Past projects 8
Sketchbooks as Memory Keepers
Funded Dec 6, 2024I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for your generous support and donation to my art classroom. Thanks to your kindness, my students will now have sketchbooks and pencils that allow them to bring their thoughts and ideas to life on unruled pages. These tools will make a profound difference in their ability to express themselves creatively.
Before your donation, many of my students were limited to using ruled notebooks for their sketches and ideas. The transformation that these unruled sketchbooks will bring is remarkable. The freedom of a blank page will ignite their imaginations and give them a new sense of artistic confidence. It is truly inspiring to see how much they enjoy creating—so much so that many of them now choose to spend their lunch breaks sitting together to draw and color. These moments of shared creativity have not only fostered their artistic growth but also strengthened their sense of community. It brings a smile to my face and gratitude for them as my students and their love of art making.
As a public-school teacher, I deeply value the role of organizations like DonorsChoose in supporting education. Your commitment to enriching students' learning experiences and empowering teachers is invaluable. Your generosity gives my students the tools they need to dream, create, and grow, and for that, I am profoundly grateful.
Thank you for believing in the power of public education and for making a lasting impact on the lives of my students. Your support means the world to us.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rodrigues
A Rainbow of Possibilities
Funded Feb 3, 2023A Rainbow of Possibilities that is who my students are! They are all unique with wonderful ideas to express about themselves and their world. When I told them about the new supplies and showed them the pristine watercolor palette with rows of bright colors, it inspired them to create. Every student that used these new paints was excited to express themselves and try out their hand at color theory. The grade level and projects were different; however, each student tried their best to master the art of color washes to create a project that reflected personal identity and the illusion of texture. Engagement increased dramatically because my students felt appreciated by individuals like you who cared about them. I believe they felt special.
The projects were fun and went like this. Sixth graders created a painting that had surface texture. Most of them went with an seasonal-Easter theme; creating the cutest bunnies! Seventh and eighth graders represented themselves with "One Word" that uniquely demonstrated a positive character trait. On a piece of paper, they wrote the word and then drew symbols to represent a positive trait. Finally, they painted with the "much-coveted" bright watercolors! The room was silent and everyone was engaged. Painting always results in fantastic focused artists. The projects were enjoyed by students, and they were invested in working towards the final product!
Thank you for making it possible for my students to create without boundaries. My students and I appreciate your generosity and your help in giving young people greater opportunities in education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rodrigues
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and one other donor.Project Runway and Passion for Fashion
Funded Feb 15, 2022I teach middle-school art in an inner city district. There are many challenges in education today and one of them is the supply budget. Having the right materials can make a big difference and impact on a my student's opportunities in learning. Your donation has made all of us happy, put a smile on our faces and school a more exciting place to be in - everyday.
One of the classes I teach is called "Project Runway" and runs like the reality show on television, only without the extravagant budget! Hence, your donation has made a huge difference on the materials we have to use and helped to motivate my students to create. My students arrive to class inspired to make their ideas come to life. They first sketch their fashion designs on a piece of paper. Then begin using recycled materials such as grocery bags and newspapers. However, the excitement increases when they start to use the materials you donated! It is fun to make design choices, handle, cut, tape and drape the plastic tablecloths on the mannequins. They can imagine and then see how a simple plastic tablecloth can be transformed into a beautiful evening gown! It is an innovative and amazing process to see how the creative energy unfolds and their designs a reality.
Thank you, your donation has inspired and impacted my student's confidences when learning. It is much appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rodrigues
Help Us Paint And Feel Like The Artist Michelangelo
Funded Mar 27, 2017If I were Michelangelo, I would express my sincere thank you with a genius stroke of my paintbrush. I would climb onto high scaffolding and paint images of gratitude on the ceiling of your organization's office building. I would use vibrant - bold colors to express my gratitude for your organization choosing my class project titled "Help Us Paint and Feel like the Artist Michelangelo ". As I pause for a moment, I realize ... I am not Michelangelo, I am an educator and my subjects are my students. Like he, I too have great passion for art and believe my work is very important. Michelangelo inspired people with his colorful narratives on ceilings and his expressive sculptures. I inspire students to learn about art, be their best and pursue a future in higher education. Your organization helped give my students greater opportunities in education. My students and I are thankful for your generosity.
