Mr. Smith's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 10

• Awaken Your Inner Drummer

  Funded Dec 31, 2024

  Happy New Year and thank you for your generous giving. With this new addition to our magnificent Drumline here at school, we will be able to continue being a group of excellence and well-trained musicians. Only through your giving are groups such as ours can thrive with new instruments.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 13 other donors.

• "Let Them Eat Snacks"

  Funded Nov 12, 2024

  I would like to send my sincere thanks to each and every one of you for your giving and sharing. The snacks that were funded by giving individuals as yourselves have been greatly appreciated. I enjoy giving the kids choices when it is snack time after school. Some of the kids don't eat school lunch, so for them to have a snack certainly goes a long way.

  When the kids first saw all of the snacks I had ordered, they were absolutely floored by the number of packages. One of the reactions I laugh about each time it is snack time, is when they compare bags of chips side by side comparing the amount of chips in each package. From this they gauge which package has the most chips in them. Thanks for the snacks and the laughable moments with the kids.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 5 other donors.

• Simply Scrumptious

  Funded Nov 16, 2023

  Happy Holidays and personal thanks to all of you that chose to assist with the snacks that were purchased. The snacks are used each day we have practice afterschool. We practice sometimes up to three hours afterschool and that is a long time to go without eating for many of the kids.

  When the kids saw the snacks, they just stood with these astonished looks on their faces trying to decide which snack to grab. Each day we practice they really look forward to snack time. Again, thank each and everyone of you that donated to this worthy cause.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

• Got Music?

  Funded Aug 3, 2023

  Thank you all so very much for your kind, and very generous giving. This group of kids come from very challenging areas of our city, and for some of them their only outlet is our afterschool Drumline and Dance Team. With these new additions to our group they can feel better about themselves and feel better about being in a group that is widely known throughout the city.

  We have traveled all over the state and crowds of hundreds are really impressed by the way the group looks with your giving and the way the kids sound. Thanks to donors such as you we are becoming a household name within the community and state.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.

• "Warning! Very Talented Kids Ahead"

  Funded Sep 16, 2021

  Sorry for the delay, the new additions to our group have been so well received. We are still in the process of upgrading our instruments and with donors such as yourselves, you are the ones making this happen for the kids.

  When they first saw the new instruments, they thought the belonged to a visiting group here at our school. I quickly told them that they were purchased by giving people from various parts of the U.S. Surprisingly, even to this day they still can't believe people are so generous.

  Again thank you all”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 3 other donors.

• A Snack a Day Keeps the Hungries Away

  Funded Nov 30, 2022

  Thank you all so very much for you giving. Since this is the first of the new year, Happy New Year to you and your families. The students are really enjoying the snacks that were purchased. Our school hours are very long and many of the kids don't really eat school lunch. Many of them don't eat anything from the time they go to bed at home that the night before, until the end of the school day.

  When the packages arrived, I only had a few students to help me put them away in the room. The were Absolutely in Awe of the snacks as we opened each box and itemized them according to each package expiration dates. These snacks will also take a huge burden off parents that were dropping off snacks for each practice.

  So once again thank you all for your giving!!!!!!!!! Stay Blessed”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 10 other donors.

• Exploring the World One Beat at a Time

  Funded Apr 1, 2021

  The donations really helped our program grow tremendously. With the new drums that were fully funded thanks to you, we have increased our performances from only 8 per school year to now 22. The sound of the drums, has given us a more mature sound and the effect it has on the Dance Team is just absolutely energetic. This upcoming school year, we have many invitations due to our popularity and new sound. None of this would have been possible if it were not for generous donors such as you. Again, thanks for your help and for your donations!!!!!!!!!!!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by Stahl Family Fund and 3 other donors.

• "Dance to the Rhythm of Your Heart"

  Funded Dec 2, 2020

  Thank you and thank you again for your giving. So far the kids have not been able to really appreciate the new drums due to the Covid19 outbreak. My school district has yet to allow kids to return to the school physically, but I did take a few pictures of the drums, and they were very excited about the new additions to our equipment.

  They trully miss practicing and performing with the use of the drums, and they text me every week asking when are they allowed to return to the school. I feel bad that many of my group members have missed an entire school year of performing due to the Covid19 and my 8th graders will not have the priviledge to use these new drums, but my rising 6th & 7th graders are going to lose their minds when they see them.

  Again, I want to personnally thank everyone that donated to this worthy cause.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 15 other donors.

• Hunger Can't Attack With These Wonderful Snacks!

  Funded Feb 28, 2019

  The snacks that you helped to fund , immediately were used at our next practice. The kids were so surprised to see as many snacks as were ordered. Many of them expressed their gratitude and thankfulness, because they have heard me say at many practices how difficult it is to keep a large group as this fed after being at school so many ours, without little to no help.

  The kids first expression was "Wowwwww", so many choices to choose from. With so many choices to choose from, many students who for example, can not eat grains from the granola bars, or students that were allergic to chocolate, now could choose a different snack during practice time.

  Since the group travels all over the East Coast performing at different events, I can now help impact the lives of a few other students by adding them to the group. In the past I could not add more students because of limited funds and or resources, but with the ability to give them snacks during practice, I can now a few more kids that would otherwise have nothing to do as far as extra school activities.

  Thanks again so very much,”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 8 other donors.

• Music Is in the Soul, and There's Soul in Music

  Funded Jul 13, 2017

  When the new drums arrived, I was so excited to see these huge boxes come into our offices.

  I quickly had a few of my drummers come to the office and assist with taking them down to my classroom. I had the students to open them and they were floored by seeing new drums. They wanted to play the drums even while they were still encased in the styrofoam case. Wow!

  Since the arrival of the new drums, we have been given many positive affirmations on how much better the group looks with new drums. We have had many former band members see us at numerous events and have made comments like, "hey I wish I were back at Lowe's Grove Middle," and "wow you guys look like a High School Band".

  Our next Donors Choose venture, is to get snacks for the kids on days that we practice. Our school is a Title I School, and many of the kids come from households that barely make the average minimum wage for a household. The next Donors Choose project I am working on will is for the purchase of these snacks for the kids. We practice three times a week from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. That is a very long time to practice after having a full day of academic courses for the kids, and I usually provide the snacks and sometimes this can be a little taxing on my finances. Therefore, We will be reaching out to Donors Choose for some support in our continued efforts.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Smith

  This classroom project was brought to life by Gwyneth Paltrow and 4 other donors.