Ms. Katsanos' Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 6

• A Whole New World..Of Musical Theatre!

  Funded Feb 6, 2024

  First, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We are so grateful as always to receive such generosity from donors. Our students were SO excited that we were able to bring our vision to life with the help of these extra materials. The last time we performed Aladdin was in 2017 and we needed a lot of additional costumes and revamped set design.

  Explaining to our students that we were able to get these materials because of kind people who wanted to help was incredible. A few of our donors were even family members of our Disney Team and the students were so happy to know there are people in the world who are willing to help create special moments for students like them-- with nothing in return but knowing experiences are being created.

  We use these materials yearly and transform what we can into the new set design and costumes. Going forward, we are aiming to be able to keep building up our art production department and keep our musical theater department sustainable. It impacts so many students in such a positive way. Donors, thank you again from the bottom of our singing and dancing hearts.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Katsanos

• The 'Bare Necessities' of Musical Theater!

  Funded Jan 11, 2020

  We appreciate so much the generosity you have shown to us and our students! Because of you, we can go forward with our musical theatre program and confidently put on an amazing show. We have been working tirelessly on our acting and dancing and now we can successfully create the beautiful setting for our Jungle Book story to take place in that our hard work deserves!! Thank you to each and every one of you.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Katsanos

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney Musicals in Schools and 30 other donors.

• The Circle of Life.. and Musical Theater!

  Funded Jan 22, 2019

  Your generosity touched my students in a great way. They were blown away with how helpful people could be to a community, especially our community, from afar. They were in awe of the power that even a small donation could have to help create a bigger moment. Each donation and shipment we received, the students we so excited and they would cheer when we opened the boxes. They would guess what was inside and once it was revealed, would scream out what they hoped to create with the materials.

  The PTA(Parent Teacher Association) worked tirelessly with students and volunteers to help create the vision we wanted for our production of the Lion King Kids. Each piece came together to bring our ideas to life and transform our auditorium. As each part of the set design and costumes were created the students were smiling from ear to ear and were more motivated and excited to perform. Those smiles are in large part to you, the donors, who made it all possible. Thank you so much for your generosity and opening your hearts to our students and the arts. Only with your help can we spread the joy of performing arts in our community by creating a sustainable musical theater program for years to come. Thank you so much!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Katsanos

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney Musicals in Schools and 6 other donors.

• Full Tummies, Comfy Tushies: A Comfortable Learning Environment!

  Funded Oct 4, 2016

  This year started very uniquely, where I had the maximum amount of students I could have, 32. I was worried that perhaps I wouldn't be able to keep them all engaged or grab their attention from the jump. How do I support so many children when it was hard using my own funds for a significantly less number last year or the year before?! Well let me tell you, this group of children came everyday and wanted to learn. Every. Single. Day. They craved knowledge, real world connections, group discussions, laughter (oh, so much laughter) and the generosity I offered them. Last year they ate at 10:40am and this year they would eat at 12:20, which is a huge jump. Third graders typically do not get a snack because we are now with cohorts in 4th and 5th who are more rigorous and getting ready for middle school but I could not watch them lose focus, complain about headaches, or even fall asleep during instruction. I not only saw how hungry they were by the time we went to lunch but how much more alert and pumped to learn they were after lunch so I had to take action.

  With the donations we received, we were not only extremely grateful and excited, but we were ALWAYS ready to take charge of the day and the learning we had ahead of us. There would be no more slacking for the sake of slacking and using hunger as an excuse because the donors had us covered! Energy was now constant and our work improved as well as our participation in group work and discussions. My students knew how generous this donation was and also had an advantage other classes did not have. They will never forget this beautiful act of selflessness and kindness. We are thankful from the bottom of our hearts and tummies!

  The bean bags and chairs were not only an enormous draw for independent reading at the carpet but it surprisingly made shy students who did not like sitting on the carpet to come engage with their peers and want to be closer to the SmartBoard - which in turn improved their participation and grades.

  Thank you so much for this opportunity and the many opportunities you have helped fulfill. I am a better teacher and person for being a part of this amazing and generous community. My class is in debt to you, but no longer hungry or uncomfortable!!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Katsanos

• For the Love of Reading.. Two!

  Funded Dec 17, 2015

  Thank you to each and every one of you. My students and I are so, so grateful for your generosity and support. With just these few resources we have been able to have effective and engaging book club meetings, science discussions, and boost our reading levels since the shipment. At least 8 students have been obsessed with a book from your donation and have read and re-read it multiple times - the desired effect. Our curiosity in science has been immense with the addition of graphic novels with the science content in our curriculum. We can now have our science groups more involved with texts that engage and inspire but are also fun to read! I could not have wished for a better outcome and spark of passion for reading in my students. We have started to implement more compelling social studies books from this donation and our students WANT to read them and learn about diverse cultures and how we are different. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and all of their smaller (but still full) hearts. They will remain impacted by your generosity and kindness and hope they one day return the favor to be as kind as you to others who are less fortunate.

  Thank you all with the deepest gratitude I can offer.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Katsanos

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 11 other donors.

• For the Love of Reading!

  Funded Oct 17, 2015

  What I learned from my first year teaching is that reading independently for long periods of time is a struggle for some students. they lose focus, they lose interest, or their interest was never there in the first place. Unfortunately for them and myself, reading assessments are key to pushing them to the next grade and even accomplishing this year's tasks. If they cannot read, they cannot engage in discussions with their peers about texts, they cannot challenge themselves, they cannot learn other subjects that are above their level, and they most certainly cannot pass a state test. After my first year teaching, I spent over a thousand dollars of my own money on supplies and books to spark the interest of my kids and I really, really saw a change. They could not WAIT to have independent reading time and their levels were increasing so quickly.

  What I wanted to accomplish this year was the same thing but bigger. Use these texts to push them even further and to boost their levels so that they can be ready for their first state test. Because of the generosity and support from you donors, I can now say that my students are SO excited to read. They are so engaged and zoned in that it is the quietest time in the classroom, almost scary quiet. And when it does get loud again, it is because the students are laughing, sharing funny moments of the text with their neighbor, or asking me if they can book shop. During independent reading time there are select students a day that sit on the carpet with pillows, some that sit with me guiding their reading, some book clubs, and the rest reading independently. It used to be most of the students chatting, flipping through a book and getting up to put it back and telling me it was boring or too easy. I was stuck. Now I have students who have already moved up a level in reading since the shipment of these donations.

  In our ICT class we have some special education students who are so hard to keep engaged, but with this group of eclectic titles and engaging stories, even they can find something they love and are excited to read for long periods of time. I hope to one day be able to give you something as amazing as the feeling you have given me. Watching my students want to read is a joy I can never fully express and it is all thanks to you.

  Thank you from the bottom of my heart, I am eternally grateful.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Katsanos