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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Rutkelis from Chicago, IL is requesting other through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Rutkelis is requesting

Mark Twain Band in Need!

My students need trombones, trumpets, flutes and saxophones for opportunities for more kids to be in band, plus concert band music to experience more band literature

  • $2,361 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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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

Our school did not have after school music until three years ago. We recently marched in the Columbus Day Parade! The students in the school have expressed an overwhelming desire to play in the band, though since we are a Title One school, not all students can afford to purchase their own instrument.

My students are Title One fifth through eighth grade students.

We are a level one standing school on the southwest side of the city of Chicago. The students are extremely invested in learning more about music, and we currently made our band program grow from 15-60 in one year. They only meet once a week for band, so the students put a tremendous amount of practice time in at home. They love to perform and we work together to look for many performance opportunities around the city. This year we look forward to playing at parades, shelters, and Six Flags.

My Project

This project will allow more students an opportunity to be in band. The desire is gigantic at the school, and if we can give an opportunity to more students in need then that would be an amazing accomplishment! We have a very limited library of music and this would also help the students inside the ensemble read new musical tunes. The instruments requested will help to balance the current concert band and will be an accurate representation of what a concert band should sound like with the addition of these instruments. Each instrument requested will give another chance for an underprivileged child to experience music here at our school. We currently only have a small brass section, and adding more brass instruments like the ones we have requested will benefit everyone.

Many people got their start in elementary bands all over the U.S.

We are one out of the 600 total in Chicago that even have a band program run internally by the school. Most students start an instrument in high school in CPS, and we would like to change that with the 1200 student population here at Twain. You will give students an opportunity to be a part of a highly organized band set for musical success.

Ms. Rutkelis Mark Twain Elementary School Grades 6-8

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 Ms. Rutkelis

Chicago, IL View local requests

More than half of 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

100 students impacted 17donors

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

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Model II Student Bb Trumpet • Woodwind and Brasswind $179.00 3 $537.00
Student Series Tenor Saxophone Model AATS-301 • Woodwind and Brasswind $359.99 1 $359.99
EBT-100 Series Student Trombone • Woodwind and Brasswind $169.99 2 $339.98
M48 Carton of 6 Music Stands • Woodwind and Brasswind $237.00 1 $237.00
7.5 Crossgrade • Woodwind and Brasswind $199.95 1 $199.95
Model EFL-100 Student Flute • Woodwind and Brasswind $79.99 1 $79.99
Flourish for Winds and Percussion Concert Band Grade 1 Set • Woodwind and Brasswind $55.00 1 $55.00
Three Movements from Water Music Concert Band Grade 1 Set • Woodwind and Brasswind $50.00 1 $50.00
Sandstorm! Concert Band Grade 1 Set • Woodwind and Brasswind $45.00 1 $45.00
LP1-8 Large Flex-A-Tone • Woodwind and Brasswind $42.99 1 $42.99

Materials cost

$1,946.90

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$29.20

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$2,006.10

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$354.02

Total project goal

$2,360.12

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $2,360.12

13 Donors

-$2,306.59

Donations toward project cost

-$1,963.60

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$342.99

match offer

-$50.00

Match offer toward project cost

-$42.50

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$7.50

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$3.53

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 Ms. Rutkelis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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