SELCO Opens Public Voting for Classroom Makeovers

SELCO Community Credit Union invites Oregonians to vote for their favorite classroom makeover projects from nine finalists competing for up to $45,000 in total funding. The online public vote will determine three winners of SELCO’s Regional Classroom Makeover program, with one educator selected from each of three regions: Central and Eastern Oregon, Northwestern Oregon, and Southwestern Oregon. Each winner will receive up to $15,000 to transform a school learning space.

Voting opens Sunday, Nov. 1, and continues through Saturday, Nov. 7, at www.selco.org/vote. Voters can select their favorite finalist in their local region.

The Regional Classroom Makeovers are part of SELCO Steps Up, the credit union’s community outreach initiative, which aims to foster meaningful, lasting change through nonprofit sponsorships, volunteerism, and funding for students and educators.

Now in its third year, the Classroom Makeover program helps address a persistent challenge for educators: finding the resources to make meaningful improvements to their learning environments, often while covering classroom expenses out of their own pockets. This year’s finalists represent projects ranging from inclusive recreation and sensory-support spaces to hands-on career and technical education opportunities.

“The creativity and dedication of Oregon educators continues to inspire us,” said Olivia Sorensen, Community Development Supervisor for SELCO Community Credit Union. “These finalists have identified meaningful ways to make their learning environments more inclusive, engaging, and effective for their students. We’re excited to bring the vote to the public so our communities can help us bring these educators’ ideas to life.”

For this program, SELCO defines a “classroom” broadly as any school learning space, including traditional classrooms, libraries, gymnasiums, and outdoor spaces.

The nine finalists selected by the SELCO Steps Up committee are:

From Central/Eastern Oregon:

Jefferson County Middle School, Madras — Revitalize a deteriorating garden with irrigated gardens, fruit trees, and pollinator habitat. Students develop career skills, confidence, and responsibility through environmental stewardship and experiential agriculture learning. Submitted by Jamie Hurd.
Warm Springs K-8 Academy, Warm Springs — Create a more inclusive elementary gym with an indoor climbing wall and interactive projection system that helps students of all abilities build confidence, strength, and lifelong healthy habits. Submitted by McKenna Devine.
Cascades Academy, Bend — Upgrade a multipurpose gathering space with modern sound, lighting, and music equipment to support student performances, technical theater, and music education. Submitted by Erin Maxon.

Northwestern Oregon

Cascade High School, Turner — Transform an aging art classroom into an accessible creative space where all students can fully participate in ceramics, photography, drawing, painting, and visual arts. Submitted by Lily Roth.
Philomath Elementary School, Philomath — Reimagine a crowded classroom with flexible seating, collaborative learning areas, and organized storage that gives students choice, comfort, and room to grow. Submitted by Grace Van Houten.
Bessie Coleman Elementary, Corvallis — Create an outdoor learning environment that connects students with native plants, Indigenous knowledge, ecology, art, math, and science through hands-on learning. Submitted by Paul Guernsey.

Southwestern Oregon

North Bend Middle School, North Bend — Transform a traditional technology classroom into a reconfigurable makerspace where students collaborate, innovate, and build real-world engineering and design skills. Submitted by Nathan Helland.
Buena Vista Spanish Immersion Elementary School, Eugene — Equip a dedicated support space with sensory tools, calming environments, and social-emotional learning resources to help students regulate emotions and return to class ready to learn. Submitted by Brenda Gavin-Garcia.
Coffenberry Middle School, Myrtle Creek — Transform a classroom into a student-run design and production studio where students create, market, and produce real products while building entrepreneurship, leadership, and career-ready skills. Submitted by Sandy Osborne.

SELCO’s Classroom Makeover program has provided nearly $90,000 in support since launching in 2024. The program has helped fund improvements such as a Career and Technical Education space at Obsidian Middle School in Redmond, a digital media arts center at Tualatin High School, and the creation of an ability-inclusive playground at Prairie Mountain School in Eugene.

“As a credit union founded by teachers, supporting educators is part of who we are,” Sorensen said. “We’ve seen how the right resources can help teachers expand what’s possible for their students. We look forward to seeing which projects communities rally behind this year.”

For more information about SELCO Steps Up Classroom Makeovers, visit www.selco.org/steps-up/student-and-educator-support/. Vote at www.selco.org/vote.

This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.