Past projects 4
A Library for Everyone
Funded Jan 13, 2023Thank you so much for donating to our counseling office library. On average, there are 30 to 75 students in and out of this office for reasons ranging from the need for rest or a snack to crisis situations to employment opportunities and career and college preparation. It is a space for comfort, collaboration, and growth. The library has become a staple feature of the office, allowing students to escape reality through stories, discuss the adventure of reading with each other, borrow books for class assignments, and explore different cultures, countries, or universes!
Often, students come in seeking help with their identity. High school is such a confusing time with challenges that are often difficult for adults to understand. We forget all too easily how drastic the "silly drama" can feel to the individual teenager experiencing it. So many of these books have given students a safe place to be themselves and explore their identity, as well as characters to relate to. Through the mistakes and experiences of the characters, they are able to troubleshoot their own conflicts and brainstorm solutions.
Occasionally, students who come in simply aren't ready or able to identify the specific issue or challenge they are facing. In these cases, I will often recommend a specific book, provide a blank personal journal and bookmarker, and email them a list of resources that they may find helpful using the details they are able to provide. This is why so many of the novels on the list you donated to featured diverse characters. It was important to me that all of my students had the opportunity to see themselves in a novel through characters from similar backgrounds and lifestyles. The exploration of these novels often creates opportunities for students to talk about their situations without actually disclosing that it is their personal situation.
As the great Maya Angelou once said, "When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young." Your donation has provided my students with a unique opportunity to discover themselves through literature and create meaningful bonds with characters that will help them define their own goals for relationships, help them learn to set and maintain boundaries, and learn the power of sharing their experiences with others. You are a true superhero!
Forever Grateful,
Ms. Victoria McCarty
School Counselor
Northeast High School”
With gratitude,
Ms. McCarty
Relatable Literature
Funded Mar 6, 2020Your donations will give me the opportunity to teach this great book to more students! For the last two years, I have taught the book using only 25 copies for almost 100 students. Because the copies were shared, we could only read together in class. This was frustrating for many students who loved the book so much and wanted to read more. This is the type of book that students go home and talk to their families about, and for many students, it is the first book they have ever read that had a protagonist like them. "Third and Indiana" by Steve Lopez allows them to face real life problems, true to our city, in a safe, exploratory and reflective way. My hope is that by reading and discussing the issues of drugs, gang violence, the cycle of poverty, divorce, absent parents, untimely death, and police-community conflict, these urban youth will be more prepared to face these issues outside of the classroom. We cannot protect our children from everything, but we can do our best to prepare them. Thank you for helping me give them the tools they need to break the cycle that plagues our inner city neighborhoods.”
With gratitude,
Ms. McCarty
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 3 other donors.Headphones for All!
Funded Dec 28, 2018The headphones your donations funded have allowed our classes to utilize digital lectures and various forms of technological integration, making it easier for students to learn at their own pace and navigate the content in their own way two days a week. Activities like this help them develop more independent work skills, similarly to the way many of them will have to perform in their colleges and/or careers. Many of our students struggle with being overstimulated and easily distracted, but the headphones allow them to focus on the digital lecture and block out all other distractions.
The outcomes of this Donor Choose project have also been significantly helpful for our students who are still developing English Language Skills, as the digital lectures allow them to repeat the activities and readings as often as they need to. In a regular class lecture, we as teachers struggle with having to repeat over and over again, as well as figuring out who actually understands and who is just nodding to avoid being identified. The digital lectures allow us as teachers to closely monitor each student's progress and answer their questions privately.
I have seen a great increase in overall participation, both online and offline, as students are more confident in their skills and the material. We couldn't have gotten to this point without you! Thank you for your encouragement and generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McCarty
Colonial Literature From the Native Perspective
Funded Sep 7, 2018Your donation allowed over 60 hard working, academically elite 11th graders to gain access to the Native American perspective, which is seldom seen or heard in classrooms. The books your donations provided guided our research as we dug deep into American history and literature to uncover what this country was built upon. While reading Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, we also explored letters (both civilian and military), poetry, music, art and journals to frame an understanding about both the colonial and Native ways of life. The students enjoyed learning about the many cultural practices of different tribes and nations, as well as how some brave and virtuous Americans worked to protect and advocate for the Natives facing persecution. Due to living in a society still so driven by the pursuit of power and material wealth that often uses those things to divide and control minorities, many of the students identified with the conflicts faced by the Natives. Thank you for donations and commitments to positive, powerful education!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McCarty