Past projects 45
Concluding with Correspondence
Funded Dec 3, 2024Thank you for helping my students grow into responsible, empathetic adults. The gift of the thank-you cards has allowed me to teach them correspondence and etiquette. The gift of these notes also affirmed the hard work our teachers do to support students--and that will help them help the next class of kids.
In our digital, fast-paced environment, we often skip over the niceties and miss moments of connection. Taking the time to write a hand-written thank-you card slows down time and offers an opportunity for bonding and gratitude. This humanity is so important to nurture within our kids.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
Broadway Scores For Future Stars
Funded Nov 2, 2023I cannot tell you the buzz that this project has generated. Some of my library helpers were with me when the packages arrived and within a day students were coming because they heard we had some sheet music! This brought students into the library, provided resources that they can use for auditions and practice, and also nurtured their passion for musicals and performing. Thank you so much for providing this gift and helping us build a responsive, rich collection for our students. Having resources that are fresh, relevant, and appropriate for students is a step forward to creating a fabulous library for our school.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.Board Game Brain Breaks!
Funded Oct 16, 2023Having board games and chargers available has made our library a much more desirable space. Kids were just delighted that they could come play a physical game, especially chess--that's a big one! Word also travels fast when there is somewhere in the building that you can charge up.
Students come in to charge their phones at the circulation desk and set up a chess game with their friends or solve a Rush Hour puzzle. We are looking forward to setting up board game break after school next year and getting more kids into the library to disconnect and play! We know that taking a break from work and screens is important for their mental health and for their social life. Thanks again for supporting our library.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 9 other donors.A Living Library With Potted Plants
Funded Sep 19, 2023Students have been delighted to see the plants in the library. When they stop at the printing kiosk they comment on them. Students have asked to help water them, inquired what kind they are, and just looked and touched. It's beautiful to see them pause and take a moment to enjoy the greenery.
Several students have taken on care for the plants and made sure the drainage was adequate! They are so responsible! I set up the grow lights on the timers so they are getting regular light. A bunch of students asked if we could name the plants so we took nominations. It's brought life into our sterile space. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
Banned Book Jail Break!
Funded Aug 3, 2023Thank you so much for your generous gifts. The students and I worked to create an incredible Banned Book installation. A bulletin board right outside the library hooked students and brought them into the library, while the flame decorations highlighted displays around the library. Paper wrapped books, emblazoned with the reasons books have been challenged or banned, enticed readers who couldn't wait to check them out. Teachers supported the mission asking students to select a book frequently challenged or banned according to the American Library Association and read it for class. Student volunteers created the displays, wrapped the books, and encouraged their friends to join in. All in all, we had a successful Banned Books Week and remembered how important it is to Let Freedom Read!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
Display Our Diversity in the Library
Funded Jul 14, 2023Thank you once again for your generosity in funding this project. The resources you sent allowed me to highlight books throughout the library that feature diverse artists or are written by people of color.
Not only was I able to highlight books throughout the library, but I was also able to use the supplies to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. . I invited a Spanish teacher and her classes to bring the decorations and icons of part of a Dia de los Muertos into the library. To complement their work I showcased a variety of books by Hispanic authors and artists--sheet music, muralists, nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Sandra Cisneros, sat alongside Lin Manuel Miranda's In the Heights score, right in front of Garcia Marquez novels, right next to a Frida Kahlo book.
Students and staff have entered the library and delighted in the explosion of color and diversity. This is just the beginning of representing and sharing our beautiful diversity. I appreciate your gift so much.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
Active Reading for Activist Lit Readers
Funded Aug 9, 2022We woke up the inner reader in the AP Lit students. Once they cracked open The Handmaid's Tale and stepped into Gilead, students were riveted, following Offred's journey back and forth in time and from freedom to oppression.
The privilege to annotate their own texts empowered students to connect and converse with Atwood's writing. Students developed their own keys, color codes, and language. Several students told me they forgot how much they loved reading or they never enjoyed reading a class book until this experience. I think in great part that is because they were given literal ownership of the text and encouraged to write within it. They explored the narrative voice, tracked motifs like colors, cigarettes, and pulled out and explored Biblical allusions.
Thank you so much for trusting my instincts as a teacher and enabling me to bring this text to students. Apologies for the lateness here--I suffered an injury and was out of school for several months.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 24 other donors.Mac Magic for a Zippier Zoom Class
Funded Nov 18, 2020Thank you so much for your generosity. Now Zoom, Peardeck, movies and MORE work seamlessly and I can engage with my students. During Zoom class, I can chat quickly and keep track of student questions and hand raises, which allows me to support them in their learning.
This year has been so hard on so many people and I am happy I can give my kids as much as possible of me and the resources I have access to. Thank you for upgrading our class to lightning speed and allowing apps and updates so we can use new tools.
Here's what kids have said about using Peardeck and seeing their peers' work anonymously: I feel good when I know my answers match the other kids; I don't feel as embarrassed when we look at the writing in Peardeck because it doesn't have my name and everyone's is there. Here's what they said about watching video clips that use the Greek mythology characters we learned about: seeing the videos helped me picture the characters and the stories; watching anime was so cool! I didn't know these stories were connected with the other myths.
I hope the work we did in English is something positive students hold on to from this year: a bright spot in an otherwise cloudy sky.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
Making Midsummer Magic
Funded Aug 13, 2019We were thrilled to receive these copies of A Midsummer's Nights Dream. Students flipped hungrily through the play, asking questions, and sharing their prior knowledge on the afternoon we opened them.
Shakespeare is challenging reading, but it's also cultural capital, and my students will benefit from learning this content in a scaffolded unit. Midsummer offers a lot of opportunity for creativity and imagination: What do the fairies look like? How does a director convey the confusion in the forest? What music complements the scenes? And all of this comes from digging into the text and learning interpretation and the almost foreign language of Early Modern English used by Shakespeare. Knowing what "thou," "hence" and "wither" means, along with the different symbols and allusions empowers readers and sends them on their way.
Already a few students familiar with the play shared some of the magic with their peers. And I cannot wait to dive in with them!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 10 other donors.Empowering Poems to Read and Inspire
Funded Aug 13, 2019When we opened up the boxes of poetry books, students were delighted! They didn't know all the poets, but were attracted to the covers, the descriptions of the poets, and the work inside. Students had an opportunity to get to know the books and share them with each other.
Each year I teach a poetry unit. Yes, we look at some classics: Shakespeare, Dickinson, Langston Hughes. But I want students to see themselves in poetry and experience contemporary work. Who is writing poetry NOW? These books give us that opportunity. Brianna, a Latinx freshman, told me that the Kim Addonizio book "Mortal Trash" spoke to her. She loved the cover and then found that the street-wise, witty voice inside compelled her. Beth ended up with a copy of Tupac Shakur's poems and sat quietly, riveted by the poems inside that are shown in his handwriting and typed. She asked if she'd be able to get the book back another day so she could finish reading. These are students who are creative, but are not necessarily jazzed about poetry. Seeing them evince excitement or settle in for a long read with a poetry book shows me they are investing in their learning and reading in a new way.
I so appreciate your generosity. Our classroom library is enriched and more accessible with this collection.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Healy
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 18 other donors.