Vance High DECA students helped paint

Creating a good place for our students to dream, innovate and learn takes many hands – including hands holding paint brushes, screw drivers, computer mice and checkbooks! Volunteers and local businesses recently used those tools and more to renovate a technology and innovation lab at Morehead STEM Academy.

University City Partners helped coordinate the effort and, with IKEA, underwrite the cost of new furniture for the lab makeover.

“The talent pipeline for IT is very important to University City, so we were able to align resources to support development of that talent pipeline,” said UCP’s executive director, Darlene Heater.

The effort began last fall, with AI Design Group working with the school administrators and teachers to create a design that matched their aspirations, Heater said.

AI Design Group created the room’s fresh look

UCP and IKEA provided funds for the classroom furniture.

Volunteers from Chick-fil-A University Place and student mentoring group EmpowHERment spent a day assembling the furniture.

DECA students came from nearby Vance High School to paint the classroom.

Now, Morehead Academy students are in their new classroom and loving it. “I received a bunch of thank-you letters from the school mentioning how happy they are to have the new furniture in their classroom,” said Camilo Aviles, with IKEA. “I am so happy to see how exited they are.”