WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL: Music program joins, benefits from Adopt-A-Classroom program

David Martin, music instructor at West Middle School, continues to find creative ways to channel funding into his classes.

Martin recently joined the Website "AdoptAClassroom.org." 

The organization connects donors with teachers to be classroom champions. Founder James Rosenberg created the program when he was mentoring a physically and mentally challenged student and became astounded by the lack of resources in the classroom. With the assistance of a colleague, Rosenberg started the Adopt-A-Classroom program. By 1998, he left his full-time job as an attorney to head the campaign.

Donors select participating classrooms and make donors to them through Adopt-A-Classroom. One-hundred percent of the donations go to the classes -- there is no administration fee. The program publishes an accountability report and offers transparency, connect donors with teachers throughout the year by correspondence and establish long-term relationships between donors and teachers.

In joining the campaign, Martin posted several things that he'd like to see donated to the music department at West, including additional risers for the chorus to accommodate the 150 students in the program, iPads for learning and composing, and photography and video equipment for the music and media centers.

Recently, Martin received a $100 check from JCPenny. The money was used to purchase a number of certificate frames from Office Max for the many choral festival performance awards the chorus had collected throughout the years. 

To see Martin's Adopt-A-Classroom page, click here.