Fred Wilson's 2010 Challenge

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Your generous contribution towards the purchase of

this important electrophoresis equipment is greatly appreciated. Too often students feel personally

removed from the study of science. As an educator, one of my most important

tasks is to help students see the relevance of the work they are doing and how

it applies to their own lives. Making these connections is immensely easier

with the right tools and equipment.

With your contribution, you have helped to enrich the experiences my students are having in the lab which greatly improves their level of interest and understanding of the theory behind the science. The work my students are doing because of this equipment will open new doors in

their educational pursuits and will help to make them better informed citizens. This is true not just for my current students, but

for many years of students who will be able explore the field of biotechnology

and the techniques used by scientists in some of the most exciting and relevant

advances in science today.

Once again, thank you for helping to support my

students. Their lives will not only be enriched through the use of this equipment but they will gain a greater appreciation of science and will enjoy greater

success at the college level thanks to your contribution.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Little

As a classroom teacher it is very hard to teach without resources. With the addition of the projector I am able to use a document camera to project student work. This allows my students and I to maximize the limited instructional time we have available to study math each day. My students love the technology that we have in our classroom, as we are the only room in the building to have these tools. Using the projector and document camera has allowed my students to show their work to their classmates immediately, without having to rewrite their calculations.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Emery

I wanted to send my sincere thanks for your support of my classroom and students and share with you a recent experience that reflects the success of the materials you helped provide.

Students in my algebra class, the same students who frequently don't turn in work, because, "Mister, I don't do homework, you know this!" were frantically arguing about math problems. They were arguing, because there were thirty seconds left in their competition--to find the maximum value for a solution to a problem with many solutions. David, the same student who reminds me daily that homework isn't his thing, was his team's captain, responsible for proofing the graphs his team put together on the two whiteboards his group was assigned to. When I called time, the whiteboards went up, and students had a chance to see the work their friends completed--the different approaches to valid solutions. David was especially proud of his group's work, because they found three different ways to get their answer, and received extra credit for their efforts. I wish I could say the next day he brought homework with him to class, but perhaps he'll get there someday--his answer at least, was changed. "I thought about it," he said. Which, based on his quiz score, was absolutely true and gives me hope that we woke something up together.

So, thank you again for your incredible support of my classroom and students. Your support means the world in a climate where it is increasingly challenging to be a teacher.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Carlson

Thanks you so much for your donations that allowed my class to get the super science kits from Lakeshore. These kits contain many great materials and have helped make science real to my students. My students were able to use a variety of tools to measure weather, build ramps to study motion, and put together simple machines and electrical circuits to study electricity and machines. Because of these materials my students gained a deeper understanding of these topics. I look forward to using these materials in the future and thank you for your help in obtaining them. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Jones

I want to let you personally know how important your donation to my classroom has been. The main point I want to make is that in the current year, I have 8 students in class. It is the second year for my program in a large school, and I was looking for ways to attract more students to how awesome physics can be. Through the use of hands on, student centered lessons; the word of how fun, and challenging, my class is has gotten around. Students have pre-registered for next year, I have 27 students on the roster.

With the materials I received, I was able to demonstrate Snell's Law for light passing from one medium to another. Additionally, I was able to show my students total internal reflection as light passes from water into air, make calculations, and verify relationships. The students used the acrylic block, again, to study Snell's Law. They used the blocks, pins, and copy paper to trace the path of light outside and inside of the block. They measured the angles of the light and graphed it to determine the index of refraction of the block. The students then used the lasers, diffraction gratings, and two meter sticks to measure the interference patterns of the light at different distances from a screen. They plotted their data to determine the wavelength of the light.

My students have submitted their course evaluations and indicated that these activities were two of the favorite things they did this year. Once again, I want to thank you for donating and making science classes, not only my own, more meaningful to students.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Holt

Thank you for your generosity. Your donation provided my students a positive math classroom atmosphere. The math posters provide students references and the butcher paper provided students with a medium in which they can present their mathematical ideas to share with others. Their posters are hung on the wall and students feel proud that their ideas and work are part of the classroom and are among the reference posters. Further more, the mini white boards provided students with a tool to jot down their ideas and work, which increase their participation and engagement because it doesn't feel as permanent and risky as putting it on the board in front of the classroom. They were also useful during group work when students wanted to explain ideas to each other. Thank you again.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Bui