Past projects 9
Run Your Way to Wellness
Funded Sep 8, 2024This year's middle and high school cross-country seasons were highly successful. The middle school program, in particular, saw marked improvements in student motivation and performance after implementing a system of immediate feedback on running times. Students eagerly tracked their progress on the two-mile nature trail course, and the majority experienced significant speed increases, resulting in substantial confidence gains. This positive reinforcement of time improvement at each practice proved highly motivating. The middle school team's achievements culminated in a trip to Craig, Alaska to compete against other Southeast Alaska schools. The boys' race included over 70 runners, while the girls' race featured over 30. Impressively, one of our middle school boys placed fourth, and one of our girls earned first place. Our runners were proud of their individual and team accomplishments. The middle school students are already expressing enthusiasm for the next season.
The timers have proven invaluable to our high school program, particularly during weekly practices focused on speed, strength, pace, and stride development. The head coach leverages data from the timers to provide individualized feedback on running times and to facilitate the establishment and measurement of personalized performance goals. This fall, runners on our girls' and boys' teams qualified for the state championship. Looking ahead, we are excited to host a regional meet for Southeast Alaska schools in Wrangell in the fall of 2026 and anticipate utilizing our new timing resources for this event.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Laura Davies
This classroom project was brought to life by Mission Tiger and 9 other donors.Stikine Middle School Film and Audio Project
Funded Aug 3, 2023I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you for your generosity. I had a big goal and knew it would take a lot of effort and collaboration to fund it, but you made it possible. I am beyond excited to share the news with my students when we start school in August.
I look forward to observing all the sharing, creating, learning, and celebrating that will happen when the students make documentaries. Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Laura Davies
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.SMS Pocketlab Sensors
Funded Aug 1, 2023Thank you so much! I was so excited to see the wonderful news this morning. I cannot wait to get the Pocketlab Sensors into my students' hands! Let the experiments begin! Science is going to be even more engaging this fall. Thank you for your donation and commitment to students' education.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Laura Davies
This classroom project was brought to life by Alaska Department of Education & Early Development.Middle School Mathematicians
Funded Jul 15, 2021My students use the calculators every single day! Thank you for making this possible. Giving each student the tools they need in order to have success in math has made a huge difference. The students are working very hard in math this year. I am impressed with their determination and resilience. The whiteboards, markers, and erasers are the most popular part of the donation. Students would love to use these every day if I would let them. Thank you for supporting the Stikine Middle School Students. We greatly appreciate your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Laura Davies
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 5 other donors.Middle School Movement Breaks
Funded Jan 11, 2021The students at Stikine Middle School were so excited when the sports equipment arrived at our school this year! Upon the arrival of the equipment, we immediately took the equipment out of the box, inflated the sports balls, and went outside to play. Students have been using the new equipment on almost a daily basis. Students really enjoy these daily outdoor movement breaks. These short breaks give them time to move their bodies, socialize, play, laugh, and get fresh air. During the movement breaks, students have collaborated together to create new games. I frequently hear students problem solving and cheering each other on while playing a game outside. Thank you for supplying us with the sports equipment. The students have enjoyed playing outside and for many students, the outdoor playtime is a highlight of their day.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Laura Davies
Cracking the Code in Wrangell, Alaska!
Funded Mar 15, 2020This year I am teaching a 6th-grade computer science class. This fall I was able to introduce micro:bits to the students in addition to using our web-based coding curriculum. The micro:bits are a wonderful addition to our curriculum because the students are introduced to JavaScript and Python languages, in addition to using JavaScript blocks to code. The students LOVE that they can hold the micro-bit and see immediately if their codes were a success. Students are motivated to solve problems and troubleshoot if their codes do not work as planned.
We typically use the micro:bits for engaging hands-on lessons every Friday. The micro:bits are also available for students to use during academic choice time or when they finish their computer science assignments. Students are motivated to finish their assignments so they can work with the micro:bits.
