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Mrs. Loyacano's Classroom

  • Waynesboro High School
  • Waynesboro, VA
  • Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

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Past projects 9

  • Recreating the Gay-Straight Alliance Safe Space

    Funded Jun 10, 2021

    Going into the 2021-2022 school year our school-wide goal has been to provide our students with a safe space. The Gay-Straight Alliance is an integral part of that equation. We are a small group this year, but studies have shown that just having a GSA in a school building helps create a safe environment and lessens suicide rates.

    Your generous gifts have allowed us to spend after-school time crafting and discussing issues that matter to the students. At our most recent meeting we decided as a group to celebrate International Pronouns Day (in October). The kids will be making pronoun stickers and we will encourage the entire school to wear them.

    The expansion of the LGBT Lending Library has been wonderful this year. Students are hungry for new books to read. There is definitely a sense that everyone is happy to just be able to peruse the shelves and flip through books.

    Thank you again for your support of the group and the student body as a whole.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Loyacano

  • Pride and POC in the Classroom

    Funded Jul 1, 2020

    This is been a crazy year. Our school is virtual, but we still have a system in place to get books to students. In a time when nothing seems certain it is nice to know that reading, and sharing the love of reading, never changes.

    The students who have been able to get their hands on these books have been grateful for not only the stories and focus of the books but just to have a new book in their hands during a time when that didn't seem possible.

    Going forward I hope to create an environment that makes all kids feel as though their representation matters in my classroom and beyond. This is one small step. But you helped to create a more inclusive environment. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Loyacano

  • Connections through Books: Finding and Sharing Diverse Reads

    Funded Jun 29, 2019

    Thank you for helping the Gay-Straight Alliance in so many ways. You have grown our LGBT Lending Library and there have been more books checked out this semester than last semester. We were also able to compile a list of recommendations from our library to help promote Bisexual Awareness Week. We were able to share this list with the whole school.

    The Little Free Library is such a blessing. We have worked with administration to get a spot for the library right in front of the school within the student parking lot. There will be a lot of traffic to it which is awesome. We were also able to use the exact same color as the newly painted walls in the building, so it really shows how connected the GSA is to the school and the community.

    Thank you for being so generous in your donation to a small school in a small town. The students in the club were amazed that someone from a different state cared about our cause. I think it helped them to feel supported and understood. Thank you for helping the students of the Gay-Straight Alliance realize that adults really do care and that there are a lot of thoughtful people in the world.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Loyacano

  • Representation Matters: Building My Classroom Library

    Funded Dec 31, 2018

    During a recent project, students were able to select any book they wanted to read. Because of your generosity my students had many books to choose from to fit their personal tastes, interests, and diverse cultures.

    I want my students to feel as though my classroom is a safe space and while decor and a welcoming attitude can help that only being able to provide diverse literature can make that comfort extend into class time.

    Donations like yours, to classrooms like mine, or so important and I cannot thank you enough.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Loyacano

  • Gay-Straight Alliance Creating a Sense of Community and Connection

    Funded Sep 18, 2018

    Thank you so much for helping us get out High School/Middle School GSA Connection off the ground. We are still in the setting up stages, but the high school students have been able to create posters, use some artistic skills to create workbooks, and plan out activities. Due to an unexpected ice storm our first scheduled meeting was canceled, but middle school students are buzzing with possibilities. Guidance counselors from both the middle and high school have begun conversations about how to best to reach this under-served population.

    Your donations helped get these conversations started and that is so important. Helping to create an environment that encourages acceptance and personal reflection is paramount and it is something that younger students have been lacking.

    The high school students cannot wait to work with the middle school students to make them feel understood and heard.

    Thank you so much.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Loyacano

  • Growing the GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) Audience

    Funded Apr 12, 2018

    Thank you so much for supporting our small Gay-Straight Alliance. These students have had a big year! They have rewritten the bullying and dress code policy, made headway in making changes to the sex ed curriculum, partnered with a local organization helping abused women and children, and have constantly campaigned for education around the school and community. Honestly, the list of accomplishments would take up too much space to list individual (I am so proud of them).

