Past projects 8
Arts & Crafts Help Students Grow!
Funded Oct 24, 2019From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your generosity in funding our project. We were able to get in funded in one day because of the 'Classroom Basics' matching grant. Oftentimes the supplies that teachers need the most in their classroom are simply items like scissors, glue, craft sticks, and tape. Over the past year, the media center's collection of arts and craft supplies has dwindled to the point where I often had to turn students away because I didn't have the supplies they needed for a school project. Thanks to the funding of this project, I know longer have to make a student figure out where to get the supplies.
When the students came in and saw the restocked craft supply carts, they were ecstatic, which is saying something for teenagers. Several students asked "Did you get new supplies?" I happily responded, "Yes, $600 worth for you and your projects!" The first project that has benefited from our restocked supplies was for environmental science. Students had to create a poster for a major seismic event that has occurred in the US. Students used scissors, glue, tape, pom poms, markers, construction paper, and felt square as part of their posters.
Their ability to show their creativity and ingenuity in projects throughout all their classes is all due to your generosity in funding this project. We greatly appreciate your kindness!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Busch
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 3 other donors.Resources to Increase Students' Business
Funded Apr 22, 2019My students have been in awe of how new technology can impact the success of their vinyl business. The item they were most excited about is the drawing tablet. This has allowed them to sketch out ideas and designs in real time with the customer. They are then able to get instant feedback on how their design matches the customers' ideas. This has allowed the students to learn valuable business lessons such as customer satisfaction, feedback, and modification. It has also allowed the students to grow in their creativity and imagination.
The addition of more vinyl, both self-adhesive and heat transfer, as well as transfer tape has provided more students the opportunity to work simultaneously without worrying about materials running out for their customers' projects. Students are also seeing all the different types of materials they can be using, specifically the holographic vinyl you provided with your generous donation. A student created a t-shirt design of a unicorn using the drawing tablet and holographic material that a customer requested for her daughter.
The students are thoroughly enjoying the opportunities your donation has afforded them, and I cannot thank you enough for that.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Busch
This classroom project was brought to life by Economics Arkansas and one other donor.Using Hands-On Activities to Encourage Ingenuity!
Funded Oct 9, 2018The students have thoroughly enjoyed the Lego's, Kinex, and Erector set that was purchased with the funds you generously donated. When they first saw the items, most of the students said, "Oh, I haven't played with these in forever!" The students promptly started making, building, and designing. Right now, the items are left out on my tables so students can make anything they want on their free time.
The students have really delved into their creative side using the Lego's, Kinex, and Erector set. With the Erector set, a motorized airplane and helicopter have been made. These items took the student several weeks because of the intricacies of the pieces; however, he loved doing it so much, he has now asked for one for Christmas. Students have made several things with the Lego's. They have made buildings, scooters, cars, people, and towers. For the most part, student use the Lego's as a way to fiddle without necessarily an end goal in mind. I believe this helps them to decompress from the many stressful deadlines and responsibilities they have in a day.
Finally, with the Kinex, students have made a plethora of items. One student designed and built his own trebuchet, which took him about a week because he had to keep making adjustments. I loved watching him work day after day to prefect his machine. A lot of critical thinking went into his process. Students have also made dinosaurs, moose, hedgehogs, and skater dudes.
These items were some of the best purchases I have made for the welfare of my students, and I cannot thank you enough for providing that for them.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Busch
New Technology to Increase Business
Funded Jan 17, 2018Thank you so much for your generous donations! The students have truly grown in their ability to use different software to create products for their business. The iPads have been incredibly helpful in allowing the students to create designs in Cricut Design Space, and then provide the mobility to take the design straight to the customer for final modifications and approval. This has allowed the students to become more aware of how technology they have used for years in personal ways can be used for business needs.
Another item that has excited the students is the 3D printing pen. We have had 3D printers in our media center all year; however, many students find the coding requirements intimidating. The 3D printing pens have been a great way for students to create personalized, 3D printed projects without having to worry about the coding or mechanics of a large machine. The popularity of the pens has continued to grow.
Lastly, the sticker maker has opened a whole new avenue for creating stickers and decals that our Cricut has not been able to do. Several students and customers have asked about turning pictures of people into stickers. Our Cricut didn't have that capability, but now the students are able to print out entire pictures of themselves or others and turn them into stickers using the sticker maker. This has allowed community members and parents to have stickers of athletes for games, a new exciting way for a promposal, and many other things. All of this has been possible due to your amazing generosity and thoughtfulness toward the needs of our students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Busch
This classroom project was brought to life by Economics Arkansas and 2 other donors.Bringing Creativity Into the Classroom!
