U.S. Cellular and the philanthropic Website DonorsChoose.org have teamed up once again to help America's teachers through the Calling All Teachers campaign.

For the second year in a row, Calling All Teachers asked public teachers across the country to submit their classroom projects for consideration. The two organizations partnered together to fund $1 million for the most creative submissions. Together, the two wanted to change the way teachers taught in the classroom for the better.

"U.S. Cellular's continued support of education is definitely making an impact in schools across the nation," said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. "The company's donations from both last year and this year allow teachers to do more in the classroom, and our children reap the benefits."

More than 80 teachers were chosen throughout the St. Louis area to receive funding for more than 150 projects for a total donation of more than $53,000. These projects will help upwards of 13,000 students throughout the metropolitan area.

The range of projects submitted varied widely. New technology such as Flip video cameras and laptop computers were asked for alongside such simple needs such as cooking materials and gardening supplies. Whatever was wanted, U.S. Cellular was eager to supply.

"Teachers play a big role in the future of our children," said Michelle Groves, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in the St. Louis area. "We are glad to support them because we know they work hard to make every child's learning experience meaningful and fun."

Four elementary teachers in the Hazelwood School District received funding for their projects from Calling All Teachers.

-- Sandra White, a fourth-grade teacher from Jana Elementary, received two camcorders to record and share projects in science class.

-- Laura Padan, a kindergarten teacher at McNair Elementary, received take-home materials she could assign to her class.

-- Jenn Pfeiffer, a kindergarten teacher at Coldwater Elementary, received CD players and phonics materials to use during her class's "Daily 5" reading program.

-- Stephanie Knight, a third-grade teacher at Coldwater Elementary, received a smart board projector that allows her to teach the class with her laptop. This has improved her ability to display notes, quizzes, assignments and other activities before the entire class in a larger, clearer and more interactive manner.

For Knight, the funding has brought a new sense of wonder and excitement for learning to her classroom, as students now eagerly wait for her to power on the smart board.

"It helps out a lot," Knight said. "The projector proves to be a huge benefit in the classroom. I don't even use the overhead and transparencies anymore. The projector allows me to create notes on my laptop that can stand out and more easily grab the attention of my students."