Our Sailboats Need Sails... Help Us Make Them Ourselves!
Help me give my students a sewing machine capable of fabricating our own sails and canvas projects to outfit the sailboats we're building at our new maritime-themed middle school!
$2,670 goal
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Hooray! This project is fully funded
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I work at the brand new Harbor Middle School in Brooklyn, the first maritime themed middle school in New York City, and the kids are just as excited as I am to be there!
Our 6th graders are building two wooden sailboats with an amazing non-profit organization called Brooklyn Boatworks, and at the end of the year they actually get to sail them in NY Harbor!
We use traditional woodworking skills and tools to turn boring old plywood sheets into a fully functional sailboat. (You can see videos of the program featuring our own students in action at brooklynboatworks.org). This year it's no longer just an after-school program, but actually a regular part of the school day for our 6th graders.
At the end of the boat build, Brooklyn Boatworks usually rigs up the boats with pre-purchased sails, but this year I want to take things a step further. I believe our students are capable of learning sewing and sailmaking, and that we can the first school to outfit our boats with our very own handmade sails! I can already imagine them beaming with pride on launch day.
To pull this off, we need a better sewing machine for the classroom, one that is really up to the challenges of sailmaking. (Right now I have a temperamental old machine that is an object of fascination but just not up to the task) With a Sailrite Fabricator machine, we will be able to make our own sails and myriad other canvas projects safely and effectively, this year and for many years to come. For the first time in a long time, students in a public middle school will learn to love sewing again like I did when I was their age. Thank you for your support!
More than three‑quarters 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
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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 Mr. Captain Jack and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
