Past projects 5
A High School Musical?
Funded Dec 28, 2018Thank you for the microphones! When we opened the boxes, the eyes of my stage crew absolutely lit up. One of the main hurdles that we have to overcome for every production is our sound. We ask ourselves- how can these actors voices be heard throughout our theatre?
Working on this musical has been an absolute blast. So much singing, so much dancing! Because we are doing a musical this year, so many new students are a part of our theatre program- students who sing and students who dance. This type of project certainly does bring out a whole new type of kid. It's exciting!
With these microphones, my actors' and singers' voices will ring throughout the halls and the energy and joy of a real high school musical will bring our community together for a few nights this spring.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Patacsil
Another Year!
Funded Sep 16, 2017Thank you so much for your generosity. The three items that were sent to my classroom have had a tremendously positive impact on the year so far!
The text book that came in is full of creative lessons that I have been implementing. The students absolutely love the class. It certainly helps to have this reference material.
The stamps that were ordered is extremely helpful with classroom management. The kids are never tardy because of an activity that utilizes the stamps.
And, of course, thank you for the microphone. We are continuing to grow our theatre program. The microphones really bring out the best in the student performers.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Patacsil
Come Along and Listen To... The Lullaby of East LA
Funded Apr 24, 2017We used the microphones! And they were glorious! It took us quite a while to teach ourselves how to use this technology, but now that we have the tools and the knowledge, we can grow our program! Our productions are going to get bigger and better and these microphones are an integral part of the program.
Our microphones were used in Garfield High's first mainstage play production- Check Please, a romantic comedy.
With this audio tech, student voices can be heard in our 1300 seat auditorium. The magic of those performances, with those voices booming throughout the space- it was a wonder.
And not only did microphones help my student actors, they also helped my student sound technicians. There was such dedication from the students working backstage in learning this new technology. Inspiring is a word I could use to describe their work.
A few of my students are going on to careers in technical theatre. This could not have been done without your generous donations.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Patacsil
The Perks of Being a 10th Grader
Funded Aug 22, 2015The delivery came: a big, brown cardboard box full of brand new books. I placed the box in the center of my classroom and waited until all my students were seated to open it. The newness and crispness of these paperbacks were felt by each of their hands. Books were passed around the room. The kids opened them, smelled them, browsed them and got excited.
They understood that the money for these books came from all of you.
A few days later, we began reading as a class. I did my best to give them a good performance. My kids struggle with reading independently and I knew that I'd have to read to them for the first few chapters. As a teacher, it's easy to see when kids are bored-- they fall asleep, they put their heads down, they make eye-contact with other kids across the room.
Not this time. They followed along word for word. When I got to the end of a page, I could hear the pages of all their copies turn at the same time. They laughed at the jokes, the gasped at the melodrama. They were hooked.
The big success from this project can be summed up by "Jimmy". Jimmy doesn't read independently. I can put a book in front of him and he won't read. He'd rather fail my class than read a book.
When Jimmy told me he wasn't finished reading the novel by the due date, I wasn't surprised. However, when he asked if he could take his copy home to finish over Winter Vacation, I knew he'd changed his mind about reading. When we got back from our three-week vacation and he handed me the book, the look on his face was one I won't forget- satisfaction and pride, like he'd actually accomplished something.
For many of my students, this was the first book that they every really loved. A million times, thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Patacsil
Everything Was Beautiful And Nothing Hurt
Funded Dec 13, 2014I opened a box of brand new novels right at the beginning of class and started distributing them to each student. Having access to new materials is not something my students often experience. Usually, in our textbook room, books are old and falling apart. As students began examining the brand new condition of each novel, I explained that these were "ours", and that they were made possible from donations from people whom they will never meet, but thought that they deserved their money.
At the beginning of the unit, students researched the historical context of the novel and the bombing of Dresden, which is the climax of the story. Students also learned about PTSD and the effects on the main character. The information discovered by the students helped them draw parallels as to why this book is considered important today.
This was definitely a challenging novel for my students to read. Vonnegut's satire was lost on a few of them. At first. However, because they knew this book was made possible from generous donations, they persevered and finished. Students who normally do not like reading found SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5's themes and humor to be relevant and rewarding.
Again, thank you for your donations. You definitely made an impact in the lives of 40 sophomores who struggle every day for the things that most of us take for granted.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Patacsil
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia and 5 other donors.