4 Educators Win Classroom Makeovers in KI Giveaway

Furniture manufacturer KI has announced the results of its third annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway. Four winners will receive up to $40,000 worth of KI furniture to implement their ideal classroom design: Anna Zibro of Rensselaer Park Elementary School in Troy, NY; Jennifer Childers of Kellyville Academy Alternative Education School in Kellyville, OK; Melissa Weiner of Woodway Elementary School in Fort Worth, TX; and Jenann Elias of Moore Middle School in Redlands, CA.

All entrants submitted designs for their dream learning space using KI's online Classroom Planner tool. KI selected 12 finalists for a nationwide public vote, which resulted in the following winning designs (as described in a news announcement):

  • At Rensselaer Park Elementary School, Zibro designed a third grade classroom with zones to support various activities and meet students' different learning styles, abilities, and social-emotional needs.
  • At Kellyville Academy Alternative Education School, Childers created a versatile high school classroom that embraces color theory and tactile learning, and enables students to easily switch between arts, sciences, and learning life skills.
  • Weiner of Woodway Elementary School designed a vibrant, inclusive special education space to accommodate students with different learning and mobility needs and support independent, group, and pre-vocational learning.
  • For the library media center at Moore Middle School, Elias created a modern hub with an adaptable layout to support student autonomy, creativity, and collaboration — as well as larger groups and hands-on programming.

In addition, eight runners-up will each receive 20 Ruckus whiteboards.

"We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Anna, Jennifer, Melissa, and Jenann," said Bryan Ballegeer, vice president of education markets at KI, in a statement. "Each of our winners demonstrates a deep commitment to understanding their students' perspectives, meeting their individual needs, and supporting their learning journeys. We're thrilled to help make these inspiring designs a reality."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • hand touching glowing connected dots

    Registration Now Open for Tech Tactics in Education: Thriving in the Age of AI

    Tech Tactics in Education has officially opened registration for its May 7 virtual conference on "Thriving in the Age of AI." The annual event, brought to you by the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal, offers hands-on learning and interactive discussions on the most critical technology issues and practices across K–12 and higher education.

  • outline of a modern school building as glowing blue geometric shapes, surrounded by binary code streams, with golden orbs and lines representing funding, set against a dark gray gradient with faint grid patterns

    FCC Cybersecurity Pilot Participants Selected

    The Federal Communications Commission has officially selected the participants for its Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot, the three-year program exploring the use of Universal Service funds to improve school and library defenses against cyber attacks.

  • Google Classroom tools

    Google Announces Classroom Updates, New Tools for Chromebooks

    Google has introduced a variety of features across its products for education, announced recently at the 2025 BETT ed tech event in London. Among the additions are enhancements to Google Classroom and new tools for Chromebooks, "designed to help address the diverse needs of students around the world," Google said in a blog post.

  • group of elementary school students designing video games on computers in a modern classroom with a teacher, depicted in a geometric and abstract style

    Using Video Game Design to Teach Literacy Skills

    The Max Schoenfeld School, a public school in the Bronx serving one of the poorest communities in the nation, is taking an innovative approach to improving student literacy.