LEXINGTON, Ky. — A teacher in Lexington has won her classroom a customized $40,000 makeover.
Ashley Wilkirson is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, teacher at Northern Elementary School. She tries bring field trips to her classroom when she can and it’s why she is prepping her room for something new.
Wilkirson says in her classes they focus on each branch of STEM, sometimes incorporating experiments, digital labs and more into the curriculum.
That’s why she entered a national contest with furniture manufacturer, KI, for a major giveaway that filled classrooms like hers with resources for new ways of learning. Her efforts have $40,000 of furniture coming to her classroom and students.
The company is giving away $160,000 to help four schools across the country.
She said, “It has been a phenomenal experience. I found out through my sister, she shared the website had posted they are doing their second annual contest with Kids Furniture classroom giveaway.”
Wilkirson said she wants her students to feel comfortable learning science. It’s something she encouraged herself to do when she pursued a career to educate the next generation.
“It’s almost like I’m finding a more direct path toward what I want to see in my classroom and what I want my students to learn,” Wilkirson said.
She said everything inside her newly renovated classroom will always benefit students. The classroom should receive its new furniture and equipment sometime this month.