Virginia teacher wins $2,500 in statewide thank a teacher campaign

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.

Phil Stilton Latest posts

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.