INDUSTRY NEWS

The chair is available as an upholstered swivel seat or upholstered swivel seat with low back support; either form can go with an attached, ambidextrous tablet. Overall, the judges loved the versatility, numerous different configurations and creative use of design.

Illusions 2.0 Storage Collection from Fleetwood won second place. The collection is planned upfront and rolled into place. With shelves, file drawers, trays and more, it can be used by itself or with Designer 2.0 and Fleetwood tables. The judges appreciated the built-in look without the expense.

TacTiles from NorvaNivel took third place. The six sensory calming tiles – named Feelix, Grassi, Minki, Velli, Mopsi and Pixi – empower kids and help them to focus. The textures include fur, grass, dots, velvet and pile microfiber textures. The tiles can be used in-hand or mounted either in reach or underneath.

EDspaces held its 2023 conference Nov. 2-4, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. The event included tours, networking opportunities and informative sessions. On Nov. 2, EDspaces held its Product Innovation Awards. Below are the 2022 winners in the best-in-show, second and third places. Plot Twist from OM Seating was named Best-in-Show.

The Education Market Association welcomed its new leadership team on Feb. 1.

The team is led by Board Chair Mark Hubbard, who is the president of Paragon Furniture, Inc. and has been a member of EDmarket since 1985. As Chair, Hubbard’s priorities are to increase membership numbers and increase its recurring revenue streams.

The remaining Board of Directors is comprised of Chair-Elect Jolene Levin; First Vice-Chair Darlene Akers; Second Vice-Chair Deborah Kerr; Treasurer John Gardner; and Directors At-Large Robert Dickson, Jessica Morales and Steve Samikkannu. The Board oversees the programs and activities of all EDmarket committees and councils and make recommendations to the Executive Committee for future guidance to committee and council activities; additionally, they watch for new trends and developments and make suitable recommendations to the Executive Committee for future action.

The Education Partnership, a nonprofit oganization which provides school supplies to students and teachers in need, was recently named a 2023 Champion in Action. In recognition of their achievement, The Education Partnership received $35,000 from Citizens Bank and Trib Total Media; the organization will also receive media coverage and public service announcements from Trib Total Media.

“It’s a symbolic award in terms of being able to go out and pursue millions of dollars of other product resources and other financial resources from those o ganizations that believe in environmental sustainability and also believe in education. I think that’s the real home run,” said Josh Whiteside, executive director of The Education Partnership, in an interview with Trib Live.

The Education Partnership, headquartered in Pittsburgh, distributes $9 million worth of free supplies and resources annually to more than 63,000 students in Pennsylvania.

In January, Discovery Education was honored with four 2022 Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence for some products that were launched within the last couple years. The Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence honor exceptional products and services within education technology.

The organization’s Mystery Science and DoodleMath won the Primary category (for grades K-5). Mystery Science provides elementary school educators lessons to inspire a love of science by posing a question at the beginning of each lesson and exploring that question through interactive videos and discussion prompts. Doodle Math is an interactive math app for ages 4-14 that is designed to be used for 10 minutes a day. It is available on tablets, phones, desktops and laptops.

Meanwhile, Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform and Pivot Interactives won the Secondary category (for grades 6-12). The learning platform provides high-quality content, including digital lessons, quiz and activity creation tools and learning resources, to educators. Pivot Interactives is one of Discovery Education’s newest offerings and offers more than 10,000 video-based science activities.

Illinois-based educational toy companies Learning Resources, Educational Insights and hand2mind donated more than $1.7 million to several charity organizations in 2022 in support of education in a variety of means.

Their 2022 endeavors included translating and distributing free educational sources to Ukrainian refugees –as well as raising $95,000 – donating curriculum resources and monetary donations to schools and communities that suffered from mass shootings, donating PPE and classroom supplies to national kids campaigns during the holiday season and volunteering with Chicago- and Los Angeles-based organizations.

The trio of companies have supported more than 35 charities and donated millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations and schools nationwide.

Wood Designs is pleased to announce the promotion of Sarah Hoefke to vice president of sales. Hoefke has led by example in her work ethic and genuine care for customers since joining Wood Designs six years ago as part of the customer service team. Always ready to go the extra mile, she is an integral part of the company, receiving numerous commendations from both customers and her fellow team members.

CSI Connect Marketing Inc. in Orange City, Florida, has named Tonya Flaherty director of the Toy Collection Brand. Flaherty has worked in the toy industry for more than 27 years. CSI Connect Marketing provides marketing materials, tradeshows, websites, email marketing and more in both print and digital formats.

Flaherty can be reached at tonya@toycollection.com or by calling 386-775-1070 ext. 225.

Screen printing is the most popular applied arts subject because it offers students hands-on instruction and the experience of creating their own artwork.

One-Man Squeegee Unit is ideal for schools and built to last generations. Combine it with a Rack-It™ Drying and Storage Rack and go to the head of the class.