Past projects 11
Winter Carving for Summer Surfers
Funded Feb 19, 2025Thank you for making it possible for our students to get some more surfskate experience. We now have 3 boards in our quiver which will allow students to practice with each other, bond, challenge each other, have fun, and get excited for Summer surfing! Skate club resumes in mid-March so we’ll all look forward to unboxing the new board!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody
Skate Club Surfskating
Funded Apr 2, 2024Students love the surf skate board! One student is very attached to it and takes it home over the weekend to practice her pumping motion. It's so cool to see her skate with the skate club on Wednesdays and be able to generate speed with the back and forth motion.
The success of brining skateboards to the club have inspired me to do a second project so that more students can have an opportunity to learn how to surf skate. This will be exciting for many members of skate club who went surfing this Summer through a program that teaches social emotional skills while learning board sports.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody
Promote Students' Chess Skills to Queen Level!
Funded Dec 2, 2023Your donation has brought some very needed equipment to match the demand and enthusiasm for chess which has not wavered since its growing mainstream popularity during the pandemic. It is now possible for all students who are interested in playing chess to participate during their lunch periods and after school. The reading room in the library now has 6 chess boards, 6 chess clocks, and comfortable stools to give students the feeling of a tournament.
The abundance of equipment has allured more students and introduced them to a game that is a great social vehicle and has many cognitive benefits.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody
Turn Our School Into a Compost Drop Off Site
Funded Jan 17, 2023With the depressing stories of global warming becoming more prevalent each day, John Dewey students are yearning to be a part of the solution. Influencing the school and community to compost does just that.
Thanks to your donation students at John Dewey have diverted more than 700 pounds of food scraps from landfill! We have opened our compost system to the community and have continued to build momentum. Because of the success your donation has enabled, students are now confident and ready to tackle the cafeteria!
Through composting we have also perfected our tea recipe that we use for hydroponics. The tea is a more green alternative to synthetic fertilizers which require more carbon emissions to produce. We have shared our compost tea recipe with the DOE and look forward to influencing other schools with hydroponic programs to use compost tea.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody
Ping Pong on the Run
Funded Dec 20, 2022Thanks to you my every player on my team was able to use a high quality paddle. This allows for actually mastering the fundamentals of table tennis, which make the game far more rewarding. Thanks to the paddles you donated, my players made profound progress this year. Seeing their hard work payoff has reinforced for them valuable life skills like patience and persistence. Their satisfaction with the sport has also made them more connected to their community. A group of players on my team checked out the paddles over the weekend to play at a senior center nearby our school.
The bags you donated have also allowed us to travel smoothly around our campus and to other schools for away games.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and one other donor.Give Ethnobotany Students Educational Tools for Plant Parenthood
Funded Dec 6, 2022Your donation has enabled my students to see the hard work they put into planting 1,000 daffodils around our campus pay off. They used the posca paint pens and blank yard signs to make signs in multiple languages to discourage people from stepping and cutting flowers so that we can appreciate them from late winter till the end of the year. The flowers are a living memorial to 9/11 and Covid-19 which has given the students a nice way to honor loved ones. The signs so far have prevented the living memorial from being tampered with. Students also have enjoyed using the paint markers for making other signs, labeling our compost system and tools, and creating mind maps they use to master the concepts of ethnobotany. The tool bag and shelving unit have also given them the ability to organize the many supplies of our classroom in a compact way that is helping them work more efficiently.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody
This classroom project was brought to life by Optimum and one other donor.Turn Chess Spectators Into Chess Masters
Funded Dec 2, 2022Thanks so much for the chess boards. My small classroom is filled to the brim during lunch with students of all chess abilities helping and playing with each other. The enthusiasm has led to us holding an after-school club where even more students show up to improve their games and socialize. We have made contact with a professional who works at the Twitch (a platform for live video streaming) and has invited us for a field trip! Thus your chess boards have not not only provided recreation and cognitive growth for 20 students (and the number keeps growing), it may also provide for them future career possibilities.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody
Help Us Maintain and Transport the Skateboards We Love
Funded Nov 29, 2022Thanks to your support, we are able to wheel our bags filled with boards and protective gear to the most prime and available skating spots on our high school campus. Having a convenient way to transport the boards has made it possible for us to set up in front of the school where we've attracted more students who are interested in skateboarding or looking for something extracurricular to do after school. For example, a student who struggles with social anxiety and has little social interaction, overcame the intimidation of joining the club by seeing it in action while he was on his way to the subway. One of our skate club members took it upon himself to make the new member feel welcomed. He showed the new member where to get the protective gear and taught him how to balance on the board with his front foot. Last Wednesday the new member learned how to push the board with his back foot and glide with both feet on the board. The new member now has new friends and a skill that he can look forward to developing each week.
The equipment for board maintenance has made it possible for students to keep the bearings clean and well lubricated so that the wheels can roll more efficiently. This has made skateboarding more fun and has given students a useful skill where they can save money and gain an understanding of skate technology.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and one other donor.Protect New Skaters
Funded Sep 29, 2022Many parents are reluctant to let their children participate in a sport like skateboarding that has a reputation for injury. This is especially true at my school. Many of my students are immigrants or first generation Americans whose parents are especially risk averse. The students face large academic and economic pressure. This environment makes the need for a fun break crucial. When parents know that their children will wear protective gear, it makes them more willing to let their children participate in the joys of skateboarding. Their children also can make friends, gain confidence, and practice perseverance.
The club has also been able to grow and spread its joy to more timid students by highlighting our safety equipment. Students are overcoming their fear and finding something they love.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.Building Resiliency through Skateboarding
Funded Aug 7, 2022Great moments happen every Wednesday thanks to students being able to ride an array of high quality boards. Students are also able to rent boards during the week when the club is not in session and develop their skills outside of the school.
The skate club has turned into a solid group of individuals, many of whom have found and created a friendly environment that accepts all types of people and personalities. The group fosters an environment in which students can grow socially and emotionally. Here's a few outcomes that I've witnessed:
- An experienced skater overcoming his social anxiety to teach beginners how to skate. He was later recognized for his skateboard instruction as one of the school's students of the month. He also finally felt motivated to complete a homework assignment for his ELA class. It was a personal narrative which he made about skateboarding.
- A student struggling with health has been coming every session to do the stretches, balancing work, and exercise.
- A student who has never participated in extracurriculars and doesn't seem to have a social outlet got her mother to grant her permission to attend the club. She got on the board for the first time and learned to push and glide in her first session.
- Students overall are getting comfortable with themselves and the instructors and have shared numerous challenges they've faced. The group gives each individual strength and support to talk about past and future obstacles.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Moody