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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Somma from Las Vegas, NV is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Somma is requesting

Diversity Matters

Help me give my students diverse literature that celebrates their rich, complex history. Help me begin conversations on racial equality for all.

  • $587 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Mrs. Somma has another project! Donate to Reading Cuddle Buddies to help her classroom.

$182 - complete this project and be a hero
Help Mrs. Somma

Mrs. Somma has another project! Donate to Reading Cuddle Buddies to help her classroom.

$182 - complete this project and be a hero

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

For the second year in a row, I will be having the privilege of re-teaching students. Many of my former third graders will be joining my class as fifth graders in the fall. Given the dramatic world events, they had a unique end to their fourth grade year.

As a result, expanding my classroom library to be more inclusive is of highest priority.

All my students deserve to see themselves represented in literature, not just as side kicks or victims. My African American students deserve to see themselves beautifully illustrated in the pages of picture books that don't focus on buses, boycotts, and basketball. There is so much more to their stories, their history, then we typically tell. Simply put, in the words of Maya Angelou, when you know better, you do better.

Las Vegas was severely impacted by racism and many in the community have been suffering. Help me to create a new, fresh start to give my students their best school year ever!

My Project

My students deserve to see themselves portrayed positively within literature. My students deserve to see main characters of color, not just as side kicks to white protagonists. My students deserve to see their rich history celebrated, not limited to discussions of buses, slavery, boycotts, and basketball. Racial divides are deeper than ever and I want to make sure my classroom is a safe and welcoming environment where all students feel safe and celebrated.

My black students and their families matter, and need to feel safe and welcomed within the walls of my classroom.

The books I selected for this project come highly recommended from a variety of educational sources and other trusted teachers. Please help me expand my classroom library to be more inclusive.

Mrs. Somma Mervin Iverson Elementary School Grades 3-5

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mrs. Somma

Las Vegas, NV View local requests

Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

32 students impacted 14donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Somma is requesting.

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
All Because You Matter • Amazon Business $17.99 1 $17.99
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X • Amazon Business $17.09 1 $17.09
Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea • Amazon Business $17.09 1 $17.09
I, Too, Am America • Amazon Business $16.49 1 $16.49
Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights • Amazon Business $16.19 1 $16.19
Sulwe • Amazon Business $15.99 1 $15.99
Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged /fxl • Amazon Business $14.05 1 $14.05
I Am Not a Number • Amazon Business $14.03 1 $14.03
Maddi's Fridge • Amazon Business $13.69 1 $13.69
The Other Side • Amazon Business $13.59 1 $13.59
Ron's Big Mission • Amazon Business $13.49 1 $13.49
Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock • Amazon Business $13.49 1 $13.49
Not Quite Snow White • Amazon Business $12.99 1 $12.99
Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment • Amazon Business $12.89 1 $12.89
Dreamers • Amazon Business $12.89 1 $12.89
Stolen Words • Amazon Business $12.65 1 $12.65
We Came To America • Amazon Business $12.59 1 $12.59
We Are Water Protectors • Amazon Business $12.47 1 $12.47
Genesis Begins Again • Amazon Business $12.29 1 $12.29
Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes • Amazon Business $12.26 1 $12.26
My Hair is a Garden • Amazon Business $12.23 1 $12.23
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning • Amazon Business $11.84 1 $11.84
Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou • Amazon Business $11.50 1 $11.50
A Good Kind of Trouble • Amazon Business $11.29 1 $11.29
The Hate U Give • Amazon Business $10.45 1 $10.45
My Family Divided: One Girl's Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope • Amazon Business $9.49 1 $9.49
Civil Rights Then and Now: A Timeline of the Fight for Equality in America • Amazon Business $8.99 1 $8.99
I Am Human: A Book of Empathy • Amazon Business $8.39 1 $8.39
When I Was Eight • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
Let's Talk About Race • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
Jabari Jumps • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
New Kid • Amazon Business $7.79 1 $7.79
Ghost Boys • Amazon Business $7.79 1 $7.79
These Hands • Amazon Business $7.55 1 $7.55
The Parker Inheritance (Scholastic Gold) • Amazon Business $7.19 1 $7.19
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins • Amazon Business $5.99 1 $5.99

Materials cost

$428.67

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $33.65

3rd party payment processing fee

$6.43

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$498.75

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$88.01

Total project goal

$586.76

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $586.76

10 Donors

-$389.90

Donations toward project cost

-$347.91

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$41.99

Matching donations from our partners

-$177.46

Match offers toward project cost

-$150.84

Match offers to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$26.62

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$19.41

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Somma and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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