The table easels worked out great for the painting process. Having functioning equipment to work with helped increase student motivation. These simple tools improved the LOVE for attending art class tremendously! When I placed those shiny gray metal easels on their tables, student interest in art peaked. They immediately began to ask questions like, What are those? What are those used for? It occurred to me that what some students see as ordinary, my students view with curiosity. As I demonstrated how to maneuver the easel and stand them on their tables, they couldn't wait to begin working! The easels gave them a sense of artistic pride with the eagerness to create. A creative energy could be seen and felt throughout the room. The room was silent, not a sound could be heard...not even a sigh. Their brushes moves rhythmically from palette to board that lay upright on the easel. Their creative voices could now be heard through the colorful medium of paint! As I looked around my art room, I was excited and happy for my students as they worked mindfully. When the class was over, one student remarked with a smile, "I like the work I did today... it looks - so realistic". My student's gratitude is evident in the quality work they produced.
As I look forward to the upcoming school year, the table easels will definitely be part of our painting process. Your donation will help my students achieve greater depth and breadth in learning. The additional equipment has prove to foster positive student attitudes in art. This is a result of your organization's generous donation. Because of your contribution, my students have an equal chance for success in learning. Thank you for helping develop my student's growth in art education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rodrigues
Trashy Fashion - From Recycled Materials to Classic Couture
Funded Mar 16, 2016Thank you so much for your generous donation to our art project "Trashy Fashion from Recycled Materials to Classic Couture". My student-fashion designers have benefited greatly from your donation to our project. Their attitude and motivation for authentic self-expression spread throughout the class. Our school's elective titled "Project Runway" is very popular and with added unique materials such as Duck Tape, beads and rhinestones it has become ever more popular! Using recycled materials in an unconventional manner helped my students to make connections between art and science. They learned and understood the importance of keeping our world clean and beautiful through the process of recycling-reducing-reusing while transforming mundane materials into beautiful-wearable creations.
When the materials arrived, smiles and excitement along with appreciation shone on their faces and turned into energetic inspiration. The process became more fun because of the interesting resources that you provided. For example, the circles on Target grocery bags were further enhanced with rhinestones glued in the center, it was brilliant! Bold details were made from the colorful Duck Tape that created a textile affect. One student commented that "it is fun creating recycled fashion with plastic bags". Another replied "I never knew that a shopping bag could turn into a shirt"! And so, let me describe our Project Runway experience. Students arrive to art class and quickly get their dressmaker form, materials and make their way to their work area. We have a short question and answer activity to provide feed-back and students make suggestions to help their classmates along the process. Learners planned, organized and sketched out their designs on paper. Then they would go shopping to purchase materials from an area designated as our store. It was operated by two other students who helped provide the specific amount of materials to be purchased. This made it necessary for student-designers to use their math skills when they calculated product expenses and retail prices. They worked like "real" designers do; they took the plastic bags and placed it over the dressmaker form and then taped glued, adjusted, or painted the resources to create an aesthetically pleasing garment. Yes, it was at times challenging, but learning is best achieved through perseverance, trial and error and teacher guidance.
The final step in our project was for learners to present their designs to a school audience in our annual fashion show. There was a lot of planning and organizing in order for our show to run as smoothly as possible. For example, each student was responsible for finding a model or to wear the garment they created. Brief statements were written and read by a student host as each model walked the runway. Music to be played was chosen, designer/models practiced, and there was much excitement and energy in the air right until the day of the runway show. At the end of the runway show, student-designers were recognized; some blushed but all felt proud as I was of their accomplishments. As I have said before, they are young people with big ideas and your generous donation has given my students greater depth in knowledge. Thank you...so much, from all of us in the EMS-Project Runway elective.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rodrigues
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 2 other donors.Ambitious Designs and Altered Transformations
Funded Apr 7, 2015Thank you, for your generosity when funding "Ambitious Designs and Altered Transformations". It is because of your kindness that my students have been given a unique opportunity to express themselves through art making. Having the necessary materials, helps them take a small idea and turn it into a tangible success in fashion. Their original ideas and form of expression manifests into beautiful-wearable fashion garments. Organizations and individuals like yours help inner city youths obtain a higher quality education. Your funding has impacted my student's education far beyond their middle-school years; the contribution has made it less difficult to have greater chances in education. Being able to learn in a fun filled, creative environment along with the necessary materials helps them to express themselves. This is wonderful opportunity. It makes it easier to overcome economic challenges. Because you care, their voices can be heard more clearly. As their teacher, I am very proud of their personal attitude, group collaborations and final products. They truly enjoy the stimulating work required in the studio process in our Project Runway elective! The educational growth and confidences my students learn, is due to your compassion...we greatly appreciate it.
Visualize this, when the materials and sewing machine arrived, my students were very excited to use it. Can you imagine their smiles? One student replied that it stitched so smoothly and quietly! Of course, sewing can be an intimidating activity for many young students; the new sewing machine helps to reduce that anxiety! Having a new machine has made it easier to create their fashion designs without the constant malfunction and repairing. In addition, button holes can now be made on skirts, blouses or dresses. Bobbins can be made which reduces the added expense of additional materials. Learning basic hand and machine sewing skills is approached with curiosity. They approached this task with determination and many times help others through peer communication and problem solving. Their effort and perseverance amazes me!
