Past projects 25
Kendama! Fun from Japan
Funded Dec 13, 2013Every day at lunch a group of eager youth rush to the area outside my classroom to participate on the KENDAMA Team! I see their faces full of smiles and their eyes sharply focused as they attempt to "land" the newest trick on the stick or cups, many of which they create themselves and name in a dramatic fashion. I hear things like "I just invented this trick...I call it the Space Station."
The students are moving about and active for the entire lunch period, training. They are intently developing their skills at the game, but as I tell them, life skills as well. They are using grit, determination, and perseverance as they play. Several adults on campus have expressed how interesting it is to see kids doing something physical, tactile, and seemingly simple in the age of electronic devices. I am a witness to the building of a supportive social community as the team members become instructors and supporters to those just joining. All of these positive effects from the Kendama project are due to your graciousness and generosity. I really can't thank you all enough for your donations. They will have resounding impacts on the lives of these youngsters. You have helped make the world a better place more than you know!”
With gratitude,
Mr. McConnell
This classroom project was brought to life by Jamba Juice and 13 other donors.The Recyclists
Funded Jun 10, 2013The Recyclist project has been a success in making recycling "cool"! Every school day, students have been able to do their part to help the planet and keep the campus clean thanks to this grant. It is now a popular thing to do to take your can or bottle to recycle and not just toss it on the ground.
The lowrider bicycle has garnered so much positive attention on campus and has been a great delivery system for ecological awareness and a positive community spirit. Students are all feeling that they are part of a larger movement to be respectful and responsible members of society.
Everyone at the school, staff included, are proud to have such a awesome way to pitch in, and become RECYCLISTS!”
With gratitude,
Mr. McConnell
This classroom project was brought to life by JPMorgan Chase and 6 other donors.Anime & Manga Madness
Funded Jan 23, 2013Our kids are loving the MANGA! I am so grateful to all of your donations. Because of your generosity, I am witness to dozens of students who are coming to read, write, build social skills, and be creative each day...all inspired by Japanese Cartoons and Comics.
You would be so thrilled to see the way the students are highly engaged in a variety of creative outlets. They are creating drawings and also paintings that they never knew they could.
We have many students who have built portfolios full of Manga artwork that they have created as a direct result of your giving. We have seen a dramatic increase in students checking out library book and reading as well. These outcomes would not have been possible without your donations. Our next step will involve collaborative groups actually creating their own comics complete with original characters and storylines (some are off to a start already) which we hope will be scanned and published in comic form by the spring!
Thank You all again so much for helping our kids express themselves with Manga art!”
With gratitude,
Mr. McConnell
Las Manos Mural Art Club
Funded Dec 7, 2011Thank you so much for providing my students the opportunity to creatively express themselves through public art. Our club has rapidly grown in popularity as kids share their feelings of freedom and relief to be able to create messages about their lives and their world and communicate to the larger learning community with ART. We have just begun to make us of the wealth of resources that your grant program provided and we will have many more exciting projects in which students will develop their artistic skills and collaborative acumen through artwork. The murals and paintings that have already been completed are a bright point in many students dull daily routine and we can tell that they are having an uplifting effect on those who walk by and enjoy them. Thank you again for your generosity and we hope that you know that your donations have provided students a safe and supportive environment to express their ideas and feelings through art that they rarely get. Again many many thanks!”
With gratitude,
Mr. McConnell
Cruising Cultural Cuisines with Compositions!
Funded Jan 26, 2012What a great way to spend the day: eating a familiar food in a new way with classmates and teachers. We all relished learning about another culture and being empowered by the experience of being in control of our education!
I want to thank all of those who supported this project through their donations. It would have been extremely difficult under traditional school funding sources. All of my students enjoyed themselves and the trip and learned many different things about ramen noodles. I don't think they will look at that convenient instant cup of soup the same way in the future.
Thank you all again for your support. You are making a brighter future for us all with your generosity and charity. ”
With gratitude,
Mr. McConnell
Masquerading Maturation LITE
Funded Dec 7, 2011Your generosity will resonate throughout the lives of my young students. This project is a unique opportunity for students to apply what they have been learning and create a visual and well as text rich representation of their self-conception and share that artistic symbol of their identity with their learning community.
Students were so excited to get the masks and took no time to start to explore ideas and designs connecting them to rationales. I heard so many eager voices communicating to each other "I'm going to make mine _____ because it shows ____ about me!" It was truly a rewarding experience for my students and myself.
Thank you again for your donations and I hope that you continue to provide special experiences like this one to students in need. ”
With gratitude,
Mr. McConnell
This classroom project was brought to life by Wasserman Foundation.Art in Action
Funded Jun 24, 2010Thank you so much for allowing my students the opportunity to express themselves in an artistic way and avoid the pitfalls of negativity that plague their community. The Art in Action group showed a lot of growth in both artistic ability and social development thanks to your contribution. The kids learned what it means to give back to the community through public art and had a real sense of accomplishment after having created their murals. Please continue to fund creative endeavors like this one as the impact on the youth is truly remarkable and profoundly constructive. Thanks again.”
With gratitude,
Mr. McConnell
This classroom project was brought to life by The Eisner Foundation and 2 other donors.Las Manos Mural Art Project
Funded Apr 19, 2009I am eternally grateful for your charity. It is reassuring to know that hearts such as yours are still in the world to support our youth and the hard-working educators who work with them. Thanks to your donations, I am sharing the creative process of self expression with young people. These kids are elated to be given the opportunity to have a voice and be a part of something positive in the LAS MANOS project. The pride and sense of accomplishment on their faces and in their eyes is palpable. You can hear it in their conversations at lunch and between periods as they explain to friends what they did and what it means to them.
As a result of our project, the kids have been more eager to take ownership of their school. They are motivated in their academics because they feel empowered and valued. I have seen many times where students have integrated the vocabulary that we used in the mural designs in their writing assignments. Furthermore, there is a sense of legacy that students who have since moved on to the high school have attached to the murals. Many have returned to mentor the younger members in this year's group. It is truly a community building project and a viable alternative to the gangs and problems that surround the area, not to mention a major aesthetic upgrade on our campus.
You all made that safe space and enriched learning environment possible with your donations and I and all of my students can't thank you enough. Your generosity may be the sine qua non in turning a young person's life around and redirecting them toward a brighter future. We deeply appreciate it!”
With gratitude,
Mr. McConnell