KI Announces Winners of K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

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].

Featured

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • New Jersey Day School Opens New Science & Entrepreneurship Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIG Architecture on the 32,000 square foot facility, completed on a 17-month construction timeline in time for the beginning of the new school year.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.