Past projects 5
Take Us to the Theater!
Funded Oct 31, 2017Our Junior class field trip to see August Wilson's Two Trains Running at the Seattle Repertory Theatre was a transformative experience. Around 200 juniors attended this vital enrichment experience that allowed them to see a powerful play and grow closer together as a classroom community. For many students, this was their first time to see a live play and how a playwright's work should be experienced. Furthermore, many students said that they had not seen an all black cast before and it was powerful to see and hear people of color in that way and not the lesser role that Hollywood often portrays them as.
Two Trains Running deals with some very deep subject matter told through the everyday lives or ordinary African Americans in the 1960s. The coolest thing that I heard from students is that they were able to compare their lives to the characters in the play. The play deals with the issue of money and the cost on your soul to obtain it and also the helplessness one feels if they do not have it. Through journal reflections, students shared that they never thought about their life like that before and that they had always worried about finding a high- paying degree/job and not how happy the degree or said job would make them. Also, many of my students are poor, and they could see these characters who were also poor fight for dignity and basic recognition as a human being. This is what make August Wilson, literature in general, so powerful and that is the way we can use it to examine our own lives.
Lastly, this field trip helped our class launch in to a study of August Wilson's Piano Lesson which has been a difficult play to teach/study and by seeing Two Trains Running we were able to get a crash course in August Wilson's work and get acclimated faster than we normally would.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coughran
Ping Pong Club
Funded Mar 4, 2016The new Ping Pong table and supplies are amazing. The table is professional and all my students are very impressed that this Donor's Choose made this happen. The new table sets up in seconds and students basically run the club themselves. Students who are not even in the club come by at lunch and try and get in as many games as possible. The new Ping Pong table has created a 'buzz' around school and students from all walks of life are playing together and talking to each other- sometimes for the first time. I even have other teachers and administrators dropping by to play students and it is really cool to see adults and students have fun interactions outside of academics. This new ping pong table has created a small new community that grows every week. My room feels positive and accepting because of the lunchtime ping pong games. Again, this could not have happened without your support. If you are ever in the area and what to drop by for a lunch time game you could see for yourself the impact that these new materials have had. Cleveland High School Ping Pong Club thanks you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coughran
This classroom project was brought to life by ESPN and one other donor.Classroom Makeover
Funded Oct 30, 2015Thank you so much for your donation to my classroom makeover project. My room feels like a perfect classroom for students to learn in. Your contributions of art, lamps, carpet and maps created a truly unique and empowering environment for my students to learn United States History and American Literature. My students came into the classroom and were amazed at the way it looked. The maps have been instrumental to my instruction and the art has fostered many conversations that would never have taken place. I am so grateful that you helped make my teaching/learning environment a special place. My students deserve this classroom and they know that it could only be achieved through your generous support/donation. Thank you for all that you have done.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coughran
Ping Pong Club
Funded Feb 2, 2015Thank you for making Ping Pong Club a reality. My students were amazed that you provided all of the equipment that they needed for their club. Before school, during lunch and after school you can find my students playing ping pong. The club has become a way to blow off steam, make friends, and have fun on campus. Furthermore, you can find all types of students participating in this club. For example, I have seniors playing freshman, girls beating boys, and different groups interacting with each other that haven't done so before. Ping Pong is fun and it hooks my students in. This club has created a more positive school culture and my students are thriving.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coughran
Banned/Challenged Books Project
Funded Dec 1, 2014Thank you for providing books for my banned/challenged book project. My students loved knowing that there were people out there that were willing to support their reading. Students were amazed that you supplied them with books for the project. My students really enjoyed the two books.
My students read these books and studied why these books may have been banned or challenged. This is a challenging project logistically because my students cannot afford to buy their own book and the library has long waiting lists. Your contribution helped put more books in more student hands. Furthermore, you also helped provide a wider range of literature for my students to read. Most of my students have read Harry Potter and Hunger Games, but chances are that they will not go to Hogwarts or get their name called in the reaping. So, the books you provided have themes that are tangible and real to my students. Basketball Diaries, although graphic, is about as real as a 'coming of age' story gets. Slaughterhouse -Five takes a dynamic look into the realities of war and survival. My students enjoyed these books because it offers a more unique view on life than they have previously experienced.
The banned/challenged book presentations were amazing. Students wrote editorials and turned them into speeches. This was some of the most powerful persuasive writing that I have seen from my students. Because my students all had their own book to read they were much more prepared and confident than they would have been. This project would have been a nightmare to plan and implement had it not been for your supports. Thank you for all that you have done.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Coughran