Mrs. Kerr's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 3

• Just Mercy: A True Story of a Fight for Justice

  Funded Apr 12, 2020

  Thank you so much for your donation of a class set of Just Mercy for my Senior English classroom! Having their own copy of this important and relevant book will enable me to further educate my students on social justice issues. Having their own copy of the book to hold in their hands, and not having to read on a screen, will also be a benefit to their learning, especially in these times of distance learning when screen time is such a large part of their existence. Having a physical book to read is a gift.

  This year our Senior English course is focusing on the theme of social justice, with units that delve into the topics of, philosophy & ethics, language, gender and culture, the American education system, and the criminal justice system. We want our students to be aware of what is happening in our country and our world, and to act as thinking and present members of our society. Reading books like Just Mercy, will help to educate them on the realities of the world they live in, and will work to inspire them to take action as members of that world when they see injustice.

  I am proud of the thinking that our students are doing. I am looking forward to reading this book with them.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kerr

• Books to Hook Bookworms!

  Funded Oct 25, 2019

  I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous donations to our project.

  We have had the first "Book Tasting" of our classroom library books, and are now fully engrossed in the reading of the student centered and culturally relevant books that your thoughtfulness made possible.

  I cannot tell you the thrill that I get watching the students engaged in their reading, listening to them talk to each other about an interesting character, hearing about an exciting development, or touching moment. Students who at the beginning of the year couldn't tell me the name of the last book they remember reading, are asking to be put on a waiting list to read a book. And this is just the beginning.

  Because of your generosity the road ahead looks bright. It is really nice to know that people like you want to support classrooms like ours to accomplish new things.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kerr

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 6 other donors.

• Lights Up!

  Funded Sep 5, 2018

  Thank you all so much for donating to our Lights Up! project. Because of your generosity, we now have a fully functional lighting system for our classroom theater. The system you funded for us consists of eight CAN lights with colored gels, a lighting trellis, and a programmable light board. Where we used to have three breakers backstage that we could only turn on and off in minimal combinations, we now have the capability to light sections of the stage and be creative with color schemes, allowing us to actually use light and color to highlight the thematic elements of our productions.

  Thanks to your answering our plea so quickly, we received our lights in time to use them for our first production of the year, Midsummer Jersey. What a difference those lights made to the play. A modern telling of Shakespeare's, A Midsummer Night's Dream, the play is a fantasy about love. The new lights brought hitherto undreamed-of possibilities to what we could do in bringing the fantastical elements of the play to life. The lighting designers were able to create warm and cool elements on stage, make distinctions between day and night, and create special lighting effects. An aesthetic improvement to be sure, but also an opportunity for learning and creating.

  Your support has allowed us to take our productions to the next level. A practical desire, but also a great gift. It allowed us to work with subtleties in the script, and to look more closely at the words and story we were telling. It was a thrill for me to watch the students invent and problem solve in creating the lighting design. It was a greater thrill to see the finished product. It was lovely.

  Thank you again for your kindness and your support. We will remember you each time we produce a new show and the stage manager gives the cue: "Lights Up!"”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Kerr

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.