Past projects 8
Unleashing Our Inner Readers
Funded Jan 19, 2025I’m writing to express my sincere thanks for your incredible generosity in buying books for our middle school classroom. Your support will make a huge difference in our students, helping them fall in love with reading and learning that will last a lifetime. These poetry books and graphic novels will be a new adventure for them. I wish you could see the joy on their faces when they read these books. Thank you for believing in the power of reading and helping us create a lively learning environment. Your kindness means the world to us.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Duenas
Uncovering Hidden History
Funded Aug 19, 2024My 7th and 8th grade students and I would like to express our deepest gratitude for your generous donation of 65 copies of "Black Birds in the Sky." Your thoughtful gift will undoubtedly enrich our learning experience as we delve into the historical significance of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Your donation will allow each student to have their own copy of this powerful book, enabling them to engage with the text at their own pace. This personal connection will foster a deeper understanding of the events that transpired in Tulsa in 1921 and the lasting impact they have had on our nation's history.
We are committed to using this resource to spark critical thinking and empathy among our students. By exploring the stories of the survivors and witnesses, we hope to cultivate a generation of informed and compassionate young people who are dedicated to promoting justice and equality.
Thank you once again for your generosity and support. Your contribution will have a profound impact on our students' educational journey.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Duenas
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.Hearing Our Stories
Funded Oct 23, 2023I'm writing on behalf of my students to express our deepest thanks for funding a full class set of headphones for our reading and social studies classes. We are overjoyed at receiving this gift which will allow all thirty students access to podcasts, audiobooks, and more during our classes.
The headphones open up many new opportunities for our classes. Students can now listen to engaging podcasts that make topics like history and literature come alive. They can record and listen back to their own audiobook memoirs, which not only builds reading skills but technological skills. We can also now watch documentaries as a class, adding a visual media element that research shows aids retention and comprehension. The headphones are enabling a whole new world of multimedia and technology in our humanities curriculum.
We hugely appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness in supporting our students' education. These headphones will get used every single day and continue helping students learn for years to come. Thank you again for giving our middle schoolers this wonderful learning tool.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Duenas
This classroom project was brought to life by A Philly Special Christmas and 2 other donors.Printing in Color
Funded Feb 11, 2023Thank you so much for this generous donation. Already we have found ways to use the printer to both enhance our classroom activities but to also improve our school community.
Students were able to design cereal boxes about famous poets. The color brought their projects to life and allowed students to showcase their design skills. Additionally, our students have started many after school clubs and held multiple fundraisers, all of which they were able to advertise with beautiful and colorful campaigns.
Soon students will be designing children's history books online. We will be able to print copies in full color so that we can read them to elementary students. Their stories will be vibrant and engaging thanks to you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Duenas
This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 6 other donors.Remixing a Classic
Funded May 27, 2023Thank you so much for your generous donation of a class set of the novel Pride by Ibi Zoboi. My students absolutely loved the novel's characters and story. Pride is a modern day retelling of the classing Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice and it opened students up to the excitement of classic literature. The themes of class, prejudice and love from Austen's time were still relevant as we discussed the modern versions of income inequality, respect and gentrification.
After we read the book, students then "took over" the class and planned lessons that were inspired by the book. These lessons varied from conversations about gentrification, to how to have a healthy relationship and even investigating the importance of attending an HBCU. This novel provided my students with an opportunity to make connections to a text that were meaningful and empowered thm to become experts as well.
Thank you again for your generous donation.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Duenas
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and 5 other donors.Can You Hear Me Now?
Funded Sep 14, 2022Our students are so excited to be able to create new projects that we can actually hear. The unfortunate reality of our beautiful school building is that the sound carries and echos in a way that left our original substandard equipment unable to pick up students voices. Students discovered the hard way that their work that they painstakingly filmed was unusable, a crushing blow. Now they can mic up wirelessly and capture even the quietest of sounds, taking their projects to a whole new level.
This has opened many of their eyes to the possibilities that come with being able to create and record your own stories. Many now feel like camera work and content creation are viable future career paths. This technology that you have gifted us, has unlocked all new pathways for students to be in charge of the stories that are created.
One group of young men in particular have found the equipment to be most instrumental in filming our basketball and volleyball games. The now run their own ESPN style crew that films and gives commentary about our team. It has helped so many in our community have access to the games when they can not be physically present to view the game live. We are excited to see what the future holds!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Duenas
Lettuce Taco 'Bout Food
Funded Jan 13, 2019The elation in my students faces when they saw their new kitchen was truly spectacular. They immediately began listing all of the things that they could not wait to make. Cookies and cakes were of course number one, but eventually the conversation turned more serious with a number of them reflecting on their concerns over how unhealthy their food choices are outside of school. Then in characteristic middle school fashion, another student said "also we won't have to eat cafeteria food anymore!"
This kitchen is helping to unlock independence within my students as well. A number of my middle schoolers have expressed the importance of being self sufficient and that cooking will help them with "adulting". One young man said, "I just want to learn how I can help my mom so she has one less thing to stress about." Cooking is now even a potential career option for students who enjoy making food and now realize that being a chef would actually be a real cool job.
Later, when one of our beloved members of our school community became very ill, my students first thoughts were "can we make her some food?" Next, we are going to use the kitchen to help prepare meals and treats for our greater school community, hosting a family dinner for the 8th grade graduating class of 2019.
Thank you again for all you have done!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Duenas
A Mile in My Shoes
Funded Aug 27, 2017I can not express how thoroughly grateful I am for you and your generous donation. My students are enthralled with these books and many of them now count Speak or All American Boys as their new favorite novel. I teach four 8th grade English classes, two of which are gender based. Having an entire class of young men and an entire class of young women has been an adventure and experiment. These books have been integral in allowing my groups of students to read books that relate to issues young people like them face. The boys have read All American Boys and conducted research on police brutality, an issue that as young men of color in the most violent zip code in our city, have personal experience with. My girls have read Speak, and studied the effects of schoolwide gossip and sexual assault on a young woman's self esteem.
For many of my students, reading is not easy and not enjoyable. There are students in my room who read three or more years behind grade level. One of the best ways to improve reading level is by reading more than 30 minutes a day. But when you are so behind, and the books on your level are so dull, that 30 minutes is a torturous chore and not the celebration that it should be. With these new books, students who struggle to read are eagerly and willingly reading on their own. I am so proud of the progress they are making.
In addition to sparking a love of reading, these books are also an incredible vehicle for class discussion. Both novels deal with heavy themes that are frequently the topic of nighttime news and debates. These books have offered an opportunity for my students to navigate these challenging ideas in a nuanced and mature way that helps my young adults develop their own opinions. Recently after reading All American Boys, my students were researching the topic of modern police brutality. One of my young men remarked "I didn't realize how complicated this issue was". As a teacher, I couldn't be more thrilled with that statement. When a student realizes that there is more going on then what's presented on the surface of an issue, that's when they are finally open to truly learn. This would not be possible with out your generous gift.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Duenas