Past projects 36
Celebrating the National Champion Debaters
Funded Apr 10, 2025Wow, what a week for the debate team! On Sunday, we won our SECOND consecutive national title at the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues. One of our seniors was also named the #1 speaker in the nation and another was #6. There is so much for our team to celebrate and your contributions to making sure that they feel the love is greatly appreciated. Thanks to you, we will be able to have an end-of-the-year party where we reflect on our successes, think forward to next year, and send our seniors off with some parting gifts.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and one other donor.Fuel Our Nation's Top Debaters
Funded Nov 12, 2024Thank you so much for your support of our team! Due to budget cuts, we found ourselves in a difficult position this year: a top team with no resources to be able to compete.
Our debaters are extremely committed and spend 6+ hours a week practicing after school. Also due to budget cuts, some of our tournaments are now virtual instead of in-person. This means that debaters are at the school on Fridays as late as 9pm.
They deserve the fuel they need to get through these long days and the snacks you provided have done just that! To be able to run to our debate closet and grab a snack to sustain themselves during a long day is such a treat. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
Essential Debate Supplies for the National Urban Debate Champions!
Funded Nov 30, 2024Thank you so much for your support of our team! Due to budget cuts, we found ourselves in a difficult position this year: a top team with no resources to be able to compete.
It is very expensive to travel to tournaments plus there are lots of supplies we need to make it possible. Not all of our students have their own laptop at home and so getting that big ticket item is incredibly important.
All of the other items--paper, pens, tech accessories, etc.--are essential. So many students take these items for granted but our students would go without if they didn't have your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
Help the National Urban Debate Champions Travel to Compete!
Funded Jan 13, 2025Thank you so much for your support of our team! Due to budget cuts, we found ourselves in a difficult position this year: a top team with no resources to be able to compete.
It is very expensive to travel to tournaments plus there are lots of supplies we need to make it possible. Not all of our students have their own laptop at home and so getting that big ticket item is incredibly important.
All of the other items--paper, pens, tech accessories, and a bag to carry it all in--are essential. So many students take these items for granted but our students would go without if they didn't have your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
Build Our Debate Team Library
Funded Dec 16, 2024It has been such a joy to watch the debaters' excitement about having all of these wonderful books! I'm still amazed by teenagers who are interested in reading not just outside of school but books of this caliber outside of school.
Our debaters have already decided to start a book club together to share texts and almost every single one of them took a book home with them to start on the very day that they arrived.
Thank you for contributing to their ability to keep learning and growing! I can't wait to see what the debaters do with what they learn.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
Clean Clothes From Our Heads to Our Toes
Funded Aug 9, 2022Thank you so much for your support of our students! It is a challenge to learn when you have basic needs on the mind, and your generous support has helped restock our school with the essentials students need to ensure that they are clean and appropriately clothed. Whether an accident occurred at school or they didn't have what they needed to prepare for the day at home, students know they can always come to school staff to help get what they need to start the day off on the right foot. We regularly have students come requesting these items and so support from donors like you is what keeps us stocked!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and one other donor.Building an ADHD Toolbox to Support All Students
Funded Jul 16, 2022Thank you so much for providing me with the opportunity to enhance my clinical skills with additional training and resources for my professional development. So many student struggle with ADHD and knowing how to best support their needs in the classroom requires specialized training beyond what I received in graduate school.
Thanks to your generosity, I was able to take a two-day course jam packed with information about ADHD that included new interventions, background information about the brain, techniques for partnering with children and families, and so much more. Due to an unexpected sale, your donation went so much further than I expected. I was also able to attend a day-long training about ethics, trauma, and cultural responsiveness. I was also able to attend a two-day training that taught me new applications of cognitive behavioral therapy. I even got a flip chart filled with worksheets to do with students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
This classroom project was brought to life by J.W. Couch Foundation and 2 other donors.Community Care Closet
Funded Apr 7, 2022Thank you so much for expanding my capacity to share essential hygiene products with the students who need them the most. They have been flying off the shelves already! There are so many children who need these basic supplies to make sure they are clean, healthy, and ready to learn.
The day that these items began to arrive was also the day that we found out that a family in our school community had lost everything to a fire. Thanks to your generosity, I was able to put together an amazing care package (see the picture!) for them as a gesture of our support during this challenging time.
I am so grateful to you for sharing these products that go beyond just cleanliness and allow for self care and dignity for all.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose community & an Anonymous Partner and 2 other donors.21st Century Tools for 21st Century Learners
Funded Nov 30, 2021I almost can't remember what it's like to work with a computer that takes almost five minutes to open a new tab and can't handle basic software. This computer has completely changed the way I work and given me back so much of my time.
It holds a huge repository of social-emotional and mental health resources, lesson plans, and tools. It connects me to staff through emails, virtual meetings, and online trainings. It crunches the numbers to ensure that all students who need mental health services are accounted for and interventions are tracked so that they are as effective as possible. It plays videos and music that I use in yoga classes and group sessions. It creates visuals that are posted around the school and given to students to remind them of behavioral expectations and coping skill choices.
To put it plainly, it makes my job possible! The best part is that it integrates seamlessly with my other Apple devices so that I can (for example) easily take notes during a classroom observation on my iPad and then AirDrop them to my computer to be shared with relevant staff members. My personal MacBook is 10 years old and going strong so I have high hopes that this one will continue making my life easier and my job more productive for years and years to come. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 4 other donors.Building Space for Mental Health
Funded Mar 4, 2022I think this may be my favorite project to date! I was recently given a large classroom to create a healing space for students. It was an exciting but overwhelming opportunity. Creating a welcoming and relaxing environment where students can delve deep into their emotions and trauma is hard when you are working with nothing but cinderblocks walls and castaway furniture.
Thanks to your generosity, the room has completely transformed and become a space that students and staff alike enjoy coming to when they need to decompress or process difficult stuff. The wall decor, pillows, seating, organizers, and other supplies that you funded came together to be so much more than the sum of their parts. They have created a special space where students can do the hard work of healing. What a gift!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Harduvel
This classroom project was brought to life by American Federation of Teachers.