A Fairview Elementary teacher in Columbia just gave her classroom a fresh start, courtesy of a statewide contest built to reward exactly the kind of quiet effort that usually goes unnoticed.
Montana Loesing was named the winner of Brightspeed’s first annual Fiber Classroom Champion contest, which drew nominations from parents, students, and community members across Missouri. The prize: a $2,000 shopping spree to spend however she saw fit for her classroom.
She didn’t hold back. Loesing filled the room with a colorful smiley-face rug, a “fancy chair,” a neon sign reading “let’s read,” and a stack of new classroom supplies and decor — all aimed at making the space feel more like somewhere kids want to be. “It was so rewarding because I get to put it back in my classroom,” Loesing told KOMU 8.
Brightspeed’s marketing manager, Brian Littleton, said Loesing made the most of every dollar of the prize and was “so engaged and so engaging” throughout the process. It’s the kind of recognition that starts small — a parent or student filling out a nomination form — and ends with a classroom that feels a little warmer for the kids who spend their days in it.
Loesing’s advice to other teachers who might want a shot at next year’s contest was simple: keep showing up for the families. “Don’t stop trying, just keep communicating, reach out to the families,” she said.