LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Some exciting news over at Northern Elementary School... Ashley Wilkirson's classroom has won a nationwide contest and will receive a $40,000 makeover!
Through KI's Classroom Furniture Giveaway, Wilkirson, a STEM teacher at Northern Elementary, submitted a video and proposed design as part of the nationwide contest. The submission paid off as Wilkirson was one of four grand prize winners, as determined by online voting.
Wilkirson's plan included creating a space where her students could comfortably and easily move around the classroom to collaborate on a variety of STEM experiments and learning activities.
"All of the tables are designed so they can turn and talk to each other with ease," Wilkirson told LEX 18 when her classroom was announced as a finalist. "It actually has a curve in the table, so if they wanted to lean over to share something or do something, they could."
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She said the idea behind her design was to create a space that allows these students to collaborate and get even more creative. Wilkirson says this class promotes high-level learning, and she wants a room that reflects that. She told us hands-on learning is more important at this age than many may realize.
"It's something you want every person all of the time to have, to be able to walk into a job and to be able to do. So, no matter what my students want to do, I want them to be able to go after their dreams and chase it and I want to give them the skills to do that. So, everything we do in here is leading up to the greater things that I know they're gonna be able to do someday."
Wilkirson was the winner of the contest's "Central" division. Other winners include teachers in North Carolina, California, and Pennsylvania.
