NAMPA, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Rows of tables took up the floor of the Ford Idaho Center on Tuesday afternoon. On each table were long strips of lottery tickets, all intended to go toward a worthy cause.
A total of 92 schools participated in the Idaho Lottery’s annual Scratch for Schools. Schools were awarded a total of $31,387 at Tuesday’s event.
This was the first of 10 events this March, with a total of 480 schools registered across the state, setting a new record.
The event serves as a competition, pushing teams to move quickly to win money for their school. Each team consists of three teachers, staff or parents from individual schools.
Teams are given 200 tickets and scratchers. With just five minutes to scratch, competitors take off in a frenzy.
Teachers representing Highlands Elementary School in Boise came dressed in full pirate gear, matching this year’s scratch ticket theme.
“The energy’s good, and it feels like we’re bigger than our small schools,” fourth-grade teacher Eileen Beatty said.
Ingrid Jungen teaches fifth and sixth grade at the elementary and isn’t new to the event, having participated for several years. In past years, Jungen has seen her school use the money for a new flag and STEM programming.
As for strategy, Jungen said each year is different.
“You never know what the tables are going to be like, what the scratchers are going to be like, what the cards are going to be like,” she said.
While five minutes may sound long, with strips of 100 tickets sitting on a table, the time goes quickly.
This year, participants were provided shiny, plastic-coin scratchers.
Coming in first for speed was Bruneau Elementary School from the Bruneau-Grand View Joint School District, with all 200 tickets scratched within the five minutes. The school won $462 from its scratch tickets.
The fastest 14 schools won an additional $200 and advanced to a final round. This semifinal had teams rolling inflatable dice, aiming for the highest number.
In the finale, Mosaics in Education Public School from Caldwell won the dice throwing and an additional $200. In total, the school received $1,167.
Schools will later be sent the amount teams won as checks in the mail.
Since its inception in 2001, the program has invested over $1.6 million in Idaho’s public education.
Last year’s Nampa event gave away a total of $31,105 across 91 local schools.
Idaho Lottery Public Information Specialist David Workman hosted the event, weaving between the dozens of tables on the floor of the center’s arena. Workman has been a part of over 100 Scratch for Schools events over the years.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie from this,” Workman said about different school representatives sitting side by side.
Some schools came from as far as Bruneau and Fruitland.
Workman said schools often spend the lottery money in a variety of ways, from books to art. He recalled one school that bought headphones to utilize audio for its special needs students.
Participants from Idaho Arts Charter School in Nampa said they hoped to put their winnings toward improving the turf of their playground.
“We’re so glad that they did what they can for us, it makes us feel appreciated,” Mary Stumph, an elementary instructor, said.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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