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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. DeCoursey from New Orleans, LA is requesting technology through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. DeCoursey is requesting

Say Hello to Atticus Finch

My students need a LCD projector.

  • $1,069 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. DeCoursey for her next project!

Help Ms. DeCoursey

"Can't we just watch the movie?" This became a frequent line from my 8th grade English class as we slowly but surely tackled Homer's The Iliad. At the start, my kids couldn't even imagine what Greece looked like, much less where it was. But growing up in a Louisiana community still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina, they were very familiar with Achilles' struggle: should we live a safe, normal life, or reach for something more and possibly fail? That was the connection my kids made with a text several thousands of years old that took place half a world away. By the end of the unit, my students were hooked.

But it all depended on roping them in with an occasional trip to the movies -- via a borrowed LCD projector. The technology allowed us to make The Iliad come alive with maps, ancient art, and of course, a few clips of Brad Pitt as Achilles. We faced a huge obstacle: the projector is shared by the whole school; when we couldn't get access to it, that meant we lost the visual aspect of our lesson. This left several of my students, who rely on visual elements to learn, in the dark. Our original projector was stolen in a break-in at the beginning of the year, leaving a wonderful Promethean board incapacitated. The school has no money to replace the stolen projectors.

With our next unit, we are set to engage with a time-honored classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. While the book stands on its own, I want my students to really engage with the time period, its themes, and the enduring questions the book begs of us. To put it simply, they need Atticus, Scout, and Jem Finch to come to life. With regular access to an LCD projector, we can do just that with regular PowerPoint lessons, movie clips, and other enriching media.

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This enduring advice from Atticus Finch is knowledge that I hope my students truly take home. Please put yourself in my children's skin. They have been dealt a difficult hand, and work every day to overcome it. They are smart, questioning, and vibrant. They are constantly reaching for something more. They deserve the same education that is afforded to students in richer communities. Though an LCD projector is simply an expensive mass of AV and power cords, it does have the ability to inspire and bring literature to life. Your gift would make that wonderful experience (and engagement with Atticus, Scout, and Jem) possible for my students. Thank you for your consideration.

Ms. DeCoursey Abramson Science-Tech Charter School Grades 6-8

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Ms. DeCoursey

New Orleans, LA View local requests

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

48 students impacted 11donors

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

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
HITACHI CP-X301 XGA LCD PROJECTOR • Lab Safety Supply, Inc. dba Highsmith Inc $750.64 1 $750.64

Materials cost

$750.64

Vendor shipping charges

 $75.06

Sales tax

 $30.03

3rd party payment processing fee

$11.26

Fulfillment labor & materials

$9.00

Total project cost

$875.99

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$192.29

Total project goal

$1,068.28

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $1,068.28

10 Donors

-$1,035.35

Donations toward project cost

-$875.99

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$159.36

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$32.93

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. DeCoursey and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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