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KI Announces Winners of K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/19/23

Furniture provider KI recently announced the winners of its first-ever K–12 classroom furniture giveaway, according to a press release. Entrants used the manufacturer’s Classroom Planner to design an ideal learning space. Nine finalists came from a total of almost 20,000 votes, and then three teachers received a total of $40,000 in furniture to watch their learning space become reality.

According to the news release, the winners were Dylan Zuccarello of Lawton Chiles Elementary School in Tampa, Fla.; Hattie Llewellyn of New Berlin High School in New Berlin, Ill.; and Marisa Rinkel of Norco Elementary School in Norco, Calif.

“We extend our warmest congratulations to Hattie, Marisa, and Dylan,” said KI’s vice president of education markets, Bryan Ballegeer. “Each of these educators put their students’ safety, agency, confidence, and comfort at the forefront of their designs. At KI, we care deeply at improving the incomes of students, which is why we’re excited to support these teachers by bringing their visions to reality.”

Zuccarello, a fifth-grade math and science teacher, prioritized an open layout and flexible seating to boost student comfort and collaboration, the news release reports. Llewellyn, a high-school special education teacher, chose to support adaptability and variety to help students with various levels of cognitive and physical abilities. Finally, Rinkel, a fourth-grade gifted and talented program teacher, emphasized creativity, function, and safety in her design with multi-colored, mobile furniture.

The six runners-up will receive either ten Imaginasium blips or twenty Ruckus whiteboards, depending on their preference. Winners will see their designs installed in their classrooms in coming weeks, according to the press release.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

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