Tracey Williams, a Technology Integration Specialist and Lower School Technology Teacher at All Saints’ Episcopal Day School in Phoenix, Arizona, inspired her students to take an endangered species project to the next level.
Each year, our third-grade students complete an in-depth research project on endangered animals, including some native to the southwest US. The project typically begins with students researching animals and writing detailed reports, using the World Wildlife Fund website and the Wild Classroom education page as resources. Students then carry the project into their specials classes to learn even more about their animals. They create animal paintings in art class, trade fact cards in science class, and practice describing their animal in Spanish class. In my technology class, students digitally draw their animals, which they then turn into 3D-printed stamps. They also create green screen videos and a slideshow presentation to share their various project components with families and classmates.
This year, I decided to take this project a step further, with the goal of finding a way to connect their classroom learning with real-world impact. The students, inspired by their newfound knowledge of endangered animals, turned into passionate conservationists. Their dedication was truly inspiring. We decided to fundraise for WWF and chose to host a ‘popup store’, setting aside a few mornings and afternoons for the students to sell handmade items that they created. Students dedicated much of our technology class time, and sacrificed many recesses, to design and print unique stickers and bookmarks, and handcraft bracelets with motivational and eco-friendly messages. They also worked hard to promote the event to the school community by creating informational posters and green screen videos, talking about the importance of endangered animals and how to get involved in the fundraiser.
With the help of the WWF fundraising and education teams, I set up a class fundraising webpage where parents and teachers could donate directly, making the donation process seamless and allowing others to explore Wild Classroom resources. With a goal of $500, we hoped to make a meaningful contribution to WWF's vital work. The incredible passion of our young heroes shattered all expectations! During our three-day fundraiser, our students not only met their goal – they surpassed it, raising almost $1,000! Their achievement is truly impressive and something to be proud of.
I couldn’t be prouder of our All-Saints’ Tigers and the teachers and parents who helped make this a success. I am incredibly grateful for the resources, support, and commitment from WWF and Wild Classroom. While raising $1,000 is a fantastic achievement, my true goal was to instill in our students a deeper awareness and commitment to helping the world around us.
