Local Teacher Wins The Lottery… Sort Of

Governor’s School Teacher Receives VA Lottery Super Teacher Award

KEYSVILLE – There are some amazing teachers out there – Super Teachers, in fact, and many of them are right here in Virginia. Amy McClure is one of those teachers, and that’s why she was selected to receive the 2016 Virginia Lottery Super Teacher award.

Mrs. McClure received the award in a surprise presentation at The Governor’s School of Southside Virginia in front of students, faculty and special guests. The award, sponsored by the Virginia Lottery, the Virginia PTA and Virginia-based The Supply Room Companies, consists of a $2,000 cash prize and an additional $2,000 classroom credit from The Supply Room Companies.

This is the ninth year for the Virginia Lottery Super Teacher awards, which honor outstanding K-12 public school educators. Each year, the Lottery asks for nominations from all across the state, and this year, received nearly 800 total. From there, a panel of judges selects eight teachers – one from each geographic region across the state – to win. Amy McClure is the first educator to receive the Super Teacher Award for 2016. Seven more surprise presentations will occur this spring.

“Calculus and pre-calculus are tough subjects for our students,” points out nominator and colleague Dr. Joyce Hurt. “While Mrs. McClure is an excellent teacher, she also uses every technological advancement available to help her students learn. For example, she uses SmartBoard, SmartNotebook, Google Docs, Blackboard, Remind 101, Apple TV, iPads, Turning Point Clickers, document cameras, QR Codes, Skype, Green Screen Technology, and Google Handouts to enhance her students’ learning opportunities. She is very cognizant of the diversity of learning styles, and she strives to accommodate them. She also incorporates projects and hands-on experiment to make her lessons more interesting.”

The 2016 Virginia Lottery Super Teachers were selected by a panel of distinguished educators and community leaders, including:

Dr. Jo Lynne DeMary, former State Superintendent for Public Instruction

Dr. Martha Ross, professor emerita, JMU

The Honorable James W. Dyke, former Virginia Secretary of Education

Jane Brooks, President of the Virginia PTA

Michael Salvatierra, 2014 Super Teacher Award Recipient, Venable Elementary School in Charlottesville

The judges selected the eight winners based on the strength of the nominations and educators’ qualities as exemplified by the nominators. Each nomination includes answers to four questions addressing everything from the teacher’s passion for and commitment to the profession, to innovation and creativity in the classroom, to how the teacher involves the students’ parents.

“We’re game for education, and these awards are a great way for the Lottery to demonstrate that,” said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto. “We are committed to supporting Virginia’s public schools, and that includes recognizing outstanding Super Teachers who are making such a difference in the education of Virginia’s youth and, indeed, our future leaders.”

Virginia’s public schools received more than $534 million in Lottery profits for K-12 education in Fiscal Year 2015. Lottery dollars are funding programs, such as Virginia Preschool Initiative, Early Reading Intervention, Mentor Teacher, K-3 Primary Class Size Reduction, School Breakfast, Algebra Readiness, Regional Alternative Education and Career and Technical Education.

When it comes to education, the Virginia Lottery is game.  In fact, it’s the reason we play.  We generate more than $1.4 million per day for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. Operating entirely on revenue from the sale of Lottery products, the Virginia Lottery generated more than $534 million for Virginia’s public schools in Fiscal Year 2015. For more info, visit our website, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and check us out on YouTube. Please play responsibly.