Sacopee Valley Middle School is located in a rural, low-income district in southwestern Maine. We have approximately 400 students in grades 4-8. Many of our students face challenges and adversity daily. Despite these obstacles, students come to school to be an active part of our tight-knit community. They are bright, engaged, and willing to learn. The art room is a place of exploration and creation, where students can stretch and explore in an effort to find materials and techniques to fuel their never-ending energy.
Our students love the chance to use clay and relish in the opportunity to sink their hands in it to create things of beauty.
In addition, after school opportunities are always popular, and for over a decade students have been joined by the art teacher, parent volunteers, and a local potter to learn wheel building and immerse themselves in clay.
My Project
For the past decade, the students of Sacopee Valley Middle School have participated in Empty Bowls. This charity event begins with months of after school time in which students make both hand and wheel built bowls. The bowls are sold, along with a simple meal at a culminating dinner and all proceeds are donated to local food pantries. The clay extruder would allow students to easily make uniform coils to build their bowls (about 200 yearly) to support this event, as well as in using clay in their choice-based art classroom. The Empty Bowls after school program is a lesson in art, but more importantly, a lesson in supporting one's community, and the clay extruder will support students' work both in and out of the art classroom for years to come.
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
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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. Kerrigan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.