Virginia first-grade teacher wins $2.5K as her school scores classroom supplies
SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. — What began as a simple thank-you message ended with a surprise celebration for a Virginia first-grade teacher who was awarded cash and school supplies after being selected as a statewide grand prize winner.
Lori Truoccolo, a first-grade teacher at Chancellor Elementary School in Spotsylvania County, was named a grand prize winner in the Virginia Lottery’s Thank a Teacher campaign.
The Virginia Lottery announced that Truoccolo received a $2,500 cash prize through the program, which is supported by Brightstar Lottery and NeoPollard Interactive.
In addition, Chancellor Elementary School will receive a $2,500 credit for school supplies through program partner The Supply Room.
Lottery officials said the winning entry was randomly selected from thousands submitted by teachers across Virginia. Educators entered the drawing using a unique code included with Thank a Teacher notes sent during the annual appreciation campaign.
Truoccolo learned she had won during a surprise presentation at the school on Tuesday.
The Thank a Teacher campaign is held each year in conjunction with National Teacher Appreciation Week and encourages Virginians to send messages of appreciation to K-12 public school teachers throughout the Commonwealth.
According to the Virginia Lottery, a record 225,650 thank-you notes were delivered to teachers statewide this year.
Since the program launched in 2016, more than one million thank-you notes have been sent to Virginia educators, and more than two dozen teachers have received prize awards through the initiative.
The program is supported by the Virginia Lottery, Brightstar Lottery, NeoPollard Interactive, and The Supply Room.
The Virginia Lottery noted that all lottery profits support K-12 public education across the state. Spotsylvania County Public Schools received more than $19.7 million in lottery funding during the previous fiscal year.
Key Points
- Spotsylvania teacher Lori Truoccolo won a $2,500 Virginia Lottery Thank a Teacher grand prize
- Chancellor Elementary School received a $2,500 school supply credit
- More than 225,000 thank-you notes were delivered to Virginia teachers this year