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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Elam from Nashville, TN is requesting a class trip through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Elam is requesting

Underwater Investigations, a Field Trip

My students need transportation, lunch and a special penguin souvenir for our field trip to the Tennessee Aquarium.

  • $4,147 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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

Help Ms. Elam

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

My Students

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

Our students are 36 of the most vibrant, inquisitive and intelligent 4 and 5 year olds you'll ever meet.

They come to school each day so excited to learn about the world! New opportunities and experiences bring out so much life and remind us of the amazing curiosity that young children possess. Our students are hungry to learn and explore the world because they often are not afforded the opportunities that many young children get each day. Home for our kids is our city's oldest, largest and poorest public housing development. This environment brings many challenges to life that are not ideal, especially for a young, growing brain. Hunger, poverty, crime, drugs and insecurity are often too familiar for our kids and our families. And these elements of extreme poverty also greatly impact the way our kids learn. Hands on experiences make learning and the world real.

My Project

We are planning to take our students on an out-of-town field trip to an aquarium so that they can experience the wonder and majesty of aquatic life first hand. We want our kids to have the opportunity to see sharks swim through the water, learn about beavers that build in our rivers, and watch penguins dive for fish. Seeing these things firsthand will bring to life many ideas, concepts and facts about the world that we have only been able to learn about through books. We would also like to have the opportunity to bring our students' biggest role models, their parents, in to this learning time so that we are giving our families the opportunities to take this learning back in to their home in the most basic way possible. This experience will increase the likelihood that our students retain and continue to discuss their experiences at the aquarium long after we return from this awesome trip. And it will give our parents the chance to be actively involved in their child's education.

About a year ago our parents reached out to ask if it would be possible to take their kids on an out of town field trip to see what the world outside our city has to offer.

Their dreams pushed us to think big. And reminded us that every parent has dreams for their child, even if the means to the end is not always the same. We want to make this happen because our parents are dreaming big for their kids. And bringing a dream to life is one of the most powerful, lasting things we can do.

Ms. Elam KIPP Kirkpatrick Elementary School Grades PreK-2

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

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 Ms. Elam

Nashville, TN 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

36 students impacted 48donors

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

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Component Company Total
Miscellaneous Tennessee Aquarium $180.00
Activity Tennessee Aquarium $1,006.50
Food Tennessee Aquarium $216.00
Transportation Wise Coaches $2,040.00

Trip cost

$3,442.50

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$51.64

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$3,524.14

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$621.91

Total project goal

$4,146.05

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $4,146.05

41 Donors

-$3,745.98

Donations toward project cost

-$3,312.93

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$433.05

Matching donations from our partners

-$248.48

Match offers toward project cost

-$211.21

Match offers to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$37.27

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$151.58

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

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DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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. Elam and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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