BRISTOL, VA – In a delightful twist to the Virginia Lottery’s Thank a Teacher campaign, Matthew White, a math teacher at Virginia High School in Bristol, was the lucky recipient of a $2,500 prize. The campaign, which aligns with National Teacher Appreciation Week held from May 6-10, involved sending over 130,000 thank-you notes to Virginia’s K-12 public school teachers. White’s prize was awarded during a surprise video call on Monday.
The ninth annual Thank a Teacher campaign, recognized for its impact, saw nearly 17,000 teachers entering the grand prize drawing by submitting a special code found on their thank-you notes. These notes, featuring artwork from winners of the Thank a Teacher Art Contest, could be either physical or electronic.
In addition to White’s personal prize, Virginia High School will benefit from $2,500 worth of supplies courtesy of The Supply Room. This initiative, a collaboration among the Virginia Lottery, The Supply Room, IGT, and NeoPollard Interactive, aims to celebrate educators who significantly influence their students.
The Virginia Lottery’s commitment to education is profound, with all profits directed to the state’s K-12 public education. Last fiscal year, the City of Bristol, where Virginia High School is located, received over $2.2 million in funds for education from the Lottery, which contributed more than $867 million to Virginia’s K-12 school budget in Fiscal Year 2023.