Past projects 4
A New In-Person Learning Experience
Funded Feb 9, 2022We are truly grateful for your contribution to our classroom. In the first full year returning to in-person learning, many of our students and staff met return with apprehension. The continued uncertainty of life after a quarantine, daily mask use, and an intended return to normalcy posed a daunting challenge to our students. Our sophomores missed on the opportunity to complete their 8th grade year in person, and robbed of a freshman experience, and returned to in-person learning to a new school, to new faces and an environment they'd never seen before. Your donation made a great difference in creating a humanizing space for our students. With our new classroom set-up we've been able to create a more collaborative and inviting space for our students, where they've acclimated to the challenges of an in-person school environment, an AP course, and the "return to normal".
Our students were extremely excited to see the number of desks slowly but surely disappear from our classroom and the arrival of round tables, new chairs, high tables, and picnic tables. We'd get constant questions of what furniture was coming next, or suggestions of how to arrange the classroom. Students who were hesitant to work in larger groups thrived in our pair seating before transitioning into a different seat. With our new seating, we were able to plan interventions for our students with disabilities, create specific ability skills, as well as plan and implement new interactive activities with large group, independent, and pair work. We sent out a Google survey to our students and have included some of their testimony below.
"I enjoy the new tables and seats, it's honestly more welcoming than the desks before. The classroom is also really bright which uplifts the mood."
"I liked the classroom environment; it made a lot of the lessons feel more engaging/interesting."
"Everything about the classroom is great, especially because it changes the energy."
"The classroom culture and environment were the best. I found that this room was a space where we could actually have discussions and be taken seriously as young adults, unlike my other classes, where I often felt patronized or as if I was being treated like a little kid."
Thanks to your donation, we were able to make our students 10th grade year, and first year back in person into a memorable one. Our new classroom set-up has given our students a space where they feel like they can learn comfortably, can express themselves, and can grow – which is crucial as we return to in-person learning.
We are looking forward to continuing using this furniture in the future for the incoming sophomores and years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Veras
My Students Seeing Themselves in the Curriculum
Funded Dec 17, 2019Thanks to your generosity, we have been able to fully fund this project! My students are going to learn a great deal from this workshop series and the opportunities that come as a result of this program are life changing. We couldn't have done this without you, and I can't wait to share photos and stories from the experience. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Veras
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 9 other donors.My Students Seeing Themselves in the Curriculum
Funded Aug 15, 2019I want to thank you all for your generosity and bringing this workshop series and the opportunities that stem from it to our students. Our girls were super engaged and actively participating during the workshop. More importantly, they left with a greater understanding of who they are and how that is beautiful in it's own special way. They practiced valuable communication and writing skills, all through the lens of equity and inclusion. This curriculum helps students with practical things in there every day life, but also has them look further outside of their community and how they are deserving of all the opportunities that exist; they just have to grab them. I think the lessons that stem from this type of learning are essential and necessary in todays education, so thank you for prioritizing social emotional learning and developing the whole student.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Veras
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 6 other donors.Flexible Seating to Encourage Flexible Learning
Funded Sep 17, 2018I'd like to take this moment on behalf of my students and the members of the MESA Charter learning community to extend our most sincere gratitude for your donations. Thanks to your kindness, we have been able to fully furnish our Government and Economics classroom and truly change the senior experience for this year's graduating class. All five sections of Government and Economics are taught in our flexible seating arrangement and it has helped to greatly encourage student investment and attendance during a time that is widely known for its lethargy and disengagement.
When the students were first presented with the idea of flexible seating, they had their reservations, believing that it wasn't possible to get donors invested in a non-conventional learning environment. As more furniture arrived, and the class slowly transitioned from the traditional row seating towards the new approach, engagement level saw a steady incline. Underclassmen, who have seen the room in passing, have expressed their interest and desire to start their senior year. Aside from Gov/Econ, the room has also served to facilitate parallel teaching arrangements for 11th grade US History, providing a separate learning space for students. Additionally, the room has proved to be a valuable asset in strengthening teacher-student and peer bonds for two distinct advisories and our rising Black Student Union, providing a safe, collaborative space for all to bring new ideas to the table and express themselves freely.
We look forward to finishing out the year on a high note implementing more of the furniture to encourage discussion, collaboration and out of the box thinking. Our current semester-long unit on the War on Terror is intended to push our students' understanding of the world around them and develop a nuanced view of American domestic and foreign policy. One such activity is a court case examining the treatment of prisoners on Guantanamo. By the end of the semester, our seniors will be turning the room into a museum where they create curated exhibits selecting a major event in post-9/11 America. Students are tasked with using the space at their disposal to create an interactive exhibit. These activities in their essence would not successfully come to fruition without your donations and support.
We thank you for your support in creating a truly memorable space for our students to learn and grow.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Veras
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.