Past projects 39
MacBook Air to Help My Students Get Creative!
Funded Apr 22, 2015Thank you so much for being such a constant support for me and my students!
The laptop has been so helpful over the past month of school. Each time students came to my office to check out a computer, they were shocked to see that I now have a MacBook Air they can use! Word has started to spread that Joel has a brand new Mac to check out, and when a student is successful in being first on my list to take it home, they act like they've just won the lottery.
This computer is helping students prepare videos, slideshows, college posters, portfolio presentations, etc. It really does make a difference. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key
Learnstorm Chromebooks into the Laps/Hearts of Students!
Funded Apr 13, 2015Thank you so much for your generous donation of $15,000 worth of Chromebooks to our school through the LearnStorm competition! Our students loved being visited by a representative from Google, and were inspired by her story about working through the challenges of high school and college, but overcoming in the end to become a Google'er. Just seeing the brand new boxes of so many new computers got our students excited! We cannot express how much your involvement in our schools means to us. Please continue to stay involved! We cannot do it without your help!!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key
Adaptive Technology - Laptops for Interventions!
Funded Mar 26, 2014Our new Google Chromebooks have been in action for 2 weeks now! They are being used for: California Exit Exam online preparation for 11th graders who need extra help, individual practice sessions for 10th and 12th graders who are preparing their portfolio defenses, and as a "mini portable lab" that teachers and students can check out to complete their work when other computers are not available. They have been a very important resource during this busy time of year!
I keep the computers with a check out clip board and chargers in my office, and teachers and students can come by to check them out as needed. Students are so happy that I now have computers available to them without needing to go hunt for them somewhere else. Our intervention specialists and teachers are relieved to have these shining new computers at their fingertips to help support our students who need the most help!
Because of your involvement and financial contribution, the teachers and students at my school have the tools to succeed at these vital steps on the path to college.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key
This classroom project was brought to life by AT&T Foundation and 13 other donors.Projector And Doc Cam Make Our Community Meetings Awesome
Funded Feb 26, 2013Thank you so much for all of your support! This is truly evidence of how people from all over the country can come together to support a little school in California. We have already received the document camera and projector, and have already started using them in our weekly community meetings. That means over 250 students utilize these resources two times every week. The first time we used the projector was for a screening of a movie called "The Witness" which is about the man standing next to Dr. Martin Luther King when he was assassinated. Because we had a projector, all 250 students in the room could clearly see the movie, and many commented on what a powerful film it was. We showed it as part of our Black History Month programming.
The document cam has also already been put to work during our AP US History Mock Senate trials, allowing students to project their bills for everyone to see as students went through the process of making revisions to and voting on bills. Once again, thank you so much for your support!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key
Monitors & Microphones Build Positive College-Going Culture
Funded Oct 24, 2012I hope you know how much impact the donation you made has had on the entire community at the high school where I work. From the second we put up the monitors, students and families started commenting on how "modern" and "technological" our school is. This is hugely important for a school where so many of our students are living at or below the poverty line. A feeling of pride in where they attend school results in higher grades, improved attendance, and more engagement. The monitors have been a place for students to show off their artwork and designs, as well as a place to remind everyone of important upcoming academic and college deadlines. The microphones and speaker system are used weekly. We have had a mock Senate trial, DJ family night fundraiser, Holocaust survivor speaker, musical performances, speeches about standing up to bullying, spirit rallies, and film festival showings -- all made possible because of this new system. Thank you once again for supporting our school and making it a more connected, proud place to be. I hope you will continue support our school in the future!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key
Printing Eco Posters and College Portraits
Funded Mar 26, 2012As you can see by the pictures of my students and their posters, your donations have brought a lot of joy to our seniors! Each of the students in the pictures has now chosen where they are going to college, and turned their future plans into a poster which will go up on the walls of our school to encourage future graduates. Students presented their work at a public community meeting, where the other 400 students at the school applauded their accomplishments.
In addition, 9th grade students have been printing their Eco posters, encouraging their community change something about their consumption. Students presented their work to their families at exhibition.
With your help, our students are getting ready for college and completing projects that both share their accomplishments and prepare them for success! I hope you will continue to support schools through Donors Choose in the future!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key
Collegeology: Playing the game of getting into college
Funded Dec 6, 2011The College games arrived and I've been testing them out with my senior classes. Although it's a little confusing at first (just like applying to college in real life), students get the hang of it and then get completely engrossed in beating out their peers to get accepted and then win "badges" once in college. Although my seniors think it would be a great idea for younger students to play, I actually think the game is reinforcing how important it is to keep on applying to scholarships, excelling in school, and taking advantage of extracurriculars in college. I can't wait to have them teach the 10th and 11th graders how to play!
As always, your support for my students and school is much appreciated. Keep it up!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key
Help my STEM students print their PBL projects!
Funded Oct 3, 2011Thank you so much for you generous donations. Between the individual donation by Nestor and the corporate donation by Chevron, you have enabled an entire school of students to print their work. Just today a student expressed concern over our ability to print work for our upcoming exhibition, and I could happily respond that we now have enough ink to print for the rest of the year!
This week, our students are focusing on preparing ecological footprint labs, statistical projections, and data visualizations that represent students' energy, mobility, waste, and water usage. Their labs and graphic designs will be printed in full color for presenting to their families. The work is rigorous and relevant, and thanks to you, we can go through with the final step: printing!
I hope you will continue to support local schools. We cannot do it without you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key
Headphones for Our Computers Will Help Us Concentrate!
Funded Aug 23, 2011Thanks so much for helping my school out by using your Donors Choose giving card, or by making a generous donation! The headphones have been in the hands of students for the past month. Last year, only 1 classroom was able to use a class set of headphones. Now, we have enough for three classrooms of students to be engaged in multi-media based lessons at the same time. This cuts down on teacher stress and increases student engagement.
You would have enjoyed being in the room when the first group of students opened up the new packages of headphones. Students don't usually get to use brand new equipment, and the excitement was palpable.
I hope you continue to support projects like this on Donors Choose. Schools really can't do it without your support. About 90% of my classroom supplies are provided through Donors Choose contributions. Without donors like you, I would either be paying for these supplies myself, or my students and I would simply have to go without.  ”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key
Can you help us print? Without ink our art goes unseen.
Funded Feb 19, 2011Thank you very much for your help and contributions. This was a mass effort! Some of you donated by participating in the "Waiting for Superman" text and donate program. Some of you have never donated by text before, and I appreciate your willingness to try something new. Some of you live across the country and connected with my project, students, and goals. Some of you teach at my school and know how vital toner is to our daily lives and ability to work with less stress. Your combined participation lead to a full set of toner that has allowed all of our students and teachers to print without worry.
Recently, here's what's been popping out of the printer: AP Environmental Science labs about oil spill clean up, student portraits used to encourage and award academic growth, college logos and maps that are now adorning our "Senior and College Wall," computer generated art depicting illuminated letters, mousepad designs, and tessellations. The list goes on: literary analysis essays applying the use of analytical lenses to novels our students are reading, invitations to student presentations on their internships, programs for our 9th grade exhibition of Antigone. These projects allow our students to prepare for college while completing engaging, relevant, and rigorous projects.
Thanks for your continued support! I look forward to seeing you again on Donors Choose soon.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Key