ORLANDO, Fla. -- With teachers bustling to get classrooms ready for the start of the school year, one Orange County teacher got a heartwarming surprise Friday morning.
- Orange County teacher earns $2,000 classroom makeover
- Elementary school teacher Dana Garth entered essay contest
- She was presented with her new classroom Friday morning
After entering an essay contest, Dana Garth at Orlando's Tangelo Park Elementary was awarded a $2,000 classroom makeover, thanks to Seminole State College and CFE Federal Credit Union.
Garth was overwhelmed upon seeing her new classroom.
"I have no words... It's so beautiful," Garth said.
Dana Garth says every year she spends some of her own money to make sure her students learn.
“A lot of the times kids don’t come into the classroom with everything they need, and if you want an inviting, welcoming environment, the teacher has to pay for that,” Garth said.
"It's everything I could have imagined as far as what I had in my mind, so to see it today... I have chills right now. I'm so grateful and thankful. I think the kids are going to love it, because I love it, so I think the kids are going to be very excited," she added.
Garth was one of three teachers in Central Florida selected for the classroom makeovers. They were chosen after writing essays describing what their dream classroom would look like.
The other two teachers were at English Estates Elementary in Seminole County and Lakeview Elementary School in Osceola County.