‘Fixer Upper’ Bringing 21st Century Furniture to Etiwanda HS

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA – For years, Etiwanda High School teacher Missy Ash-Bala had been a fan of the home improvement show, “Fixer Upper,” and its popular hosts, Chip and Joanna Gaines. Little did she know how big a role the show eventually would play in her classroom.

“It’s been a very exciting couple of months,” Ash-Bala said, one day after receiving a check in the mail for $23,625 from the Chipstarter program to purchase 21stcentury classroom furniture.

Chipstarter is the brainchild of Chip Gaines, and provides funding to support an individual’s dreams – be it a business upstart, a new skill someone wants to learn or, in Ash-Bala’s case, furnishings that are mobile and adaptable to today’s more fluid classroom needs.

Ash-Bala heard about the program in September and had a short window to put together an application and a two-minute video to make her case. With the support of her students – via Twitter and Instagram – Ash-Bala was selected as a finalist and was flown to the Gaines’ home base in Waco, Texas, on October 18-19. There, she received word that she had won one of the grants.

“We’re up on stage, and Chip hugs me and whispers, ‘You better thank those kids because they put you on top,’” Ash-Bala said. “It was all so incredible.”

Ash-Bala will donate the money back to the school to purchase the mobile chairs and desks, allowing for flexible and collaborative learning spaces in her government and economics classroom. 21stcentury classroom furniture allows students to efficiently and effectively alternate between group settings and independent learning.

“We’re seeing more and more project-based learning, and to have the ability to quickly break into pairs or small groups is really important,” Ash-Bala said.

Etiwanda High School Principal Don Jaramillo said the school will help expedite the purchase and that the furniture could be in place by the start of the second semester.

“We’re so grateful to Missy for making this happen. Her commitment to her students and Etiwanda High School is a wonderful example of the difference one teacher can make,” Jaramillo said.

Ash-Bala said most of the gratitude should go to the Chipstarter program and the Gaines’ themselves. “They’re amazing people, and are exactly the way they appear on TV,” she said. “When our kids started Tweeting and going on Instagram, Chip tweeted them back. They were thrilled.”