YORKTOWN, Va. -- Thousands of Virginia educators received a thank-you note in the Virginia Lottery’s Thank a Teacher campaign this year, but Kelly Payne, an English teacher at Tabb Middle School in Yorktown, received that and a lot more! She won a Virginia vacation courtesy of the Lottery and a $5,000 credit from The Supply Room for her school.
Payne’s name was drawn from nearly 4,000 entries submitted by teachers who entered a special code from their thank-you notes in the prize drawing.
On June 8, First Lady Pamela Northam joined Virginia Lottery officials to surprise Payne at her school with the good news. She now has a choice of taking a Virginia-themed winery and brewery vacation or a health and wellness vacation.
The award-winning Thank a Teacher campaign was held in conjunction with National Teacher Appreciation Week, which was held from May 3 - 7. During that week, more than 30,000 thank-you notes were sent to Virginia K-12 public school teachers by their students, parents or other Virginians. The cards, which could be hard-copy or electronic, each had one of three pieces of artwork designed by Virginia elementary, middle and high school students in the Thank a Teacher Art Contest.
When teachers received the thank-you notes, they could use a unique web code on the note to enter for a chance to win the grand prize.
The Thank a Teacher campaign is a unique partnership between the Virginia Lottery, the Virginia PTA and The Supply Room. It’s an initiative to celebrate those teachers whose hard work and inspiration have made a difference in so many lives, especially after such a difficult year.
