Education Superstars To Be Honored With Virginia Lottery Super Teacher Awards

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Jan 04, 2012, 11:14 ET

Lottery seeks nominations for outstanding educators

RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the fifth straight year, nominations are being sought for the Virginia Lottery Super Teacher Awards. The eight awards, each representing a different geographic area of the state, highlight a valuable Virginia resource: dedicated and talented K-12 public school teachers who truly make a difference in shaping young lives.

The awards are sponsored by the Lottery along with partners at the Virginia PTA and The Supply Room Companies. Each award consists of a $2,000 cash prize and an additional $2,000 classroom credit from Virginia-based The Supply Room Companies.

Each Super Teacher receives the award in a surprise presentation at his or her school, usually in front of his or her students, and sometimes in front of the entire school.

Any K-12 Virginia public school teacher can be nominated. Anyone 18 or older can nominate a teacher by completing a nomination form and writing a short essay.

"A talented and dedicated educator can make such an incredible difference in a person's life," said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto. "These men and women are instrumental in shaping our children into tomorrow's leaders, and the Virginia Lottery Super Teacher program is an excellent way to recognize these efforts."

In addition, all eight 2012 Super Teachers schools will receive a dynamic Science Museum of Virginia educational experience.

The eight winners will be selected by a panel of distinguished educators and community leaders, including:

Dr. Jo Lynne DeMary, Director, Center for School Improvement, VCU School of Education, former State Superintendent for Public Instruction
Dr. Martha Ross, JMU, Department Head, Early, Elementary and Reading Education
Hon. Jim Dyke, Partner, McGuire Woods, former Secretary of Education for Virginia
Anne Carson, President of the Virginia PTA
Roderick Zano, 2011 Super Teacher Award Recipient, Princess Anne High School, Virginia Beach

Official rules and nomination forms are available at www.valottery.com/teacher. Nominations can be submitted either online or through mail. Nominations must be postmarked by February 14, 2012. The winners will then be selected on the strength of their nominations. Winners will be announced between April 1 and June 24 in the winning teacher's hometown.

"We are so appreciative of the Virginia PTA's and The Supply Room Companies' support of this program," said Otto. "Thanks to this partnership, we are able to continue this program for a fifth year and award eight new, deserving teachers with the Super Teacher designation," said Otto. "We have consistently received more than 1,200 Super Teacher nominations each year. We hope to see even more compelling nomination essays this year!"

The Virginia Lottery generates approximately $1.2 million per day for Virginia's K-12 public schools. Operating entirely on revenue from the sale of Lottery products, rather than tax dollars, the Virginia Lottery generated more than $444 million for Virginia's public schools in Fiscal Year 2011. That represents about 8 percent of state funding for public education in Virginia. For more information, visit www.valottery.com. Follow the Virginia Lottery on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Please play responsibly.