When 6th grade research teacher Tamera Forrester-Bell opens her Neptune Middle School classroom in just a few days, things will look quite a bit different for the kiddos. That’s because Addition Financial paid a visit to Neptune recently as part of their 4th Annual Renovate to Educate Contest, and did a “dream makeover renovation” that will be a blessing to the students, the teacher, and to the entire school this school year.
Addition Financial’s teacher contest is centered around thanking local educators for their hard work and dedication, and this year, Addition Financial awarded four lucky teachers with their dream classroom renovations of up to $2,000 per classroom, one being Neptune Middle’s Tamera Forrester-Bell
“When I first came in, I was just in awe of how beautiful the classroom was and the energy that’s already coming from the room. I’m super excited to get my kids in here so they can build community and start learning,” Forrester-Bell said after being introduced to her newly renovated room.
The program invites teachers to apply for classroom renovations by submitting an essay about their visions for a dream classroom. When Forrester-Bell entered the contest, Tamera Forrester-Bell explained that she believes that creating a sense of community allows kids to be comfortable, and that starts with their physical environment. For her renovated classroom, she was looking for affordable flexible seating, an organized reading center and a learning café, and that’s what she got, all in a beautiful coral theme.
“On behalf of our school board and our school district and certainly the community here at Neptune Middle School we thank our Addition Financial partners, it is such an amazing gift,” Osceola School District Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace shared during the classroom reveal.
To bring the educators’ visions to life, Addition Financial teamed up with Seminole State College’s Interior Design program, hiring paid interns to collaborate with each individual teacher while gaining hands-on, real world experience.
“I like color,” Forrester-Bell shared, “because I feel that color impacts the way students learn and interact.
Along with Neptune Middle School, Academic Center for Excellence in Orlando, Markham Woods Middle School in Lake Mary, and Umatilla High School in Umatilla, were also winners of the Addition Financial 4th Annual Renovate to Educate Contest.
