A Stafford County student was honored as one of three winners of the fifth annual Virginia Lottery Thank a Teacher Art Contest. Jocelyn Turman, a seventh-grader at Edward Drew Middle School, won in the contest’s middle school category.
Three winners (one each from the elementary, middle, and high school levels) were selected from nearly 300 entries to have their artwork featured on thank-you notes distributed to thousands of teachers across the state during National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2 through 6, 2022.
The lottery’s Thank a Teacher Contest is a statewide campaign organized by the Virginia Lottery in partnership with The Supply Room, IGT, NeoPollard Interactive, and the Virginia PTA. Over the years, through this campaign, Virginians have sent more than 175,000 thank-you notes and 10 Virginia-themed trips to deserving teachers.
“Teachers are at the heart of the Lottery’s role to support K-12 public education in Virginia, and we love the opportunity to celebrate all their hard work through the Thank a Teacher campaign.” Said Virginia Lottery Acting Executive Director Kelly Gee. “It is an extra special touch to display such meaningful art on these thank-you notes. We are excited to once again recognize three of Virginia’s own talented public school artists with this award!”
In a surprise presentation on March 25, the lottery gave Jocelyn a $150 gift card, and the school received $1,000 from the Virginia Lottery and $1,000 from The Supply Room for its art department.