Students often work together with their peers when working on a micro: bit project. There are a lot of wonderful resources and project ideas for micro-bits so there is always something new for the students to try.
We now have enough micro: bits for each student to use their own. This is very important this year, due to the pandemic. We are so grateful and appreciative of this donation. We will continue using them micro-bits throughout the current school year and for many more years to come. Thank you for supporting computer science in Wrangell!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Laura Davies
Readers Are Leaders!
Funded Jul 2, 2019The fifth grade students in Wrangell, Alaska are beyond excited to read their new books. Several of them picked out a few books that they wanted to read right away. Now they are focused on finishing the book that they are currently reading so they can dig into their "want to read" pile. Our bookshelves are now full of interesting and relevant books for them to read. Having a lot of options gives them more of a chance to find books that they will read from cover to cover and never forget. In our class students independently read books of their choice and I read a chapter book aloud to them everyday. I look forward to reading some of these new books to my students this year. Students also share about their favorite books. Once they finish a book students have the opportunity to recommend it to their peers. My prediction is by the end of the school year, many of these books will be read by several of the students in my class. The books will help students learn more about the world around them, develop empathy, and become better readers. Thank you for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Laura Davies
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 2 other donors.Readers on the Rock
Funded Aug 13, 2019The fifth grade students in Wrangell, Alaska are beyond excited to read their new books. Several of them picked out a few books that they wanted to read right away. Now they are focused on finishing the book that they are currently reading so they can dig into their "want to read" pile. Our bookshelves are now full of interesting and relevant books for them to read. Having a lot of options gives them more of a chance to find books that they will read from cover to cover and never forget. In our class students share about their favorite books. Once they finish a book students have the opportunity to recommend it to their peers. My prediction is by the end of the school year, many of these books will be read by several of the students in my class. The books will help students learn more about the world around them, develop empathy, and become better readers. Thank you for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Laura Davies
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 4 other donors.Digital Microscopes for Wrangell's 5th Grade Students
Funded May 13, 2018This is my 13th year teaching the 5th Grade in Wrangell, Alaska. Last year, I took a masters level class at the University of Alaska Fairbanks about place based education. I developed a keen interest in place based learning especially in science and social studies. I decided to make this the focus of my final master's project. I also realized that having a few digital microscopes would encourage my fifth grade students to investigate and learn more about their local environment. I wanted to set up a station in my classroom with 4 digital microscopes so that students could bring things in from outside to examine. It was my intention that this would spark conversations and curiosity which would lead to higher engagement and learning.
My students were eager to set up and start using the four digital microscopes. However, we have been extremely busy this fall working through some behavioral and learning challenges first. Also the tech. department at my school had to set up the computers in our class so the microscopes would work properly. Finally, the microscopes were set up and ready to go. My students were beyond excited! They looked at many different things under the microscopes including: snake skin, lichen, moss, fossils, rocks, branches, leaves, sand, different fabric, coins, money, fingers, and hair. Students are now experts on how to use the microscopes. Some students ask to stay after school just to use the microscopes. The digital microscopes allow the students to take photos of the things they are studying and then save the photos on the computers. The photos are a work of art and a way for students to showcase what they have been studying.
In the new year, my students will be taking these digital microscopes upon the request of other teachers, to other classrooms. They will share the technology with the other students in the other classes. This will give them a chance to be leaders in the school and encourage other students to become interested in science. Now that the students are very interested and skilled in using the microscopes, it is my hope that they will bring things in from home and from outside the school to study. We can go on hikes on our local hiking trail and gather things to study under the microscopes.
Several students are excited to use this new technology. Perhaps the most exciting part for me is that students who normally are overwhelmed with academic challenges or hardships that they face outside of school, are motivated and enthusiastic about using the microscopes to learn. I have heard, "I love these new microscopes!" many times.
I am beyond thankful for this wonderful donation. I look forward to seeing how my students use these microscopes to further their learning about our local environment.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Laura Davies