Dr. Free-Ride's 2011 classroom drive.

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Our trip to the Challenger Center was a rousing success! The students were hesitant at first -- not being used to having such wonderful equipment and responsibility. But once things got rolling they really got into the experiments. There was a tense moment when we were "hit" by a meteoroid but luckily our life support people were able to save us. And when the probe got "fried" and the room filled with "smoke" they were concerned the mission might have to be canceled. That often happens when there isn't money for repairs or buying the best but again, the "astronauts" came through and the mission continued. I love this whole scene that Challenger has created. My students have never done anything like it and they were thrilled.

And if the accidents weren't enough, then the navigation team found the new comet. Such serious deliberation about changing the mission. I was so proud of these 7th graders to fully immerse themselves in the scenario and apply their classroom learning to a real life situation. Their curiosity and sense of adventure won out and we went after the new comet, named for our school.

I can only say thank you again and again and again for providing this experience for our children. Sometimes it is hard to impress a teenager but the Challenger adventure did just that and we owe it all to you.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Reeves

I can't begin to tell you what a wonderful trip my class had to the Audubon Society! The rich experiences we shared will be remembered for a lifetime. My class rode a school bus for the first time and, for most, it was the first time any of my students had been in a forest. We had an amazing walk in the woods, a hands-on workshop about owls, and the highlight of the trip... we got to meet Julio, "our" owl that we had raised money to sponsor! The rich learning experiences my students gained were immeasurable. Most of my students have never been out of the city, and to be surrounded by trees, and learn that they have different names and characteristics, has been so beneficial as we work through our district science curriculum unit about trees. They gained so much new knowledge about owls, even though we had been studying them for months, because the program was all hands-on and geared toward kindergarten. And, the pride and wonder my students felt at seeing "their" owl, close-up, and knowing that they themselves had a hand in "saving" her, was priceless.

There was absolutely no way that we could have ever taken this trip without the support we received from you for this project. I can not ever thank you enough for giving my students this amazing gift!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Golden

We just returned from the field trip to the North Park Nature to see the tapping of the Maple trees. We had a marvelous time walking along the trails to the Maple trees. As we walked, we saw five deer, many squirrels and a few raccoons. We also spotted bird's nest, bees and milkweed pods.

When we arrived near the Maple tree our guide explained the procedure of Maple tapping. All students received a turn drilling the drill and tasting the watery sap. When we returned to the Nature Center Shack, we tasted popcorn with Maple Syrup drizzled on top.

This was the best field trip that I have ever experienced. Thank you for your generous contribution. This class will talk about the tapping of the Maple trees for years to come.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Conner

I am very grateful on behalf of my students for your generous donations. Many of these students have never been to our local Science Museum. The students really enjoyed exploring, constructing planes and experimenting. Our students even showed some very young children how to do some of the activities. These students now have an experience to look back on that was very fun, positive, and academic. Thank you for supporting our school and our students.

I hope you continue to support science and our educational system.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Sarber

Thank you all so much for making this field trip a reality for my kids. I know they will enjoy this trip and it will be very educational. It's a wonderful feeling to have a project funded but an even greater and overwhelming emotion to know that so many donors care about our children's education. I recently became reacquainted with the 1985 hit "We Are The World" and now as an educator those lyrics really hit home for me as an educator and role model.

I shared the news of this field trip with my kids and they were extremely happy and excited about visiting the planetarium at UT Arlington. I know this will be a memorable experience for every single child.

Thank you again for all your support.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Covarrubias

portraits

I can't fully express my joy, excitement, and thanks for your donation to my project. I am glad that you also share the vision of bridging the arts and sciences so that students are able to create their own enduring understandings in the classroom.

The tools that you have funded will help to culminate in an amazing end-of-the-year campus-wide gallery walk consisting of gigantic portratis of cells and cell parts. Students will be able to take what they have learned, appreciate, and understand about cell biology (one of the more abstract concepts to teach in biology) and invite the community to be witness. This science art walk will make everyone think!

Thank you so much. I can't wait to introduce these tools to our students!”

With gratitude,

Ms. D.

I cannot say "thank you" enough! I am so excited to get these new materials for my classroom. The kids will really appreciate it! I look forward to enhancing their learning with these new tools!

To tell you a little about myself and my kids, first you must know that I am a Teach for America teacher, whose mission is to give a high quality education to students in low-income communities. I have just started my time here in Connecticut and I can already tell I am making a difference. The kids often complain that "this is too hard" or my favorite "we have homework AGAIN?! But Miss, it's FRIDAAY!" Other teachers in my school don't believe in giving homework over the weekends, or holding students to a high level of academic rigor and accountability, but I do. These students are so bright, and so creative. Their creativity is by necessity though, their school is not very well funded and many times the students don't have the materials they need to do projects or access the curriculum as well as their well-off peers in the suburban and private schools. My students are reminded on a daily basis of what they do and do not have, so your donations to fund this project will go a long way. You have done so much more than just give a little extra money, you have shown children in a low-income community that other people care about their education.

Thank you again!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Allen