Teacher: Tracy Ihnot
School: North Fork High School
District: Delta County School District
District Website: nfhs.deltaschools.com
School Address: 438 Miners Way, Hotchkiss, CO 81419
Grade Level: 11th-12th Alternative Ed
Region: Central Mountains
Project Title: Alternative Seating
Category: Supporting Special Populations (English Language Learners, Special Needs Students, Gifted Education)
Amount Requested: $1,350

Project Description:
Alternative Seating for Alternative Students. I coordinate the Alternative Education Program at North Fork High School. My students are a year or more behind on the credits they need to graduate. A majority of my students are behind on credits due to habitual absenteeism in the years following the COVID pandemic. In order to recover credits, my students are completing all of their academic courses online. It is a long day of learning on a screen and the chairs provided by the school are uncomfortable. When I asked my students what would help them the most with their learning, they said "comfortable chairs." It makes sense to me! These are really good kids who have seen really hard times. They are trying very hard to catch up and graduate with their peers. And I would like to make them as comfortable as possible.

Project Justification:
This project was created from start to finish with input from my students. They chose comfortable and flexible seating as the priority for their success this year and assisted me in researching seating options. My students do a majority of their academic work online and improved seating will help them focus and increase their comfort. We also move around a lot during the day. Sometimes we work outdoors, sometimes we move to a different area of the school, and every morning we start out the day by sitting in circle. I use proactive circles, a strategy of restorative practices, every day for classroom discussions, activities, and community building. Proactive circles support the creation of a student-centered learning environment in our classroom. In the Alternative Education Program, we start every single day with a proactive circle to build trust, mutual understanding, and shared values. My students are working hard to overcome many challenges, both academic and personal. The seating options we selected will give us various options for mobility, comfort, and flexibility. My students are already proud of the project we have created to share with you and we thank you in advance for your consideration.

Budget Breakdown:
The budget of $1,350 will go entirely to improving student seating. We have selected 3 different styles of seating; yoga balls with bases, fold-up saucer chairs, and bean bag chairs. We are requesting 4 yoga ball chairs @ $46 per chair, 4 saucer chairs @ $55 per chair, 5 bean bag chairs @ $120 per chair, and 1 loveseat bean bag chair at $260 + shipping.

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