WCTV Community Classroom - Ravonda Claitt from Griffin Middle School

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - The holidays are over, but Santa may have skipped over a few things during his trip.

Thanks to our partnership with DonorsChoose, which helps local teachers with classroom needs, you can become Santa’s little helper and fill in the gaps.

For our first Community Classroom segment of 2024, we introduce you to Ravonda Claitt. She’s a teacher at Griffin Middle School.

She said her colleagues have been trying to get her to sign up with DonorsChoose for three years. She’s finally signed up and is cleaning house.

“It’s the first project I’ve created, and I’m having some good success so far,” she said.

Her first project on Donors Choose requested cleaning supplies to help keep a clean environment in the classroom. She said she needed an air purifier, disinfectant wipes and spray, hand sanitizer, as well as gloves, to lower the risk of her sixth through eighth graders getting sick.

“If they’re sick, they’re not able to be in the classroom,” the teacher said. " If they’re not able to be in the classroom, they’re not able to learn. So we want them here as much as possible. I’m wanting to do whatever I’m able to do in my power in order to keep them in the classroom. So that they are getting the education that they need.”

That project was so successful, it was fully funded by the time our show aired. Claitt has moved on to a new project, which requests snacks to keep in the classroom to support students facing food insecurity. She’s also hoping it will make learning more fun.

Claitt says any help is appreciated.

“I should’ve started it a long time ago,” she said. “However, I’m happy that I started now.”

Claitt can have even more success with the community’s help. You can donate to her latest project by clicking here.

Also, if you’re a teacher who’s on DonorChoose and would like WCTV to help your classroom, please email Lanetra Bennett at lanetra.bennett@wctv.tv.

Community Classroom airs every third Wednesday of the month.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook and X (Twitter).

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Write us here. Please include the article's headline in your message.

Keep up with all the biggest headlines on the WCTV News app. Click here to download it now.