Baruch College Campus High School Parent Teacher Association

Hi! We are from BCCHS InvenTeam!

We have received a grant from the Lemelson-MIT foundation to create a washing machine for students experiencing homelessness in New York City.  In the past decade, the number of NYC public school students experiencing homelessness has increased by 70%. Our hope is that our invention will allow students to have access to clean laundry in school, and that our machine will bring school communities together. 

Having additional funds to help us produce this machine will help us make a greater impact on our community! The funds will also help us bring all of our student inventors to DC this June to present our Invention. Thank you in advance for your support.

Recently, I was in a 9th grade Writing Arts class. Students were asked to work in groups, and move around the room and chart their ideas on paper. I loved that our students were getting to get up and walk around. Then, I saw how it was almost impossible for them to do so! Because this small room has these giant tables, students could barely get up from their seats, let alone walk around the room. When they want to have a discussion, they are talking to each other's backs. There is no flexiblity in seating, and it is literally wall-to-wall bodies. We inherited these giant tables from the school that was there before we moved in. We left Baruch College in 2010 and were not allowed to take any furniture with us. We inherited what was left in an old school that was shut down for poor performance. When asked if we could have money to replace the old, grafittied, broken furniture, we were told it wasn't allowed. As a public high school, we barely have enough to cover our costs and could never replace our furniture. With your help, one classroom at a time, we can make a difference in the learning for NYC public school students!