Past projects 3
Exposing Our Ambassadors to the World
Funded Nov 2, 2017Thank you so much for supporting our trip to Washington D.C.! Our ambassadors had an amazing experience. Many of them have never left the Bronx before, so they were in awe walking around D.C. and seeing all the history there. We were able to visit the African American Museum, the Holocaust Museum, The Library of Congress, The National Mall, Lincoln Memorial, and Georgetown University. Our students treasured these moments and made memories that will forever change their life.
Perhaps one of my favorite moments on the trip happened when we were at Georgetown University. We asked our students to find current Georgetown students and ask them questions. Two of our girls approached a female student and asked her what she wished she did in middle school. The student answered that she wished she believed in herself more, and started crying while answering the question. This was a beautiful moment our students shared with a student at Georgetown, and they were all so touched by how the college students were so willing to interact with them and give them advice.
Ever since the trip, my students have used what they learned in and outside the classroom. For example, we just began our unit around the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. We discussed the Holocaust since this was going on during the time the book is set, and the students from our Washington D.C. trip had so much to share with the others since we visited that museum in D.C. Also, we studied Emmett Till recently in class. Those who attended this trip spoke about how they saw his exhibit at the African American museum, and have read novels about his story since we returned home. They are excited about colleges, now that they have seen a college campus. This could not have happened without you, our generous donors. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Autiero
Help Keep The Mockingbird of Reading Alive in our Classroom!
Funded Sep 11, 2016Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom! Ever since I read To Kill A Mockingbird in the ninth grade, I knew it was a novel I wanted to read with my students when I one day had my own classroom. However, when it was announced that the mass-market production of this novel had been terminated, it seemed we would never be able to teach this book. If it were not for DonorsChoose and all the amazing donors, I would have never seen my dream come true!
This novel has allowed us to have real conversations about many difficult issues such as gender roles/labels, racism, stereotypes, following the crowd, living by your conscience, and much more. We have not only studied the novel, but also real life trial cases similar to those of Tom Robinson's. My students now have a new passion for justice and making sure everyone receives justice in our society. I have seen them develop more empathy throughout our reading, and realize that their actions and the words they speak have more impact on others than they may realize. They often quote when Atticus says, "I do my best to love everybody," and I know that his words of wisdom has stuck with them.
I often hear my students say things like, "I'm just like Scout!," "I'm the Jem!," "I want to be like Atticus!" and it brings me so much joy to see that they have created connections with these characters, and that they have jumped to life off of Harper Lee's pages. I am so glad that Harper Lee's legacy lives on, and that this novel is still being taught in schools across America. Its timeless messages are important now more than ever. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Autiero
"He Named Me Malala" School Trip
Funded Sep 14, 2015Thank you so much for the funding! Our students will greatly benefit from this experience! We are very excited to see this movie and experience the history. They read Malala's memoir last year in class. We are looking forward to them applying what they learn from this movie to their lives as well as our community service program at school
We can't wait to share this experience and thank you Donors Choose for making it possible! This will be a great time for the eighth grade!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Autiero