Past projects 7
Softball - Safe at Home! Or on the Field!
Funded Dec 1, 2020Thank you very much for the donation of softball equipment to the girls in our town. They need a little bit of normalcy. Some of the girls on the team were there to present the items to the coach. Both the coach and the players were so happy and grateful to have these new pieces of softball equipment. The girls were very excited about the practice ball on the end of the pole and the coach was so tickled to have the softball carrying stand - she said it was something she had always wanted. Additionally, the extra bounce back net is handy since apparently one got stolen last season. So all of the equipment is needed and appreciated!
The coach stated, "I think the most important thing to add to the thank you letter is how the equipment will allow the coaches the ability to help the girls with their skill set. This will also help the girls build their self esteem and confidence." All of these skills are doubly important during these Covid times. We are lucky that our school district is supporting safe return to sports with masks and social distancing and the girls told Coach they cannot wait to be out there doing what they love this spring.
So once again, thank you very much. Your donation meant a lot to the girls, to the coach, and to the community. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hodgdon
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and 4 other donors.Strength Training for Gymnasts
Funded Nov 16, 2020The coach opened the box with all of the new equipment and was very touched. He was so happy to have it. The even better reaction was the boys', though, because they saw the immediate applications of the balls and bands. They tore off all of the wrapping and started checking out the equipment.
They cheered that they would not have to share the one medicine ball held together with duct tape anymore. They wondered if the strength bands would be strong enough for them! :)
All the boys and the coach mentioned that they have been stepping up their strength game and that the equipment would fit perfectly with the new workout plan. Overall, the boys and coach are grateful and are excited to start using the new balls and bands immediately.
Thanks again so much for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hodgdon
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and 7 other donors.Field Hockey Fitness While Far From the Field
Funded Nov 8, 2020When the field hockey players opened the package, they were delighted! They thought the exercise bands looked like fun and immediately took them out of the package to use! We sent the bands home with some of the field hockey players who are currently in school (we will be remote next week for a couple months). At home, the girls will get a workout from one of the coaches who has her degree in exercise science. The coach and I are planning other activities that we can do with the bands besides strength training like accuracy drills - trying to get the field hockey balls to land inside the circle, and bonding drills like trying to make the ring travel around a circle of girls holding hands (when we are allowed within 6 feet again!)
Again, we thank you for the opportunity to do strength training from home and have new workouts on the field. Thank you! We appreciate it!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hodgdon
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and 2 other donors.Period Project: Pads for Pre-teens
Funded Mar 20, 2020Thank you! These products will be used very widely in our school district. Girls in our community will have access to these products thanks to you. They will not have to be embarrassed to go to the nurse, ask a friend, or sneak a tampon up their sleeve. When we saw how much your generosity supplied, we were overfilled with surprise and joy. My friends and I are considering organizing something similar to this once again for shelters and the soup kitchen in our town. These products will be specifically distributed in the middle and high schools. Thank you again.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hodgdon
This classroom project was brought to life by La Vie™ and 3 other donors.So You Wanna Be a Field Hockey Goalie?
Funded Nov 17, 2019This email is from Coach Amanda who was thrilled and surprised by our donation:
Obviously, we need goalkeeper equipment to protect our goalie. However, most people are unaware of just how expensive goalie equipment can be! The other compounding issue is that there are so many companies who make equipment that isn't the greatest and actually hinders the performance of the player. I was a goalie and have trained probably a thousand goalies over the past 25 years. The functionality of the equipment we were bought is of a higher level that will allow our young female goalies to not only become more skilled, but also more confident.
I tried to order new goalie equipment for our middle school this year, and I was told I could get maybe half of the total equipment needed which is not exactly helpful. So this equipment will hopefully entice a new 6th grader to become interested in the position. Being a goalie is very specialized. It's hard for a team to be successful without someone who is willing to commit to practicing as a goalie throughout the season.
The additional equipment we were given: a cone stand, mini goals, and cones will obviously be used at practice in multiple ways.
-Amanda”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hodgdon
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and 9 other donors.So You Wanna Be a Field Hockey Goalie?
Funded Dec 5, 2019Amanda was so surprised and thrilled to get our donation of field hockey gear. Here is her response:
Obviously, we need goalkeeper equipment to protect our goalie. However, most people are unaware of just how expensive goalie equipment can be! The other compounding issue is that there are so many companies who make equipment that isn't the greatest and actually hinders the performance of the player. I was a goalie and have trained probably a thousand goalies over the past 25 years. The functionality of the equipment we were bought is of a higher level that will allow our young female goalies to not only become more skilled, but also more confident.
I tried to order new goalie equipment for our middle school this year, and I was told I could get maybe half of the total equipment needed which is not exactly helpful. So this equipment will hopefully entice a new 6th grader to become interested in the position. Being a goalie is very specialized. It's hard for a team to be successful without someone who is willing to commit to practicing as a goalie throughout the season.
The additional equipment we were given: a cone stand, mini goals, and cones will obviously be used at practice in multiple ways.
-Amanda”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hodgdon
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and 5 other donors.Escape the Classroom!
Funded Aug 27, 2019We have already used our new breakout box when we escaped a unit about cars. Students had to read articles, do math, watch videos, decode a puzzle, use some map knowledge about Germany, and work together to break out.
The students always get excited to participate in the escape activities and like the challenge. As a follow up activity, I asked students to create their own clues for a puzzle. They found it difficult to find the right balance of difficulty. But in the end they came up with some interesting puzzles including google voice calls, picture puzzles, videos with embedded lock combinations and even a scavenger hunt around school to find a padlock key.
Our next unit is about sustainability so I am excited to find more ideas on the online platform for this.
Thank you so much for helping our classroom use important skills like collaboration, determination, and logic. Danke!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hodgdon