Past projects 4
Chess - The Game of Kings
Funded Mar 20, 2022With deep gratitude, I want to thank you for your generosity and willingness to help our high school students with their chess books and chess sets which will enhance our after-school program. Having students stay after school to play chess or any sport gives them an opportunity and a place to pursue their interests by allowing them the time to follow their passions.
The chess clocks, magnetic chess sets, tactics books, and chess opening books are being used by club members as they learn to become better players. These resources are also being used by our varsity chess players as they get ready to compete with other high schools this coming school year (2022-2023).
Furthermore, the students are reading these books to enhance their knowledge of chess. One student commented that he learned a new way to play a chess opening which would help him improve his chess games. Other students like using chess clocks to maximize their time playing chess. It also adds an interesting dynamic to the game.
Lastly, having magnetic chess sets gives students the opportunity to play chess even when traveling in a vehicle. The pieces adhere to the board. Also, when playing outdoors, there is no danger of the wind blowing chess pieces off the board.
Chess is a game that has been played for many centuries. One of the advantages of playing chess in a time of cell phones and computer games is that it brings people together and allows us to interact with one another. It helps build a student's social skills. It puts a smile on a teacher's face knowing that chess does that to all of us. 😉”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pinon
This classroom project was brought to life by Arizona Department of Education.Water - an Essential Resource for Life!
Funded Aug 1, 2019We want to thank you for your generous support for donating to our class the book A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. The books will help our students learn about a vital resource which we all take for granted – water.
Despite living in a desert, we have the privilege of having water coming into our homes. But in certain countries in the world, water is not readily available. People have to walk hours to get water, as in the case of Nya, a young girl, who lives in Sudan and is one of the characters in the book. Nya has to walk hours to get water, and the water is murky and contaminated. This is why a lot of people in Africa develop dysentery and other diseases associated with the lack of clean water.
While reading the book, students had a chance to reflect on their water usage. We set up work stations where students had a chance to write down the ways they use water in one day, how long they showered, carrying a five gallon jug to experience how people in Africa haul water, and what would happen if their homes had no water.
The students realized in the end that water is a resource that we should use judiciously. Water is essential to all life here on Earth. Without water, we will all perish.
Your donation of books taught our students a valuable lesson about water. It is not something that we should take for granted. Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote a poem which ends with the verse "...Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink." Our students hope that this will never happen.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pinon
This classroom project was brought to life by Yellow Chair Foundation and 3 other donors.Migrants - Hope for a Better Future
Funded Jul 22, 2019Thank you very much for your generous support in helping us purchase the book La Linea by Ann Jaramillo. The books are currently being used right now in our classroom. As we read through the chapters our students are making connections to the lives of migrants.
The story revolves on a brother and sister who are trying to cross the border from Mexico to the Unites States to join their parents in California. Arizona is a border state and many of our students travel back and forth to visit relatives and friends. Little do they realize that thousands of migrants are spending limbo at the borders waiting to get to the USA. As they read, the students are learning about the perils and dangers of crossing the border. Some of our students now realize how their relatives risked their lives to come to the United States for a better life. We had one student who took a trip to the border and took pictures of migrants waiting at the transit station.
Your gift has given students a chance to see migrants as human beings. We hope that this will give them a change to have empathy for people who want nothing better than to improve their own lives for themselves and for their children. The United States prides itself of being a nation of immigrants, and the nation has a long history of integrating people from across the globe. Lest we forget, we have to remember the words by Emma Lazarus on the Statue of Liberty. Can we ignore these words in today's political climate and culture? We hope not.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pinon
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.Never Forget!
Funded Jul 24, 2018First of all I want to thank all of you for your generous donation for my project and helping me receive copies of the book NIGHT by e Elie Wiesel. Your donation is greatly appreciated by the students who will continue to benefit from reading this book.
Teaching the Holocaust is an important subject. As the years go by, many people forget about the horrors of the Holocaust and to many it becomes a faded memory. We cannot let that happen as we all know that history has a tendency to repeat itself.
In teaching the Holocaust, one has to remember that these were actual human beings that perished. Painful research is being done to remember the names of the people who perished as most of them are buried in mass graves, and for some, unknown graves yet to be discovered. Teaching the Holocaust is a challenging task that should not be taken lightly.
To teach the Holocaust, we begin by explaining the historical background of how this happened. We introduce the word "Genocide" to the students. From there, we reconstruct the events that led up to the Holocaust. As much as we can, we try to bring in the humanity of the people who perished. We include their names and how they lived their lives with their hope and aspirations. We teach and talk about the different classes of people during that time - the victims, the bystanders, the perpetuators, and the liberators. Each of them have their own unique story to tell. We teach our students how little acts of hate can escalate. In the end, we want students to learn the value of empathy, and promote tolerance and an understanding of all people.
In our classroom, reading takes place both individually and in groups. When in groups, they have discussion questions that they have to reflect on and answer. They then present their discussions to the rest of the class. To further their understanding of what they read, we have mini-projects that they have to accomplish. These projects could involve making a poster or a quick PowerPoint slideshow.
Before, during, and after reading the book, students have come up to us to tell us how little they know of this subject. They have heard of the Holocaust but know very little of the details even when the information is available to them at their fingertips. It is our hope that our students learn and understand the consequences of dangerous ideologies and develop a moral compass. After all, these young people will eventually become adults and some will become leaders in their communities.
After learning about the Holocaust, students will realize the dire consequences of exclusion and hate. They will come to the conclusion that the lack of tolerance for others can lead to division among people. We hope that as we teach the Holocaust, we can prepare students to participate and engage in topics no matter how hard or difficult it is in a meaningful way so that we can live in a just and tolerant society. Our students realize this, and what they read will become indelible in their minds for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pinon
This classroom project was brought to life by Ned and Nathalie Fund and 5 other donors.