Out with the formica-topped tables and the dingy venetian blinds. In with the rococo chandeliers and the red velvet chairs.
*Click to see the full image.
Right, former “Trading Spaces” designer Genevieve Gorder, rear, shows off the renovated classroom to teacher Kristi Wolf, left, and 8th grader Ella Wolfe, right. At left, the classroom had a far different look before.
Those moves hint at the transformation in Kristi Wolf’s Shreveport, La., classroom once designer Genevieve Gorder, formerly of the television show “Trading Spaces,” got her hands on it.
Student Ella Wolfe won the $25,000 facelift at Caddo Magnet Middle School for Ms. Wolf in a classroom-makeover contest.
The contest, sponsored by Expo, a producer of dry-erase markers and whiteboards, drew more than 11,500 entries nationwide, according to the St. Louis-based company. In 100 words or less, students described why their teacher (or in Ella’s case, former teacher) deserved the top prize.
Ella wrote that Ms. Wolf was as “bright” as an Expo marker, and now her 6th grade classroom is, too, with soft-yellow walls, yards of black-patterned drapes in a similar shade, and red accents. Included in the makeover is a whiteboard that interfaces with a computer through special software.
Another 250 contest winners received $1,000 worth of Expo products for their schools. The competition is in its second year, but this is the first year the company has put $25,000 into a classroom.
Another grand-prize winner along with runners-up will be selected early in the new year.