Funded Dec 5, 2017Thank you so very much for your incredibly generous donation toward our class project. The art supplies that we were able to purchase have drastically increased the students' abilities to show their creativity and personality in a variety of ways. Several students have used the pom poms, pipe cleaners, and glue guns to make Truffula trees from Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax." The students made these as part of a literacy project they did with elementary students. Several students have used the paints and paint brushes to paint personal works on art on canvases to give as presents, especially during the holiday season.
When the students first saw the supplies, they were amazed that the supplies were for them to use as they wish, whether for personal projects (gifts) or school projects (posters and costumes). They were so excited to sit down and start planning how they were going to use all of the resources. Several students used the iron-on vinyl to design and make t-shirts for clubs and for personal use. The fact that the students have an opportunity to create whatever they wish - whether it is using the pencils, crayons, paint, vinyl, felt, feathers - encourages and emboldens them to think outside of the box and really let their personality shine. Through donations like yours, our students understand the importance of the arts and creativity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Busch
This classroom project was brought to life by Born This Way Foundation and one other donor.Designing and Creating Personalized Products with Vinyl!
Funded Sep 12, 2017It has been several weeks since we received the items you funded with your generous donations. During those weeks, the students have learned so many different life skills that are necessary for success after school. Students have been using the vinyl that was included in this project to make keychains, bags, t-shirts, and decals. Students in our Fashion Merchandising class designed their own shirts and created them using the vinyl and heat press we have. The students were then able to calculate costs of production to determine what should be the correct sales price in order to achieve a proper profit margin.
Students have also found new means of creativity for their school projects and assignments. By designing and developing projects to sell, students are more engaged and interested in learning real life skills such as budgeting and customer service. Using the products purchased with your donation, our students are realizing the various options they have for employment opportunities that they will enjoy outside of high school.
The next big project the students will work on is designing Farmington Cardinal t-shirts, decals, and keychains to sell to students and community members at sporting events. The students will continue to build upon the budgeting and sales skills they have learned, and they will also work on their interpersonal skills when interacting with community members and selling items. We cannot thank you enough for the support you have provided for our students and for seeing the vision of how these materials have helped and will help them become more successful in and outside of high school.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Busch
This classroom project was brought to life by Economics Arkansas and 4 other donors.Promoting Acceptance of Personal Creativity With Vinyl
Funded Jun 5, 2017We cannot thank you enough for providing funding for our Vinyl project! With the money you graciously donated, we were able to purchase a Cricut Explore 2 bundle and extra vinyl. The Cricut Explore 2 allows our students to create vinyl designs. The students design a project (a t-shirt logo, decal for a cup or car, or a stencil to use for an art project) online using the Cricut software. Once they have completed the design, they send the design to the Cricut machine that will then cut the vinyl in the design created. The students have truly loved the opportunity to create personal and meaningful designs with vinyl that they can stick on items to make the items more personal and to show their unique style.
This technology is helping our students become more creative by allowing them an opportunity to use materials . to express themselves. Students truly enjoy being unique and different, and creating unique and different designs is allowing them to explore their own characteristics. The students are also learning more about spatial awareness. For example, when designing a decal for a cup, the student has to be aware of the size of the surface area on the cup and translate that to the Cricut program. The students also have to be aware of angles and other measurements when designing vinyl creations.
We are very excited about this opportunity provided to the students. The Cricut will last our schools for years to come, so all we will need to do is replenish the vinyl stock when it gets low. It is exciting to know that students who are currently in middle school will soon look forward to getting to high school so they can use this technology. Thank you again for your generous support of all of our students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Busch
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 5 other donors.Let's Bring Creativity Back to High School!
Funded May 18, 2017We cannot thank you enough for art supplies your extremely generous donation provided for us. With your donation, we were able to buy supplies ranging from water color pens to colored pencils to construction paper to paint sets to scrapbooking materials. Even though we have only been in school for two weeks, the students have used these supplies often and thoroughly. A teacher assigned a poster project for students the first week of school, so students were in the media center using the scissors, glue sticks, markers, construction paper, and colored pencils. It has been a relief to the students (and myself) knowing that art supplies are provided for the students for such projects so they do not have to worry about spending money to buy their own.
Many students also come in during lunch or before school to use the art supplies. I have bookmarks that are designed to be colors by students, and the students find it very relaxing and helpful to decompress from a stressful day by using our art supplies to color bookmarks for their books. The students were very surprised and excited to know that we have all of these materials and supplies available to them for school purposes, but also for the kids to just have fun with. Hopefully by providing them with these supplies, students will be more inclined in the future to complete projects that have an artistic component to it.
I hope to continue to grow our arts supplies section in the media center. Many of the supplies we purchased with your generous donation will last us for several years; however, I would like to show teachers and administrators how important it is to purchase and include art materials in the media center. With students continually using these supplies for school assignments and personal joy, I believe the community will see how truly important it is to keep arts in the focus of schools. Thanks to your amazing donation, our students will be able to prove to the community how important art is.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Busch