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This teacher needs your help!

Mr. Smith from SHERMAN OAKS, CA is requesting lab equipment through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mr. Smith is requesting

Skateboard Club Needs Help

My students need a skill saw and replacement blade to cut out wood shapes to make our ramp projects.

  • $178 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mr. Smith for his next project!

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Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mr. Smith for his next project!

My Students

OneMy students are "at risk kids" attending a Title 1, middle school in California. They are great kids. My students come from a low, socioeconomic background but they have dreams of attending college. Difficult times in life translate to difficult times at school. Middle school isn't anyone's best time of their lives but there is hope.

A skateboard club at lunchtime, where students can feel included, might be the only reason these kids come to school.

I noticed these kids always playing with little skateboards with their fingers. I had an idea and Skateboard Club was born. I build ramps with them and teach them engineering skills. Skateboards are filled with physical science concepts. When they're at skateboard club, I can talk to them about life choices that might keep these kids out of trouble.

My Project

I'm trying to start a skateboard club at my middle school. I remember being a skater when I was in middle school. I loved it with all the passion of a kid discovering something for the first time. Now I have the opportunity as a science teacher to reach out the skateboarding students at my school. I want to create a club to embrace their culture while teaching Next Generation Science Standards in physical science, engineering and design.

Skateboarding is not a crime.

Often, students will ask their teacher, "What is the point of this?" or "Why are we doing this anyway?" They want to know exactly how the material they're learning in class will apply to their everyday lives because, at times, it seems disconnected from what they do. Physical science concepts are often taught quite traditionally in school, isolated from the real world. This is what disconnects the tools and the content from the students' experiences. There is a real need for educators to explore and connect content in an authentic and relatable context for students.

So how can this be of practical use for the educator? Inherently, the teacher has to know the students and recognize their interests. That is the purpose of action science -- to put concepts in physical science into the realm of youth culture, and in effect, to make science approachable, relatable, and (possibly) even cool to learn. I want to teach my students how to make a ramp that they can then use during skateboard club and the materials requested will help me do this.

Mr. Smith Van Nuys Middle 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 Mr. Smith

SHERMAN OAKS, CA 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

55 students impacted 2donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
WEN 3920 16-Inch Two-Direction Variable Speed Scroll Saw with Flexible LED Light • Amazon Business $88.75 1 $88.75
Scroll Saw Blades for Thick Wood, 12-Pack • Amazon Business $11.54 1 $11.54
Olson Saw FR49501 Pin End Scroll Saw Blade • Amazon Business $8.62 1 $8.62

Materials cost

$108.91

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $9.97

3rd party payment processing fee

$1.63

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$150.51

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$26.56

Total project goal

$177.07

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $177.07

2 Donors

-$177.07

Donations toward project cost

-$150.51

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$26.56

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

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