Ashley Furniture Donates to Local School District Robotics Program

November 25, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

With a contribution of more than $36,000 from Ashley, the district was able to purchase VEX Robotics equipment for students, further expanding into all K-12 grades that will vertically align its robotics curriculum. The equipment will also allow the school district to provide objective-based learning, further connect with Career & Technical Education (CTE) and explore externship opportunities that provide problems that require a solution.

VEX Robotics is a leading provider of educational and competitive robotics products to schools around the world.

“DCS greatly appreciates the ongoing relationship with Ashley Furniture,” explained Jeff Wallace, Superintendent of Davie County Schools. “The continuous support for education will take another significant step now that DSC has secured this large and generous grant from Ashley Furniture to support VEX Robotics in our classrooms. These opportunities and relationships take student experiences to a new level that will promote innovative learning and build stronger teams.”

Beyond science and engineering principles, robotics teaches students creativity, teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

“This program is a great way for young students to learn career-readiness skills,” said Ron Wanek, founder and chairman, Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. “We continue to support STEM education to inspire the next generation of skilled workers and help secure our country’s position as a world-leader in technology and advanced manufacturing.”

Throughout 2020, Ashley has provided more than $150,000 to school districts in support of VEX Robotics around the country. The equipment allows students to easily build their first robot and with endless possibilities of customization, the platform encourages students to build a robot that is bigger, stronger, and more functional as they continue to learn. VEX also provides curriculum options for educators to integrate lesson plans into the classroom and easily customize projects to meet the level of students' abilities. Davie County Schools will also continue to expand the district’s extracurricular competition programs where students are tasked with designing and building a robot to play with other teams in a game-based engineering challenge.