Thousands of Virginia educators received a thank-you note in the Virginia Lottery’s Thank a Teacher campaign. One lucky Virginia teacher received that and a lot more.
Veronica Berrios, a fourth-grade math & science teacher at Chatham Elementary School in Pittsylvania County, won $2,500 courtesy of the Virginia Lottery and its partners, IGT and NeoPollard Interactive. The school where Berrios teaches, Chatham Elementary School, will receive $2,500 in supplies from The Supply Room.
Berrios’ name was randomly selected in the prize drawing from nearly 25,000 entries submitted by teachers who entered a special code from their thank-you notes. The Virginia Lottery and its partners gathered to surprise Berrios with the good news in her classroom on the last day of school before summer vacation, May 22.
The tenth iteration of the award-winning Thank a Teacher campaign was held in conjunction with National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5 – 9). This year, over 210,000 thank-you notes were sent to Virginia K-12 public school teachers by their students, parents or other Virginians. The notes, which could be hard-copy or electronic, each had one of three pieces of artwork designed by Virginia elementary, middle and high school students who won the Thank a Teacher Art Contest.
When teachers received their 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 Supply Room, IGT and NeoPollard Interactive. It is an initiative to celebrate those teachers whose hard work and inspiration have made a difference in so many lives. Over the last ten years, the program has recognized 22 educators throughout the state.
To stay updated as the remaining Thank a Teacher winners are announced, please visit the Winners & News section of the Virginia Lottery website.
All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 public education in Virginia. Pittsylvania County Public Schools received more than $9.3 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Lottery generated more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.