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Mr. Touchette's Classroom

  • Richland Junior Senior High School
  • Essex, MO
  • 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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show projects from all time

Past projects 21

  • Streaming With Power!

    Funded Dec 1, 2020

    Thank you so much for funding this new streaming computer for our esports program. I've notified the team that your generous donation will allow us to stream our content more fluidly. This gives us the opportunity we've been waiting for to create more professional content with our streams.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

    This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and one other donor.
  • New Custom Jerseys!

    Funded Dec 1, 2020

    Thank you so much for funding our team's new jerseys! I have told the team these have been funded through our donorschoose project and they couldn't be more excited. The jersey design and ordering process has taken a long time this year and they can't wait to see the final product and wear them with pride!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

    This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and one other donor.
  • The Competitive Edge We Need!

    Funded Aug 11, 2020

    The Nintendo Pro controllers you helped us acquire through DonorsChoose have helped my team tremendously. These controllers have a more traditional feel than the joy-con controllers that come with the switch console. The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game we are playing relies heavily on quick, accurate input from the player. My team likes the feel and appreciates the comfort these controllers provide.

    The most exciting thing about these controllers is the premium feel while playing the game. The quality is top-notch. There is no noticeable lag. The buttons are big and the gameplay is a breeze. Your donation supplied us with 4 controllers to split between our two switches. This is enough for all our players to have an equal battle against their opponents.

    I've given one student the responsibility of seeing that the controllers are placed on the chargers every night. He does this before we walk out of the area each day. I like the opportunity to give my players increased responsibility within our esports program.

    Again, thank you so much for your generosity.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

    This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.
  • Let's Smash It!

    Funded May 5, 2020

    Thank you so much for providing this technology for our esports program. We are finally able to participate in online Smash Bros. Ultimate matches. My players have begun practicing for our matches with intrasquad mini-tournaments on Fridays. We've even held a school-wide tournament during our Halloween festivities

    The excitement for these switches really started once I hooked them up to our projector in the lab. Very quickly my players were able to pick up the controllers and get starting playing mini battles against one another. We've even been able to rope in a few staff members to join in on the fun. One, in particular, is so good at the game, he wins almost every match. This has created a level of competition within our ranks that I have not previously seen.

    Several of our students are hopping on the game at home and playing matches against one another in the evenings. They are specifically practicing in order to get better at the game and beat our staff members. It is so fun to watch them have this competitive spirit while playing this game!

    Thank you again for your generosity!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

    This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and one other donor.
  • Let's finish What We Started

    Funded May 5, 2020

    I would like to sincerely thank you for donating to this project. My students are very excited to continue editing the 3D models they have already created. This comes at a great time due to the social distancing guidelines we are practicing at our school. My students are able to take the laptop into a neighboring room and continue their design work. They are especially appreciative of how fast their models are able to render.

    We can't thank you enough for funding this laptop and making these 3d modeling opportunities possible for our classroom.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

    This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and one other donor.
  • Hey, Catch!

    Funded Feb 26, 2020

    Thank you so much for providing these items for my team. We are finally able to follow the mandatory NOSCAE requirement for baseball equipment. I am able to gear up my catchers for practice knowing they are going to be much safer behind the plate. Practices are going well and the equipment fits perfectly. We are able to easily adjust their fit to the unique sizes of each player. Not only that, the colors match our uniforms and we look great!

    My catchers were so excited to try these on the day they arrived. One thing we noticed right away was the equipment needed adjusting for our smaller junior high players. The straps being brand new allowed us to quickly make adjustments as we cycled through catchers. I think they like the helmet and catchers mitt the best. The helmet has a sleek modern look like you see the major leaguers use on the field, and the catcher's mitt has a cool dark grey color similar to our uniforms. I told the players to wear in the glove as best they can, so they are always eager to get the work in.

    Now that we have an extra set of catcher's gear, our next step is to run a pitching practice with 4 pitchers at a time. One catcher can use the new equipment. Two catchers can use some of our older equipment that is still safe enough to use just for pitching practice, and a fourth can pitch into the practice screen. I have so many players wanting to pitch this year and I know I will need all the arms I can build.