    Many of the resources we received through this project have already been put to use and a large number of books from the LGBTQIA+ Lending Library have already been checked out for the summer. This library has been used by members of the group and non-members and I truly believe that it has already made an impact on our student body to feel accepted and accepting.

    Thank you again. We are constantly fighting battles and it is reassuring to know that you have our back!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Loyacano

  • Bisexual Representation in the LGBTQ Lending Library

    Funded Oct 18, 2017

    The members of the Waynesboro High School Gay-Straight Alliance would like to thank you for your donation to our organization. The LGBTQ+ lending library has been expanded and the flags have been put to good use already this year. Our lending library has grown and students in, and outside of, the Gay Straight Alliance have felt represented by the characters and plots. Our club identifies most strongly with bisexuality and it is with pride that we can know provide resources for our members that are inclusive.

    Knowing that we could start the year with resource was empowering. Our club must work to be heard in the community/state/nation as a whole and it is wonderful to know that there are people out there who are willing to support us.

    One of our biggest goals this year is education and allyship. You are one of our allies and that means the world to us.

    Thank you for helping us feel represented and spread information and understanding.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Loyacano

    This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 5 other donors.
  • Making the Voices of the Gay-Straight Alliance Heard and Represented

    Funded Aug 2, 2017

    I want to thank you for supporting the Gay-Straight Alliance at Waynesboro High School. The students hit the ground running this year and have started to use their voice within the school community to education their peers (and the faculty). So far this year, the students have created multiple bulletin boards using the resources you have provided: one for bisexual awareness week and another for what it means to be an ally.

    We have been able to use the flags to students know when there are meetings and to promote different sexualities. The books has been added to my ever growing lending library. As of this moment over twenty different titles have been read by GSA members and others during this semester.

    The GSA students, and may students at our school, were shaken by the events in Charlottesville (which is a city most of my students visit quite often). Having resources which allowed them to feel proud and supported gave them focus. Instead of letting the negativity get them they were able to turn their attention to advocacy and acceptance.

    Thank you for helping these students feel as though they can make a difference.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Loyacano

    This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 6 other donors.
  • LGBT Lending Library to Support GSA

    Funded Jul 12, 2016

    The Gay-Straight Alliance at my high school was stared in the Spring of 2016. It has worked very hard to gain legitimacy and acceptance in the community. Because we are a student led group we must raise all of the funds we need for activities on our own--which leaves no extra funds for non-charitable activities. This year we are raising money to create kits for homeless/displaced LGBT youth in the area.

    After some discussions with my students I realized that the biggest issue concerning our school community is understanding. The advocates in the group felt that they didn't understand the labels associated with the LGBT community, but they wanted to learn. Other members of the group felt as though they were comfortable with their own label, but not with others. That is why I cam up with the idea of the LGBT mini-library. Over the years I have been collecting novels with LGBT characters, but with your help I was able to expand to labels that go across the spectrum including asexuality and LGBT history. The library now consists of fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, and books that are informative. I have labeled all of the books with a rainbow heart so they are easily identifiable. Already this year many of the books have been checked out by both LGBT and straight youth.

    I have done a book talk at every meeting to share the books with the group members and this has helped to motivate the students to read. Some of them read to learn, but others read to see themselves represented on the page--which is so important and validating.

    Thank you for helping this little group.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Loyacano

My classroom has always been known as a place to get a book recommendation. I would like to continue this trend by adding an LGBT lending library to my classroom. I already have a collection of around fifteen books that cover gay, lesbian, and transgender topics; these books would expand the collection. My students would benefit from being able to see their own lives reflected in the characters of the books. This would allow them to feel validated as part of a community. The other benefit I see is for students of all sexual identities to be able to see different characters in lead roles. This library will be available to all students in the Gay-Straight Alliance and to the students in my Modern Literature class.

About my class

My classroom has always been known as a place to get a book recommendation. I would like to continue this trend by adding an LGBT lending library to my classroom. I already have a collection of around fifteen books that cover gay, lesbian, and transgender topics; these books would expand the collection. My students would benefit from being able to see their own lives reflected in the characters of the books. This would allow them to feel validated as part of a community. The other benefit I see is for students of all sexual identities to be able to see different characters in lead roles. This library will be available to all students in the Gay-Straight Alliance and to the students in my Modern Literature class.

About my class

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