This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Our school is located in Raleigh, NC. We are a community-responsive school focused on academics, opportunities, and the Southeast Raleigh Community through our partnership with Southeast Raleigh Promise and the YMCA. We value and actively partner with the community and our families to address the holistic needs of our students, in order to ensure their academic and overall success, which will ultimately and positively contribute to the revitalization in Southeast Raleigh.
Our vision for the students of Southeast Raleigh Elementary is that they will become leaders, excel academically, reach their potential, and be transformers within their community.
86% of our students receive free or reduced lunch and face many challenges. While many people would label our students "at-risk" we prefer the term "at-promise" because we believe in their infinite capabilities and potential.
My Project
We pride ourselves on being culturally responsive to our students, families, and community. One of the ways we achieve this is by creating community-responsive project-based learning opportunities. As we enter our second year, in an unprecedented pandemic and a nationwide social justice awakening, we are mindful that these two events disproportionately affect our school and the Southeast Raleigh community. Rather than shy away from these topics, we believe that we must use them to empower our students and fulfill the school mission of students being transformers within their community. We are inspired by the popular African American expression, “Making A Way Out of No Way” and the exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture which focuses on agency, creativity, and resilience.
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone will be the foundation of our project, allowing us to build an understanding of civil rights history through a character that our students can see themselves in.
The students will then explore local connections to the civil rights movement by studying local heroes that are memorialized on the monument in the MLK garden located less than a ½ mile from our school. Students will also explore the connections to art, music, and social justice building a timeline for the Black Lives Matter Movement and explore civil rights connections throughout American history. Our project will end with student-created art, music, and student-created podcast.
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
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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. Tuttell and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
