Woodbridge Public School Teachers Get Lounge Makeover

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The teachers at Pennsylvania Avenue School #27 in Woodbridge got a nice little surprise Tuesday, as their teachers’ lounge was given a complete makeover funded by the Linden Walmart and Crayola crayon company.

School #27 was one of 12 schools nationwide chosen for the free makeover. The idea from Crayola was to create a more colorful and inspiring space for America's public school teachers.

The school unveiled its updated teachers’ lounge Tuesday.

"I am so grateful to Crayola and Walmart for generously transforming our teachers' lounge into a vibrant and welcoming space for our teachers to recharge and collaborate,” said School #27 principal Robert Hugelmeyer. "The teachers at Pennsylvania Avenue School #27 work incredibly hard, so anything that helps improve the way they experience the small amount of free time they have is greatly appreciated."

See Tuesday's unveil, and look for teachers you might recognize!

Crayola and the Linden Walmart paid for the total remodel: Crayola provided the school with a $3,000 Walmart.com virtual gift card to purchase the necessary items for the makeover. Walmart separately donated a $1,000 gift card for the teachers to purchase additional items for their lounge.

Crayola also gave the school $1,000 worth of Crayola art supplies.

Next week is American Teacher Appreciation Week, and volunteers from Crayola and the Linden Walmart volunteered their time to paint the lounge, set up new furniture and decorate.

"We were delighted to partner with Pennsylvania Avenue School #27 for this project," said Linden Walmart store manager Joe Schmidt. "We're excited to witness the positive impact this makeover will have on the teachers and entire school community."

They worked with Melanie Ralbusky, a former classroom teacher who founded Schoolgirl Style. She created a series of design boards for the winning schools to choose from. Teachers at Pennsylvania Avenue School #27 chose the design for their lounge.

This was part of Crayola Creativity Week’s Creative Teachers Sweepstakes, a free program to help teachers in America and across the world.

Crayola crayon company is located in Easton, PA and is a subsidiary of Hallmark.