Since December, DonorsChoose.org has worked closely with the Connecticut Department of Education, the American Federation of Teachers, and the administration of Newtown Public Schools to support teachers and students in Newtown, Connecticut.Hundreds of generous individuals showed their support through our Support Newtown Teachers Page. Each of the 440 public school teachers in Newtown then received a $250 DonorsChoose.org gift card, which they could use to support the needs of their own classrooms, those of their colleagues, or of other classrooms throughout the United States.
In March, Andy Wright—DonorsChoose.org Teacher Outreach Manager—organized and hosted a training session in Newtown to help teachers get started with making requests through our site. To date, we have funded over 50 projects in Newtown, CT.Projects ranged from new sets of classroom books to games and puzzles for students to relax in the school lounge. Mrs. Attanasio created workshops in poetry and memoir writing to help her students learn to express themselves and their emotions. Mrs. Kuligowski requested an alphabet rug to bring comfort into her classroom and reinforce her kindergartners’ concept of letters.
As we continue to send support and materials to Newtown classrooms, our thoughts remain with the parents, students, teachers, and administrators affected by the tragedy.