Project Runway is an exciting elective in our school. Students are involved in all of the processes involved in fashion design. The creative process ranges from the sketching stage, to group work, to tangibly creating and wearing the garment. Their fashion challenges are connected to learning and then expressed through personal invention. They sketch, choose recycled garments to transform into another type of fashion. They take a recycled piece of clothing, visualize the possibilities because of its shape, form, color, and texture and then repurpose it into another type of garment. Once they have cut and sewn, their fashion is ready to be shown in our annual EMS Project Runway fashion show. Students can wear their own creation, or find a fellow classmate/friend to model their fashion. The Runway show becomes a wonderful platform for students to demonstrate what they have learned and created. In addition, it also becomes a school-wide activity through audience attendance.
Once again, thank you for helping my students reach higher standards in education; it is much appreciated by me and my students”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rodrigues
Fly Fishing, Scientific Inquiry and the Art of Printmaking
Funded Dec 18, 2012Thank you, for your generosity when funding "Fly Fishing, Scientific Inquiry and the Art of Printmaking". You have made it possible for my students to experience art in a more meaningful nature. The unique materials helped my students become more aware of making connections in the subjects of Science and Art. The experiential learning that took place impacted my students to be excited about learning! It is individuals and organizations like yours that help inner city youths obtain a higher quality education. Your funding made a tremendous impact on my students. They were inspired to create, and take ownership in their work. Their fish prints were awesome!
They looked forward to attending art class. Some students even expressed wanting to go back in time, in order to duplicate the art lesson and experience. The knowledge they acquired through hands-on learning is evident in their art work and in their in happy expressions. As their teacher, I was very proud of their personal attitude, group collaborations and final products. They truly enjoyed the stimulating work required in the studio process and steps involved in the art of printmaking. The growth and confidence my students obtained because of your generous donation, is greatly appreciated.
My students enjoyed the simulated environment of going fly fishing, casting their lines in order to catch a fish, this activity was an exciting part of the lesson. Their fishing lines even got tangled, like in real life! They learned how to communicate with another individual in order to solve a specific problem; matching up vocabulary words with the correct definition. Afterward, they were to choose a fish, apply color and make prints. There was a lot of positive energy in the room, especially when it came to handling the a slimy fish forms. They cleaned off the fish forms with water, and laughed at how it felt like they were handling a real fish. One student described the experience as having been "funtastic"Â. Their effort and perseverance amazed me! They were able to use new skills such as color harmonies, printmaking and communication and enjoying the experience!
As an art educator, it can be challenging, to motivate some students, your donation to our fly fishing lesson, increased my student's enthusiasm! Thank you for helping my students and I reach higher standards by supplying the necessary tools that make learning exciting!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rodrigues
EMS Project Runway-Passion for Fashion with Upcycling
Funded Dec 26, 2011Thank you DonorsChoose for your generosity when funding "Passion for Fashion with Up Cycling". You have given my students a unique opportunity to express themselves through art making. Having all the necessary materials to take a small idea and turn it into a tangible success in fashion is greatly appreciated by all us. It is individuals and organizations like yours that help inner city youths obtain a higher quality education. Your funding makes a tremendous impact for students who work hard to overcome economic challenges. Because you care, their voices can be heard more clearly and understood by themselves and others. As their teacher, I am very proud of their personal attitude, group collaborations and final products. They truly enjoy the stimulating work required in the studio process. The growth and confidence my students acquired due to your compassion is greatly appreciated.
My students have created fashion with both conventional and unconventional materials. It started with a small idea and took fruition in a tangible product. Creating paper hats, accessories made from recycled materials, such as, paper towel tubes, scarves with sewn appliqués, colorful head pieces, and dresses from donated fabrics has been exhilarating! The creative process ranges from the sketching stage, to group work, to tangibly creating and wearing the garment. Their fashion challenges were connected to learning and then expressed as a personal experience.
Learning basic hand and machine sewing skills was approached with curiosity. They approached this task with determination and helped others through peer communication. Their effort and perseverance amazed me! They applied new skills to other modes of thinking and creations. One student resolved to complete her garment, by arriving early to school. Judging was done by our school staff, who asked thought provoking questions. This helped students demonstrate and use their public speaking skills. If was evident in their smiles, attitudes, and answers that their "Passion for Fashion" is all worth it.
Once again, thank you for helping my students and I reach higher standards by supplying the necessary tools that make learning exciting!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Rodrigues