    Thank you again for your generosity!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

    This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and one other donor.
  • Complete Our Fleet!

    Funded Aug 11, 2020

    I would like to sincerely thank you for donating to this project. I am excited to start our year off on the right foot with our completed fleet of Chromebooks. I believe every student is important. This way they may all feel special by using heir own personal device in my classroom.

    We cannot thank you enough for funding these Chromebooks and making digital learning opportunities possible for our classroom.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

    This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.
  • Video Editing PC for Student Content Creation

    Funded Sep 30, 2019

    As soon as this PC arrived, my class and I immediately set up the machine on our networked domain and logged into the Windows operating system. They were excited by how quickly the initial setup was, and how soon the computer entered the desktop for us to control. The next step was to install Adobe Premiere Pro. They were amazed that the install took only a fraction of the time it took to load on our older machines. Once installed, they opened the program and were surprised at the responsiveness of Premiere. As they load their project and navigate through the editing controls, I can tell how much easier and quicker they can get their intended results. The workflow is quicker than ever before.

    The most exciting aspect of this PC to my students seems to be how quickly the editing software responds to their commands. They can "scrub" (move forward or reverse) across their video timeline and the preview window updates in real-time, instead of playing catchup as they move the cursor about the sequence. Normally, it takes several seconds to load the library of effects, but now this opens almost immediately. Some students have attempted rendering a rough draft of their video and could not believe how fast their high-resolution video rendered to a file. Now they can complete this process in a much timelier fashion without having to wait for hours during the day.

    One student, in particular, has really shown the most interest in editing his project on our new computer. He continuously looks for new effects to apply in his video. He's experimented with audio effects such as echos, or voice changers. He's added many types of transitions, perhaps a little too frequently. He adjusts and modifies the colors of the video. Some colors fit one theme while other scenes have varying warmth and contrast to fit the mood. I'm excited to see his final project.

    Another student was excited to try out Adobe After Effects to create moving graphics for our Jumbotron in the gym. After Effects is notoriously slow to load all of its resources and even clunkier when navigating through the many workspaces it offers. I am not as familiar with After Effects, but he seemed to enjoy the noticeable improvement in speed when creating. He was able to attempt more 3D effects to his usual two-dimensional material. His goal is to have new graphics made ready for our High School Basketball season which begins next month. Without this new PC, I'm not sure he would have them completed on time. I'm excited to see what he is able to produce.

    Thank you once again for funding this new editing PC. This is exactly what my students needed to become motivated about editing their video projects.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

    This classroom project was brought to life by Young Sheldon on CBS and one other donor.
  • Video Editing With The Best Tools!

    Funded Sep 24, 2019

    As soon as this PC arrived, my class and I immediately set up the machine on our networked domain and logged into the Windows operating system. They were excited by how quickly the initial setup was, and how soon the computer entered the desktop for us to control. The next step was to install Adobe Premiere Pro. They were amazed that the install took only a fraction of the time it took to load on our older machines. Once installed, they opened the program and were surprised at the responsiveness of Premiere. As they load their project and navigate through the editing controls, I can tell how much easier and quicker they can get their intended results. The workflow is quicker than ever before.

    The most exciting aspect of this PC to my students seems to be how quickly the editing software responds to their commands. They can "scrub" (move forward or reverse) across their video timeline and the preview window updates in real-time, instead of playing catchup as they move the cursor about the sequence. Normally, it takes several seconds to load the library of effects, but now this opens almost immediately. Some students have attempted rendering a rough draft of their video and could not believe how fast their high-resolution video rendered to a file. Now they can complete this process in a much timelier fashion without having to wait for hours during the day.

    One student, in particular, has really shown the most interest in editing his project on our new computer. He continuously looks for new effects to apply in his video. He's experimented with audio effects such as echos, or voice changers. He's added many types of transitions, perhaps a little too frequently. He adjusts and modifies the colors of the video. Some colors fit one theme while other scenes have varying warmth and contrast to fit the mood. I'm excited to see his final project.

