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Ms. Murayama's Classroom

  • Lokelani Intermediate School
  • Kihei, HI
  • More than half of 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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Support Ms. Murayama's classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

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We'll charge your card today and send Ms. Murayama a DonorsChoose gift card she can use on her classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send her a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

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Make a donation Ms. Murayama can use on her next classroom project.

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show projects from all time

Past projects 4

  • Protecting Our Damp Curriculum and Equipment with Safe Storage

    Funded Mar 16, 2025

    Thank you so much for your incredible generosity. These supplies will play a vital role in protecting my students' curriculum and essential hearing assistive technology. They’ll also have the resources they need to express themselves and explore their creativity. We are thrilled to have proper storage and materials that will be kept safe and secure!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Murayama

    This classroom project was brought to life by Hawaii State Dept. of Ed and Marc & Lynne Benioff.
  • Diverse Learners Want To Be Seen and Heard

    Funded Oct 30, 2022

    Thank you so much for funding my project. My students will be so excited to get started on their next project and event for our school. I am confident this will help them with collaboration and inclusion of all students in our class. They will also appreciate being able to better hear their teachers while in their classes.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Murayama

    This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.
  • Access for Deaf Students

    Funded Aug 6, 2021

    We cannot thank you enough for the supplies and equipment we were able to purchase due to your generosity. The excitement on my students' faces when they walked in and saw the flexible seating and iPad stands to do their American Sign Language (ASL) recordings, and the doorbell flasher that allows them to know when someone is knocking at the door was priceless! They felt empowered to make their own decisions on seating choices which they absolutely love. The new flexible seating keeps them focused and engaged.

    They also love the iPad/tablet stands as it is adjustable and can film their ASL videos with ease. These first months of school have been focused on poetry from different cultures. We looked at different kinds of ASL poetry, and my students eventually created their own short ASL Name Poem. The iPad stands were extremely helpful as they weren't struggling to keep the iPads in an upright position, nor were they capturing just the tops of their heads, etc. The stands allowed them to position the iPad to capture the perfect shot. They were very excited about this as their filming times were extremely reduced. We are now working on a different kind of ASL poem and students are working on creating a different kind of ASL poem.

    The doorbell flasher and ASL posters helps them feel just like their peers as when the doorbell is rung, it flashes and they know someone is at the door, same as their hearing peers. The ASL posters have been posted in all of their classes and their classmates have really started using the posters to learn ASL to include my students in their conversations.

    All of this would not have been possible without your generous donations. Thank you for your support in empowering our students to feel proud of who they are, of their work, and to feel included in their school community.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Murayama

    This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.
  • Technology for Deaf Education

    Funded Oct 4, 2014

    Thank you very much for your generosity and support through your donations to my project. It is so exciting to see that so many of you support my passion of educating students who are deaf and hard of hearing.

    The technology you have funded has allowed students to access the world that they were so often closed off to. They are now able to access resources, learn to be independent researchers, learners and thinkers, and continue to practice their communication skills. My students are now excited when they have assignments that require the use of technology, or research, because now, they have access to the technology they need to complete their assignments. My students also use the Chromebooks we purchased with your donations to access the school's reading and math programs. Therefore, in part, our students have improved their reading comprehension and math skills. My students remember when I would show them video clips or pictures on my computer, and would say, "It's so small" or "I can't see the picture or captions!" Now, with the projector it is easily projected onto a large screen that all can see clearly. My students and I are so appreciative of that.

    Some of my students do not have access to computers at home, so school is the one place where they have access to technology. Therefore, these students were so excited to see brand new Chromebooks charging in their classroom when they came back from Thanksgiving Break and were eager to start using them. One of the students' who had the least exposure to technology, has since become the "go to" student for assistance and problem solving technology issues. This donation has helped give him confidence and a sense of responsibility. It has also instilled a sense of pride, responsibility, and confidence for all our students.

    Thank you so much, my students and I greatly appreciate your support.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Murayama

Although my class is small in numbers, due to the low incidence population of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, it is huge in eagerness and willingness to learn. My students are faced with challenges that most students cannot imagine. Since very few people know sign language, many of my students were not exposed to language until they entered school. They commute to school, leaving the house as early as 5:45 am because there is only one middle school on the island that has a Deaf Education program. With little complaint, they wake up every morning, board the bus, and make their way to school. This does not hinder them from trying their best, working hard, and having a positive outlook. Although they could use this as an excuse to not be ready to learn, that is never the case. We see their smiling faces every day, ready to do their best. They are also very friendly and enjoy teaching other students sign language. It is great to see other students enjoying school more because of them.

About my class

Although my class is small in numbers, due to the low incidence population of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, it is huge in eagerness and willingness to learn. My students are faced with challenges that most students cannot imagine. Since very few people know sign language, many of my students were not exposed to language until they entered school. They commute to school, leaving the house as early as 5:45 am because there is only one middle school on the island that has a Deaf Education program. With little complaint, they wake up every morning, board the bus, and make their way to school. This does not hinder them from trying their best, working hard, and having a positive outlook. Although they could use this as an excuse to not be ready to learn, that is never the case. We see their smiling faces every day, ready to do their best. They are also very friendly and enjoy teaching other students sign language. It is great to see other students enjoying school more because of them.

About my class

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