Past projects 15
Clean Lab and Hands = A Safe Lab
Funded Mar 25, 2025My students and I appreciate the funding of this project! It was funded very quickly and we had materials arrive within 2-3 days!
The old, worn out sponges have already been replaced with fresh new ones without tie dye all over them. Plates were used for cookies that I shared. We refilled all of the soap bottles in the lab. The kids love that milk and honey scent... whatever gets them to wash their hands after a lab!
Batteries will get used eventually since a number just got replaced in the thermometers. The food dyes replaced a bunch that we ran out of after students marbled paper with shaving cream (super cool!).
Thank you again. We are so appreciative of our community support!!!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 4 other donors.Safety and Play
Funded Oct 13, 2024Because of your generosity, our students have several board and card games they can play during our before and after school programming. Since they cannot go to their lockers until the school day begins, this helps them pass the time if they are not interested in using the gym or have already eaten breakfast.
My students have benefitted from the laser pointer as I can now very clearly point from a distance at the Periodic Table of the Elements which hangs on my classroom wall. The green color is brilliant and easily shows up on the chart.
Lastly, students are more inclined to wear goggles which they know others have not had on their faces. When we had one class set of goggles, that was not the most hygienic and some students resisted wearing them.
We so appreciate the donations which made obtaining all of these materials possible. Thank you again for supporting my students!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera
Cell Phone Jail Warranted
Funded Aug 26, 2024Thank you for helping my students improve their focus this year. Cell phones and other electronics are a constant battle for teachers. Though my students are good kids, sometimes when that phone screen lights up or the phone vibrates, the urge is too great and they *have* to check it. This detracts from their class time and requires more time to refocus.
The cell phone locker has changed this! My expectation is that they will lock them up when they come into class. Rather than deal with school consequences, most of the students have been putting their phones in, and truthfully, I don't think that they miss them for the period. (I put mine in, too!)
Your support of my classroom and my students is very much appreciated!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera
Making Students Lives Easier!
Funded Aug 22, 2024My students were very happy to see the supplies that were so generously donated. The binders were welcomed as many students either don't have enough or just need additional space for the amount of work they put in them.
Having plenty of pens, pencils and erasers has been extremely helpful to those who habitually forget or don't have them. Even though there are enough they could take them, most return them to the container so they are there the next time.
The calculators will be used heavily as we move into a unit that requires more math. Students will be very happy to be able to borrow them and we won't have to worry about not having enough for each student anymore!
Again, thank you so much for your help in getting my students some materials that will make their day a little less stressful!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera
Drawing and Measuring Help Needed!
Funded Oct 24, 2022Thanks to your generosity, we will be able to continue to do some of the labs and activities that the students look forward to doing every year! We go through a lot of rubber bands when we tie dye shirts (one of their favorite labs!). Many index cards are used - along with rulers - to measure the height of blood splatters.
Every teacher needs paper, pencils, dry erase markers and tape... those will all be put to good use as students need them or to use for the various projects they do during the year.
We appreciate everyone who donated and shared this project to get it funded so quickly! Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera
Can You Hear Me Now?
Funded Oct 4, 2020The ear buds/headphones have been a lifesaver! With most of our students spending half of their time in school and the other half at home, inevitably someone doesn't have them when needed. Students have appreciated being able to take a pair rather than sitting there sheepishly trying to listen at a low volume.
Students (as well as me) are thankful for the support from everyone for this project. Being thrust into such a bizarre teaching situation this year every little bit helps!
Thank you so much for contributing to this project! Stay Healthy!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera
Help My Students Melt With Ease
Funded Jan 25, 2018Students were very excited when they found out the project had been funded. With only the one melting point apparatus that we had, it was difficult to have everyone use it during the time we had for the lab. (In fact, some students never did get to find the melting point for their compound).
Having this second unit has dramatically decreased wait time and students are happy to get their readings quicker than before. They are using a piece of equipment which most high schools don't have so they also feel special in that sense. This is an experience which many would only get in organic chemistry at the college level!
Even the lower level class uses this apparatus, though qualitatively, for their one lab. It is much better than melting solids on a soup can lid! Thank you again for your donations. My students are having a great laboratory experience thanks to your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 13 other donors.What Einstein Kept Under His Hat
Funded Aug 9, 2016My students and I thank you again for your support of this project! After I passed out the books, I asked them to read two of the questions and their answers for homework (one was about which is better: charcoal or gas for grilling, the other about wasabi and its authenticity outside of Japan). The students got right into the books and read more than was asked of them they were so intrigued by the questions asked and the author's oft tongue-in-cheek humor in his answers.
Students commented in their journal responses that some of these were questions that they may have thought about but didn't seek the answers to at the time. I felt the same way when I read the book and continued reading simply because it was interesting. They did the same! We also got the answer to why Fahrenheit's temperature scale has 180 degrees between the freezing point and boiling point of water... you'll have to read it to find out! ; ^)”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera
Learning About Growing Grapes and Making Wine...
Funded Jul 28, 2014My students were happy to learn that I had this project funded and eager to use the refractometers when we had the opportunity. Being a new course, the class has been a work-in-progress so any resources we have been able to obtain have been extremely helpful.
Students used the refractometers to test the sugar levels of various fruit juices. They were surprised that one could determine the sugar content by using essentially a prism and a light source! It was an interesting activity that will extend to the field should any pursue wine-making in the future, even as a hobby at home.
Having the proper tools to teach and learn with make a more authentic experience. Students need the hands-on component to reinforce what has been learned in class. Thank you for helping us be able to do this!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera
Feeling Out Of Balance... Can You Weigh In On This For Us?
Funded Feb 19, 2013This project was fully funded on the Tuesday during our winter break. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had already arrived when we returned that next Monday! My students were able to use the balances 4th period that day!
Having the two new balances that day allowed students to weigh their salts efficiently and accurately. This was particularly important for this lab because they had to then dissolve those salts into a specified amount of water which was time consuming... every minute counted!
We all appreciate your support of science education and thank you once again!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Chimera