When you play the lottery, you not only get the chance to experience a life-changing win, you also play a part in supporting a great cause. The new John A. Holmes High School in Edenton is an example of a life-changing win for education, impacting an entire community for generations to come.
“I have never seen a school like this.” shared Ruth Spencer, who will teach health science and medical assisting classes this school year. “I love the school already and I haven’t even gotten in here and taught yet.”
Ms. Spencer’s health science lab is one of many new Career and Technical Education classrooms equipped to prepare students for the workforce in agriculture, carpentry, culinary arts, interior design, and more.
Edenton-Chowan Public Schools recently celebrated the grand opening of the new John A. Holmes High School, a 147,000 sq. ft. school built with the help of lottery funds.
“Chowan County hit the lottery here, shared Bob Kirby, Chairman of the Chowan County Board of Commissioners. “We as a community, we hit the lottery when we received the money to do a significant portion of this facility.”
Every year, money raised by the lottery helps award needs-based grants for school construction in North Carolina. In this case, Chowan County received $47.7 million in lottery funds to replace their 1950s-era school building.
“Without that funding, we would never have been able to provide this kind of education in a small, rural setting in Edenton,” shared Principal Sonya Rinehart, who graduated from John A. Holmes before returning to her alma mater as an educator. “It is the one thing that has changed the trajectory of this entire town.”
There are now 62 counties like Chowan that have received needs-based grants, helping build or renovate more than 100 schools across the state. In addition to these grants for rural counties, money raised by the lottery supports every school district by helping to fund school construction needs, NC Pre-K, K-12 support staff salaries, school transportation, and college scholarships.
Want to see how you’re helping education in your own community? Visit the Education page of our website to find your county on the map.
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