This week, we’re helping a Louisiana school stock up on elementary-level books, and an Arkansas high school class learn to preserve herbarium specimens. We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help by sharing or supporting our featured projects.
The Inoculation Project is an ongoing, volunteer effort to crowdfund science, math, and literacy projects for public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
We have made excellent progress on our ambitious project #2, such that it is now project #1! Mrs. Abby’s Louisiana team needs early-grades books, and at Lakeshore Learning, one of the go-to academic supply houses, they’ve found a well-organized collection of what look to be well-reputed children’s books, grouped by reading level.
PROJECT #1
Resources: Help me give my students a variety of books to become successful readers!
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Sixth Ward Elementary School, Vacherie, Louisiana
Total: $420.28
Still Needed: $177.58 $63.16
Project description by Mrs. Abby: The books I am requesting will help students become successful and enthusiastic readers! The library set comes with specially selected books for every reading level! It is ideal for both guided and independent reading. The books are leveled from age 5-9 years making it easy to provide differentiated instruction and meet every student’s needs.
Our teachers are using the Accelerated Reader program and need to build classroom libraries with a variety of books for their students.
This library set will do just that! At our school, we are creating a better world one leader at a time!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
This little book is one of those found in the requested collection. I am told that this is what my dad was like in the 1950s, when he came to Fort Monmouth, NJ, from Michigan. ;)
We have a new project #2 this week! Ms. Atupan teaches high school in a small Arkansas city west of Memphis, TN, and she is hoping to enable her students to preserve dried plants as herbarium specimens. We have help from 2x matching funds from Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand: Education is a key pillar of the Jordan BCC and we are proud to support teachers and their students in equity-focused schools. Black educators are essential to advancing equity in our communities and impacting the lives of every student, and all teachers play a role in uplifting Black students.
PROJECT #2
Resources: Help me give my students tools to preserve herbarium specimens, such as a Herbarium Press Frame, papers, pens, pencils, glue, and lined paper, for classification purposes.
Economic need: An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location: Forrest City High School, Forrest City, Arkansas
Total: $459.12 (2x matching funds from Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand)
Still Needed: $459.12 $223.82 ($112 from us)
Project description by Ms. Atupan: Our project aims to establish a sustainable herbarium to preserve plant specimens for scientific research and education. Usually, we preserve a dried variety of leaves. By providing the necessary materials and equipment, we will empower students and researchers to contribute to biodiversity conservation efforts and advance botanical knowledge. It will make a significant impact on their student's life.
Materials Needed:
Wooden Herbarium Press Frame, Acid-free Paper, Pencils and Pens, Scotch Tape, and Glue
Preserving plant specimens in a herbarium is crucial for documenting Earth's biodiversity and understanding the impact of environmental changes on ecosystems. However, many educational institutions and research facilities struggle to maintain comprehensive herbarium collections without access to the necessary equipment and materials.
Our project seeks to address this issue by providing the essential tools needed to establish a sustainable herbarium. The wooden herbarium press frames will enable students and researchers to flatten and dry plant specimens appropriately, ensuring long-term preservation. The acid-free paper will also safeguard specimens from deterioration, while pencils and pens will facilitate accurately labeling each specimen's vital information.
Furthermore, scotch tape and glue will be instrumental in securely attaching delicate plant parts to the paper, preventing damage and preserving their integrity for future study. Equipping our institution with these materials will empower botanical enthusiasts of all ages to contribute to scientific research, conservation efforts, and environmental education initiatives.
With your support, we can create a thriving herbarium that is a valuable resource for students, researchers, and the broader community. Together, let's preserve Earth's botanical heritage and inspire the next generation of stewards for our planet's biodiversity.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Toni Martin, a herbarium curator with the Royal Horticultural Society, describes her work and her path to this career.
Our project #1 from last week was completed — many thanks to our fabulous readers!
Project #1, STEM in the Mornings: Ms. Mendez hoped to give her Dallas-area elementary students the STEM supplies to start their mornings working peacefully and creatively.
She writes: It’s because of you that this happened! This means so much to me! This is the first time creating this and it was fully funded! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to donate. My students and I thank you. We appreciate you!
| DonorsChoose has developed the designation Equity Focus Schools to describe some schools that submit projects. They meet two criteria: at least 50% of students are Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial, and at least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, the standard measure for school economic need. You can read more at the link about their efforts to address the longstanding inequity in education. |
Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project seeks to fund science, math, and literacy projects in public school classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose, a crowdfunding charity founded in 2000 and highly rated by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.
Every Sunday, we focus on helping to fund projects in neighborhood public schools where the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households. We welcome everyone who supports public school education — no money is required!
Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects — our series total is 1114! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
