Past projects 52
Can You Hear Me...Me...Me...?
Funded Aug 30, 2019Thank you for supporting our project for headphones! Since receiving them, my students have loved and appreciated having them on-hand. As a teacher, having headphones has absolutely opened up our abilities to use various learning videos within our classroom such as TedEd videos, EdPuzzle videos, and other multimedia tools that enhances our learning because there is no longer an echo in the room as students try to manage different volume levels as they watch different parts of the same video.
The headphones themselves are colorful and comfortable, two qualities that are perfect for any classroom! Even though it may seem that every single student has earbuds/headphones nowadays, this is not true and my students who do not have their own pair are absolutely grateful to have them available in class. So far, the light-blue and light-orange headphones are favorites!
I cannot thank you enough for supporting our project and for gifting us with these wonderful headphones!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
Chromebooks Support a Journalist's Investigative Journey
Funded Feb 21, 2019Thank you so much for blessing our classroom with an extremely sleek and modern Chromebook. My students love the touchscreen feature as well as the many positions that the Chromebook can take (right now, the tablet form is the most popular). It is such a gift to be able to offer my students such a high-quality piece of technology and I cannot thank you enough for your support. The versatility that the Chromebook affords us during the course of our learning helps to enhance our level of accessibility to current technology. Thank you very much for your support; it is always an honor and much appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Donor and 5 other donors.Back to Basics
Funded Dec 22, 2018Thank you for supporting our project for basic supplies such as sharpies, pencils, and loose-leaf paper. As you can see from the pictures, our class was able to use these to complete black-out poems, quotes for Black History Month, etc. It always remains an honor to have your support with our classroom projects and we could not do many of the activities without your help. The sharpies are definitely handy to have on-hand and pencils/loose-leaf paper is just a ubiquitous part of any classroom. By having these basic supplies readily available, our classroom is able to function without undue hardship.
Thank you for continuing to believe in our class and for supporting public education.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
This classroom project was brought to life by Someone Who Cares and 3 other donors.Read and Feed: Popcorn (1st Edition)!
Funded Sep 29, 2018Thank you for your immensely generous support of our classroom project for popcorn!
Throughout this entire year, we have been able to enjoy popcorn while engaging in independent reading; the sense of relaxation and enjoyment while immersing ourselves in a book has been wonderful! We have also been able to celebrate various school events such as Spirit Week and pep rally days which has been a welcome opportunity!
By supporting our popcorn project and bringing this opportunity to have a ready snack within our classroom, you have made our classroom environment into a fun, festive, and welcoming one and that is a priceless feeling! Thank you so much for your tremendously appreciated help and thank you for partnering with us to make learning fun!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
Nature's Natural Nutrition: Locusts In "Things Fall Apart"
Funded Mar 27, 2018Thank you to Orkin and our many wonderful supporters for providing us with such extraordinarily unique resources and supplies for our English Language Arts classroom! It was such a hoot to be able to combine literacy and entomology; my students were intrigued and grossed-out all at the same time! Above all else though, they were pulled into the act of making connections between the cultural elements found within "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe while also cultivating an appreciation for how food and nutrition are predominantly defined through culturally-significant lenses across the world. Through this project, I also had a chance to share my own ethnic Cambodian background and I explained how various insects such as grasshoppers were considered delicacies and snacks in my culture and in my family growing up (that was an extremely fun class full of laughter and amazement!).
None of these experiences and authentic discussions would be as relevant or meaningful without the help of tangible artifacts. Having the specimens as well as the microscopes, etc. allowed us to, literally, closely examine some interesting elements found within the novel. I cannot thank everyone enough for your support of our classroom and for bringing these inspiring learning opportunities into our classroom! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
This classroom project was brought to life by Orkin and 4 other donors.Coming Together For "Things Fall Apart": Finding the Igbo Community!
Funded Mar 27, 2018Thank you for supporting our class's efforts in bringing authentic learning into our classroom. The culmination of our yearly celebration and exploration of various cultures throughout the year comes with the reading of "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe which highlights the wonderful Igbo people of Nigeria. At the end of the year last year, it was highly motivating and engaging to see tangible artifacts representative of the Igbo culture within our classroom and my students experienced an immense amount of enjoyment and wonder at having them available.
