Past projects 9
One Book to Unite Us (Part Two)
Funded Oct 27, 2021As we start our new semester, we are also kicking off our RISE Time intervention by letting students join book clubs. Thanks to your generosity, students will be able to choose from great books like An Invisible Thread, Just Mercy, and Born a Crime. If you have read any of these books, you know the powerful discussions that will accompany our reading. Just the book talks alone have already, on day one, inspired some great questions. I feel energized going into this endeavor, and that is in large part due to the generosity of people like you who made it possible. Please know that 80 teenagers are becoming better citizens thanks to you. That's how we change the world.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Piper
This classroom project was brought to life by 3Mgives Angleton TX.One Book to Unite Us
Funded Oct 27, 2021As we start our new semester, we are also kicking off our RISE Time intervention by letting students join book clubs. Thanks to your generosity, students will be able to choose from great books like An Invisible Thread, Just Mercy, and Born a Crime. If you have read any of these books, you know the powerful discussions that will accompany our reading. Just the book talks alone have already, on day one, inspired some great questions. I feel energized going into this endeavor, and that is in large part due to the generosity of people like you who made it possible. Please know that 80 teenagers are becoming better citizens thanks to you. That's how we change the world.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Piper
This classroom project was brought to life by The Allstate Foundation and 11 other donors.Reading About Current Events Keeps Us UPFRONT
Funded May 4, 2021We recently received our first issue of UpFront magazine and already I can tell that this resource is going to change the dynamic of my classroom. Today we read "Where the Pandemic Still Rages," and I was thrilled with the discussions each class period.
Thank you for ensuring my students have access to high quality reading material about topics that are relevant to their lives. The magazines are eye-catching and engaging, and I just know that many struggling readers are going to benefit from this being made available to them throughout the year.
I can't thank you enough for your generosity and for making education a priority. It is greatly appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Piper
This classroom project was brought to life by Oak Foundation and one other donor.Because Their Stories Matter
Funded Jul 20, 2021My students will be using these voice recorders to interview people from their own communities. In the end, we will publish a collection of writings that come from these many interviews. It is so important for high school students to see themselves as writers, and this collection will provide an outlet for them to celebrate their communities while also showcasing their writing talents.
Our stories are so important. What could be more empowering than allowing students to share someone's story in such a meaningful way? I am excited for each of my students to explore the power of oral histories, and I thank you for helping make this project possible.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Piper
This classroom project was brought to life by Emerson Collective.Readers as Leaders, Diversity Book Clubs
Funded Aug 12, 2021Thank you so much for helping us offer our students a variety of diverse book choices for our book clubs. It is so important for students to see themselves and their cultures represented in the books we read and discuss. In putting together these book club choices, I continue to strive to add options that will inspire students to discuss and write about topics that they find relevant and engaging.
The three titles we were able to add through your generosity not only tell three very different stories, but also represent three different genres.
I am very passionate about exposing students to as many books as I can during my brief time with them, and you have helped me in that endeavor. For that, I am eternally grateful.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Piper
This classroom project was brought to life by Emerson Collective and 3 other donors.You Are NOT Alone
Funded Jun 12, 2021A shockingly large percent of my students struggle with mental health issues. Many deal with anxiety, depression, and addiction in themselves, their friends, and their families. And sadly, many of them don't feel comfortable talking about these struggles.
I want each and every child who walks in my classroom to know it is a safe place. That if they want to talk or write about these issues, they can. And I also want them to know they are not alone. I take great pride in building a classroom library that is diverse in many ways. I want my students to see themselves represented in print.
Your generosity has enabled me to add both fiction and nonfiction books dealing with mental health in adolescents to my classroom library.
Last year a young lady in my English II class read "I Don't Want to be Crazy" and told me at the end of the year that it had been nice to read about someone going through the same things as her. I gave her that book. You helped me replace it.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Piper
This classroom project was brought to life by Born This Way Foundation and 3 other donors.Help Us Build a Library
Funded May 27, 2021We spend the first ten minutes of my class reading every day. Every single day. Many of my students walk into my high school classroom having never read a book, and for many of them, these ten minutes are the only time they spend reading a book of their choice. A book they chose themselves and enjoy. It's often the only time they devote to reading just for the beauty of reading.
We often spend a few minutes talking about our books, but there is never an assignment associated to the time. We are reading just to read, and it is important to me that they know this. Your generosity has helped build classroom libraries on a campus where we don't have a campus library.
I am very passionate about students reading books they love. I love to check out multiple books for them to take home, and I love that now we have even more books available to them. Thanks to you.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Piper
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and one other donor.With Our Words, We Will Build a Community
Funded Feb 23, 2021Our literary magazines arrived this week, and distributing them to students proved to be one of the most impactful activities of my teaching career. Every single student was so proud. They were calling each other authors and signing each other's books.
One student asked me to give him a dime, and when I did, he told me he's going to tell his family he's a professional author now. The young lady who drew the cover art graduated the day the books arrived, and she cried when I handed her her copy.
We passed out the books on Tuesday, and I am writing this to you on Thursday (only days later), and today a student emailed me a piece she wrote about the death of her aunt. She asked if I would hold onto it for next year's book.
Our students, many of whom come to our campus from very difficult circumstances, are beginning to see the power of their talents. I asked you to help us build a community, and that is exactly what we did. I can't thank you enough.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Piper
We Need Books!
Funded Mar 4, 2021My students have already begun digging in to the books you helped us purchase. It makes my heart swell every time a student checks out a book from my classroom library. You see, our campus does not have a central library, and many of my students do not have transportation to get to a public library. I love putting good books in their hands, and seeing them come alive as readers.
As we are an alternative campus (where many students are trying to recover lost credits), our students can graduate at any point in the year. When they finish that last credit, they are done. That day. That period. They ring a bell. We all celebrate, and they go off into the world.
This week, a young lady came to my room with my copy of Scythe and told me she was getting ready to ring the bell. She isn't one of my students, but she had come to my room and asked to borrow the book from me weeks before based on the recommendation of one of my students. She wanted to know if she could take the book with her to finish. I told her that not only should she take it, but she should come borrow the second one when she finishes it.
She's a reader, and she always will be. Thanks to your help, we are growing readers.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Piper