Hello! We are Abbi Newby and Eric Snyder, the directors of the Dymond Byte ensemble at Dawes Middle School.

The vision of this ensemble is to bring our band students and choir students together as one. The band accompanies the choir which in turn becomes our very own and very first "choir band."

In our first year, we had an excellent turnout. The students were pumped about this new concept and we had so much fun exploring new music and playing/singing together.

This year we look forward to round two of the Dymond Bytes! We are excited for more opportunities to perform for a live audience as well as potential travel to local schools and communities.

The students love being on stage but unfortunately, we are not equipped with the necessary equipment for a quality sound system. A quality sound system is essential to a music ensemble. Currently, we have bits and pieces of prior equipment which squeaks and does not consistently give us the proper sound and support the students need and deserve. (i.e microphones, mic stands, monitors, mixers, speakers, sound cords, etc.)

We have started this campaign in hopes that we can purchase a portable sound system that would support performance and travel starting with this upcoming school year. Requesting $7,800 plus cost reimbursement.

We appreciate you and are extremely grateful for your support. We look forward to sharing any outcome with our students! :)

Our school community is a set of diverse learners who come from many different backgrounds and offer a unique perspective in the classroom. With over thirty languages represented, almost twenty percent of our students enrolled as English learners, and a diverse special education population, students are encouraged to develop their scientific skills through technology and other resources. We base our instruction on the motto, “Great expectations for every kid, every day, in every class.” Spruance is also a Title I school that will greatly benefit from Philly FUNDamentals. Our goal for Spruance students is to encourage the exploration of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects and occupations through project-based learning and technology.

Through the funding of this project, we will acquire the rights for our students to operate STEM Fuse, a program that facilitates topics that align with STEM principles. In addition to the program, the classroom materials necessary for in-person learning will be purchased. This program will blend online learning with activities that students will complete in person. During the implementation of this program, our students will have the opportunity to conduct research for experimentation, participate in hands-on activities, engage in problem-solving exercises, record and analyze data, collaborate together on and offline, examine specimens that are not typically available in the classroom, and much more. With an increasing demand for more individuals to enter STEM fields, our students deserve the opportunity to explore these possibilities and become excited about them. 

Southwark School would love to purchase headphones for our 7th and 8th grade students. We have 63 students in 7th and 8th grades returning to school for hybrid learning. Some students will be attending different virtual classes while physically in the same room, so having personal headphones is a must! Please help us support students as they transition to hybrid learning in schools. Thank you!