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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

Keeping students engaged in fun, creative activities when they have finished assigned work is the focus of Verbena High School teacher Mattie McCay’s latest DonorsChoose fundraiser.

McCay, who teaches fifth and sixth grade language arts, said she first heard about the crowdfunding platform specifically designed for teachers during her second year of teaching. Since then, she has done a DonorsChoose fundraiser each year. McCay is now in her fifth year of teaching. She said the platform has provided a way for those interested in helping her classroom give to needed items.

McCay is hoping to raise $171 for creative games for her 98 students to play on Fridays after they have finished their work.

“On Fridays, usually they take their spelling test, and then they will take their grammar test,” McCay said. “After tests is when they can get caught up on work that maybe they haven’t done throughout the week, but most of the time I will have students that have done everything that they are supposed to so they are just kind of bored.”

McCay wanted to find an alternative to having them on their Chromebooks during this time, since students are already using them a lot.

Her answer came in checkers, STEM building sets, Tinkertoys, blocks and similar games.

“It requires a lot of their imagination, and you would be surprised how many kids do not play board games anymore,” McCay said.

Similar items to what she wants to purchase have been popular in the past but need updating.

Donations can be made at donorschoose.org/project/games-please/5888498/.

Each project has a deadline, and McCay’s project has until Feb. 6 to get funded.

In the past, students have enjoyed sending thank you letters to donors who have given to the projects. However, this is being discouraged by the platform because of COVID concerns this year.

Teachers who are funded through the site send in photos to provide documentation of how the funds were spent.