    Another student was excited to try out Adobe After Effects to create moving graphics for our Jumbotron in the gym. After Effects is notoriously slow to load all of its resources and even clunkier when navigating through the many workspaces it offers. I am not as familiar with After Effects, but he seemed to enjoy the noticeable improvement in speed when creating. He was able to attempt more 3D effects to his usual two-dimensional material. His goal is to have new graphics made ready for our High School Basketball season which begins next month. Without this new PC, I'm not sure he would have them completed on time. I'm excited to see what he is able to produce.

    Thank you once again for funding this new editing PC. This is exactly what my students needed to become motivated about editing their video projects.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

    This classroom project was brought to life by Young Sheldon on CBS and one other donor.
  • Upgrading Our Fleet to the Latest and Greatest!

    Funded Sep 17, 2018

    My students were very excited when I notified them that our project was fully funded and even more excited when the new drone finally arrived. They were already planning some new uses for the drone and were ready to take it out and fly.

    One student who had been familiar with our older drone lived the new controller and immediately felt more comfortable flying. He was eager to test the new obstacle sensors featured in this model. Naturally, he attempted to fly it directly into us while we stood in place. The sensors automatically stopped the drone just short of hitting us and the controller warned him by beeping that it was too close to an object. We were both impressed, to say the least. Not only is this a handy safety feature, but it also boosted his confidence that he would not accidentally run it into something as easily.

    Another student was eager to learn the hyperlapse functionality of this new drone. This feature combines many still images into one continuous video as the drone flies from point A to point B. As with any learning process, it took several failed attempts to get the settings just right. It was great to see the student's sustained motivation as he explored the settings each time to "get it right." Finally, he was able to get a fantastic hyperlapse shot of the front of our building with cars driving on the road nearby and the American flag flying in the wind. We liked the video so much we featured it on our school's website. Later, he was able to get a great top-down hyperlapse video of our elementary students playing on our playground in the fall. The colors and action of the students so were amazing we included this clip on our website as well.

    To pair with this drone I later purchased a set of racing goggles. These low-latency goggles pair up with our drone seamlessly. Now my students can wear these high definition goggles and fly the drone as if they were seated in the cockpit, or let another student experience the first person view while they control it in the air. They have a lot of fun checking out further areas of our campus while standing at our take-off location.

    The additional accessories that came included with our project have helped us become more mobile in our flight capabilities as well. While the new batteries last 10 minutes longer than our previous drone, the extra battery in the accessories pack allows us to keep flying once we've completely drained the first one. The protective carrying case is also exceptionally sturdy. It has plenty of compartments for our goggles and extra batteries. I am confident that it will keep your investment safe much longer than without.

    The extra accessories keep them in the air longer expanding our video capabilities. They continue to explore the new features and brainstorm ideas to show off their work on our website. The students can't thank you enough for funding our new drone.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. Touchette

My class has recently adopted a new drone curriculum. We've acquired 4 new racing drones with an available programming suite that allows students to code flight-paths and navigate obstacles. They will also design their own obstacle course and compete for points. The app is found in the app store and requires the latest IOS in order to install. We currently only have one iPad in the classroom, and it does not support IOS 11. With more students showing an interest in my class, having 3 iPads will help them each create their own projects and work simultaneously. Our students are excited to explore this new drone curriculum using these new iPads.

About my class

My class has recently adopted a new drone curriculum. We've acquired 4 new racing drones with an available programming suite that allows students to code flight-paths and navigate obstacles. They will also design their own obstacle course and compete for points. The app is found in the app store and requires the latest IOS in order to install. We currently only have one iPad in the classroom, and it does not support IOS 11. With more students showing an interest in my class, having 3 iPads will help them each create their own projects and work simultaneously. Our students are excited to explore this new drone curriculum using these new iPads.

About my class

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