I teach a self contained class of 4th and 5th grade special education students at Wing Luke Elementary School. All of the students are very low skilled. They have had difficult school experiences and have struggled with academics and social interactions throughout their school experience. Although their reading and writing skills are low, many are talented artists.

In honor of Martin Luther King's birthday last year, our school had each class perform a song at an assembly. My class chose a rap to perform that focused on getting along and being peaceful. The kids learned the words and performed the rap with dancing in front of the school. They did a great job!

This experience inspired our Dance Specialist to apply for a grant (which we did not receive) to have someone come in and work with the students on making a music video. Although we did not receive the grant, we still want to give our students this opportunity to show off their talents, build confidence, and work together in teams. With a digital video camera, the students would be able to record their performances and edit them on a computer to produce a finished product. Even without a specialist coming in, the camera would give us the tool we need to work together as a team and complete a finished product showcasing our students' talents.

In addition, although the video work is the inspiration for applying for this grant, the camera would be useful in many other academic areas. It would provide our special education students a much-needed alternative outlet for expression and for showing what they have learned.

We would like to purchase a Sony DCR-HC30 digital video camera and ten tapes for the camera. With multiple tapes, we could edit and put the finished project on a blank tape. The video takes up too much room on a computer to save other than on the videotapes. The camera and tapes together will cost $585.41 including S & H, Tax and 15% fulfillment. Please help us open this new stage for our students - we would be delighted to show you the result!