This year, I look forward to offering the Igbo items again and hope to continue to add-on to our existing collection because the Igbo culture is so rich in art, music, literature, and experiences. Thank you for allowing us to bring in small, but important, pieces of the Igbo culture into our classroom and for supporting our authentic learning experiences.
Thank You for Loving Our Classroom,
Mr. Pond”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
This classroom project was brought to life by ExxonMobil and 27 other donors."Literacy Week 2018" Celebration: Post-Irma 2nd-Semester Kick-Off!
Funded Mar 27, 2018Thomas Jefferson is famous for stating: "I cannot live without books." With your help in funding our book project, I hope to provide my students access to that particular book or series that they will end up stating that they cannot live without! A book can be a powerful force in a person's life and, depending on what is going on at that particular time in their life, books can provide that sense of shelter and camaraderie that is "just right" for many people.
I remain grateful for your help in bringing the positive influence of literacy into our classroom and for providing us with access to places, characters, settings, and circumstances that speak to all of us!
Thank You for Your Generosity and Love for Our Class,
Mr. Pond”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 66 other donors.W. Africa to W. Florida: An Homage to Igbo Society
Funded Mar 2, 2018This past year has been a wonderful display of community support and inspiration because our projects, ones that have meant so much to us, all came true. This project was an especially important one because it played a vital part in bringing a critically important, and globally-relevant, novel to life in "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe. The themes, characters, ideas, discussions, etc. within the novel are as relevant today as they were at the time of its publishing (I would say even MORE relevant). As Nigeria, along with the rest of the world, continue to develop and finds its way, it is so important to remember that this world should be created and nurtured for future generations and that the way we treat each other now is the legacy, history, and consequences that we leave for them. It was so affirming and inspiring to see "Things Fall Apart" nominated among the novels within PBS' "Read Across America" program, a very fitting and well-deserved honor for a book that embodies so many important messages about humanity. Thank you, each and every one of you, for supporting us and believing in our project.
Allowing us to bring in artifacts relevant to the beautiful and rich Igbo culture has helped us enjoy and appreciate a novel that contains many worthy and valuable messages about life, living, and respecting all cultures and people. Without your help, the sounds of the udu drum, log drum, cowbells, and djembe drums would be absent from our classroom and we would not be able to record them for posterity without the microphone and pop filter. You have all contributed immensely to our learning space and, for that, I remain grateful.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
This classroom project was brought to life by AT&T and 70 other donors.Books for a Spellbinding Bookshelf
Funded Feb 12, 2018Thank you so much for your help in funding this wonderful book project! Ever since receiving the boxes upon boxes of books, our classroom library has expanded exponentially with standalone titles and series that are relevant and interesting! As a classroom teacher, it means so much to be able to offer my students crisp, new pages within books that are filled with worlds, characters, and themes that are extremely timely and of interest.
I knew that I had to introduce my students in a meaningful way that would provide the impact and high degree of respect that they were owed. With so many wonderful supporters who took the time to share and/or donate our project so that it could become a reality, I wanted to reveal the books in a fun and exciting way and, thus, I decided to go with a "book tasting" format where students could rotate through tables of books, take one back to their seat to explore and become acquainted with, and then return for another book that they may find interesting. It was fun to be able to make it into an entire event with popcorn, candy, cookies, drinks, and various other snacks. We also held a raffle for books so that students could have their own copy! The entire event was a resounding success and it was heartening to learn that our book tasting event was shared with other teachers and students!
Without your help, none of this would have been possible. Books are such treasures and windows to worlds that can be unimaginably fantastical, heartbreaking and tragic, or revelatory and insightful. Thank you for giving our classroom the gift of a wonderful library that we will be able to enjoy for many years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 101 other donors.Classroom Celebration Station
Funded Feb 17, 2018Thank you for allowing us to continue to celebrate things big and small with popcorn and candy. Oftentimes, it is the smallest things that make the most impact and I am grateful for your help in allowing us to have a celebration station.
Connecting through food and snacks is a great way to build community and as my students are conducting independent reading, working in groups, celebrating the end of the week, or celebrating pep rally days, our celebration station is invaluable. Thank you for supporting my students and their social-emotional as well as academic well-being! Thank you for being our partner in learning and, in this case, celebrations! :)”
With gratitude,
Mr. Pond, M.Ed.
This classroom project was brought to life by CA Technologies and 16 other donors.