent":"I want to express my gratitude for your donation of grief journals for students who will participate in grief support small groups in my middle school this spring. While the groups are still forming, and are scheduled to begin soon, having a tangible way to provide grieving students an outlet for exploring their grief is incredibly valuable.\r\n\r\nWe have students signed up who have lost siblings, grandparents, and even parents. We will join together several times in the coming weeks to provide students with a way to connect to others who have been in their shoes, and participate in creative projects designed to help them understand their grief and express their feelings related to their loss.\r\n\r\nI am truly appreciative of your generosity in providing them with these materials. It is so valuable for our students to know that people care and want to provide for them. Thank you so much.","fullyFundedDate":1730733502942,"projectUrl":"project/grief-journals-for-middle-schoolers/8876678/","projectTitle":"Grief Journals For Middle Schoolers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Maldonado","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9778267_orig.jpg?crop=200,200,x0,y10&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1727354698559","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9778267"},{"teacherId":9777043,"projectId":9001149,"letterContent":"My students have not yet been able to use the yoga materials that your donations so generously provided to me because I was planning ahead for our club period next school year. \r\nThe students that I have spoken with about the yoga club have been very excited at the idea! I did have my small group of character education students try the mats out for fun during one of our weekly meetings. \r\nI look forward to utilizing them for the 2025-26 school year and promoting both mental and physical health for my middle school students!","fullyFundedDate":1734711752776,"projectUrl":"project/yoga-for-mental-health/9001149/","projectTitle":"Yoga for Mental Health","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Wallisch","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9777043"},{"teacherId":9777043,"projectId":8942008,"letterContent":"Thank you for your generous donation towards my project for new books for my classroom library. I have moved from fifth to seventh grade five years ago, and have been working to update my classroom library with more age appropriate books since then. Your donation has helped me to add to my library!\r\nI also use the books for monthly \"book tastings\" where students choose 7-8 books to \"taste\" by reading the book summary and exploring the book for a few minutes. It is my hope that I will get more students interested in books and willing to read more independently.\r\nSince the pandemic, I have noticed that more students are resistant to independent reading. I want to add more books to my library that appeal to more student interests.","fullyFundedDate":1734711751989,"projectUrl":"project/new-books-to-build-a-classroom-library-t/8942008/","projectTitle":"New Books to Build a Classroom Library that Represents All","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Wallisch","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9777043"},{"teacherId":9777043,"projectId":8818788,"letterContent":"Thank you again for your generous donation that allowed me to add books to my classroom library. I moved to 7th grade from 5th grade a few years ago and have been trying to update my library to include more age appropriate books for more advanced readers. I also want to include new and relevant books for students so that they feel inspired to read about current topics and explore new titles by promising authors. \r\nIn my classroom, students are welcome to check books out of my library at any time to read for pleasure. I also use monthly \"book tastings\" to introduce new books to students. For these tasting activities, I gather approximately 20 books that fit under a certain category (the one for January is a cozy winter theme), and students complete an assignment that requires them to \"taste\" or read the book summary for five books. The hope is that students will gain interest in books they may not have been exposed to otherwise, and they may want to actually read the book in its entirety. I do not always have copies of each book for the tasting, but I try to gather what I can from various resources in my building as well as the public library. I also have links to the books so students can digitally access the ones that I do not have in hard copy. \r\nYour donation has allowed me to increase the number of books that I am able to have available in hard copy, which I feel is the best way to spark interest for students to read!","fullyFundedDate":1730733497158,"projectUrl":"project/book-club/8818788/","projectTitle":"Book Club","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Wallisch","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-2_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9777043"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_40751","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":302,"numTeachers":23,"percentFrplEligible":53,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":89,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":4,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"5 - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"13.1:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"RURAL_DISTANT"},"inStateSupporters":0.0,"schoolId":40751,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Upper Dauphin Middle School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Upper Dauphin Middle School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/pennsylvania/upper-dauphin-area-school-district/upper-dauphin-middle-school/40751"}

About this school

Upper Dauphin Middle School is a rural public school in Lykens, Pennsylvania that is part of Upper Dauphin Area School District. It serves 302 students in grades 5 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 13.1:1. Its teachers have had 6 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades 5 - 8

302 Students

23 Teachers

5668 State Route 209

Lykens, PA 17048 View local requests

http://www.udasd.org/middle-school

Evidence-based impact

Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.¹

Give to this school

Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

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

Upper Dauphin Middle School Teachers 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.

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Upper Dauphin Middle School Demographics

53%

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.

Upper Dauphin Middle School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 2025

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.