Lexington teacher wins $40,000 of furniture in a national contest. How she’ll use it.

Northern Elementary School teacher Ashley Wilkirson submitted this design to show how she could redecorate her classroom with a $40,000 award from a furniture manufacturing company. She was one of the winners of the contest. Furniture maker KI

By Valarie Honeycutt Spears

Lexington teacher Ashley Wilkirson has been awarded a major prize to help her students have a well-rounded STEM lab where she hoped they would feel welcomed and included.

Voting from the public helped Wilkirson, a STEM teacher at Northern Elementary School, get selected Friday from hundreds of educators across the nation who submitted designs for their dream classroom. She’s been selected to receive $40,000 of furniture from furniture manufacturer KI.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

Three other winners were in North Carolina, California and Pennsylvania.

”We know all teachers care deeply for their students and community, and KI is thrilled to support these four educators in making their dream spaces a reality,” Bryan Ballegeer, vice president of education markets at KI, said in a news release.

This photo shows what Northern Elementary School STEM teacher Ashley Wilkirson’s classroom looks prior to a makeover that will come thanks to a $40,000 award from a national contest.

Wilkirson said the design she entered into the contest provides students with a space perfect for generating creativity and utilizing critical thinking skills. In the new classroom, students will easily be able move around the classroom to collaborate on a variety of experiments and activities.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to have new furniture brought in to revitalize our space,” Wilkirson told the Herald-Leader Sunday. “Our students will have a space that reflects the high levels of learning. I tell them they are scientists and engineers and now they have a space mirroring this truth.“

The Kentucky School Report Card shows that 402 out of Northern Elementary’s 502 students are economically disadvantaged. More than 100 students at the school are considered gifted and talented.

A design submitted by Wilkirson for the contest shows new chairs, tables, stools and other useful items in the room.

“The stools will be beneficial for my students, as it will allow them movement and balance as we talk in small groups,” Wilkirson said.

Wilkirson said the tables will keep students comfortable during discussions.

“We are looking forward to the furniture installation and appreciative of everyone who voted,” Wilkirson said.

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