Past projects 2
Lights, Camera, Masks and ACTION!
Funded Mar 11, 2021I cannot thank you enough for helping to fund our project. The supplies we were able to afford with your help allowed us to present a virtual fashion show in lieu of our live show that was impossible due to Covid-19.
The students were beyond excited to use the lights, netting and backdrop to build their set pieces. The masks and hand sanitizer allowed us to set up safety stations backstage, and gave the students the option of staying masked on the runway.
During such a hard year, it felt amazing to see them have something to look forward to and get excited about. In the end, just the act of putting on the virtual show was more important than the final product. Thank you for giving them a bright spot.
Please follow the link below and enjoy the show!
https://sites.google.com/mybps.us/fashiondesign/gallery”
With gratitude,
Ms. Butterfield
Sew ALL the Things!
Funded Aug 27, 2020I cannot thank you enough for your beyond generous donation to our classroom. This year has been like no other school year. Our school has bounced back and forth between hybrid in-person and remote, doing the best we can to keep our students and staff safe. Although we have not had as many 'hours logged' on our new machines as we normally would at this point in the year, they have made a huge difference.
The students were so excited to see the fleet of new machines when they finally returned! It was the smile inducing surprise I had hoped for when I first wrote my proposal. (Although their smiles were hidden safely behind masks.) The new machines are straightforward and easy to use. The second and third year fashion students took to them immediately and began the task of making masks. Fashion 1 students were introduced to the machines in the beginning of November and they're flying now. I cannot stress how helpful it has been for their confidence to work on machines that do not short circuit mid-stitch. They feel in control with the new machines and that is helping to foster the confidence they need to keep going. I am happy to report that our machine 'time-out' corner has been empty, and the kids are no longer focused on when the full moon falls in relation to needing to use the sewing machine. The amount of new machines in the room has also helped our students stay safer - we rotate machines between classes allowing time for sanitizing.
From a teaching perspective, they have taken so much stress out of an already stressful year. I have only had to teach the students how to use one machine instead of five different types. And I have been able to use my planning time to figure out new projects and ways to engage with fashion during our remote classes, instead of using all my planning time to triage machines. For that, I cannot thank you enough.
I look forward to a room at maximum capacity and a fleet of humming machines when all of this has passed. In the meantime, I am thankful for the joy and stress relief you have so generously given to my students and I this year. My words will never be enough. You have given a group of children a chance to access the love of sewing – a skill we need now more than ever. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Butterfield
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 142 other donors.